Written by

on January 6, 2017

Noodler's X Feather ink review

One of my goals this year is to review the 35 black ink samples I got. Noodler’s X Feather is the ink I started 2017 with and I have to say - it’s great.

The ink’s main purpose is low feathering on most grades of paper and it does a great job at it. This comes at a cost, though: drying time may be longer than comfortable for very quick note taking.

Color

This is a decent black ink. Depending on the paper, it may seem slightly gray, but it still looks great, no matter the nib size.





Drying

X Feather is not a quick drying ink. I did not perform the drying tests you may find in other reviews, but it takes it’s time - 10-15 seconds after writing, the characteristic glare of wet ink is still clearly visible. The ink seems to form a layer on top of the paper, instead of soaking into it. This helps with feathering, but affects drying time.

Bleedthrough

I was pleasantly surprised that Noodler’s X Feather has virtually no bleed. Even with paper that’s more prone to that (moleskine, really?), the ink manages to stay on its side of the page.

Other properties

This ink is pleasant to write with. It may not be as slippery as others, so you need a wetter nib to experience true “gliding”, but it’s still fun to write with.

It seems that the surface tension of this ink is slightly higher - that’s probably part of the solution to the feathering problem. But it does exhibit a curious property: the ink appears to be less flowy and I’ve found my Vanishing Point (with a fine nib) occasionally drying up in the middle of a longer writing session.

Another cool aspect of Noodler’s X Feather is its water-proofness. Once dry, the ink seems to do a decent job not smudging when water touches it.





TL;DR

Noodler’s X Feather is a great everyday ink. Especially if you encounter various grades of paper throughout your day. It’s longer drying time may make it not so ideal for quick note taking, but the resistence to feathering and water proofness more than make up for it.