Esterbrook is a company with a lot of renowned early history until 1971 and a bit of a hiccuped relaunch of the brand since 2014. The 2018 relaunch by the folks at Kenro Industries, Inc. has been a much more confidence inspiring relaunch with the company releasing multiple pens and cases as well as integrating with vintage nibs and custom ground nibs. There’s a bit going on and it’s all quite interesting!
Esterbrook, wanting to expand into the Australian market organised a virtual pen meet of sorts for the Australian fountain pen community where they discussed the brand, its early history, and what they are doing with it now. Afterwards we got in contact with each other and they organised a care package with a Honeycomb Etsie, some accessories and a 6 pen Nook case to give away (see the bottom of this review for details)!
I was surprised by how much I liked the pen so after receiving the review pen I bought the Cobalt Blue Etsie from Desk Bandit who just recently started stocking Esterbrook.
Esterbrook care package (sans Nook) + Etsie from Desk Bandit
Esterbrook was established in 1858 by British man Richard Esterbrook in Camden, New Jersey, USA. It became a dominant US pen maker and at its hight was making over 200 million pens in a year. In 1967 the company had declined a bit and was bought out by Venus Pencil Company and in 1971, after being bought by Berol, all Esterbrook operations ceased. Moving forward a 43 years the brand and IP assets were acquired by Robert Rosenberg’s Harpen Brand Holdings, LLC. A company that revises old brands. This relaunch was not without controversy with several accusations of cheaply and poorly made pens stamped with an Esterbrook logo and given a marked up price. The designs were curious to say the least and there were also accusations of Kickstarter scams. Even Brad Dowdy from The Pen Addict had his strong reservations about how feedback was handled. Not a good look for such an iconic brand.
Fast forward four short years and Kenro Industries, Inc. (a company that, coincidentally, was also established by Robert Rosenberg until being sold) bought the Esterbrook brand from Harpen Brand Holdings. This new Kenro-owned Esterbrook company has finally relaunched the brand in an appropriate manner with some very nice pens, interesting materials, unique nibs, fun accessories and cases while still harkening back to Esterbrook’s early history (at least insofar as vintage nibs are concerned). This current Esterbrook seems to be doing a lot of good things. From talking with Bryan Hulser, Desk Bandit, and watching Esterbrook’s presentation to the Australian community, Esterbrook seem to really believe in the brand and will want to back their products and do right by the consumer.
In the care package that Esterbrook sent me consisted of a few things:
Honeycomb Seasonal SE Etsie Regular Size
Two The Journaler Nibs by Gena Gena Salorino of the Custom Nib Studio
(this was meant to be just one The Journaler nib as week as a standard medium)
MV Adaptor (“modern to vintage nib adapter”)
Vintage steel Esterbrook Bookkeeper Firm Extra Fine nib
6 Pen Nook Pen Case
Ester Book Holder
A couple of Esterbrook string pull bags
An Esterbrook sticker
As mentioned I subsequently also bought myself a Cobalt Blue Estie from Desk Bandit with a standard Fine nib.
Esterbrook Estie Fountain Pen
I hadn't really looked much into Esterbrook before they did their talk on Fountain Pens Australia they aren’t common here (which is clearly why they see Australia as an expansion market). The idea of a JoWo nabbed acrylic pen didn’t interest me that much at first blush. The first thing that tipped me more into being interested in the pens was Klarissa’s (@thesnowystudio) environmental photos of the pens. The shape is simple but they just look really nice together. This also influenced my decision to buy another!
The shape and look of the pens, however, is just one component. What would make someone consider this acrylic JoWo pen over another? For the standard pen the main thing that stands out is the attention to detail. The other possibly distinguishing feature this pen is The Journaler nib as well as the MV Adapter and Vintage Esterbrook nibs. The Journaler creates a unique writing experience and the MV Adapter is also somewhat unique for a modern brand name pen! Both of these (at extra cost - but a reasonable cost) options make these pens stand out to me and elevate them from an acrylic pen (albeit very nicely designed, well manufactured and with good attention to detail) to something much more interesting - something that offers a unique writing experience to Esterbrook pens.
The Estie pen also comes in multiple versions. The ‘Core’ versions are the Ebony Black, Tortoise, and Cobalt Blue. These can by bought with gold or palladium trim and the Ebony Black comes in an Oversize model as well.
Then there are ‘Seasonal’ Esties which are currently the Honeycomb in this review and more recently a Lilac. There was an Evergreen and a Maraschino (red) in the past as well. Some pens clearly last more than a season but they might not and they probably won’t be around forever in this set.
