Let’s take a look at three Vanness Pens exclusive Robert Oster inks. I purchased my samples from Vanness Pens.

Swabs:

Left to right: Charred Hickory, Hemp and Blue River.

Writing samples:

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

Dry Time: 15-20 seconds

Water Resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: All three had medium shading.

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

Charred Hickory is less vibrant than Diamine Ancient Copper.

Hemp is more olivey than Sailor Ink Studio 967.

Blue River is close to Tono & Lims Wind of Sakura.

Charred Hickory and Hemp had an average flow, Blue River had a dry flow.

Overall, Hemp is my favorite out of the three, but you can’t go wrong with any of them.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links, and is not sponsored in any way.