I bought this ink sample to see why a lot of ink enthusiasts think of Aurora Blue-Black as “the” blue-black to absolutely have in the ink stable, just like their Blue and their Black.
In drier pens, Aurora Blue-Black looks like Pilot Iroshizuku Shin-Kai; in wetter nibs, it’s a nicely saturated blue-black that doesn’t lean teal. Woohoo!
Sailor Blue-Black and Sailor Bungubox 4B lean teal, whereas Montblanc Midnight Blue looks greyed out in comparison. Aurora Blue-Black is similar to Kobe #07 Kaikyo Blue, but Aurora’s version of this hue dries out to a more vibrant colour—well, as vibrant as a blue-black ever could.
It performed flawlessly in all my pen and paper combos, even in my stingy Sailor 1911S 21 kt H-M. The nib is smooth and coats the nib well; it does not feel thin under the nib. I did notice that Aurora Blue and Aurora Black both seem smoother, but that is my perception.
Despite it being a saturated ink, it cleans out fairly quickly from converters. I’ve seen no bleedthrough and no feathering on my Japanese stationery, just some usual ghosting on thinner papers. I’ve observed red sheen in heavily saturated areas where the ink pools, and also some shading during normal writing. I can achieve a nicely saturated, contained, crisp line even in my Sailor 1911L 21 kt H-B, which is a wet writer.
I really like this ink and am glad I tried a sample, because a full bottle of this ink is on my to-purchase list!
