I was never a fan of blue-black until I tried this ink. The color is very slightly purple/blue and lacks the 'coldness' most B/B inks have. It's a very well balanced color that's quite dark. A nice very deep, warm blue. I bought it just for occasional use, but it soon became a favorite ink. I've used up first bottle, and am now ordering a second.

I found the ink to be very smooth, free flowing, with very little bleed-through on inexpensive paper, and is permanent enough to clearly read after soaking under water. Cross says this ink is archival, and I expect it is.

The bottle is quite classy for the price too, though over time, the square cap didn't align well with the squareness of the bottle over much usage. The cap looks quite odd when it doesn't align with the bottle, as both are very square.

It may only be a problem with this particular cap. It still sealed the bottle quite well after it didn't align as closely as when new. Only the cap prevented this from being a 5-star rating; the bottle is very handsome. The ink is certainly 5-star quality.