Esterbrooks And Everyday Use

[Bitzel]

Hi all,

 

I'm slowly expanding my collection of Esterbrook pens and nibs; part of what I love about these pens is that they're so usable and durable, and I have several inked that I use every day. I recently acquired two early Dollar Pens, and the acquisition led me to wonder: are there any Esterbrooks that you own for collecting purposes and that you wouldn't use in everyday situations?

 

Cheers,

Aaron

[ljeanetta]

I just have to add that I have a great J series pen that I use every day. Havana brown Watermans ink. Love it.

[AAAndrew]

The only Esterbrooks I own that are purely "collector" status are Esterbrook dip pens. The gilt 314 Relief nibs that came in the box given away by Esterbrook at the 1914 annual banquet of the New York Statioers' Association. Ess than 400 boxes were given out.

 

All of my fountain pens are users. But then I don't have anything unusual or rare. I have the possibility of getting a visualated J pen. That one I probably wouldn't use much if I end up with it.

[pajaro]

I occasionally use a few LJs, M2s and Safari pump fillers that I have put italic nibs in. The rest are something like mid-century nostalgia items. A lot of the pens I have accumulated I keep mainly because they came from the 1950s and 1960s, when I was in school. Nostalgia.

 

These are pretty good pens, much more reliable than many low cost pens of the 1950s.

[ljeanetta]

The pen that started it all for me was my grandmothers beautiful 1920's era Parker gold filigree Lucky Curve. It sat unused, and only rarely viewed on a high shelf in my childhood home. When I wound up with it I had it tuned up and now I use it on a regular basis. It is without a doubt the best writing, and most reliable pen I own. It doesn't leave the house, mind you, but whenever I use it I think of my grandma and my dad. That's worth more than the monetary/collectible value to me.

[Rach31]

I have a green cracked ice Esterbrook that I do not use often because I don't want to leave it sitting full of ink (if it leaks it can discolor the cap/barrel) and I don't want to lose it by taking it with me every day.

[gweimer1]

I try to use most of mine regularly. I'm actually carrying my favorite Esterbrook, which also happens to be one of my favorite pens - Esterbrook Dollar pen in Black, with a 9461 nib.

 

The only one that sits idle more, and it's only because it's hard to keep clean, is my white Dollar nurse's pen with the 3668 nib.

[ac12]

Most of my Esterbrooks won't see ink.

I have a favorite red LJ, and that is the one that get used.

Edited April 10, 2016 by ac12

[Hobiwan]

Most of my Esterbrooks won't see ink.

I have a favorite red LJ, and that is the one that get used.

 

+1 Brown VM3 (no visulated section), 9314-M, Priv.Reserve Copper Burst.

[Cryptos]

I have mixed feelings about Esterbrook pens. All the pens I've had have had rubbish nibs. Of the four pens I have left all four are wearing Osmiroid nibs. The funny thing is that I have a 2048 that comes close to being a nicer nib, so I suspect a 9048 would suit, given that it has tipping where the 2048 does not. Alas, it is unlikely I will get one, as I doubt very much that I will buy anymore Esterbrooks. They are just not cost effective when buying from a distance. You guys in the US don't realise how lucky you are sometimes.

[Bitzel]

Most of my Esterbrooks won't see ink.

I have a favorite red LJ, and that is the one that get used.

 

I can anticipate, possibly, a time when I have more Esterbrooks than it is practicable to have inked (a different topic, I'm sure); do you come from the perspective of a collector conserving the pens?

[gregamckinney]

 

I can anticipate, possibly, a time when I have more Esterbrooks than it is practicable to have inked (a different topic, I'm sure); do you come from the perspective of a collector conserving the pens?

 

For me:

I have 200 +/- 10 Esterbrooks in my collection, so it is definitely not practicable to have any significant portion inked at any time.

I also have quite a few that are of a type (uncommon/"rare") or condition (unused/"mint") that I wouldn't ink regardless.

 

I have a Deluxe (SM series) with a 2442 nib that is my go-to Esterbrook that is frequently inked. Love the pen and the nib.

