A Most Unbiased Review - Esterbrook Estie Oversize Ebony Fountain Pen

[@Penchalet]

Glad you enjoyed the Estie - it looks good in that black tie pen party you created there. And love the pairing with Monteverde Brown Sugar ink - an excellent choice!

[@fattydada]

It frankly doesn’t offer much different from most turned resin Chinese pens, especially given it is outsourced in Taiwan and uses standard commercially available resins. I guess the Jowo nibs are much better, and all the branding is better. Mostly marketing you’re paying for.

[@gabemadorma2933]

I like the pens, but I’m surprised that they get away with charging 5-10x more then PenBBs.

[@martinlebl631]

@@gabemadorma2933 Yep, and PenBBS only makes outsourced short runs, so they aren't the cheapest by any means. You are paying for someone that bought the defunct Estie brand, and now wrings out suckers to make that a worthwhile investment.

[@LucasKellis]

You can now get these pens with fun custom grinds from retail. They have a zoom, architect, italic medium, needlepoint, definitely worth it to f attending a pen show isn’t feasible for you.

[@mrcharon6197]

I like the Estie but I feel the cost has started to push it over a line. Some of the newer ones are near or over $300. Additionally, the parts are interchangeable with the Wancher Dream Pen. You can even put an Esterbrook vintage conversion section in the Wancher. I suspect they are made in the same factory.

[@cynthiaalvarado8610]

Thanks, DB! I was thinking of getting the honeycomb resin as a gift and I am comfortable getting it now knowing it has a good build! That’s exactly why I started going with Broad pens too. I like shading inks and the broads show that very well. Enjoy the nude pen!

[@Soul_Watcher]

It’s very nice in black. And honestly I’m digging the fact that it doesn’t look exactly like all the other basic high end pens. I love the way Platinum, Pilot, and Sailor wrote but they all look the same. MonteBlanc, etc. the classic look. So it’s nice to see the smooth body without gold rings on the cap and end. Very simply but very nice indeed. Cheers

[@March22012]

I have three Esties, one oversize in honeycomb, two seaglass with the custom nibs. They are easily among my favourite pens. They aren’t leaving my collection!

[@sailcat9]

Excellent video! I really like the handsome, understated design of this pen. I like the size, too. However, at $250.00, there are a few other pens I think I might buy before I kicked in for this pen. I'm not saying it's not worth it, but I would have to think long and hard before I pulled the trigger. On the other hand, I am definitely lusting for this sleek black behemoth of a pen...

[@rwojnarowski1423]

I have an Estie Tortoise, fine nid that I've had for about a year and love. The classic styling is wonderful but more important is the smooth and reliable function of the nib. This is my every day writer and I thoroughly enjoy it.

[@Doodlebud]

Good to hear it makes for a nice EDC

[@derekdavis5720]

Great video as always. Got the Estie Oversize in a lilac finish with a specialist architect grind branded as a Scribe nib in stainless steel. It was a special edition nib I believe. I find an architect nib challenging well that one anyway, but it always starts first time and with practice is a nice writer. I find lovely in the hand and beautifully made. Hands up I really love it in the black! Simple yet understated and I agree might not work so well in the normal sized pen. Thanks again. D

[@sistergoldenhair0727]

I have multiple Estes and they are all incredible writers!

[@my1956effie]

That is a stunning looking pen because of its simplicity.

[@Doodlebud]

Super clean and classic design

[@paulmchugh1430]

I just bought an Estie and love the pen. It has the Nouveau Bleu resin which is extraordinarily. The nib is very smooth. I haven't tried the reverse writing but I may try it a later time. It may end up being a keeper for me. Great overview of the pen.

[@dennisplaza2664]

Putting the oversized Esterbrook in your pen case next to your other high end pens showed it to be very stately and sophisticated in appearance, and I dare say, even more than the Montblanc 149. It has a subtle, yet tasteful elegance.

[@eh86055]

Exactly right, reminds me a lot of the ebonite Sailor KoPs.

[@DestroyerOfWords]

Just watched your vid on the Christmas gift box. My only Esterbrook has been a good performer. Putting more on my list. These are easy EDCs.