Finally there are ‘Premier’ models such as “Rocky Top” and “Peacock” and three different sparkling DiamondCast models.
Details
Cap detail
As mentioned I was sent the Honeycomb and I bought the Cobalt Blue. I was torn between the Seasonal Lilac and this but settles on this because of it being a complimentary colour to the Honeycomb.
The clips are simple, unadorned, and firm. they are a smooth bent and rounded piece of metal with a folded end. Simple but they work well with the design of the pen. The Esterbrook brandname is etched into the cap just below the clip and this is the only branding present anywhere except the nib. The etched brandname is also coloured according to the trim of the pen; a silver trim like my Cobalt Blue has silver writing and the gold trim on my Honeycomb has gold writing. This means depending on the material and trim the name will stand out more or less. On the predominantly yellow Honeycomb the brandname doesn’t stand out but it does more so the Cobalt Blue.
Threads, section and inside barrel
While many pens have the threads to the cap on the barrel of the pen (which is also technically the case here) rather than the section, the Etsie looks like a hybrid between the two options! There are two distinct metal bands near the section. One of them on the barrel of the pen and the other on the section and together they border either side of the threads. Quite distinctive looking. The plastic threads here screw into plastic threads in the cap. When you remove the barrel from the pen there is a metal insert in the barrel that has the threads for the section which is also metal. It is good to see metal on metal and plastic on plastic for the threads. These threads are also quite soft and unsharp so they aren’t uncomfortable to hold the pen over them.
The section is comfortable to write with. There isn’t much width variation throughout the section but you can feel the small ridge at the end of the section near the nib. There’s no sharpness anywhere and it feels nice and ergonomic to hold for me.
Material macros
The materials are nicely chosen and make for a pretty pen. Esterbrook do not make the blanks themselves but rather source them. They are well selected and certainly fit a theme between all the normal acrylic Esties but they are not necessarily a distinctive material. For people who care, if you smell the inside of the barrel it does have that customary acrylic smell to it. No big deal and fairly common.
The pen overall is well machined with crisp tolerances and well polished everywhere.
A finally distinctive part of the pen which contributes to Esterbrook’s attention to detail is the spring inside the cap. Esterbrook call this a “Cushion cap closure providing a secondary seal to ensure a wet point”. While not unique to Esterbrook this is a nice addition. The only time these pens have ever dried out (and it didn’t take much to get them going again) was when I left the cap off for photos so it seems to work well. It definitely feels springy when you pus the cap onto the body.
Nibs
This cross on the nib?
I have four nibs in this review to test: two The Journalers, one standard Fine, and a vintage Esterbrook Bookkeeper Firm Extra Fine. Esterbrook didn’t intend to send me two The Journaler nibs (one was meant to be a normal Medium) but on the plus side this has let me test consistency of the custom grind work. Standard JoWo nib grinds are also fairly well known as well.
The JoWo nibs are adorned with ‘Esterbrook’ in cursive, like their logo, and the year the original Esterbrook was established, 1858, below that. I can’t help but think the cross logo that the brand also has would have been a better look. I understand they are re-establishing the brand and so the cross might not have as much marketing weight but I think it will look better eventually once the fountain pen community is completely familiar with it.
Gena Salorino The Journaler Nib
The Journaler Nib
The highlight (for me at least) for these nibs is The Journaler by Gena from Custom Nib Studio. Similarly, Masuyama and Nagahara’s grinds for Franklin-Christoph make those pens more interesting to me than if they were simply default JoWo nibs. The way Esterbrook describes the collaboration:
As we continue to tell the Esterbrook story, we wanted to continue Esterbrook’s tradition of focusing on specialized nibs.
The Esterbrook Custom Nib Program is our way to highlight exceptional American nibmeisters and we’ve asked some of the most prominent and exceptional nibmeisters in our community to create nibs to be a part of Esterbrook’s storied legacy.
Gena Salorino of the Custom Nib Studio in Los Angeles has created the first edition.
…it is almost as if this is a temporary arrangement and future custom nibs might be from different nibmeisters. This certainly would be interesting as well!
According to Esterbrook Gena describes the grind as “medium stub grind, based on the vintage Esterbrook 9314M nib. The idea is that it’s smooth and friendly enough for everyday use, gives your writing some flair, all without being too huge for practical writing”.
I don’t have any experience with the vintage Esterbrook 9314M nib (which appears to be an oblique stub) but the description of a medium stub that isn’t too huge for practical writing seems agreeable in my experience!
