Fountain Pen Inks Review: Robert Oster Signature Ink Get.Set.Go

Have you been to Australia? Did you know Australia is the world's only continent covered by a single country? Yes, it is, and Australia is a country filled with extraordinary landscapes and natural wonders -- beaches, deserts, and tropical rainforests; unique wildlife; and a rich biodiversity. But no, I haven't been to Australia. My friend Robert Oster, however, lives there and he makes wonderful and lovely fountain pen inks that show the beautiful colors of Australia's scenery and culture. Robert Oster Signature inks come from one of the most famous wine-producing regions of the world, the Coonawarra district of South Australia.

Robert Oster Signature fountain pen inks are available in a wide selection of stunning, vibrant, and astonishing colors. Each color is unique, inspired by Australia's palette of natural beauty. They are non-toxic and eco-friendly, 100% made in Australia, and presented in 50ml recyclable PET bottles with travel-proof caps labeled by Robert Oster himself.

Aside from their amazing variety of colors, Robert Oster Signature fountain pen inks are also well-behaved, paper-friendly, and very easy to use. They have excellent flow and lubrication and pens filled with these inks write well without any hard starts, skips, or dryness. These inks also have good drying times—they dry fast!

In late 2018, Robert Oster launched a seven-color ink set that he says describes the colors around him, the colors he sees in birds, flowers, leaves, and even the bark of Australian trees. He called the set Get.Set.Go and it has the following vibrant and stunning fountain pen ink colors, namely, Dragon's Night, True Blue, Crocodile Green, Burned Orange, Deep Purple, Red Candy, and Hot Pink.

Dragon's Night

Robert said that Dragon's Night reminds him of "something that keeps me awake as I ponder the dark midnight Aussie sky." Dragon's Night is a vibrant dark blue ink with hints of purple. It has medium shading and a lovely red sheen seen when the ink is used in wide nibs such as broad, stub, or italic. Dragon's Night is a wet ink, has an excellent flow, and not highly saturated. My test pen with a .7 stub nib wrote wet and smooth.

Dragon's Night is a perfect ink for daily notetaking, journaling, signing legal documents, calligraphy, illustrations, or art. Although it is made for fountain pens, it could also be used for brush and dip pens. This ink did so well in 90gsm paper from Canson, no feathering, and certainly no bleeding. It's a well-behaved ink, doesn't stain or clog pens, and dries on paper after ~20 seconds.

True Blue™

True Blue™ is "Aussie slang for BFF, for keeping it real, and for a host of positive emotions." Oh, I didn't know that! True Blue™ ink is a light blue ink that is close to turquoise. It has minimum shading and a lovely pinkish to a red sheen that shows towards the edges of where the ink has pooled. This sheen is very visible when the ink is used in wide nibs such as broad, stub, or italic. Like Dragon's Night and most Rober Oster inks, True Blue™ has no issues with its flow and lubrication. It has an excellent flow, and my test pen wrote very smoothly.

While I may not use a light blue ink for business and legal documents, I will still use True Blue™ for my daily notes, journaling, calligraphy, illustrations, and art. Again, this ink was manufactured for fountain pens, but it could also be used for brush and dip pens. This ink did so well in 90gsm paper from Canson, and I did not see any feathering or bleeding. It's another well-behaved Robert Oster ink and doesn't stain or clog pens. It dries on paper after ~20 seconds.

Crocodile Green

Robert said Crocodile Green is something "seen in the waters of our rugged Northern Territory. Take care up there!" I am assuming that the thing Robert saw in the waters are crocodiles and they inspired the color of this ink. I am not too fond of green inks, but this dark seaweed-like green shading ink with orange to red sheen is my favorite in this set. Crocodile Green looks so good in my Pelikan M400 White Tortoise and its B nib shows both shading and sheen at the same time. Crocodile Green has excellent flow and lubrication, and my test pen wrote very smoothly.

I could use this dark green ink for any writing purposes — daily notes, journaling, calligraphy, illustrations, and sketches. I could sign documents with this ink, or even make art! This ink performed well in 90gsm paper from Canson, and there is no feathering or bleeding. Despite its dark color, Crocodile Green is another well-behaved Robert Oster ink that doesn't stain or clog pens. It dries on paper after 15-20 seconds.

