Noodler's Red Black

Noodler's Red Black is a very interesting ink. It's a tad darker than Noodler's Black Swan in English Roses. They're a lot alike, but English Roses is a bit more red and Red Black is a bit more black.

I like English Roses, and Red Black is just as good. It doesn't feather on cheap papers.
It ghosts through cheap stuff, but it doesn't really bleed.
It looks great in a fine nib, and I'd bet that it looks really great in a broader nib.

The really interesting thing about this ink, from my perspective, is that it shades while still looking saturated. Most of the time, when you have an ink that shades as well as this one does, the saturation is low enough that you can see the ink lose saturation through at least part of each letter. This ink doesn't really lose that saturation while you're writing.

The edge that Red Black has over English Roses is that it is suitable in more circumstances. English Roses always looks like a redish ink. Red Black doesn't look black, but if you're looking at it from the sort of distance that folk normally look at writing it looks dark enough to be formal. It's not going to be a black, but it would work well in a formal setting as well as anything else you might be writing.

It's also at least partially bulletproof. The ink is a mix of reds with Noodler's Black (from what I hear), and that gives it a bit of permanence. Not total permanence, but it will stick around if you get it wet.

Check this one out. It's $12.50 for a 90ml bottle from Goulet's, and you won't regret this ink purchase.