Esterbrook Estie Review...and a giveaway

[@chrisrap52]

Vintage, the 1920-30's era, hands down Watermans. Great nibs & design. Consistently well made to be your EDW. From my view, this Estie should be compared to Franklin-Christoph & Edison pens, similar price point & nibs. I find more value in those pens. As for using Esterbrook nibs, I prefer the vintage models. More unique materials & design then this Estie. Also the vintage Estie was a low cost pen, initial one was a dollar when others were five or more. This reincarnation not so.

[@robbinallan3767]

I started looking at vintage Esterbrook pens after my father died. He was an historian with the US Air Force and always had a love for pen and paper. He talked about dip pens and inkwells in his school days and I have no doubt the inexpensive Esterbrook pen was his first fountain pen. I have about a dozen in the J series. They have all been easy to get back to prime condition. I don't have a budget for high end pens (anything over $30 bucks). I would be thrilled to get a pen as beautiful as the new Estie, for its own sake and even just as historical continuance. Thanks for the great review and the chuckle. Robbin

[@MeghoRoddur]

It’s great to see a vintage pen making company being revived. I must say this pen looks awesome !

[@GS-cg3yn]

You speak clearly and logically in your reviews. I appreciate that.

[@seankupisz3570]

Thank you for the opportunity, great review, looks like a great pen! I have a couple of Pelikans, a 140 and 400NN that are ridiculously great! Also a Parker 51 that I love too. Thanks again for all that you do!

[@arthursmith1539]

Thanks for taking the time to go into the backstory. And the blooper reel. :)

[@checocgh]

I had an architect uncle and as a kid I used to take his Esterbrook pens to do a little writing and drawing behind his back. Man I just loved how flowy they where, I guess that's what made me a fan of fountain pens. Loving this new one

[@benwrites7649]

I've been using this Estie pen for about 8 days now and it's terrific. I especially like it with the 9284 signature stub nib. The spring loaded cap is strong, which I like. The only minor gripe I have is the adapter section not screwing in flush with the body like the regular section. My favorite vintage pen is a Sheaffer Balance with the inlaid nib. Supersmooth. Great video, David. Thanks.

[@delusional4ever]

These pens look amazing! Even though they don’t hold the same vintage looks as the old Esterbrooks, they never-the-less have a classic look and feel to them. The section drop at the end should be labeled as an alternative method to prime a nib!

[@michaelblair1020]

Great review, David. This looks like a great pen from Esterbrook. It was my father's vintage Parker 51 that got me interested in fountain pens, over 30 years ago. That same 51 is the only vintage pen in my collection.

[@claireh2667]

Rediscovering fountain pens as an adult had been such an enjoyable experience, particularly coupled with the memories of my late grandfather’s passion for fountain pens. Thank you for sharing such a wealth of information!

[@tonymiller1482]

Another beautiful pen. A great homage to a great pen company. My vintage Esterbrook J Pen is both beautiful and functional. Thank you Kenro for bringing quality back to the name.

[@heatherstratton3302]

My first fountain pen was an Esterbrook with the 1551 nib, and I absolutely adore it. Every time I am in an antique shop, I look for Esterbrook. And a few days ago, I acquired the black and clear desk pen with a 9550 nib. Absolutely amazing vintage brand.

[@alexnicholson2375]

I love the idea of being able to swap the nibs... I have a vintage Estie that was gifted to me, used during the war. It has a crack near the grip that makes it virtually unusable, and due to the nostalgia and history of how that came to be I don't have the heart to try and repair it. I've used the nib just by dipping it and it is by far the best writer I've used, so it would tickle me to get to use the nib properly while keeping the vintage pen in its original condition! Love the reviews, very informative, and very fun!

[@RobertCarty-i4l]

Great! Positive and direct. This is a comfortable pen to use and the adapter allows you to use the 50+ nibs made by the old Esterbrook.

[@timdraude3464]

Bravo to Esterbrook / Kenro for coming up with this creative way to combine the interest in the Vintage Esterbrook nibs with current pen bodies. Well done.

[@AJKlos]

Great idea offering a “random” nib with the pen. Everybody likes a surprise. Great review I was just asking others about the details of the fall and rise of Esterbrook, so I appreciate that part of the video.

[@rakeshvarma4695]

Wow...what a great pen and the great addition of the adapter to use vintage Easterbrook nibs. Growing up in India schools didn’t allow ballpoint pens so I used fountain pens. What I remember is that each was bladder-filled but don’t remember their names.

