Ink Review #990: Robert Oster Blood Crimson

Robert Oster first released this ink as Rivers of Blood, which is still the name you can find it under at Pen Chalet where I purchased my ink. According to Robert Oster’s Instagram post, “Courtesy note: Blood Crimson is the common name of the newly released Fountain Pen Ink colour announced as Rivers of Blood. That name was of historical significance with horrific undertones and we respect the thoughts of those who brought this to our notice. UK and European stockists will be offered the colour name Blood Crimson. [Some retailers in other regions may carry the colour as Rivers... due to early stocking arrangements and recent stockists will carry it as Blood Crimson. We trust you accept our sensitivity and respect to the feelings of our community.]” So even though my sample is labeled as Rivers of Blood, I’m going to use the updated name of Blood Crimson. I love that Robert Oster was so responsive to customer concerns and did his best to adjust.

The color:

Blood Crimson is an unsaturated medium red.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has some pretty shading but no sheen.

Writing samples:

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

Dry time: 20 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was some feathering in all nib sizes but just a tiny bit of bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Blood Crimson has a little more orange in it than Lamy Ruby, and is more vibrant than Robert Oster Whisper Red. Click here to see the Robert Oster inks together, and click here to see the red inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Kaweco Al-sport Red with a medium nib on a Yoseka A5 notebook. The ink had a dry flow. Halfway through the page the flow started feeling very ink starved and almost scratchy.

Overall, I’m not crazy about this ink, which is rare since I usually love Robert Oster inks. I don’t love the color, and the flow is rather dry for me, especially for longer writing sessions.

Disclaimer: I purchased this ink myself, and all photos and opinions are my own. This page does contain affiliate links, but this post is not sponsored in any way.