The Journaler Nib (Sailor Souten ink)
The nib offers some line variation but not as much as a broad or as much as a cursive italic would. A broad base would mean a fat line that isn’t ideal for long writing sessions in a journal, and a cursive italic can be sharp to write with (especially if you inadvertently rotate the nib when writing). While Gena says that the idea of the nib is to be smooth and friendly enough for everyday use, I found that this nib has some pleasant feedback to it. It certainly isn’t scratchy but you can feel your writing comparable to what you’d find in many Japanese nibs. I quite like this feel in a nib. This feedback makes it distinct from a normal stub or Franklin-Christoph SIG (which are quite smooth) and also different from a cursive italic’s sharp corners. My personal description of this pen is a medium stub with pleasant feedback. I find that the nib has moderate-to-strong wet flow to it. The pen is a little reserved than some gushing pens but it is still far from dry.
The Journaler Nibs (Sailor Souten ink)
As mentioned I accidentally received two The Journaler nibs. It’s good to see that they write pretty close to exactly the same and they also feel exactly the same in the hand.
In terms of line thickness The Journaler (bottom left) is closest to the Medium SIG nib. The sig is a littler wider on both lines though and I feel the variation between thick and thin is a little stronger on The Journaler nib. The Cursive Italics, from Masuyama and Dan Smith definitely offer greater line variation but they are also fatter lines that don’t fit the intended purpose of “everyday use” and not “being too huge for practical writing”.
Standard Fine and Vintage Esterbrook 1550 Bookkeeper ‘Firm Extra Fine‘
While I received the vintage Bookkeeper nib with the Honeycomb I thought it appropriate to put the silver nib on the silver trim Cobalt Blue (plus the black section works well with the blue).
The vintage nib came with the original box and it screws in easily to the black MV Adapter section (which came with a converter). The MV Adapter section is a different shape and length to the standard section of the Etsie. It is a little shorter and it has greater variation in thickness as well as a wider lip at the end.
Standard Fine nib (Sailor Kin-mokusai ink)
The fine nib is a little wide for a ‘fine’. This is something pretty common for western nibs though. They definitely often write wider than what you’d expect and this is more true with the fine and extra-fine variations. It was nice and smooth and lovely to write with, however. I find the flow to be quite wet, wetter than The Journaler but still slightly off what I would call a gushing nib.
Vintage Esterbrook Bookkeeper ‘Firm Extra Fine‘ (Sailor Kin-mokusai ink)
This Bookkeeper Firm Extra Fine is the opposite! It is incredibly fine! It’s more Ultra Extra Fine, it is (as we’ll see) finer than Needleoints. This does mean less ink flow (necessarily) and so a less saturated written line but it isn’t as dry as I expected and while it is a sharp nib with feedback it isn’t scratchy. They certainly made some impressive standard nibs in the past! I definitely want to hunt down some other Esterbrook nibs to fit into this (especially one with that longer body shape). This nib is untipped steel so it will eventually wear. They are also fairly common though.
The Fine Estie nib is probably the fattest here but the Narwhal Piston and the Lamy 2000 Fine and the Lamy Safari’s aren’t that far off either.
The Bookkeeper nib is easily the thinnest here. Only the Needlepoints come close and then the Pilot Firmo fine.
Dimensions and Comparison
The pen is fairly long when capped at over half a foot in length but this doesn’t translate into an oversized pen uncapped so it is the cap that adds to the length when capped. The section has some ergonomic width changes but they don’t represent much actual change; the section deviates between 1.1cm and 1.15cm. Even the threads are only 1.2cm. At 1.8cm long (2.3cm if you include the threads which aren’t uncomfortable to hold at all) the section is decently long.
The barrel is also fairly consistently 1.3cm wide until it starts to taper near the end. The cap, which is 6.9cm long, feels balanced wit the width of the the barrel at 1.5cm width for the barrel with the clip extending it to 1.7cm thick. The whole pen feels nicely balanced with nothing standing out as too long or thick to me.
| LEGNTHS | Capped | Uncapped |
|---|---|---|
| Esterbrook Estie | 15.3cm | 12.9cm |
| Pelikan M805 | 14.1cm | 12.7cm |
| Pilot Custom Heritage 91 | 13.6cm | 12.3cm |
| Sailor Pro Gear | 13cm | 11.6cm |
| TWSBI Eco | 14cm | 13.2cm |
| Lamy Safari | 14cm | 13cm |
| Lamy 2000 | 14cm | 12.5cm |
| Platinum Century #3776 | 14.1cm | 13.2cm |
| Montblanc 146 | 14.3cm | 13cm |
Left to right: Pilot Capless, Pelikan M200, Pelikan M805, Platinum Century #3776, Esterbrook Etsie, Lamy Safari, Sailor Pro Gear, TWSBI ECO, Lamy 2000, and Montblanc 146.
