Octopus Fluids Pastell Inks

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Recently I’ve been trying out a new-to-me brand called Octopus Fluids. I wanted to start their ink reviews off with the Pastell series-6 very pale inks. Thanks to Octopus Fluids for sending these inks over for review!

Swabs:

Left to right: Pebble Stone, Cherry Blossom, Living Coral, Poppy Pods, Crystal Blue and Blue Iris.

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Dry Time:

All six inks dried in 20-30 seconds.

Writing samples:

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

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: Low

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low

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

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was lots of feathering in every nib size as well as some bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

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Pebble Stone is closest to Montblanc Spider Gray.

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Cherry Blossom is closest to Sailor Ink Studio 237. Living Coral is closest to Sailor Jentle Sakura-mori.

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Poppy Pods is closest to Pen Saijiki Kazahana.

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Crystal Blue is right in-between Pure Pens Porthcurno Cove and Pilot Iroshizuku Ebisu.

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Blue Iris is cooler-toned than Vinta Maskara.

Longer Writing:

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I used a Taroko Enigma notebook. All six inks had an average but watery flow.

Overall, all of these inks are a bit light for me. They would be great for art but not for everyday writing. Out of the six Pebble Stone is my favorite color but Crystal Blue is the most readable in writing.

Disclaimer: These inks were provided by Octopus Fluids for the purpose of this review. All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links, and is not sponsored in any way.