(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)
Oxblood is one of those words that took me a while to comprehend as a child. Why is the word "blood" in the name, and what does it have to do with an ox? My first memory of hearing this term was in relation to the color of a leather belt. I'm not confident I could tell you why this is still a standard color in some product lines, but it's probably fair that most people understand what the color looks like.
Diamine Oxblood is what I consider the standard oxblood color. It's not too dark, but it has plenty of dark red and brown mixing together to look like a shady blood color. I happen to be a fan of inks with this color scheme, but I understand it's also not for everyone. Either way, you'll know quickly after seeing a sample whether the color is for you. If it is, then Diamine is the one to start with.
I've written previously about a couple other red-brown inks that I really enjoyed: Diamine Ancient Copper and Organics Studio Edgar Allen Poe. These are both great inks in their own regard, but they're just a little off from the standard red-brown color I associate with a classic Oxblood. They're great inks and provide their own unique color and properties that make them great daily writers.
Diamine Oxblood is also a great daily writer. Let's get into the specifics of how this ink performs.
First off, the color is subtle, but deep and rich. It's a wonderful combination of reds and browns that I enjoy seeing on the page. Funny, I like the color of this ink, which is similar to blood, but I hate the sight of actual blood. Go figure.
Like every other Diamine ink I've used, it performs well. The ink has never dried up in my pens after a couple idle days, and it always starts straight away when I start writing. No hard starts, no skipping, or anything negative when it comes to ink flow and starting/stopping. The ink is right in the middle of the scale when it comes to lubrication and wetness. There's a pleasant amount of shading if you're using a pen with a larger nib, like a medium or larger German nib. In smaller nibs, you still get the great color, but the shading characteristics are diminished.
Dry time was average, coming in at just under 10 seconds for normal writing. You'll get smudges if you close a notebook too quickly after writing, and left-hand writers will have some issues with the long-ish dry time depending on the grip style.
When it comes to the color and how it compares to similar inks, I think it's the standard for Oxblood. Ancient Copper is also a red-brown ink, but it has more orange (copper) tones that make it more brown than red in certain light. Organics Studio Edgar Allen Poe is a much darker ink that also has some very light purple tones at times. E.A. Poe is one of my all-time favorite inks, but it's not a standard Oxblood in my opinion. Doesn't mean it's not gorgeous.
Overall, this is a fantastic ink that I think you should try if you are interested in dark reds and red-browns. As far as Oxblood goes, this is my standard in terms of color, shading, and behavior. On JetPens, you can order this ink in three different sizes/formats. It's available in a 30ml sample bottle, a full-sized 80ml bottle, and an 18-pack cartridge format.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
