Let’s talk Robert Oster Taiwan Blue Ink! One of the most popular blue inks in the Robert Oster lineup, this is definitely an ink that shouldn’t be overlooked. Kind of like how you never put Baby in the corner. You don’t leave Robert Oster Taiwan Blue ink on the shelf. It belongs in your pen! Want to hear more? Good. Because there’s more.

All About the Ink Maker: Robert Oster

Have we mentioned we love Robert Oster around here? His Australian company, Robert Oster Inks, creates a wide variety of fountain pen inks, and they’ve become pretty widely known as dependable inks with good shading traits, and vivid color options. Pen Chalet currently carries close to 150 different Robert Oster ink colors. Most Robert Oster inks are a reflection of the Australian landscape the company calls home. However, Pen Chalet recently released 4 Exclusive Robert Oster colors inspired by Arizona, the USA state Pen Chalet calls home.

All About the Ink Series: Robert Oster Signature Ink Series

This week’s ink is from the Robert Oster Signature ink series. Most Robert Oster inks are in the company’s Signature ink series, but they also offer a variety of shimmering inks in the Robert Oster Shimmy ‘N’ Shake ink series. The shimmering inks introduce a gold or silver sparkle or shimmer to the ink.

This Week’s Featured Ink: Signature Taiwan Blue Ink

Robert Oster Taiwan Blue ink is a bright and vibrant “dark” turquoise color of ink that you might see in the waters off of Taiwan. The deep blue turquoise color is not a royal blue, but it does show up well on paper and we would recommend it as an everyday blue color.

***Feeling impatient, and want to skip straight to the giveaway? Don’t worry – we’ll allow it. Just jump straight to the end of the review, and you’ll see where you can enter to win! Come back and read the full review later though – you don’t want to miss out on this week’s featured ink.

It’s Time: Robert Oster Signature Taiwan Blue Ink Review

This week we put Robert Oster Taiwan Blue ink through our standard ink review tests. And we’ll share all the details right here!

Ink Review Testing Factors (to keep things scientific):

We used a French-made J. Herbin spiral glass dip pen (with a tip comparable to a medium-fine fountain pen nib) and Rhodia dot pad paper.

Let’s Talk About the Robert Oster Ink Bottle:

Robert Oster Taiwan Blue ink comes in the company’s standard PET environmentally friendly plastic 50 ml. ink bottle. The simple leak-proof cap is easy to use and offers a great seal. Each bottle is identical, with a simple white label printed with a representation of the color (Taiwan Blue) on the cap. Robert Oster uses no additional packaging, which keeps the cost down for everyone.

How Much Does Robert Oster Fountain Pen Ink Cost?

This week’s Robert Oster ink is a Robert Oster Signature ink. It comes in a 50 ml. ink bottle and is directly imported from Australia. You can find the best price on this mid-range priced ink at PenChalet.com.

How Did This Week’s Ink Fair in the 1-Dip Test?

We conducted a 1-dip test with Robert Oster Taiwan Blue ink using a J. Herbin spiral glass dip pen and Rhodia dot pad paper. (For the 1-Dip Test, we dip the pen in ink once for each of three different writing samples. The three writing samples include: “S,” “X,” and scribble lines. The test looks for how well the ink performs on paper by showing if the pen runs out of ink before completing a full line). Envy ink very easily wrote across the paper on all three writing samples with lots of ink to spare.

How Fast Does the Taiwan Blue Ink Dry?

Robert Oster’s Taiwan Blue fountain pen ink showed a dry time of approximately 6-7 seconds with medium saturation. And that’s quick enough for an everyday color.

Does Robert Oster Taiwan Blue Ink Bleed Through?

We saw no bleeding during normal use and only saw very slight bleeding during the heavy saturated cotton swab test (but only at the very wettest point).

Was There Any Feathering While Using Taiwan Blue Ink?

We saw no feathering during normal use on Rhodia Paper, but we did see some slight feathering and line distortion during the water test. (But that’s to be expected since this isn’t a waterproof ink). The lines were still very legible.

How Does the Ink Stand Up to Water?

For the water test, we let an ink sample dry for about 3 minutes before running a wet cotton swab over the sample. We saw heavy color smearing, but that’s very typical for a non-waterproof ink. The lines were still legible (with some very slight distortion and line fading).

What About Shading & Sheening Traits?

Robert Oster Taiwan Blue ink showed some nice shading possibilities with the right nib and penmanship. We also saw a slight red sheen at the wettest point of the cotton swab test (which is unintended, but quite striking just the same).

Final Conclusion on this Week’s Featured Robert Oster Ink:

Taiwan Blue is a mid-ranged priced ink for the 50 ml bottle size of imported ink. The nice, dark turquoise blue ink color shows up very well on paper, and comes to us from well-regarded and prolific Australian ink company, Robert Oster Signature Inks. The quick dry time of approximately 6-7 seconds leaves us comfortable recommending this week’s ink as an everyday blue ink choice. The packaging (if you’re not already familiar with the Robert Oster packaging) is simple and effective. If you’re looking for a dependable, but beautiful blue ink perfect for everyday use, Robert Oster Taiwan Blue ink is a great option. Happy writing from Australia!

Enter to Win a Robert Oster Fountain Pen Ink:

Enter to win the actual bottle of Robert Oster Taiwan Blue fountain pen ink that Pen Chalet used in this week’s ink review:

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