Burned Orange

Burned Orange, according to Robert is "the South Australian Riverland sand under my bare feet when I was six years old." Burned Orange is a dark, rich orange ink that reminds one of the fall and dried leaves. It has medium shading and a golden to dark brown sheen seen in my swatches where the ink has pooled and dried. Burned Orange is a wet ink, has an excellent flow, and not highly saturated. My test pen with a .7 stub nib wrote wet and smooth.

Burned Orange is a dark orange ink that could easily be mistaken as brown in some paper types such as Rhodia. This ink doesn't have that much shading, but it could be used for daily notetaking, journaling, calligraphy, illustrations, or art. It could also be used for brush and dip pens. I tested this ink in 90gsm paper from Canson, and there were no feathering or bleeding. It's a well-behaved ink, doesn't stain or clog pens, and dries on paper after about 15-20 seconds.

Deep Purple

Robert said that Deep Purple reminds him of "Aussie Tree bark after the rain." Deep Purple is a dark and very saturated purple ink. It looks almost black when wet and dries off a very dark purple. It has no shading or sheen. Despite its saturation, Deep Purple has a good flow, and my test pen with a .7 stub nib wrote wet and smooth.

Deep Purple is a nice dark purple ink. I know I can use it for my daily note-taking, journaling, calligraphy, illustrations, or art. It could also be used for brush and dip pens. This ink showed some feathering and bleeding in my ink tests probably because of its high saturation. Despite its dark color, this ink doesn't stain or clog pens, but it dries longer at 25-30 seconds.

Red Candy

Red Candy seems to evoke happy memories as Robert said it reminds him of "sometimes candy apples at country fairs... maybe red candy cane twined around white sugar sticks in December." I only have a few red inks, and I use them mostly for writing important notes, or when I need to write my edits on paper. Red Candy comes as a dark true red with no shading but has a strong gold to brown sheen, making it look more stunning. The sheen on this ink is seen when it is used in wide nibs such as broad, stub, or italic. Red Candy is a wet ink, has an excellent flow, and not highly saturated. My test pen with a .7 stub nib wrote wet and smooth.

Red Candy may not be suitable for business and legal documents, but it's a happy bright ink for daily notetaking, journaling, calligraphy, illustrations, or art. This ink is made for fountain pens and could also be used for brush and dip pens. Red Candy did well in 90gsm paper from Canson, without feathering and bleeding. It's a well-behaved ink and unlike other red ink, it doesn't stain or clog pens. Red Candy dries on paper after 15-20 seconds.

Hot Pink

Hot Pink appears to be a very personal ink color to Robert because it is "seared in my memory... It is the color of my mother's wedding dress in December 1969." Hot Pink is a dark pink ink, almost like magenta. It has medium shading and minimum sheen around the edges of the ink swatch. Sheen is seen when the ink is used in wide nibs such as broad, stub, or italic. Hot Pink is a wet ink, has an excellent flow, and not highly saturated. My test pen with a .7 stub nib wrote wet and smooth.

Similar to red, pink ink may not be suitable for business or legal documents, but I will definitely use it for my daily notes, journaling, calligraphy, and art. This fountain pen ink could also be used for brush and dip pens. Like the six inks in this set, Hot Pink did so well in 90gsm paper from Canson and I did not see any feathering or bleeding. It's a well-behaved ink and doesn't stain or clog pens. It dries on paper after 15-20 seconds.

Robert Oster Signature inks are available in more than a hundred vibrant, stunning, and unique colors. They are well-behaved inks, very safe to use, and sold in more than 60 stores (physical and online) all over the world. Choose one — or more — for your pens today! Here's Robert Oster Signature's Ink Swatchbrowser to guide you!

For more information on Robert Oster Signature and Shake'N'Shimmy inks, visit their website. A list of Robert Oster's retail partners all over the world is also available on their website.

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Note: The inks in this review were provided by an online seller. The photos and reviews, however, are my own.