Bombay vs Speedball Super Black: a color palette or one black bottle?

Specs-based comparison using published specifications and attributed feedback, not tested by us. Last verified: October 9, 2026. The individual source-check dates are listed below.

Side by side

The table compares the linked variants, not every item sold under either brand name. Experience levels and buying recommendations are editorial guidance. Feature and package claims come from the product records and the named sources below; they are not results from a head-to-head test. On a narrow screen, scroll the table sideways to keep both product columns together.

Bombay Set 1: a pigment palette in small bottles

The Bombay review covers twelve half-ounce bottles in Set 1. Dr. Ph. Martin’s names the colors and describes them as transparent except for opaque black and white. The formulation is described as pigmented, lightfast and waterproof when dry, with uses including brushes, dip pens, technical drawing pens and airbrushes. Those listed tools do not make the ink an ordinary fountain-pen refill. The set makes sense when a project needs several colors and you are prepared to manage separate bottles and cleanup. It is a less focused first purchase if nearly every practice page will be black. Twelve bottles do not give you twelve times as much of the one hue you use most, and unused colors are not a benefit merely because they are included.

Speedball Super Black: one bottle with a narrower purpose

The Super Black review concerns the linked 2 fl oz bottle. Speedball describes opaque carbon-black pigment, waterproof results once dry and application with suitable pens, brushes and other listed tools. Its current FAQ says this formula is not vegan and distinguishes it from the newer India Ink line. The bottle is a focused purchase for monochrome work rather than a substitute for a color palette. There is no controlled blackness comparison here to justify calling it the darkest ink available. Choose it for the documented formulation and quantity, then test the actual nib and sheet. A familiar black bottle does not prove faster drying, better flow through every point or a darker result than every competing ink. Keep the bottle name visible on sample sheets to avoid confusing it with another Speedball formulation.

Head-to-head: decide the color task first

Color range: Bombay when several hues are needed

Bombay supplies a named palette; Super Black supplies black. That is the clearest difference in this pair. The palette tool can help plan color relationships, but the screen is not an exact preview of dry pigment. Swatch the colors you intend to use on the project paper before buying more bottles or committing a finished design.

Opacity: do not treat every Bombay color like its black

The manufacturer calls Bombay’s black and white opaque and the other colors transparent. Speedball describes opaque carbon black. Those statements are more useful than a general quality winner. For dark stationery, test coverage on the actual surface. A brilliant liquid color can still look different in a thin dry line over dark paper.

Water behavior: both claims depend on drying

Both manufacturers describe waterproof results once dry. Neither source gives this comparison a universal safe wait time. Read watercolor lettering if you plan to layer a wash. Trial the sequence with the intended ink load and paper; a thin line and a heavy brush patch may not be ready together.

Flow and nib choice: no measured winner

Use a suitable dip setup from the nib guide and confirm the holder separately. We have not compared flow, railroading or hairline width under controlled conditions. Begin with one clean, prepared point and one paper. If flow is poor, inspect loading and contact before changing several parts of the setup at once.

Tool safety: neither goes in a fountain pen

Keep these India inks out of the cartridge or converter of a LAMY joy or Metropolitan. The ink guide explains the distinction. A general manufacturer reference to pens is not permission to use every feed system, and waterproof pigment is not an interchangeable substitute for fountain-pen ink.

Quantity and cleanup: buy for your actual routine

Bombay spreads its volume across twelve small bottles; Speedball puts a larger black supply in one bottle. Compare current delivered offers and the colors you will use, not total liquid alone. Work with small portions when appropriate, keep bottles capped and clean tools as directed before residue dries. More pigment on the shelf is not progress if the setup discourages regular use.

Who should buy which?

You practice pointed pen mostly in black

Super Black is the more focused candidate, assuming the ink suits your tool and paper. Follow a Copperplate or other appropriate lesson and use the practice-sheet tool for copying layout only. Start with modest shades rather than testing how much liquid the nib can dump onto the page.

You have a planned colored lettering project

Bombay is worth considering when the named palette fits. Consult the paper guide and make dry swatches. Use the spacing tool to settle layout before introducing several colors; an attractive palette does not fix a crowded word.

You need portability or minimal cleanup

Neither bottle format may be ideal. The practice calendar is easier to follow with a setup you can actually prepare. Capped brush pens are a different technique, but may better fit a short session away from a desk and cleaning supplies.

Alternatives outside bottled India ink

The Sakura Professional Brush pack is a portable black pigment option. The Tombow Dual Brush set offers water-blendable dye colors. They change the format and behavior; neither should be described as bottled Bombay or Super Black in a more convenient body.

Final verdict

Choose Bombay Set 1 for a genuine multi-color pigment project. Choose Speedball Super Black when a single black bottle fits most of your work. We have no measured winner for drying speed, flow or blackness, and neither belongs in an ordinary fountain-pen reservoir. Remember that Bombay’s colors are not all opaque and that Super Black is explicitly not vegan. Check the selected quantities, make a small dry sample on the real paper, and buy more only after the ink works with the tool and routine you intend to use.

Check the exact package before buying

Open the current listing and read the selected variant, quantity and return terms. A product-family name is not enough: nib widths, pack sizes and paper layouts can change the purchase completely. Delivery costs also matter when comparing a single small item with a larger pack. We leave prices with the retailer rather than presenting an old snapshot as a live offer.

Sources, dates and what we did not test

These recommendations separate three things: documented construction or contents, published observations attributed to their author, and our advice about which task to start with. We have not used these products side by side. No star score, timed durability result, drying-speed measurement, or numerical performance ranking has been added. Illustrations explain the choice; they are not product photographs or writing samples.

If your lesson specifies a different variant, follow that requirement rather than substituting the product that appears to win a general comparison. A useful purchase fits the exercise, the rest of your equipment and the amount of work you actually plan to do. The parent buying guide covers the wider category when neither of these choices fits.