Posts filed under Robert Oster

Robert Oster Cosmic Swirl Ink Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

There's yet another lovely shade from our Australian rainbow of inks! Robert Oster Cosmic Swirl is a charming shade of purple that is somehow different from the alarming number of purples I already have in my swab collection.

This is a lovely cool violet with blue undertones that come out in the chromatography. It's not a complex color, but it's a really nice tone that feels very fresh and nicely seasonal as we move from spring into summer.

This ink shows some pretty shading, from a very soft purple, to a more saturated tone, then showing its blue features where it pools, giving it a 3-color shade that is super difficult to photograph. There is a touch of bronze sheen, but only where I literally dumped ink on the page. I did not see any come out in writing.

It doesn't feel dry when writing, but it isn't a wet ink, either. It's a nice happy medium. It does have a fast dry time, though, between 15 and 20 seconds.

In the water drop test, it does show a slight resistance to water. It's not impervious at all, but I can still see my lines even where the water sat for a bit before I wiped it away.

While I'd consider this a fairly pale color, it's saturated enough that I don't have any trouble reading text in it, even in dim light. That hits a nice sweet spot for me, as I enjoy the soft colored inks, but I'm often writing at night, or trying to type my manuscripts in low light.

I think this is a great staple purple for people who are looking for a shade that isn't too pink. While it definitely has some blue tones, it isn't too blue, either. As far as comparisons go, I think it is closest to Iroshizuku Murasaki Shikibu, but doesn't layer as dark. This color stays fairly soft even where it's concentrated, which is unique in my purple universe.

I think Robert Oster offers some of the best purples out there (and probably also the most purples out there). This is another great one that I think will excite a lot of people looking for the perfect purple.

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

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Posted on May 7, 2020 by Sarah Read and filed under Robert Oster, Ink Reviews.

Robert Oster Signature Austrialian Opal Blue Ink Review

Every time I think that Robert Oster has made an ink for every shade of blue possible, he comes out with another blue! All of them are different and lovely in their own way. Austrialian Opal Blue is simpler and less flashy than some of them, so perhaps not one of the Oster rock stars, but it's a lovely shade of summer blue.

This is a very pale, soft color that may not be practical for everyday writing. It's a delicate shade that's difficult to see in dim light, but really dazzles in sunshine. It does have some nice shading, though, and where it pools, it has a beautiful, bold sky tone to it. The shading is even visible with a fine nib, which bodes well for its character in a firehose of a pen.

It has no water resistance, and washes away completely, not even leaving a washed-out droplet behind. It dries very quickly for liquid ink, between 15 and 20 seconds. This might be a great light blue for lefties. It does feel a bit dry when writing with it, but not to an unpleasant degree.

Chromatography shows a blue to aqua fade, very soft colors that are difficult to see at all unless the paper is on a white background. There's not a lot of complexity to this color.

I don't see any sheen with this ink. There is almost a hint of a purple sheen at the edges of where I pooled the ink and let it dry, but it's not visible in any writing I've done. My guess is that you'd only see a sheen from this ink if you spilled it on some fancy paper and let it dry.

This is a very different tone from my other blues. It almost comes close to Iroshizuku Kon Peki, but it's much more subtle and pale than that in writing. It's not like any other blue I've used, and I love that no matter how many colors there are, there are always new colors.

I've never met an Oster ink I didn't like. This one is perfect for celebrating the arrival of spring. But it's definitely one of the low-impact colors of the line. It's simultaneously not wild and not practical. It's too plain to be exciting, and too pale to be utilitarian--so I think it falls between purposes a bit. Despite that, it is a unique blue, so maybe it's the exact color you've been waiting for.

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

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Posted on April 9, 2020 by Sarah Read and filed under Robert Oster, Ink Reviews.

Robert Oster Bishop to King Fountain Pen Ink Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her first novel, The Bone Weaver’s Orchard, now available where books are sold!)

Robert Oster is one of my favorite ink brands. I love the wide range of colors, the way they are inspired from nature in Australia, the eco-friendly production of the ink and bottles. It's all good to me--and this is another great color in a winning lineup.

Bishop to King is a complex purple. It's very rich and royal, but violet enough to pass for blue under certain light, so it's a great ink if you want something with character but that you can still use in professional settings. It's purple with deniability. The chromatography shows a pretty even split between purple and blue, and the blue element has a slight touch of water resistance, too. On the water drop tests, standing water that was blotted dry left a hint of blue line behind. But when water is wiped up, it did wash all trace away.

The most noticeable element of this ink is a distinct dryness. It feels dry when writing or swabbing, and its dry time is so fast, I had to do it twice to make sure I hadn't imagined it. Despite this dryness, it does show some shading on Clairefontaine paper, but I could not get it to sheen, even when I let it pool.

I prefer wet inks, so this dry one isn't for me, but I highly recommend it for lefties, or for quick notes that must be jotted down on swiftly-turning pages. I think this makes it ideal for school or meeting notes, or for when you need to write a hasty note in your planner, slam the book shut, and hit the road.

The ink comes in a 50ml plastic bottle which is manufactured in a carbon-neutral plant. The bottles are fully recyclable. They're also a good shape for filling--narrow enough to allow for nib submersion even when the ink is running low, but sturdy enough that they don't tip over. The bottles aren't as glam as the handblown glass ones, but they also don't have the glam price tag. This bottle sells for about $17. In our world of climbing ink prices, I'll take that deal all day.

I think this is a solid, practical ink that fits some specific, practical needs. It's not one I'm likely to reach for often for my own needs, but I think it's an essential player on the field.

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

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