[@victorgyulnazaryan2265]

I got the Candy and the Seaglass. Both regular size. Candy had awful Babies bottom, got it taken care of from Appelboom. I will definitely be buying more of their fancy materials

[@comprehendeth92]

I have wanted this pen for a while. However, I think I've gotten spoiled with vac fillers and piston fillers so that a converter/cartridge doesn't appeal to me as much anymore.

[@markferguson3365]

This is so classic and retro, I would expect it to be made out of Bakelite!

[@Doodlebud]

It has that look to it for sure

[@DaisyDoodles]

Great review as always doodlebud! I really love that ink you chose in that broad nib. I know you had asked about inks that look like leather, while I don't really know of any off the top of my head that i think look leather-y, i do wanna give a mention to colorverse country roads. I grew up around tobacco farms, that color is so nostalgic for me and every time i use it i think of the scent of tobacco!

[@Doodlebud]

Oh nice! It's funny how a certain ink colour can connect you with something so unexpectedly & event trigger a smell. J Herbin Cacao Du Bresil does that for me. I swear I can smell coffee shop just a little bit ☕😂

[@user-br3sl9go3b]

In my opinion, the Esterbrook pens are quite a bit overpriced. The Estie and this oversized Estie would benefit from a $50 and a $150 price reduction, respectively.

[@brucecash3939]

Great review. Pen Chalet is my go to site for pens and ink.

[@5t4n5]

I love that pen in the Rocky Top. I can't afford it but it is stunningly beautiful.

[@mrcat3493]

I have a couple of the special edition Esterbrooks with Brook’s DiamondCast resin. They are quite nice, I just ordered a couple of new nibs for them too.

[@TheRonHockman]

The black is too understated for this pen. I've got two Esties that I really like, in Maui (Regular) and Seaglass (Oversized) and they're stunners. This plan black just gets lost without any flash.

[@catchacoolbreeze]

The smaller section seize relative to the size of the pen and the step-down are a miss.

[@Doodlebud]

Thicker section would've been better to match the pen

[@sajjadhusain4146]

The section of the MV nib adapter is even smaller, contoured and narrower. Luckily, I manage just fine with both the adapter and the standard section.

[@catchacoolbreeze]

@@sajjadhusain4146 great info! Thank you!

[@Shak-MD]

Looks best capped. Kind of like KOP ebonite. But, those threads are an eye sore. The nib seems good.

[@martinlebl631]

Threads and the step are not my cup of tea either.

[@ironmic9244]

The Estie looks like such a nice pen, even the more colorful one, but I would agree on the uptick on price. Pen Chalet was my first too. I got some nice FREE inks from them through their rewards program, back when the $20 when only towards inks. That Brown Sugar reminds me of cigars. Doodle on Doodlebud. Doodle on.

[@oscarmedina1597]

I have an Oversized Estie in Sea Glass; got it at the San Francisco Pen Show a little over a year ago. It’s super comfortable and smooth. It’s too bad that most of their acrylics look like cheap aquarium pebbles. I might go for the tortoise, but I don’t like gold-colored trim.

[@DDawg1144]

Thanks for the videos, some feedback for you - I really appreciate the comparison to common pens as it’s helpful without being able to see one in person, but there’s not much of a point of doing it if you don’t compare them uncapped since pens vary greatly in their actual pen body size, vs how much is just the cap.

[@fossilimprint2954]

Good video. Do not have any ink recommendations, am new to fountain pens.

[@Volkmannx]

Nice fountain pen. I have to check that 'looks like leather' ink. Thanks!

[@MohamedSamyAlRabbani]

Looks like a Sailor king of pen

[@JerryBearry]

I tried this exact same model. The metal threads in the grip section made this pen unusable for the way I hold my pens.

[@taiko7225]

Thanks for another great review, informative and pentertaining. Some time ago I picked up a used, regular-sized, Black w/ GT, Estie at a great price. It came with Gina Salorino's Journal nib and just love it. Watched the summer holiday sales and upgraded to the OS in Nouveau Bleu , which is gorgeous, at a great price. Originally, I was skeptical of Esterbrook and not a bit intrigued, but at least with the Estie I feel they've done a great job. (Btw, the nibs are interchangeable between the standard and OS Estie model.)

