By popular request, I finally have a review of Robert Oster Blue Denim. It is one of the many shades of the new Robert Oster Signature Inks that I have and it is a great, shading, sheening color. There is a distinct red halo with this ink, even in finer nibs.It’s one of the first things you’ll notice along with the vibrant deep blue color. It’s definitely a cool blue, despite the red sheen. What a conundrum of a color! A cool color with a warm sheen!
I’ve mentioned it before but I’ll say it here, the only downside with the Oster inks, if you perceive it that way, is the bottle. It’s a plastic bottle. The bottle is tall and narrow which will require a syringe to access inks after a certain point and could be prone to tipping if you are not careful. You may want to decant the inks into a different container if you fill your pens directly from the bottle. However, the bottles are plastic which means they are unlikely to break in shipping and are recyclable which, in another way, is a plus. Also, the bottles are dark so they protect the inks from light so the colors are unlikely to shift due to exposure to light. So, there’s that.
In my writing sample, I used my trusty Esterbrook nib holder and my favorite #2442 fine stub nib which showed more turquoise coloring. I also have the Blue Denim ink in my Karas Kustoms Bar Stock Fountain K EF and the ink looks much darker with the red sheen far more evident. You can see a writing sample in my recent writing samples of the Ferme à Paris Planner writing tests.
Compared to some of the other Oster inks in my cupboard, Blue Denim is probably the closest to a “blue black”. Blue Denim is probably most comparable, color-wise to Pilot Iroshizuku Tsuki-Yo and Noodler’s Navy — at least of the colors I have on hand. But clearly, there are differences. So see? You really do need another blue ink!
Oster Blue Denim in 50ml bottles is available from Anderson Pens and Vanness Pens.
DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
Cool! Looks like a very nice ink. I’m happy to read this, because I already own a bottle. (Part of a modest R. Oster buying frenzy at the Ohio Pen Show.) I do already have Tsuki-Yo, but only the tiny size! (I really need to clean out all my pens and try new inks. But I have trouble bringing myself to dump out the perfect good ink that is already in them!) Thanks for the great review!