a modern solution for the vintage enthusiasts | Esterbrook Estie Fountain Pen & Modern-to-Vintage Adaptor Review
Disclaimer: I was not commissioned or compensated in anyway by Esterbrook and all opinions in this review are my own. Thanks to Bryan from Esterbrook for sending me these review units and if you are interested after reading my ideas of the Estie, please check out esterbrookpens.com to look at their offerings.
The original Esterbrook was first started in 1858 by Richard Esterbrook and was known throughout their history as a dip pen nibs maker. The main era of their fountain pens making was between the 30s and 50s, and their replacement nib units are still sought after by many collectors today. Esterbrook as a company changed hands quite a handful of times, noticeably under the management of Faber Castell and is currently being run by Kenro, the mother company of many famous writing instruments makers such as Aurora, Montegrappa and ystudio.
The pen that we are looking at today is one of Esterbrook's best sellers - the Estie in Tortoise shell resin.
It has a torpedo design that is quite similar to other american pens, but also similarly, the beauty of the tortoise shell resin is to be appreciated up close. There is a distinctive haziness that's particular to real tortoise shellbut I wish there would be a bit more yellow shade within the resin.
The default section is also turned out of the same resin to not disrupt the flow of the pen and the Jowo no.6 size nib attached while offers a reliable writing experience, but not what you guys are here for. Esterbrook made something cool called the MV adaptor and this was the accessory for the Estie that got my attention in the first place.
This section would allow users to attach vintage Esterbrook or Venus replacement nib units that are available in quite a number of different grinds and designs. Eventhough these are not your fancy Parker Duo-fold or Waterman vintages that go for thousand of dollars, Esterbrooks have been known for their reliability and a relatively accessible price point for the normal users if they wanted to acquire spares or if something decided to bend or a sudden drop occurred. When you use these vintage nibs for your modern adaptor, please be advised that if screwed in too tightly, the nib collar might get stuck. It would take a bit of warm water to loosen them up a bit before your next attempt to take the nib apart again, and I would put a bit of silicon grease on the threads of the nib collar to prevent that from happening again.
The 1550 nib here was a bit of a pain to tune as it was intended for bookkeeping and the metal was rigid by design. I like the extra-fine line that it produces but the feedback was hitting to close to dip-pen nib territory and I know from personal experience that I wouldn’t be using this particular nib too often. I would love to try other nib series from Esterbrook but sourcing them might be a bit of a tricky adventure, the common mediums and broads are usually sold out as many collectors are hoarding them for spares and you might have to wait a while until the next stock pile of nibs show up on eBay or from vintage pens dealers. Kenro has made an excellent choice in creating the MV adaptor and it both allows vintage users to use their stock of Esterbrook nibs, and bring on new modern fountain pen writers on board while at it.
Overall, it is a wonderful experience to have the chance to try the Estie out. If you would like to have the best of both world: the writing experience of a vintage nib and the convenience of a modern pen, this might just be the instrument that you should be looking at. Once again, I would like to thank Bryan from Esterbrook for letting this review happen and if you are interested please head over to esterbrookpens.com to check them out.
