Having the house to myself this past week means--what else--that I got around to inking up a dozen or so pens and writing up some ink reviews, including this review of Diamine Oxblood. I picked up the Oxblood at this year's Atlanta Pen Show from Vanness Pen Shop (where I bought all of my pen show ink purchases.)

Oxblood might be the best red ink I have used in a while. It's got incredible depth of color: a rich dark red with ever so slight brown undertones. If you're looking for a "blood red" ink, this might be your best bet. The ink dries quickly, doesn't bleed, and doesn't feather. Most important of all, it's a red ink that doesn't crust and gunk up the nib. (I'm talking to you, Visconti Bordeaux). My understanding is that this has something to do with the red and orange dyes used in certain inks. It doesn't bother many people, but it drives me nuts. Anyway, this one's going into the rotation. Especially when it looks great in a stub nib!

Diamine Oxblood Writing Sample comparison with Sailor Oku-Yama and Montblanc Bordeaux (vintage).

I've never really gotten into Diamine inks, for whatever reason. I think I find the vast array of colors so intimidating that I don't know where to start, combined with the fact that they typically come in a massive 80ml bottle. Back when I was a Goulet Pens Ink Drop member, however, I received a sample of Red Dragon, and I instantly took to this ink. At this year's Atlanta pen show, I picked up this 30ml "mini-Diamine" from the Vanness Pens table, which to me is a great size since I wasn't sure how I would like the ink in heavy rotation.

I think I'll definitely pick up a larger 80ml bottle of Red Dragon once I use up the 30ml.

Red Dragon is fairly saturated, but not saturated enough to smear or bleed a lot. Performance may very depending on paper quality (with very, very cheap paper seeing some bleedthrough), but I have been satisfied. The color is great for a "red ink person" like me: it's not quite "blood red" like some swabs of Diamine Oxblood I have seen, but it's still got a lot of depth and doesn't have the generic "fire engine red" color that you see in other inks, like Skrip (though that particular ink does have its place). Overall, this one has seen regular use since I acquired it, and it will continue to find its way into the rotation.