Vintage And Steel Nibs

[corgicoupe]

I have noticed that many of the Renew nib designations seem to be very similar to the Esterbrook three-digit steel nib designations, but there is one very obvious anomaly. To list some that I have:

284 Blackstone stub =>> 9284 Signature Stub

442 Jackson stub =>> 2442 Fine Stub

048 Falcon =>> 9048 Shaded Writing

314 Relief (medium stub) =>> 9314-M Medium Stub (relief)

 

and then there is:

312 Judges Quill which is totally different than the 9312 or 2312 Italic

 

There may be others, but this one stood out to me. Why keep the same designation but change the nib design and purpose?

 

[Hobiwan]

Hmmmm ... good question.

 

I would also ask, "Was the 'Judges Quill' specifically designed for judges?'"

 

Seems a bit small a market to dedicate an entire model nib design for, eh?

[pajaro]

http://www.esterbrook.net/nibs.shtml

 

Nib table. 9048 is an extra flexible fine. Shaded writing. Table link might be useful for somebody.

[corgicoupe]

Hmmmm ... good question.

 

I would also ask, "Was the 'Judges Quill' specifically designed for judges?'"

 

Seems a bit small a market to dedicate an entire model nib design for, eh?

One might pose the same question about the 313 Probate, for which there is no equivalent Renew nib.

Edited September 21, 2018 by corgicoupe

[AAAndrew]

The translation was not exact, but close enough for most of the Renew-points. By the time they came up with these swappable fountain pen nibs, most of their dip pen lines were discontinued.

 

As for why “Judge” and “Probate” etc. the stub pens were being marketed to people who needed to write a lot, and write quickly without caring so much about penmanship. (Their clerks would write it out fair later). The marketing was to suggest the kind of person who might use such a pen, not the only kind of person who would use it. Think of it like marketing 4-wheel drive vehicles to suburbanites by showing it used in the rainforests or desert. “Here’s a vehicle used by rugged explorers, and now you can use the same vehicle to pick up groceries.”