Ink Review #2561: Octopus Fluids Red Koala

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Octopus Fluids Red Koala is from the Octopus Write & Draw collection. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens (I don’t know of any other US retailers that sell it).

The color:

Red Koala is a true bright red.

*For my swab cards I use a Col-o-ring by Skylab Letterpress, a medium Pilot Ishime and a Mabie Todd Swan.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink is darker where it pooled, but doesn’t have any sheen.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 40 seconds

Water resistance: High

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: low shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had some feathering and a few dots of bleeding in the larger nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Red Koala is closest to Taccia Aka Red. Click here to see the red inks together.

Longer Writing:

I used a Lamy Safari Strawberries with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink has a slightly wet flow.

Overall, I really like this ink. I love the color, it’s my favorite shade of red. I love the slightly wet flow and the high water resistance. It’s a really good water-resistant red ink.

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Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.