[@gcvrsa]

It's not accurate to say that the current Esterbrook company has been around since 1858, because the current company has no continuity with the original company, which went defunct in 1971. It is a new company that purchased the rights to the name from Newell Rubbermaid in 2014, and has zero connection to the original Esterbrook Pen Company.

[@ilikepens]

Merry Christmas doodlebud!!!

[@Doodlebud]

Merry Christmas buddy

[@nitina8564]

When you said it's larger than a Montblanc 149 it's hard to believe it with the pen in those huge hands you have LoL... It's only the size comparison with other pens it shows the real size of the pen.

[@BASHER193]

Hey Doodlebud, I love your videos I have a question What are your thoughts and experiences with procrastination? I would love to hear from you Best wishes A big fan of yours

[@Doodlebud]

Not sure how my outlook on procrastination ties into fountain pens or engineering. But here's a quick thought. Putting something off doesn't make that thing you need to do go away or somehow require less work by putting it off. If anything it makes it worse and more difficult typically because the way we do one thing is the way we do everything. Meaning, if you procrastinate on one thing chances are there are other things on a list waiting to be checked off as well. Procrastination grows that list making a manageable task list now seem huge and unmanageable which makes the tasks to even worse hence, more procrastination. If I'm struggling with this problem, I try to remind myself to have a "DO IT NOW" attitude. If I come across something I need to do but don't want to, I try (but I'm far from perfect) to tell myself "Stop... Do It Now!" Once you get it done you feel good about yourself and are more likely to continue that habit. Success is just as much as a habit as procrastination. We all create habits whether we're aware or not. I find the good habits take focus and awareness and hard work, but the bad habits just happen on their own.

[@sistergoldenhair0727]

It’s taller than the 149 but certainly not fatter around.

[@ArjanD78]

Hey Doodlebud You're all about construction, so the right guy t ask. Should I worry about the metal threads on the resin cap? That's a reason why I haven't bought an Estie yet.

[@Doodlebud]

Metal on resin can be bad if not done right. You need to use the right thread profile & have a thread stop which they've done both with this pen.

[@martinomattuzzi7031]

Has anyone here in the commenta tried the vintage to modern adapter for the Estie?

[@sistergoldenhair0727]

I have! I love the adapter and have many vintage nibs to play with. It’s amazing to use an 80 year old nib on a modern beautiful pen!

[@teresaharris-travelbybooks5564]

I don't like the inner liner, in the cap. I understand it has a purpose but I always bump the nib when capping.

[@roderickfemm8799]

I'm not interested in the pen, but thanks for the showcase for that ink. I'm probably going to have to buy a bottle, even though I already have Too Much Ink©

[@sajjadhusain4146]

I have three oversized Esterbrook Esties. And this same Ebony Estie, but with chrome trim and the pretty cool Journaler nib (currently selling for an extra $50-$60; I had bought the nib for $40, and fitted to the pen). Now, I had often slammed modern Esterbrook pens for being unfairly overpriced for what they are. And the fact that the M-V nib adapter ( to use the vintage Esterbrook nibs) really ought to be included free, given that the Esties are priced quite high. Anyway, I still stand by my earlier complaints about modern Esterbrook. However, I have found that these pens are really excellently made - fit, finish and feel in hand. The cushioned cap closure is quite nice. And the pens write reliably and very well. But I have specially ground nibs on all three of my Esties. The Oversized models are perfect, though the standard sized Esties should be perfectly fine for anybody. And they obviously cost less. Alas, what irks me is that Esterbrook has, since July 1st this year, discontinued the retailers’ 20% discount on the MSRP on ALL their pens. So, now this oversized Estie sells for $250 instead of the previous $200. That sucks, no question. Db, have you seen the Esterbrook Camden? I own the Graphite Black with the B (Schmidt) steel nib. I reckon that is my favorite pen from ‘reborn’ Esterbrook today. Edit: In case you’re curious, my two other Esties are the Scarlet and Sunflower pens. Beautiful, to put it mildly. 🙂

