Originally Posted by Edwood
II really like the Old Manhattan. It doesn't dry to a lighter gray with "dark tips" like a lot of so called black inks I've seen. Luxury Blue looks fluorescent in the bottle, but on paper is a more faded grayish blue. Looks nice, but it's not a dark electric blue like the bottled ink looks. It's supposedly bulletproof too, but I have a lot more confidence in the Manhattan Black.
I'm a big fan of Noodler's inks. Of the 11 inks that I use, 5 of them are Noodler's. However, I haven't found a Noodler's blue that I really like. My two favorite blues are Visconti's and Private Reserve American Blue. If you want a dark electric blue, try the American Blue. You can also try PR's DC Supershow blue which is very similar to American Blue but darker. I like the American Blue better than the DCSS because, even though it is only marginally less dark, it has nicer shading.
I do admit that one of the five Noodler's above is Upper Ganges Blue which I use at work when something needs an original signature because it's blue and bulletproof. Its a darker subdued blue but it has a nice texture. At home for original signatures I use Noodler's Legal Lapis which, despite the name, really isn't blue at all