[@stephenprentiss1021]

It's really cool to see what they've done bringing this vintage brand back. I first heard about Esterbrook when Jesi talked about repairing them on the Pen Addict podcast. The number of vintage style nibs is quite impressive.

[@dastels]

I haven’t gotten into vintage pens yet, but the topic is fascenating. Fountain pens bring a bit of history into everyday life, and delving into their history just adds to that. I enjoyed the review and look forward to watching more from you.

[@aadityakiran_s]

Hey. Great video. I appreciate the bloopers at the end that you introduce now. My favorites vintage pen is the Parker 51 because of it's pure practical approach to writing. Very similar to the Lamy 2000, my favourite modern fountain pen

[@RichardSmith-uw6st]

David, thanks for the review. That cobalt color is outstanding. Not having gotten into vintage pens, the closest thing is my memory of using a Shaeffer school fountain pen with a green translucent body and a stainless steel cap. I really enjoyed that pen back in my middle school years in the 60's.

[@matthewschneider8106]

Thank you David. I only have one vintage pen, a 1946 Parker 51 my grandfather owned. While I like it, I don't feel compelled to venture into the vintage world at this point, but I do like these new Estie pens, and this blue finish in particular!

[@sweekeelee9394]

I had been a fountain pen user for more than 50 years, but have just started to get crazy about them. Esterbrook will be one of the pens that I will eventually own.

[@GonzoTheRosarian]

Thanks for the review. I have several of the Esterbrook nibs as I have restored a few. The pen looks very nice. The ending...😆 ...bloopers on Figboot... love it!

[@manueldeubler1127]

David, you sure have upped your bloopers. Keep them going!

[@TheMagicalSock]

Nothing has made me laugh in some time quite like your response to dropping that section into that bottle of Noodler’s Elysium. Great video as always, and hilarious use of those gorgeous Pilot chopsticks!

[@Demoshei]

I'm glad they are "back", and another excellent review!

[@anneh3185]

Great video David. I am just about to take delivery of my first Esterbrook and I am very excited. Thank you for including the out take , I enjoyed it very much

[@mariacastillo5625]

Thanks for the review! Interesting pen. Had it no branding, it would have never evoked "Esterbrook" feelings. Perhaps Esterbrook is too beloved to be revived? Not even Coke could get away with remaking its own product back in the 80's. I would have prefered the Estie come with a vintage nib/housing, and a Jowo nib/ housing been optional. Anyway, the Estie does seem like a nice pen, and reviews rave about how well-built it is. Thanks again.

[@e4cpltom]

I have to say that this is the reason I like the way Cross makes threaded converters. As for my favorite vintage, the Parker Duofolds are definitely my favorites. I have one with the most delicate stub nibs that lays a fantastic line I just love.

[@Licensedtokiln]

This is my first time on your channel (I was directed from Goulet pens!) and I really enjoyed the in depth review and found it very helpful! I look forward to searching through more of your videos!

[@FigbootonPens]

Thanks for watching!

[@jamesc1936]

I haven't written with any, but I totally love the steampunk aesthetic of classic Conklin crescent fillers. When I saw my first one, it really peaked my interests in fountain pens.

[@andrewcamacho4092]

Excellent review. This is an interesting and beautiful pen. The option for using vintage nibs is a great feature. I look forward to the future of Esterbrook pens.

[@amybrazelton6825]

I have really never used a vintage pen and don’t have any experience with them. I was given an older sheaffer that needs to fixed to be able to use again. I do like the blue material they used on the estie . Thanks for the review!

[@antispeller]

Thanks for all the great videos you put out. My personal favorite vintage pen is the Eversharp Skyline. Anything streamlined is just plain cool.

[@johnknepper715]

The really exciting thing about this pen is that both the adapter and the regular section allow the pen to use commonly available nibs. I think easy interchange is something the market wants right now. I certainly do.

[@BrandonCahall]

Great review! Thanks for taking the time to write with the vintage nib.

[@tatianalanier1632]

Thank you for giving us an extra day to try to win this pen!!!!! My favorite vintage pen would have to be a Parker Duofold Senior!!! I love your reviews and always look forward to your videos!!!! Don't ever stop!!!!

[@Aminav0]

I don't have any vintage pen but a Sheafer that was from my Grand grand father from my mother side nothing special was one of the work horses of that time. but is the history what makes the pen special. Thanks for the review!

