Esterbrook’s latest release is the CANDY Estie and for this review I have the oversize model (which I haven’t tried before) and most importantly the new Kirk Speer of Pen Realm Needlepoint nib. Esterbrook release many different finishes for their Estie line and they are seemingly very popular. I’ve bought a few myself and received a few for review just like this one. I’ve said it before on reviews but custom nibs are always exciting to try!
A big thank you to Esterbrook for sending this in for review!
Back in April last year I reviewed and tried my first Esterbrook pen (with a custom nib) the Honeycomb with the Journal nib. I gave a short overview of the company there and it has had its ups and downs, sellers, buyers and relaunches. I really (personally) enjoy the products that are being made right now but that doesn’t mean I have a chance of keeping up with all the launches! I’m grateful for Esterbrook sending me goodies to share every now and then but I also try to pick up the pens that really catch my eye! With my reviews here I avoid reviewing the same model of pen if it just a material change. I don’t do this because for the purpose of a review of a model, one is enough. Other materials of the same model just need a photograph to see what is different about it. But I have reviewed the Estie a few times now‽ Well That is because of the custom nibs and (in this case) a slightly different model.
This Candy is the first oversize Estie I have used and the differences aren’t huge but certainly noticeable. The Candy has a lovely mostly pink swirl pattern with white and blue mixed in (some photos I’ve seen show more blue than what mine is showing so there probably is some variance). The pen is also one of Esterbrook’s Diamon Cast pens. Here the Diamine Cast is swirled into the material more subtly than the Gold Rush models.
This is Esterbrook’s third custom nib. The first was the fine cursive-italic like Journaler by Gena Salorino, the second was a medium architect nib like Scribe by Joshua J. Lax Esq. and this is the very fine Needlepoint by Kirk Speer of Pen Realm. I love that Esterbrook are collaborating with different Nib Grinders which gives everyone an easy worry-free way of trying different grinders and different specialty nibs!
Packaging
The packaging is what you should expect from a special or limited release from Esterbrook. A larger box than the regular releases with a card sleeve over the top that is related to the pen model. This says CANDY and has the pink, purple and gold that is swirled into the pen material.
The box has a red fabric outside and is itself a sleeve that olds the box that pulls out to reveal the pen pillow. This isn’t a coffin-style box that is usual for pens.
There is a ribbon to assist with pull the pen box out.
Details
Where this Oversize model differs from the regular is the size of the Barrel, the size of the Cap and how the cap threads onto the barrel. The section part is identical for both.
The Barrel and Cap are obviously longer and thicker which will be discussed below but the threads are also more prominently metal near the section. On the regular model they are made from the pen’s material on the outside with some metal rings (the inside threads are still metal on both).
The designs, size notwithstanding, are so similar that some of my regular caps do screw onto the Overzise barrel and the Oversize cap does screw onto the regular barrel perfectly. They don’t look great but they work to some degree.
The material is certainly something that will be somewhat different on each pen. How much different I can’t say. Overall mine is fairly pink overall but in some places the blue is more prominent. It is a colourful and pretty swirl pattern. There is some gold-coloured Diamond Cast material that is interspersed within the blue pink and white swirls and it is fairly subtle but I think that works very well. There is some subtle sparkles throughout as well. The saturation of the colours is less than I would have expected but I like it more because of that. It is still a vibrant colour but none of the colours are highly saturated
As with otherregualr Esties this also has the spring loaded cap that keeps the inside more air-sealed. The turn of the cap is shorter than the regular Esties.
Nib
This nib is always the most exciting thing for me. What makes a Needlepoint special? Well compares to a Cursive Italic or an Architect grind not that much. It is, in essence, just a very fine nib but the difference between this and an extra fine ore extra extra fine is that you are going to get an extra extra fine that someone has taken great care to make sure it writes with a fine line, has good flow and isn’t scratchy. With factory nibs, even tested ones, some of these aspects can be lacking but you can be much more confident with a custom ground Needlepoint!
Interestingly, Kirk ground this EEF-like Needlepoint from a Fine JoWo nib. I imagine the extra tipping material makes things easier to work with. The nib tapers off quite pointedly This is a nib that does have some variation depending on the angle you hold it at. A shallower angle is a slightly wider line than more upright holding position. It doesn’t do reverse writing very well (not that that should ever be expected but I do test it)!
On the left is a Nagahara Needlepoint on a Franklin-Christoph Model 46 made from an Extra Fine JoWo nib. The middle is the Kirk Speer Needlepoint and the right is a standard Extra Fine JoWo in an Estie. The standard EF is the most rounded tip and the Nagahara is a little more round-rect while the Kirk Seer is the pointiest. Perhaps this pointless explains the line variation dependent on the writing angle.
The writing experience of this nib is very nice. It has feedback - which should be obvious that it would - but it isn’t overly sharp. The sharpness does increase a little of you angle the nib sideways but nothing extreme. The flow is excellent and the pen writes well under its own weight. For feel the nib is very good. Definitely a more premium feel than the standard Extra Fine (which is a very nice factory Extra Fine already).
First off apologies for some of the water marks on this page; I’m not sure where they came from. I think the standout here on this page is the factor Fine nib on the Estie at the top left. That is not a fine line! European nibs often go large and I have had similar experiences with Pelikan but this is definitely fatter than I would expect from a fine.