Left to right: Pilot Capless, Pelikan M200, Pelikan M805, Platinum Century #3776, Esterbrook Etsie, Lamy Safari, Sailor Pro Gear, TWSBI ECO, Lamy 2000, and Montblanc 146.
Capped the pen stands out over all the pens. Uncapped the pen becomes a normal full length pen. The Estie does post and that will bring the pen out to 16.9cm (4cm longer than unposed).
| WEIGHT | Capped | Uncapped |
|---|---|---|
| Esterbrook Etsie | 25.9g | 16.6g |
| Pelikan M805 | 29.4g | 20.9g. |
| Pilot Custom Heritage 91 | 18.5g | 11.5g |
| Sailor Pro Gear | 24.9g | 16.1g |
| TWSBI Eco | 20.8g | 12.3g |
| Lamy Safari | 20g | 11g |
| Lamy 2000 | 26g | 17.1g |
| Platinum Century #3776 | 25g | 14g |
| Montblanc 146 | 29.8g | 19.9g |
The pen is pretty average for weight; within a gram of a Sailor Pro Gear, Lamy 2000 and Platinum Century. Noticeably lighter than a Pelikan M805 or Montblanc 146 and noticeably heavier than a Lamy Safari or Pilot CH91. The cap is 9g but it doesn’t feel too back heavy when posted (interestingly, a Safari uncapped is only 11g! Shows how light that pen is that this cap is only 2g heavier).
Ester Book Holder
Ester Book Holder
The Ester Book Holder (I appreciate the wordplay on much of Esterbrook’s product line) is not only a fun and visual appealing accessory but it is actually pretty useful. Modern notebooks are getting better at laying flat but they are still rarely perfect and often they only lay flat when the book is opened near its centre. This little accessory helps keep them flat while you write (or read). A good match with The Journaler nib! Two prongs slip behind the book (on the outside underneath) and the nib shape fits on the open pages keeping them pressed down. It does this fairly softly without stressing the paper in my tests but I haven’t tested it with a particularly thick book which might test it. The Book Holder is US$19.95 from Esterbrook.
Esterbrook Navy 6 Pen Nook
Esterbrook’s Nook pen cases come in 1 pen, 2 pen, 3, 6 and 12 pen cases and a pen sleeve. They have a deep blue faux-leather (or ‘leatherette’) outside and a striking red fabric inside adorned with the Esterbrook cross logo.
The case has a small magnetic clasp that connects the larger front flap with a smaller bottom flap. Both open to completely reveal the pens underneath. This class feels strong enough to me but it won’t ever be as strong as a zipper or a clasp. That said I can hold the case upside down and shake it down it the magnet stays clasped unless I shake it quite vigorously. I have a magnetic clasp case from another brand that is similar in that it also requires a lot of momentum and a sudden stop to break the magnet’s hold. Because of this though it is possible that it could become dislodged if you through this in a loose backpack and it jumbled around. I tend not to have such loose bags and I haven’t experienced it coming loose at all. It is solid for what I imagine is normal use, certainly my use.
The mostly square case is 14.7cm wide by 16.7cm long. It fits, obviously, these Esties with a little under 1cm of space to spare.
The case has red stitch around the flaps and the clasp with the leatherette wrapping around the edge and the stitching going through and locking it in place on the underneath. On top of that back stitch a thin leatherette is glued over the top. You can see this glued patch over the top when looking from the side so it isn’t completely seamless.
On the top of the Nook and next to the clasp is the cursive Esterbrook Logo and ‘Est.1858’ debossed onto it with a dark grey colour stamped on top. Tastefully done and doesn’t impose the branding over the case.
The front flaps of the Nook are padded and soft the leatherette itself is smooth and very pleasant to touch. My only worry with leatherette is longevity (which I obviously can’t test) but I believe leatherettes are better than they used to be. A leatherette also caters for people who don’t like animal products, unlike real leather. These flaps are glued onto the bottom and top sides of the case. They seem solidly glued but I wonder why they weren’t stitched.
Inside the case is the smooth red fabric with the Esterbrook cross. The bottom of the case has cushions in each compartment which are wide enough to fit a 2cm thick pen (which would be a very wide pen). Just below the middle of the case is a horizontal round elastic band that goes through holes in the dividers. Even if the front flap does unlock itself this elastic band keeps the pens in pretty sturdily.