[@MelocheMeriah]

Thanks for the review. I've enjoyed restoring some old Esterbrook J series pens. This is certainly a whole different animal. I tried one out at the Colorado Pen Show and felt it was a decent offering in the same neighborhood as many of the Yafa pens and the production Edisons. It will be interesting to see where they go from here.

[@andymarty80]

Great review! You're missing out if you don't have many vintage pens, they're all different and unique, and often have amazing nibs (if you select well; and interesting filling mechanisms). My favorite ones are Waterman and Mabie Todd.

[@armandcordova44]

Thanks for the nice review. Hope Estie revives the old glory that Esterbrook had.

[@vincentzhang1448]

I have very little knowledge about vintage pen,but I do watched some vintage pen reviews.It's really amazing when a fountain pen made 100 years ago can still work and looks great.I really like waterman as a brand ,it shows what a golden age fountain pen looks like.

[@krashmania]

My favorite vintage is very comfortably the old Sheaffers of yesteryear. I love the way their inlaid nibs write, so much. A PFM is definitely in my near future, when I find one that I really like.

[@perrybeachy]

Thanks for the review and the chance to win. I love the Eterbrook pens and have a number of pens as well as extra nib units on hand so the idea of a modern pen with the ability to use the vintage nibs is pretty cool.

[@apbf]

The brand's silver lettering on that shade of blue is really nice. I think the Fine Stub nib has the best look as well, and the thicker line on the downstroke is really subtle.

[@TheresaRobertsonLROL]

Thank you David. The Essie in blue is a beautiful looking pen. Nice review.

[@Alliejay-C]

I only have two vintage pens: a Montblanc 146 and a Parker Vacumatic. I really love the Parker! I have always been curious about Esterbook so thank you for this video. I had not realized the company had been revived. It is a very handsome pen!

[@ehoyas311]

I also really love the new cobalt/chrome Estie is gorgeous. The fact that you can add a vintage nib is just an added bonus.

[@Catski1jedi]

Thanks for the review, I liked the old school Esterbrook Js as a small pocket pen/journal pen. Though sac fillers aren’t always the best for cleaning but the variation of the nibs they’ve offered were great.

[@luccadustin8081]

A tip: you can watch series at kaldroStream. Been using it for watching all kinds of movies lately.

[@alijahmaxwell686]

@Lucca Dustin Yea, I have been watching on kaldroStream for years myself :)

[@reignodin3852]

@Lucca Dustin Yea, I have been watching on KaldroStream for since november myself :)

[@markwinter6055]

It is great for me to be able to see this pen in action with both the present day nib and a vintage nib. I am a fan of the vintage Esterbrook fountain pens; as well as these other vintage pens:- Parker, Sheaffer, Onoto, Conway Stewart, and Swan Mabie Todd. I have several of these in various stages of restoration. I would love to get the chance to have a go with the Estie. Thanks for another great review.

[@danielib99]

I haven't gotten into vintage pens yet but I love the idea of having so many nib option with the vintage Esterbrook nibs.

[@austin6982]

I haven’t gotten into vintage pens either, but I would LOVE an Estie! I have always planned to start collecting vintage Esterbrooks and the adapter would be a great way to use some of those nibs. Thanks so much for the review.

[@majorspanky]

One of my grandfathers had a vintage Esterbrook. I always loved writing with it. I'd love to have one just to remember those times when he taught me to write cursive with it.

[@stacysnyder9066]

Hi David, I also don’t have any experience with vintage pens. I find this pen to be attractive and desirable on its modern merits: nice acrylics, nibs and measurements. Thanks for another excellent review.

[@alfredsuazo4824]

Thanks for the wonderful pen review, and brief history on the brand and its heritage. Coming from someone who just started with fountain pens a few months ago, it was very much appreciated. That really is quite a lovely pen.

[@billybruck]

Thanks for the review. I am just getting into fountain pens and enjoyed hearing the background of the Esterbrook brand. Now I am interested in finding out more about vintage pens. I like the look of the new Estie , though I haven’t built up the courage to buy pens in this price range yet.

[@511EddieO]

I actually obtained my father's Esterbrook from high school back in the early 1960's. I really like the idea of buying the original nip converter kit. Thank You for the review

[@tdawson7689]

Thanks for the review. Loved the outtake. I was wondering how your fingers suddenly became covered in ink. This has been a pen that I've had my eyes on. I hope that this is just the beginning of Esterbrook's brand resurrection.

