Goldspot x Robert Oster The Jersey Devil Ink Review

Storytelling plays an important role in some of my favorite products, so why not an ink featuring one of the great legends of the Northeastern United States, the Jersey Devil.

My question is this: Has the team at Goldspot actually seen this beast to properly match this ink color? Is it acceptable to call this ink a “beautiful” Reddish-Burgundy color, when tales of the Jersey Devil have haunted children and adults alike for centuries?

Left to right: Sanzen 52gsm Tomoe River, Col-o-ring.

I say yes, because while the Jersey Devil is a fantastical figure, made for spooky stories, The Jersey Devil ink is designed to be a friend to your pens. No mythical tales required.

My favorite part of The Jersey Devil is that it is a normal, straightforward ink. No bells, no whistles, no shimmer, no pigment - just a good, solid Burgundy with a bit of shading, and some character on the page. If you like the Red ink side of the ledger, then this could be your all-day writing choice for everything from work notes, to journaling.

My writing in the Aurora 88 Unica Nera with a 14K Extra Fine nib was consistent, with great flow on the Sanzen Tomoe River 52gsm Yamamoto Pad I used to transcribe one of my favorite Drive-By Truckers songs, “Where the Devil Don’t Stay” (look at baby Isbell in this footage!) The Devil was more Brown inside the Yoseka Notebook I doodle in, so you will see different shades on different papers.

To find The Jersey Devil, just head over to Goldspot, where you can pick up a 50ml bottle for $19. And if you want to learn more about how the legend of the Jersey Devil came to be, check out “A Devil on the Roof” from Aaron Mahnke and the Lore podcast. Aaron is more famously known around these parts as the designer of the original Pen Addict Podcast logo in the 70Decibels days. The more you know!

(Goldspot provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Robert Oster Jade Ink Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

Spring is finally making its way to the northern hemisphere, and I've found myself compulsively choosing green whenever it's available. There's something about the cheery green shade that really appeals to me at the moment, and I've decided to lean into it. This applies to all things in my sphere, not just stationery. For my 2025, whenever I buy something new (and assuming the option is there), I'm choosing green. That being said, fountain pen inks are a great place to dive in, because there are so many beautiful green inks out there.

This week, I'm looking at Robert Oster Jade — a lovely medium green with moderate shading and great performance. In terms of the namesake, I think it does a good job of matching the gemstone, though it makes me think of green leaves or blades of grass more often. To me, it seems like a great middle-of-the-range green hue, and the shading elevates from a basic green to something more.

The range of color that the ink exhibits isn't huge, but there's just enough differentiation that is easy to see when used with any nib. The range of greens in this ink is what makes it so life-like and dynamic on the page. Just like leaves, blades of grass, and mineral formations, there's a wide variation of color on the surface that can shift and change with the available light. The shading is what makes this ink so enjoyable to use. Jade is a simple ink that works exceptionally well.

Writing with the ink is on par with any other Robert Oster ink I've used. There's no bleeding or feathering, and the ink starts quickly and without any drama. The flow is good and it provides plenty of lubrication to the nib so that nibs feel smooth when they move across the page.

One thing that the ink doesn't do well is dry quickly. In most cases, the ink takes roughly 25-40 seconds to become fully smudge-proof. It's mostly dry after 20-30 seconds except for the areas where ink naturally pools where the nib changes direction and deposits a little extra ink. This isn't a terrible time for drying, but it won't suit anyone who needs a fast-drying ink.

When it comes to price, Jade is right in line with the rest of the standard Robert Oster lineup. A 50 ml bottle is $19, while a small 4 ml sample vial will set you back $3.75. For me, the bottle is a no-brainer because I know I'll use this ink a lot.

Within a few minutes of testing it out, I already knew that it was in my top tier of ink colors, and the great performance seals the deal. The world is a scary, dark place, and it helps to choose brightness where we can. For me, this ink helps transport me to a happier place when I need a little pick-me-up!

(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Robert Oster Dragon's Night Ink Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

Just in time for the shorter days and longer nights, it's a lusciously dark violet-blue ink from Robert Oster that also has a faint hint of copper sheen. Dragon's Night is a gorgeous dark ink that has just enough character to keep it interesting for long writing sessions.

It's not uncommon for Robert Oster inks to have a little flare on top of the base color, and this one is no different. There's a medium amount of shading — just enough to be noticeable under normal writing conditions. But there's also a hidden copper/red sheen that comes out in rare lighting conditions. This isn't a crazy sheening effect that's hard to ignore like some inks. It's subtle, and even when it does occur it isn't widespread. It's small and reminds me of glistening stars or floating embers rising from a small fire.

I had a hard time finding other ink swatches to compare this with because it's a unique combination (in my ink collection at least) of dark purple/violet, dark blue, and blue-black shades. When writing, it usually looks like a violet-black with lots of blue undertones. I've realized that my ink collection has lots of purples, but not many violets, which also means I prefer the warmer purple shades to the bluer violet. Either way, this is an ink color that I'm more than happy to use.

While it's not a particular fast-drying ink, I've found that it's dry to the touch at around 20 seconds in a medium nib. Could be faster, but could also be much slower.

Writing with this ink is an absolute pleasure. It has a good amount of lubrication for the nib and starts easily in whatever pen I throw it in. Despite being so dark, it also doesn't show through to the opposite side of the page much.

I'm a little disappointed that the copper sheen doesn't present itself more readily. It's really shy and I had a lot of trouble creating the optimal conditions to make it come out. In normal writing, it's rare that you'll see the sheen, but it will make you smile when it does appear.

Given the light sheen, it's a good thing the base color and medium shading behavior is so nice with this ink. Definitely purchase this ink due to the color and not with any expectation of sheening!

I've always been really happy with the many Robert Oster inks I've used, and Dragon's Night is no exception, as long as you have the right expectations. This is a violet-black that will be in heavy rotation over the next few months!

Dragon's Night is available in a 50ml bottle for $18, or you can pick up a 4ml sample vial to try out first. It's a good bang for the buck in terms of value, and I'd happily recommend it to anyone that likes the dark, moody violet shade.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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