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Modern Esties?

LRR

By LRR
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LRR NOS (New Old Stock)

LRR

Posted
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Ok, Esties are the colt 1911s of fountain pens. Interchangeable parts, tough, easily repaired in the field, etc. What modern pen comes close to having the same features? I'll start with Edison's. Basically same design with a converter, including screw on nibs. Thoughts?

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injesticate Mint

injesticate

Posted
Posted

Don't know about modern counterparts, but love the analogy!

I have four Esties, with two more on the way. The most modern pens I have are a Noodler's Konrad and a Cult Pens Kaweco Mini which, I believe, has interchangeable/screw in nib units, but nowhere near the selection.


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DrRoger Rare

DrRoger

Posted
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The Pelikan M400 might be another option. I agree re Edison and perhaps Bexley too (others will add more I'm sure.) That said, whatever the rotation I have there's always an Esterbrook in there because they keep on going.

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dragos.mocanu Extremely Rare

dragos.mocanu

Posted
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Noodler's Ahab and Konrad...inexpensive, very customizable (see 'Ease my flex mod' or any #6 nib you could think of), extremely easy to service (easy to completely disassemble, parts that wear - o-rings - can be easily sourced out), come in a large (!) variety of colors (though I love the clear demo ones) and they're not C/C! These pens are IMHO the best modern advancement in fountain pen culture: versatile, inexpensive, available!

"The truth may be puzzling. It may take some work to grapple with. It may be counterintuitive. It may contradict deeply held prejudices. It may not be consonant with what we desperately want to be true. But our preferences do not determine what's true..." (Carl Sagan)

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bsenn Vintage

bsenn

Posted
Posted

Parker 45. Almost modern, very available including NOS. Interchangeable nibs. Easy to service. Many colors.

 

Don't ever have to change a sac or J-bar.

 

Brian

One test is worth a thousand expert opinions.

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OcalaFlGuy Museum Piece

OcalaFlGuy

Posted
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Hard to deny the Levenger True Writer.

 

Levenger Designed it as a homage to Estiebrook.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

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Sasha Royale Museum Piece

Sasha Royale

Posted
Posted

I do like the Esterbrooks, and the 1911. Maintained in the field ? Yes. Repair in the field ? No.

My edc is the Colt Combat Commander and the Parker 45.

Auf freiem Grund mit freiem Volke stehn.
Zum Augenblicke dürft ich sagen:
Verweile doch, du bist so schön !

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Lou Erickson Vintage

Lou Erickson

Posted
Posted

Someone mentioned the Pelikan M400, but I'd add the M200. Same size as an Estie, replaceable nibs the same way, even several different levels of nibs. (Not as many choices of nib types, though.) Easy to clean, easy to fill, writes nicely. The new P400 series is even a converter, but the pistons are very nice.

--

Lou Erickson - Handwritten Blog Posts

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amberleadavis Pen Dust

amberleadavis

Posted
Posted

No one mentioned a TWSBI? It's my choice for the modern day Frankenpen and exactly why I own them.

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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welch Antique

welch

Posted
Posted

Hard to deny the Levenger True Writer.

 

Levenger Designed it as a homage to Estiebrook.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

 

+1.

 

The owner of Levenger used to have a half-page describing how his father, in the '50s, taught handwriting in schools. Always had received a batch of Esties. To me, the TrueWriter looks like an enlarged Estie, but with fewer nib options. However, the market no longer demands 360 different types of fountain pen nib.

Washington Nationals 2019: the fight for .500; "stay in the fight"; WON the fight

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amberleadavis Pen Dust

amberleadavis

Posted
Posted

Hmm... I have never tried a True Writer....

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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OcalaFlGuy Museum Piece

OcalaFlGuy

Posted
Posted

That is a rabbit hole I have barely managed to resist falling into.

 

There are some Very Nice looking True Writers and finding a discontinued design can be challenging.

 

DSC00559.JPG

 

This one has a Pendelton Brown crisp CI in it, it's pretty nice. ;)

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

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amberleadavis Pen Dust

amberleadavis

Posted
Posted

But isn't it a regular converter filler?

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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gweimer1 Antique

gweimer1

Posted
Posted

That is a rabbit hole I have barely managed to resist falling into.

 

There are some Very Nice looking True Writers and finding a discontinued design can be challenging.

 

DSC00559.JPG

 

This one has a Pendelton Brown crisp CI in it, it's pretty nice. ;)

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

 

Yet another pen that I will begin searching for...

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pajaro Museum Piece

pajaro

Posted
Posted

 

Yet another pen that I will begin searching for...

 

The Levenger True Writer looks like a modern J might have looked. It's as close as you might get to a modernized Esterbrook.

 

The Parker Sonnet has some functional similarities to Esterbrook, with all the screw in nib units. You can get them fairly cheap.

 

The Levenger . . . resisting going down through another looking glass . . .

"Don't hurry, don't worry. It's better to be late at the Golden Gate than to arrive in Hell on time."
--Sign in a bar and grill, Ormond Beach, Florida, 1960.

 

 

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amberleadavis Pen Dust

amberleadavis

Posted
Posted

 

The Levenger True Writer looks like a modern J might have looked. It's as close as you might get to a modernized Esterbrook.

 

The Parker Sonnet has some functional similarities to Esterbrook, with all the screw in nib units. You can get them fairly cheap.

 

The Levenger . . . resisting going down through another looking glass . . .

 

 

I haven't tried a Parker 51, either, and I'm very afraid of trying one.

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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dgturner Extremely Rare

dgturner

Posted
Posted

Hard to deny the Levenger True Writer.

Levenger Designed it as a homage to Estiebrook.

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

My Blue True Writer (with a .7mm CI) is almost always in rotation, along with at least one Esterbrook.

http://www.nerdtests.com/images/ft/nq/9df5e10593.gif

-- Avatar Courtesy of Brian Goulet of Goulet Pens (thank you for allowing people to use the logo Brian!) --

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Lou Erickson Vintage

Lou Erickson

Posted
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I haven't tried a Parker 51, either, and I'm very afraid of trying one.

 

Most of them are very fine nibs, which I believe are not to your taste. This means you'll want the *rare* ones... :)

 

Mr. Minuskin offers them fairly regularly.

--

Lou Erickson - Handwritten Blog Posts

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