Ostrich — Water Blue (水蓝) — Ink Review #273

 Ostrich — 水蓝 (Water Blue)

 

Ink Review # 273

 

Ink: 水蓝 (Water Blue)
Series: 24 series
Brand: Ostrich
Availability: AliExpress and similar outlets.
Pens Used: Jinhao Centennial (EEF Majohn flex, fude), Lamy Safari Red (EF/F/M/B/ stub 1.1)

Description

Disclaimer: This is a petrol-blue ink. I don’t like the color, and this is the second of two back-to-back reviews of disappointing inks. So, take my acerbic tone with a grain of salt.   😉

The only redeeming feature of this ink is the lovely poem by Meng Jiao (孟郊, 751–814) inscribed on the ink bottle.

苦寒吟 -Kǔhán Yín, Song of Bitter Cold

(Translated by ChatGPT and adapted by me)

The cold sky is winter-water blue;
the north wind howls through withered mulberries.
The thick ice, unblemished;
the winter sun casts a cold light
I strike the stone—no spark will catch;
winter's icy yin overwhelms the yang’s warmth
Freezing, I chant this unforgiving cold.

 The ink has a sluggish flow and below-average lubrication. To give you an idea, all the nibs dragged on all the papers. The ink has long dry times on Rhodia. Shading is visible with M nibs and above on some papers. There is no sheen and no chromo-shading. There might be a perception of a halo with some heavy applications. This ink behaved atrociously on copy paper.

Note the 10 ml bottles have a very narrow neck. The Lamy Safari barely passes through the neck.

Over time the lubrication became slightly better, despite my annoyed assessment.

Chroma

Writing Samples

Photos LED only

Translations from other languages are provided for reference only and may differ from published versions.

Rhodia

The cold sky is winter-water blue; the north wind howls


Close-up

Iroful

through withered mulberries. The thick ice, unblemished;

Close-up

Midori

the winter sun casts a cold light.

Close-up

Tomoe River 68 gsm
Note: Tomoe River used here is 68 gsm, not the thinner 52 gsm version commonly referenced in reviews.
I strike the stone—no spark will catch;

Close-up

Hammermill 20 lb

Winter's icy yin overwhelms the yang’s warmth. Freezing, I chant this unforgiving cold.

Close-up

Comparison

Col-O-ring swatches. Scans are approximate.



Water Test

Artwork

Inktober 2026 — Day 15: Hooray
Miniature.
Ostrich Water Blue, Talens Mixed Media Sketchbook.

Inktober 2026 — Day 25: Fracture
Ostrich Water Blue, Zerkon No. 76 — Ground to Dust, Talens Mixed Media Sketchbook.

Winter is cold alone
Winter is cold without someone to share it with.
Ostrich Water Blue, Jinchen Xi Xia, water brush, mica mulberry paper.

Ink Characteristics
·      Writing Experience: Meh!
·      What I Liked: The poem on the bottle. 10 ml bottles are affordable.
·      What I Did Not Like: Almost everything else.
·      Shading: Subtle with M nibs and above.
·      Ghosting: Yes, on copy paper.
·      Bleed Through: Same as above.
·      Flow Rate: Sluggish.
·      Lubrication: Below-average.
·      Nib Dry-out: Did not notice.
·      Start-up: No problems.
·      Saturation: Saturated teal.
·      Sheen: No.
·      Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: With wet, primed nibs.
·      Nib Creep / Crud: Did not notice.
·      Staining (Pen): No.
·      Clogging: No.
·      Cleaning: Easy.
·      Water Resistance: No. A faint residue might remain.

Closing

I normally don’t like to diss an ink, but this color is so ubiquitous in the fountain pen world and the behavior of this ink is so mediocre, that I'm sure there are much better options available worldwide. Pity. Ostrich has some very nice inks in this series. On the plus side, I enjoyed creating art with it.

No fountain pens were harmed in preparing this review. 😉

Feel free to share your experience, feedback, or any other comments. The more the merrier. 😊

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