 

Regards, greg

[pajaro]

I have mixed feelings about Esterbrook pens. All the pens I've had have had rubbish nibs. Of the four pens I have left all four are wearing Osmiroid nibs. The funny thing is that I have a 2048 that comes close to being a nicer nib, so I suspect a 9048 would suit, given that it has tipping where the 2048 does not. Alas, it is unlikely I will get one, as I doubt very much that I will buy anymore Esterbrooks. They are just not cost effective when buying from a distance. You guys in the US don't realise how lucky you are sometimes.

 

I wonder what kind of nibs have you been buying. Some of the Esterbrook nibs I have bought were worn down. The NOS nibs I bought were all quite good. If you are out there in the far Nowhere, I can see it doesn't make sense to buy a lot of this stuff. Shipping can raise the cost to the level where it makes no sense. Personally I think these are good pens, but better than any Chinese pens I have tried. Still, I went into these to try the different types of nibs. Having done that and learned from it, I find I prefer my better pens. The rest of the stuff is stuff I tried is just stuff I tried and moved on from. You learn a lot though from the Esterbrooks: about nibs, about pen workings and how to fix them. All this is valuable knowledge. If the nibs are all less than desirable, then it's time to move on.

[Bookman]

I own two Esterbrooks, a Dollar and a J, and three nibs, ##2556, 9550, and 9668. I use my Esties like any other FPs except they don't leave the house clipped to my shirt/coat pocket as often as the others.

[ac12]

 

 

I can anticipate, possibly, a time when I have more Esterbrooks than it is practicable to have inked (a different topic, I'm sure); do you come from the perspective of a collector conserving the pens?

 

 

A collector or accumulator of pens. Some are the relatively easy to find J series, others are the harder to find pastels and icicles.

 

Inking the one Esterbrook is more a practical matter, of selecting ONE Esterbrooks to use in my pen rotation, since I have many other pens in my pen rotation. I can put a pen into the rotation pool, and not get to that pen for over 6 months. This is because I am trying to limit the number of pens that I have inked at any one time, as unused pens dry out. That also saves me from having to restore/resac so many Esterbrooks.

[estie1948]

I have several ( ) Esterbrooks. I have at least two inked at all times. One of those is my carry pen and one is a desk pen. My pen rotation is made up largely of Esterbrooks -surprise, surprise. I have only three of my Esterbrooks that I do not ink: a white nurse's pen and two pastels. All three are two small for my hand to use comfortably for any length of time. Otherwise I might seriously considering inking and carrying them. Admittedly none are all that masculine looking, but at my age what do I care.

 

At least three of my Esterbrooks were purchased for me by my father in 1948 and the early 1950's at Powell's Market as part of my school supplies. (Did you know there was a time you could buy new Esterbrooks at what was a grocery store?) I bought four Esterbrooks new during the early to mid-1960's. Understand, these pens (the three from Powell's Market and the four I purchased in the mid-1960's) were just new pens - not New Old Stock. They are all still in my regular rotation. I have older Esterbrooks and all are in my pen rotation. I have replaced most of the 1xxx and 2xxx series nibs with 9xxx series nib.

 

The newest Esterbrook I have is one transition. Yet all of my Esterbrooks (admittedly excluding the white nurse's pen and two pastels) are functioning as they were designed: as everyday writers.

Edited June 18, 2016 by estie1948

[Rach31]

Most of my Esterbrooks have the 1xxx or 2xxx fine and extra fine nibs on them. I have lots of extra nibs, but I think Esterbrook nibs make most inks look better on the page because they tend to be wet writers.

[Joe in Seattle]

I used a red J all through high school - 1960 - 1964. 1551 nib. Never failed me

[AAAndrew]

One of my very favorite Esties is my M2 with a 2668. Writes like a dream. (and one of the good kinds, not the kinds where you're being chased by things with lots of teeth)

 

I use 1550's in my 444 Dripless ink wells, including one with iron gall registrar's ink. (do my bills with that one) No problems.

[Runnin_Ute]

Right now I have five Esties - 3 J, 1 SJ, and 1 LJ Bell Systems pen

 

Currently only the J's are inked.(green-1555 Gregg; gray-Venus Fine; black-9550) The LJ has a 2464 and the SJ has a 9450. I do have a 9550 and 9461 (IIRC) as well.