Where this Kirk Speer Needlepoint sits amongst the other fine nibs is a little on the wider side. It is definitely wider than the Masuyama Needlepoint and the Nagahara Needlepoint with the latter being the finest I have. I would say the flow is a little better than that the Masuyama. The Pro Gear Extra Fine is ever so slightly finer than the Speer Needlepoint but it is also much sharper and with more feedback. For merely a fine (and a soft fine) the Platinum is a surprisingly fine nib and around what the Speer Needlepoint is but again sharper and with more feedback. The Pelikan Extra Fine has a fairly wide line compares to the rest (bar the Estie Fine) but is very slim for a Pelikan.The TWSBI Extra Fine is similar to the Speer Needlepoint but sharper and the Retro 51 Extra Fine is a surprisingly fine line but the flow isn’t as nice. Overall this Speer Needlepoint has excellent feel and for a Needlepoint is surprisingly smooth but as a balance to that it isn’t quite as fine as the other two Needlepoints I have.
Dimensions and Comparison
When I first opened the box I didn’t really see the difference of the Oversize. It didn’t look particularly huge. Keep in mind the regular Esterbrook is already a fairly large pen (length-wise at least). But when you pick it up you can feel the difference. For me the main difference was in the girth of the pen and while the section of the Oversize and the section of the regular are identical holding the larger barrel still was noticeable in writing and especially just generally holding the pen.
The pen is a little longer but not extremely so. This change in girth and length, however, does mean it can not be securely posted like the regular sizes can.
It is only 6mm longer than the Regular it doesn’t seem like much but it definitely is a decent amount. The step down of the threads to the section is pretty big and I think that might be the only change I could envision for this pen size. Perhaps a thicker section could benefit this as people who opt for the oversize would generally be people who would prefer a slightly thicker section as well. Visually I love how the regular size has bands of metal and the threads in resin and I’d love that here too. Both of these changes are quite subjective though. On the flip side, however, this same section does mean you can still grab a vintage Esterbrook nib holder and use vintage nibs with this!
| Pen | Capped | Uncapped |
|---|---|---|
| Esterbrook Estie Oversize | 15.5cm | 13.4cm |
| Esterbrook Estie | 14.9cm | 12.8cm |
| Sailor Pro Gear | 13cm | 11.6cm |
| Platinum Century #3776 | 14.1cm | 13.2cm |
| Pelikan M805 | 14.1cm | 12.7cm |
| Lamy Safari | 14cm | 13cm |
| Montblanc 146 | 14.3cm | 13cm |
| Lamy 2000 | 14cm | 12.5cm |
| TWSBI Eco | 14cm | 13.2cm |
Capped the pen towers over everything including the Montblanc 146 and the Pelican M805 - both fairly large pens! Uncapped on the TWSBI Eco comes close (which is a pen that always seems to go unnoticed with how large it actually is.
| WEIGHT | Capped | Uncapped |
|---|---|---|
| Esterbrook Etsie Oversize | 33g | 22g |
| Esterbrook Etsie | 25.9g | 16.6g |
| Sailor Pro Gear | 24.9g | 16.1g |
| Platinum Century #3776 | 25g | 14g |
| Pelikan M805 | 29.4g | 20.9g. |
| Lamy Safari | 20g | 11g |
| Montblanc 146 | 29.8g | 19.9g |
| Lamy 2000 | 26g | 17.1g |
| TWSBI Eco | 20.8g | 12.3g |
The pen is also fairly heavy. The Pelican M805 is a weighty pen and this is still 3.6g heavier! Uncapped it is double the weight of a Lamy Safari. Granted the Safari is a light pen but double is a big difference! That said the pen is fairly balanced in the hand so the pen doesn’t feel overly weighty to me. I prefer smaller pens and the size doesn’t strain my hands much - perhaps that is because the section isn’t that thick though.
I don’t have many pens with a comparable colour profile to this! This is quite unique in my collection which is great! From light pink maybe to a lavender purple to a Violet Blue the average colour of this pen depends on where you look at it and whether it has more pink or blue in it. Overall though the pen is definitely a cooler colour that is more mauve or lavender than pink or blue. It feels like a soft pastel hue because of that.
The pink sharp pens is too pink and the Lamy Safari Powder Rose is too soft and light but the Nagasawa Sailor Pro Gear Ajisai is a comparable cool pink-lavender colour and the closest I have from my pink-ish pens.
Conclusion
I love the colour of this material and I think I appreciate the subtle use of the Diamond Cast material here more than a more showy way of using it. I like that the colours are soft and not vibrant and I like the general coolness. It is a pretty material. For the size I think I prefer the regular size for my use. I quite like the regular size! For a larger pen though this is still comfortable to use which is great.
The nib is an excellent extra fine nib. Great flow, great feel and very consistent to use. It is slightly wider than I expected after coming from Japanese Needlepoints but it is also smoother to write with. I’m OK with that trade off and it is great to write with which is what I value the most.
This Esterbrook Candy is only coming up for sale around now with it popping up in friends of the blog Deskbandit with the regular sized model. As should be expected this is a premium model with the Diamond Cast material so it isn’t low or medium priced pen.
I really enjoy the nib and and the material!
Thanks again to Esterbrook for sending this pen in for review!
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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 was sent this pen for the purpose of an honest review. Esterbrook does sponsor the blog (although during the pandemic I have suspended any payments).