Welcome to the first day of Inkmas! Its a tradition I started but have not been as good at keeping up as I had hoped so I am bringing it back this year. For me, its a great way to share some long overdue ink reviews and hopefully, for you its a chance for a stationery blog to do it’s best to feel a little bit seasonally appropriate.
So today, I start with a rare bird indeed though not a partridge. It’s Robert Oster DarkStar Blue (£9.99 per bottle). It’s a color made especially for DarkStar Collection in the UK known for their notebooks.
This color is a solid blue black ink. Unlike many of Robert Oster’s inks known for their sheening properties, DarkStar Blue is a classic blue black that is reserved. It does shade nicely with wider nibs to create some nice contrasts. Overall, its a “nightsky” blue as stated in their description. One might even say “It came upon a midnight clear”?
Compared with other notable blue black inks in my collection, I would say that DarkStar Blue was closest to Parker Quink Blue Black and Kyo-No-Oto #5 Aonibi with Parker being ever so slightly more vivid and Kyo-no-oto being slightly more muted. Pricewise that seems about right too with Parker being a bit less expensive, Oster being the mid-range and Kyo-no-oto being the most expensive of the three. The Sheaffer was darker overall as was the Caran d’Ache.
If you are looking for an ink that is not in regular rotation and harder to acquire than most (whether for yourself or as a gift), then DarkStar Blue is definitely something to pick up. It’s also a good solid blue black if you like a good classic color. If you are looking for another super-sheeny Oster ink, then this is not for you. Parker Quink Blue Black actually has more sheen.
Tools:
- Paper: Rhodia Uni-Blank No. 16 with 6mm guide sheet
- Pens: Esterbrook #2442 nib in a Shawn Newton custom nib holder, Empire vintage traveling dip nib holder with Zebra G titanium nib ($33.50 per 10-pack) (on Col-o-Ring cards only)
- Swatches: Col-o-Ring Ink Testing Cards
- Brush: Princeton Neptune Round #4
- Ink: Robert Oster DarkStar Blue (50ml bottle for £9.99)
Just want to let you know that I enjoy your reviews so much — it’s always fun to learn about new products. The ink sounds lovely.
Being new to the fountain pen hobby, I enjoy learning about new inks. I found it especially helpful the way you showed comparisons between all the similar colored inks; that was great. Looking forward to more Inkmas!
Daaang that’s a pretty ink, and I usually stay away from the blue family.
I might have to buy a sample.
Well… Although unexpectedly i think I’m in love…. Ok maybe deeply in like… Infatuated?? That Parker Quinn blue black is gorgeous. Just what I need… Another blue. How am I going to explain this to the other blues?