Noodler’s Ink – #41 Brown
Handwritten Review
Pen: Lamy AL-Star – Coffee Brown – Medium Nib
Ink: Noodler’s #41 Brown
Paper: Kyokuto FOB COOP Dot Grid – B5 (Available at JetPens.com)
Notes:
Noodler’s #41 Brown is a very true brown. No crazy name, just a number and the word brown. Update: Well, I didn’t do my research…The name of this ink has a crazy political meaning with all of the expected undertones common in the naming of Noodler’s Inks. I only have a sample vial, so I was unable to see the label. For more information on the name, check out Noodler’s page for #41 Brown and Seize the Dave’s review for more info. The ink flows nicely and writes smoothly in the AL-Star’s medium nib. There’s something about a Lamy Medium that’s just perfect for ink reviews. This one happens to be a good specimen (some aren’t so great) and it’s smooth and a pleasure to write with. There’s some mild shading, which for me is always a welcome characteristic of ink (unless it’s a black ink). I’m not the biggest fan of brown inks, but this one is pretty nice. The color looks especially nice on cream colored, or off-white paper. I really like the ink on the “R” by Rhodia pads – which are a bit heavier and smoother than regular Rhodia. Noodler’s #41 Brown is true to it’s name. You really get what you would expect from an ink that’s called “Brown”. If you like brown ink, check this one out. I’m enjoying the sample, but this one’s not going into my collection of full bottles.
I shot these outside – let me know if you prefer the ‘laboratory’ look in other ink reviews, or the great outdoors. There are a few more reviews from this group of pictures, hope you like them!
Pros:
- It works.
- True brown – not towards green or red at all
- Nice mild shading
Cons:
- I don’t really like brown inks
Gallery:
Related Reading:
edjelley.com - Fountain Pen, Ink, and Stationery Reviews 
It looks as though you shot this under a shade tree. The shadows are a little distracting so it’s hard to get a sense of the ink’s true color. It would be better if you shot in broad daylight with no shadows or shade.
I admit, the conditions were not ideal. I’ll probably reserve ink reviews from here on out to indoors or somewhere with no shad coverage.
Thanks for the feedback!
I love #41 Brown, but I never would have classified it as a simple “true brown”. For me it has been dark, sometimes black, while other times it can be much more medium brown. Nibs are funny like that. Sometimes I even catch some reflections of a dark green in the right light. In your own pics I see ranges from med-reddish brown to walnut. (Maybe it’s my monitor/eyes.) As I said, I love it.
Also, while I don’t know how you determine whether names are “crazy”, but this one’s is definitely not simple. Unlike the descriptive names so common among Noodlers and other inks, this name is an intentional political pun. The #41 has no place in the name in any other light.
Unfortunately, I only tried the ink out in the Lamy, with a medium nib. Being that I’m not the biggest fan, I didn’t go above and beyond to try the ink out with different nibs or pens. There are so many variables when it comes to writing with a fountain pen (pen, feed, flow, nib width, paper, etc. etc. etc.) that it’s almost always a case of “your mileage may vary”.
Thanks for the tip on the name, admittedly, I could have done a bit more research. I updated the original post with a link to more info from Noodler’s and another reviewer. Thanks for reading!
The photos are gorgeous – as always. I think the shade from the trees makes the photos more interesting and really striking. As “art shots”, I think they’re great. As a component of an ink review, they’re fine but to really show off the ink you probably need more “labroatory” like conditions.