One small qualm I have is with the stitching or gluing inside that hold the sides together (found underneath the bottom flap) is a little unsightly, especially since it isn’t perfectly centred (under neither the middle divider would have been better in my opinion). It does feel solid, however,
I quite like the look and feel of this case and in practice it works well also. I’d hope for some small (cosmetic!) changes but I’m looking closely to find them. Overall it is striking and does exactly what you want it to do. If you are the type of person that wants an extremely sturdy case that could never come undone, then magnetic clasps from any pen case aren’t for you.
The 6 pen Nook comes in at US$150 from Esterbrook and AU$195 from Desk Bandit. This isn’t the most affordable pen case. The 3 pen is US$125 and AU$165, respectively, and the 12 pen is US$175 and AU$245 as well. For comparison, the Visconti 12 Pen Holder (which is real leather, however) is US$265 but there are also cheaper leather cases out there as well. The Esterbrook (as well as the pricier Visconti) stand out with a distinctive design and a more complicated design compared to these lower priced notebook-case like designs.
As mentioned my first reaction to JoWo acrylic pens is not usually altogether positive. That’s not to say I presume a lack of quality (nothing of the sort, in fact, JoWo nibs are pretty consistent and good quality and the majority of pens are a plastic of some kind). My prejudice was just that I don’t typically find those types of pens interesting or exciting to pick up and I’ll usually choose a different pen. The Esterbrook Estie doesn’t necessarily challenge that preconception but it demonstrates that I’m might be too quick to lump a pen (this pen) into such a categorisation. The Esterbrook Estie is a simple acrylic pen with a JoWo nib but the attention to detail with the shape, cushioned cap, non-intrusive adornment, as well as small things like metal-on-metal and plastic-on-plastic threads and a different approach to where put bands and the threads. These are small things but they add up and set the pen somewhat apart. For me tough, the most exciting thing is the custom or vintage nibs that you can get for these pens. I enjoy writing with the standard Fine in the blue (it’s good!) but it will be The Journaler and to a slightly less extent the vintage nib that will get me to pick this pen up again next time. I highly recommend spending the extra to get a unique writing experience. It’s really exciting to see manufacturers like Esterbrook and Franklin-Christoph do this sort of thing.
The Esterbrook Etsie varies in price depending on the material and size but for the standard size and model (seasonal or core) the fountain pen is US$195 from Esterbrook or AU$250 from Desk Bandit in Australia. The Journaler Nib bumps the price up to US$245 and AU$315 respectively. This puts the pen around the cost of a Visconti Rembrandt, Diplomat Aero, or Pilot Capless. With The Journaler Nib it puts in up to early gold nib pens and I think this is a good comparison because I feel (unless you have specific ink needs such as high iron gall content) that a custom ground nib is a better (or at least more interesting or unique) writing experience than a standard gold nib - this is just my opinion though and everyone has their own personal understanding of value. For what you get, especially with The Journaler, I personally think there’s very good value for the cost.
Thank you to Esterbrook for sending these products for review and for the Giveaway of the Nook!
6 pen Nook Pen Case Giveaway
HOW TO ENTER:
Follow me @macchiatoman.official
Follow Esterbrook @esterbrook_official
Comment my instagram giveaway post with what pen or pens you’d first put in this 6 pen Nook pen case!
BONUS ENTRY
Comment on this review what you think the next seasonal Estie colour will be.
Ensure you supply an email address so that I can contact you if you win!
The following isn’t required to enter but please consider supporting this blog and Esterbrook by following our various social medias:
There’s no need to tag other people to enter. I find those giveaways a little spammy so I try to avoid them. That doesn’t mean you can’t tag people that you think would be interested in entering, however!
The competition ends at 12:01am Saturday 16th of April 2021 AWST (when Friday ends). The competition is open worldwide to anyone so long as I can ship the item to them. If the cost of shipping the item is greater than AU$30 I will ask the winner if they are willing to make up the difference in costs - if they are not I will pick a backup winner (and so on). If after a week from when I contact the winner that the winner does not respond to emails or DMs regarding having won I will pick a backup winner (and so on). This competition is primarily based on Instagram and then this blog but it is also open to Australians on the Fountain Pens Australia Facebook group.
Good Luck! If you have any questions, please get in contact with me! Thanks again to Esterbrook for supplying the 6 pen Nook pen case for this giveaway.
✒︎ ✑ ✒︎ ✑
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I was not compensated for this review and everything here is my own honest opinion. There are no affiliate links in this review. I bought the Cobalt Blue Estie with my own money without a discount but everything else was sent to me for the purpose of an honest review. Esterbrook and Desk Bandit do sponsor the blog (although during the pandemic I have suspended any payments).