Ink Review: Robert Oster Signature Inks Kada Kada Fpa Light & Dark

[yagankiely]

I've been doing ink reviews for a while now on my blog but this is the first time cross posting here. For the record, I'm the co-creator of the Fountain Pens Australia Facebook group and I worked with Rob to get this ink out there. Most of the pertinent images are included here but there is some extra stuff (chromatography, other paper) in the review.

 

Robert Ostster's Kada Kada FPA Light & Dark are two ink made for the Fountain Pens Australia Facebook group. After two rounds of choosing colours that Robert would base the ink off, the group chose "Kada Kada" with the colour hash code of #270567 and after that I worked with Rob to come up with this ink. The name Kada Kada means "Story" in the local (to me in Fremantle, Western Australia) Noongar language. And the hash code was chosen because it is the date (27/05/1967) that Indigenous Australians were afforded constitutional rights. The ink can be bought exclusively from Pensive Pens in Australia.

 

Kada Kada Light and Dark have high saturation but are not inks with high vibrancy. Their colour is a somewhat soft and dusty dark grey purple. The main difference between Dark and Light apart from the obvious is that Dark has a less red visible. The colours to separate a little on the page meaning that you can sometimes see parts where the line is redder or bluer.

 

Kada Kada Light and Dark both have moderate lubrication and flow. They definitely aren't dry by any means but they aren't Sailor-level wetness either; the glide across the page nicely. The ink has good shading but it isn't extremely noticeable in wetter pens. There is some shading though to give it some character. Drytimes are on the slower end of the spectrum and the ink performs very well on Rhodia, Clairefontaine and Tomoe River but feathers pretty badly on cheap 80gsm copy paper. The colour also adopts more of a red look on copy paper and loses a lot of character. The dark characteristics of the ink wash away leaving a light pink glow behind so this ink is not very water resistant, as expected.

Somewhat astonishingly, there is absolutely no sheen on Tomoe River (though there is quite a decent halo effect on good paper). Kada Kada FPA Dark has a deep dark green sheen on Rhodia, but not on Tomoe River. This sheen doesn't appear when in a pen, however, only in wet swatch form.

Left to right: 1) Diamine Amazing Amethyst; 2) Noodler's La Reine Mauve; 3) Robert Oster Purple Rock; 4) Private Reserve Ebony Purple; 5) Bungubox Sakanamachi Horoyoi/Tipsy Purple; 6) Sailor Shigure; and 7) Papier Plume Mardi Gras Purple

Bungubox Sakanamachi Horoyoi/Tipsy Purple is the closest of the inks I have to Kada Kada FPA Light while Private Reserve Ebony Purple is the closest to Kada Kada FPA Dark. Amazing Amethyst and Papier Plume Mardi Gras Purple are both too vibrant and red while Shigure has too much vibrant blue. Noodler's La Reine Maybe is fairly similar to Light, it lacks a lot of the shading and halo. Robert Oster Purple Rock is again similar but darker and with less shading.

I do like this ink. It's a good professional colour with some character. The two versions are fairly similar so if you're on a budget my preference goes to the Light; I feel that the redder tone gives it an edge but I still recommend both if you can. I'm unsure as to whether this ink will be in Rob's rotation forever so I suggest buying it while you can! I'd like to thank Rob for taking the time to make an ink for our growing Australian community!

I've listed all my inks (slightly outdated) and all my pens in their respective pages. Please let me know which inks you'd like to review next via the comments, Twitter, Instagram, or contact me directly.

I received this ink free of charge for the purpose of giving an honest review. I was not otherwise compensated and everything here is my own honest opinion. There are no affiliate links. I do sell Robert Oster inks at my café but I am not allowed to sell the inks online, only in shop.

P.S. I can only add 1.9mb of images to this and can't link images from my site? Is there anyway I can host larger images from my site (or Flickr) or is there a way I can upload more/larger files?

Edited December 17, 2016 by yagankiely

[migo984]

Thanks for the post. I like both the Kada Kada inks. I've pre-ordered bottles but won't get my sticky mitts on them until I return to Australia next year. So it was good to see your review.

[visvamitra]

Not bad

[Cyber6]

Excellent review.. Thanks you so much for it. :wub:

 

Love the color... I have friends traveling to and back from Australia, so I will find a way to get my mits on them. :lol:

 

Thanks again,

 

 

 

C.

[gylyf]

Welcome to FPN! I enjoy the reviews on your blog and it's nice to see you post here. Nice colors, too!

[inkstainedruth]

Very interesting. If I'm not mistaken, the "light" version appears to have more shading, whereas the "dark" seems more saturated overall.

