review: robert oster signature 1980s colours honey bee

Let's take a look at a bee-lightful ink. Sorry.

This ink is part of Robert Oster's 1980s line, which is inspired by the retro stylings of the 80s. I'm not really sure how most of the inks in this collection have anything to do with the 80s, but it's a nicely curated selection in my eyes.

Robert Oster Honey Bee is a yellow-orange that leans more yellow.

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Honey Bee doesn't have very much water resistance, fading quite readily. It does dry surprisingly quickly though! It was dry to the touch just after the 15 second mark, smudging ever so slightly at exactly 15 seconds.

In both fine and broad nibs, there's a nice amount of shading. It's been a while since I've used an ink that had shading in fine nibs too!

On Tomoe River paper, the shading is a little more noticeable.

I compare this ink to some other orange-yellows that I have. J. Herbin Ambre de Birmanie is actually pretty close, though perhaps a shade yellower. Diamine Sepia is a little bit more brown, as is L'Artisan Pastellier Cannelle. Diamine Honey Burst is much more orange.

I had this ink in my broad Lamy Safari, and it was a wonderful combination. My Lamy is pretty average in terms of flow, maybe ever so slightly wetter. I really enjoyed using this ink.

Where to buy

• The Goulet Pen Company: bottle / sample
• JetPens: bottle
• Pen Chalet: bottle / sample