[@Doodlebud]

I've seen thee Camden online in pics. It looks like a really great pen

[@AeroInkWolf7]

As an engineer, daily fountain pen user and enthusiast myself, I would like to discuss about the following with you: 1) As a reference to your great video on bad fountain pen (and designs), one of the point you raised in that video was present in the Estie; namely having metal thread mating with resin/plastic/etc thread between the body and cap. I don't see how the Estie is immune to the eventual shredding of threads in the cap. Yes, people mentioned this problem alot in cheaper chinese pens that uses the same design, given that the bad tighter tolerances in the threads which led to stronger and more obvious damage threads on the softer material side, but I am just shocked that people don't mentioned this on the Estie, as even with good tolerance (perhaps given that the pen is from a more established brand, people are not as critical?), wouldnt having two different materials interacting will regardless result in wear? Not that I am against the use of metal thread on the body, as I believe it definitiely adds more vibrancy and "OMG looks" to the pen when upcapped. Perhaps some sort of coating can be done on the inner threads on the cap...? 2) It's quite interesting to see more pens following how Platinum achieve their months long (or even a year long) slip-seal mechanism in the cap!

[@Doodlebud]

Metal threads onto resin can be fine of done properly. You need to have the right thread profile & a thread stop which they've done on this pen. This can be open & closed for decades and you won't get shredding. The wrong thread profile & lack of thread stop will for sure tear things up.

[@ichirofakename]

Nice looking, though too bad about the branding. When going minimalistic, GO MINIMALISTIC. Reminds me quite a bit of my grail, the KOP Ebonite, right down to the unjustifiedly big price jump for the little size jump.

[@Doodlebud]

Definitely has that KOP feel to it

[@sajjadhusain4146]

I have the black ebonite KoP. The feel and finish of that ebonite is just superb. And you guys are quite correct about the uncanny resemblance and overall vibe, on first sight, of the Ebony Estie to the Sailor KoP. Of course, that sublime nib on the KoP puts it in another league altogether. A league all its own.

[@paulwyand6204]

The thing I wish they did when reviving the brand that they would have respected the brand more. I love the old pens, especially the variety of the nibs. If they had made them compatible with the old nibs I think the would sell way more. The pens have nothing to do with the classic Esterbook, and that is a shame, and a waste if IP.

[@Doodlebud]

There is an adapter to fit the old nibs

[@Roberto__Skar]

I really don't like metal threads on a plastic pen. To me it spoils the whole balance and integrity of the pen. Just imagine - a MB 149 with a threaded metal insert! Who'd want to own one? I have a few vintage Esterbrooks and the plastic threads are still holding up strong. Make a metal pen, or a plastic pen, don't combine the two to reduce manufacturing costs and sell it to us as if it's a design innovation.

[@johnsomers8269]

It looks like it is made in China, is that the case?

[@ronaldchapman2806]

A free gifted pen is unlikely to be completely unbiased as a critical review might lead to no more freebees. You omit one of the most important facts: the price. Esterbrooks are quite good but massively overpriced for what is a Chinese pen.

[@littletweeter1327]

the threads are very ugly imo. i would not accent them with gold trim lol. and the step, even if it doesnt affect how you write, it looks attrocious. and what is the point of an oversized pen if the section isnt oversized? im really just annoyed by lazy design in modern pens.

[@erics8757]

I didn't think you would stoop to clickbait. I was promised nudity. 😡 I'm considering one, but not black. I'll decide when I recover from the clickbait trauma.

[@KL005]

BOOM (first)

[@Soul_Watcher]

It’s very nice in black. And honestly I’m digging the fact that it doesn’t look exactly like all the other basic high end pens. I love the way Platinum, Pilot, and Sailor wrote but they all look the same. MonteBlanc, etc. the classic look. So it’s nice to see the smooth body without gold rings on the cap and end. Very simply but very nice indeed. Cheers