Review Of Esterbrook Circa 1937 Fountain Pen ***quality Concerns (Before Return To Fahrney's)

[writebyhand]

I included one of the new Esterbrook Circa 1937 Fountain Pens in a recent order from Fahrney's Pens. The pen is sold as a "Fahrney's Exclusive." The price I paid is $ 52, a discount offered by Fahrney's from the original price. I'm posting a brief review.

 

Unfortunately, the general low build quality and low quality packaging of the pen is causing me to return it without even filling it.

 

I should say at the outset that I am not opposed in principle to remakes of classic brands. I am also not opposed to remakes that change the classic, such as by different build materials or by using a cartridge/converter system. I am also generally very pleased to see new pens on the market and to test out new and small-scale models. Finally, my past experience is that Fahrney's is a reliable and professional vendor.

 

Unfortunately, the low build quality of this pen is immediately apparent. The first thing that is apparent when opening the package is the smell -- the pen smells strongly of hard rubber. The second is the dullness of the color -- the marble swirl is dull and the rounded top part of the cap is a different and shinier color than the remainder of the pen, in addition to not lining up with the swirl pattern on the rest of the pen.

 

The top of the cap is attached in a way that leaves a small gap between the top, rounded part of the cap and the bottom of the cap. The clip does not feel very secure, and can be pushed side-to-side in one direction but not the other.

 

The pen is packaged very cheaply. An image of the packaging is attached. Peyton Street Pens uses nicer packaging for its restored vintage pens than Fahrney's uses for its new-manufacture "Fahrney's Exlusive" Esterbook pens.

 

Unlike most cartridge/converter pens, this pen comes with a single converter and no included cartridge(s). The converter is of very cheap manufacture. Instead of having a small plastic or metal ball to keep ink from getting stuck, the converter has a small metal spring -- or in any event a small coil of metal wire -- inside. The inside of the pen smells as well, including of a lubricant that is on the converter's plunger. Other pens at a similar price point, such as the Conklin Duragraph and Sheaffer Taranis, include cartridges as well as a higher-quality converter.

 

A final warning sign is that the pen has no indication of its place of manufacture. Neither the packaging nor the pen itself has any visible indication of the country of manufacture.

 

In many ways, the overall styling of the pen is classic and attractive; the two chrome bands on the bottom of the cap are reminiscent of the Parker Vacumatic.

 

The nib is of generic manufacture (I don't think it's Bock, but perhaps another third-party German manufacturer?) and has "Esterbrook" printed on it. A small zero ("0") is imprinted in a circle on the underside of the feed beneath the nib.

 

Edited April 29, 2017 by writebyhand

[Driphtwood]

On the Pen Addict Podcast, Brad and Myke discussed the revival of the Esterbrook brand. Unfortunately, they're manufactured in China, and the designs really have nothing to do with the vintage Esterbrook we all know and love. It's really a shame that such a beloved brand name got abused in an attempt to make some easy money.

[ac12]

Actually the coiled wire is better than a ball, if it is made of stainless steel. This is because the steel ball will sometime seal the mouth of the converter. The coiled wire can't seal the mouth.

[Feanaaro]

It looks an awful lot like an Indian pen, are you sure it is made in China?

[jar]

Actually the coiled wire is better than a ball, if it is made of stainless steel. This is because the steel ball will sometime seal the mouth of the converter. The coiled wire can't seal the mouth.

Yup. A compression spring is a much better solution than a metal ball.

[writebyhand]

Point taken on the converter -- I simply didn't know that the spring or coil of wire was a better solution. However, I should note that the converter is of pretty flimsy overall manufacture, and doesn't feel sturdy. It's a very lightweight plastic, similar to the plastic of a gallon milk or gallon spring water jug in the United States. It's similar to (but not exactly the same as) the Parker Slide Converter.

Edited April 29, 2017 by writebyhand

[writerstephen]

Go to the Fountain Pen Revolution site and look up the Indian Kanwrite pens. This pen is identical to the Kanwrite Desire. Don't flinch when you see the price. I, like you, got taken in by Fahrney's--but I kept the pen. Actually, I very much like it (after having installed a different converter and removing the flimsy clip), but I hate being deceived like that.

[hariharan]

It looks very much like an Indian pen, "Kanwrite Desire". Please find the review here.

 

The 'Kanwrite Desire' pen costs around $10 dollars in India and i have two of them. Its a beautiful entry level pen with smooth and wet nib, proprietary to 'Kanwrite'. Ofcourse the plastic material will not be superior for this price.