[@superoblivionbread]

My favorite vintage brand is Aurora. My favorite modern brand is also Aurora. They've been making fantastic pens for almost a century... I'm pretty stoked to see what they release for their 100 year anniversary next year, although my bank account is less enthusiastic about it. I like what Kenro has done with the Estie...they could have released re-branded and marked-up cheapo pens. It wouldn't have made sense to try to sell a modern version of the model J or whatever because no one will buy a new one with $30 NOS vintage J's all over the place. This is a neat compromise.

[@andreaszenker3895]

I have no knowledge of the vintage Esterbrook pens, but am intrigued to learn more. My only vintage so far is a vintage Pilot Elite plastic barrel and steel nib which writes really nicely.

[@StephanieMayfieldDIG]

Great review as always. Love the option to use vintage nibs. My only (and therefore favourite) vintage pen is a Sheaffer targa that I inherited from my dad.

[@derekbutler1948]

I personally love some of the old Sheaffer Triumph pens from the 1940s, particularly one that my grandfather had with him during the war that’s now in my possession. I also have a pair of vintage Pelikan’s that I love using, and of course a few vintage Esterbrook pens and nibs that helped me get into the vintage side of the hobby. I personally like the looks of the Estie and the ability to swap out the modern nib for some of their vintage offerings. The best of both worlds!

[@desroth]

I have to give the vintage line up to Shaefer. I own a restored Snorkel and I love how buttery smooth the 14k Nib is. Aside from the limited ink capacity in the bladder inside of the pen it is just a fantastic writer that I carry everywhere.

[@experienced.novice]

I don’t have a lot of experience with vintage pens but my first was an Esterbrook ironically - one of the pastel purse pens in green with a violet jewel on top. I have a couple of the vintage nibs already and the swappability is what drew me to Esterbrook! I am also able to use my mom’s old calligraphy nibs in it - they’re Osmiroids, so another bonus point to the Esterbrook! Thanks for your reviews, always love them, but this was a fun one especially!

[@popparoc46]

My very first fountain pen was an Esterbrook. I still have it, along with about twelve vintage nibs. I love it, but even so, I'd say early Sheaffer fountain pens are my favourite vintage brand. There is something about that nib! Great video, David. The added "blooper" made me smile. - roc

[@PathinAZ]

A few years ago, I was given a friend's father's old military work pen. It's a 1942 Sheaffer Balance White Dot Lifetime w/ Military clip in Brown (14K gold nib). I had to have it completely restored, but now it writes like new. Even though it's not a huge pen, the vac-fil holds a LOT of ink. I've always liked vintage fountain pens, but this kind of gave me the bug to want to collect more. The "Estie" has already found it's place in my wish-list at Goulet's. Very beautiful pen. Cheers!

[@mitchellgehman4605]

Hey, David, I actually don’t own any vintage fountain pens, but I think my favorite looking ones are Pelikans, but that’s just cause I like how Pelikans look. Thanks for the review!

[@mwalter4560]

Great review David. I really like the ability to use the vintage nibs.

[@thepipedean8875]

I have not ventured into vintage fountain pens yet. However I did buy a vintage Esterbrook with an extra fine nib. Great surgical recovery on the retrieving the nib from the ink bottle.

[@jrausch1100]

I am new to pen collecting. So first time I’ve seen Esterbrook pens. Thank you for the review.

[@Maraaha55]

Love the ending 😎, very cool. I've never heard of a fine stub before, not *sure* I see the point, but it's an interesting thought. Thanks for the review, it was fun

[@tbonejeffrp]

I agree with Arvid. I like the vintage Sheaffers because of the nib styling. I don't have many vintage pens, but two of the few are Sheaffer.

[@annemiev9278]

Thanks for a very comprehensive review. I’ve only just started my fountain pen obsession and didn’t know about vintage nibs - great idea! Loved the blooper at the end.

[@josephswope918]

I really enjoy watching your channel. You provide many excellent reviews that have helped me make decisions on which pens to purchase. As for my favorite vintage pen brand, I really love the look of sheaffer pens.

[@osuata13]

Great video, David. In regards to vintage pens, I haven't jumped into that end of the pool yet, but have always loved the look of the Parker Vacumatics with the striped celluloid. I got my Visconti Divina Wall Street because it has that same kind of look. Maybe one day I'll get a Parker of my own :)

[@ovebjornson7846]

The vintage section is a very nice touch. Colours are great, too. Thank you.

