on saleNoodler's Lexington Gray - Ink Sample

Lexington Gray is an unexpected surprise. Definitely worth buying a larger bottle if you are seeking a solid medium gray. Minimal feathering on standard copier paper and nice flow from my gray Jinhao Shark with the EF nib. This ink gives me the benefit of the soft color of a pencil lead which causes less eye strain for me, and the ease of writing with a fountain pen. Best of both worlds.

Another winner from Noodler. A true gray (in my opinion) that's neither too bright nor too dark. Will order a bottle when my sample runs out.

Noodler's is, love them or hate them, one of the only manufacturer's of waterproof non-pigment inks. I love pigment inks, but they tend to require a more pen cleaning and tend to dry slowly. Not so with Lexington gray. This is a nice gray ink with moderate (not excessive shading), reasonably drying time, and extremely good waterproofness. In my testing smudging with a wet brush, this effectively as waterproof as Platinum Carbon black, which is about as good as it gets.

I was pretty disappointed by this ink. I had read wonderful reviews here and on youtube. Honestly, as I look at it on paper, it reminds me of a gray Crayola marker: flat and boring. When comparing it with Diamine Earl Grey or Diamine Silver Fox, Lexington Gray is more yellowish. The edges aren't as well defined. It seems less dynamic and interesting.

I purchased this ink because I wanted a shading ink that was still on the grey black continuum and saw a bunch of solid reviews. I am a newish the fountain pen hobby and own a couple different pens, a Lamy Safari, Kaweco brass sport with a fine and extra fine nib and a TWSBI Eco. I used this ink with all my pens and to say the least, I was not impressed and rather disappointed. I found it frustrating working with this ink because how wildly different it would work depending on my pens/nibs. So it was very hard for me to anticipate how the ink would behave. I even thought at one time my nib was bad, because the color was so light in with a fine nib and super dark in my extra fine nib in another. Though I realized that it mostly was an ink issue, not a nib issue. While it did work well in one of my pens, it didn't like it in any other. And I would prefer owning inks that are more predictable across my pens and nibs. I am glad I only bought a sample. I would recommend that anyone who wants a Noodler's ink it is best to try a sample before you buy a whole bottle to save your self some heartache if it doesn't like your pen.