I'd like to see side by side comparisons with the other RO inks in this color family (Purple Rock and Purple Storm) but I can definitely see me using one or both of these inks. Are they going to be available outside Australia?

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[yagankiely]

Thanks for the warm welcome and kind words everyone!

 

 

Very interesting. If I'm not mistaken, the "light" version appears to have more shading, whereas the "dark" seems more saturated overall.

I'd like to see side by side comparisons with the other RO inks in this color family (Purple Rock and Purple Storm) but I can definitely see me using one or both of these inks. Are they going to be available outside Australia?

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

 

 

Yep, the Light does shade a little more than Dark.

 

I have the entire RO line so I can get a comparison tonight of Kada Kada, Purple Rock, Barossa Grape, Charcoal and the new Purple Soul. I can include Summer Storm but I wouldn't consider it in the same ballpark as the others; while it does have some purple in it it's definitely very blue-grey.

[yagankiely]

Why was this moved to Ink Comparisons? It has comparisons in it, but only as part of the review?

 

 

Very interesting. If I'm not mistaken, the "light" version appears to have more shading, whereas the "dark" seems more saturated overall.

I'd like to see side by side comparisons with the other RO inks in this color family (Purple Rock and Purple Storm) but I can definitely see me using one or both of these inks. Are they going to be available outside Australia?

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

 

Here it is with other inks. Kada Kada Dark and Charcoal are pretty similar but Kada Kada goes darker on the double-applied swatch. KKDark ad Purple soul are also pretty similar but there's a little more red in Dark (plus when wet, Purple Soul is much more vibrant!). Purple Rock isn't as dark as either KK inks but has more red in it compared to KKDark, much like KKLight. Hope this helps!

 

EDIT: this photo has a different less controlled light source than the review.

Edited December 20, 2016 by yagankiely

[inkstainedruth]

Why was this moved to Ink Comparisons? It has comparisons in it, but only as part of the review?

 

 

 

Comparison to Oster Inks.jpg

 

Here it is with other inks. Kada Kada Dark and Charcoal are pretty similar but Kada Kada goes darker on the double-applied swatch. KKDark ad Purple soul are also pretty similar but there's a little more red in Dark (plus when wet, Purple Soul is much more vibrant!). Purple Rock isn't as dark as either KK inks but has more red in it compared to KKDark, much like KKLight. Hope this helps!

 

EDIT: this photo has a different less controlled light source than the review.

 

Thanks! Having all the inks seen together helps. I have samples of Purple Rock and Purple Storm but haven't had a chance to try them. Clearly I will have to add at least one of the Kada Kada inks if they become available Stateside. Also Midnight Sapphire and Vida.... And maybe also Purple Soul and Charcoal.

Sigh....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Jared]

This looks quite nice. The closest colors I can think of are Diamine Damson and Sailor Shigure. Both are favorites of mine, so this is welcome.

Edited December 27, 2016 by Jared

[Zut Alors]

I agree with Jared (above), Diamine Damson came instantly to mind.

 

Thanks for this contribution and link to the supplier, Yagan, hopefully you'll become a regular here.

 

As I'm in Brisbane the shipping won't be as prohibitive as the popular (and tempting) overseas suppliers often mentioned on FPN.

[yagankiely]

I agree with Jared (above), Diamine Damson came instantly to mind.

 

Thanks for this contribution and link to the supplier, Yagan, hopefully you'll become a regular here.

 

As I'm in Brisbane the shipping won't be as prohibitive as the popular (and tempting) overseas suppliers often mentioned on FPN.

 

I will try to get a comparison of Damson and KK up later today.

 

I'll try to post here! Hopefully my other reviews don't get moved to the comparisons category like this one did though.

 

Have you tried Bookbinders Snake Inks? They're Brisbane based.

[setriode]

Thank you Yagan. Good to see you on here.

[amberleadavis]

GREAT STUFF! Thank you.

 

As for attaching pictures, use the little icon with the tree to link to a hosted jpg.

[PenPaper52]

I shouldn't have come to the inky forum. ....I'm in trouble..

 

Love, love the Kada Kada light.

How do I get MY mits on this ink?.

 

Thank you so much for the review!

Edited January 16, 2017 by PenPaper52

[yagankiely]

I shouldn't have come to the inky forum. ....I'm in trouble..

 

Love, love the Kada Kada light.

How do I get MY mits on this ink?.

 

Thank you so much for the review!

 

You'll need to grab it from Pensive Pens (http://pensivepens.com.au/) in Australia. Light is quite nice!