[@stephanie.jung.]

Thanks for the review! I think I like vintage Parkers; I care naught for the modern designs but the vacumatics are gorgeous. Alas, I change inks too much to enjoy cleaning them so I don't use them that often.

[@unjuanequis6336]

Excellent review, the pen looks like a decent implementation and the really interesting feature is the adapter. I have zero vintage fountain pens but my favorite would be a Waterman, any model as long as it is in writing condition as is more than 50 years old.

[@GregSplond]

I have never used a vintage pen before so i think the Esterbrook with option to use vintage nibs lets you go modern with the new design while paying homage to the past. I have always heard that the older nibs (esp flex) are better with vintage and have never been duplicated correctly in modern nibs. The Estie with the adapter / vintage nib is a great first time introduction into fountain pens.

[@BlueMel_MH]

What a gorgeous blue shade! The only vintage pens I currently own are Waterman. Recently, found the Hundred Year pen w/ a vintage 14k med flex nib a local pen show. At some point, I'll need to learn how to replace the ink sac.

[@carterpoage8328]

I like the look of the estie. I don’t have much experience with vintage pens though. The impression I get is a really clean straightforward design with nice details. My brain isn’t comparing it to vintage models though. My favorite vintage pen is the Parker 51.

[@pat999x]

I've never had a vintage pen or vintage nib. This is an attractive pen, no matter how much it resembles any other pen. Thanks for the review!

[@pgc-68]

Thanks for the review. Interesting pen. I have to confess Esterbrook is a brand that I had never heard of. The only experience I have of vintage fountain pens is a Parker 51 which my wife inherited from her mother. It has a 14 carat gold nib and is really quite nice to use. Having the option of using the vintage nib with this pen is a cool feature.

[@kevinhouse2605]

My first fountain pen was an Esterbrook with a bent nib that I bought at an antique store when I was in elementary school. Good memories with these pens.

[@greyareaRK1]

Great looking pen. I'm fond of the end-capless design. I don't have a vintage pen, but in videos I've been impressed with the Wahl-Eversharp pens.

[@pippers8349]

My favorite vintage pen of all time is definitely the Parker 45. Looks nice, pretty affordable, and the nib is outstanding

[@wlovas]

I’m also not very well-versed in vintage pens, but from the ones I have played with, Wahl Eversharps have some fantastically smooth and wet flex nibs. Thanks for sharing this look at a nice vintage/modern crossover!

[@siddr3153]

Thanks for the review. I like the idea of using the convertor to use vintage nibs with a modern pen.

[@johnduldulao7682]

That cobalt color looks great! I only have a couple of vintage pens (Swan, Pelikan and Parker) but the Esterbrook nibs look good.

[@ricjefferson1493]

Thanks for the information as always, David. The Estie looks fantastic and I like the options as well!

[@TonyProctors]

My favorite vintage pen (not having many) is my Montblanc 149 circa 1975-85 with a split ebonite feed and 14c nib. Love the review and the Estie.

[@bob963me]

Do not know if this counts as a favorite, but lately I have been drooling over the Parker Vacumatic Senior Maxima.

[@Allthough]

I recently got a vintage Esterbrook J just to see what the fuss was all about. It seems like a perfectly serviceable pen. But, I can't say that it's one of my favorites. When it comes to vintage pens, the Sheaffer Balance is my all time favorite. Honestly, I think it's the best pen ever designed! New or old!

[@kulnet]

Thank you, David! My favorite vintage pen is a Sheaffer balance that belonged to my grandfather. I truly cherish it.

[@redinkruler]

Im fairly new to the pen community and loving it. Vintage pens seem so enticing to me. I cant wait to learn more about them!

[@smilingpilgrims]

Only found your channel recently but am appreciative of your style and content. I have already started to consume your other videos and am enjoying the idea of there being a nice bunch of them for me to learn from. Thank you. P.s just got to the end. Classic.

[@FigbootonPens]

Thanks for watching all the way until the end. :-)

[@migueltome1148]

These new Esterbrook pens are really nice, well made and beautiful. I only have modern pens so I can't compare them with vintage models. Great review as always. Thanks

[@colinmartin9797]

Without the adapter I wouldn't have been interested. But I would love to have it with it! My favorite vintage brand is probably sheaffer. Snorkel fillers, triumph nibs, they did it all, and did it well.