tankerjohn
A little poofier than I prefer
A few initial thoughts on this very fine green celluloid writing instrument that arrived in my mailbox yesterday thanks to a B&B brother who responded my WTB ad in the BST.
It is, of course, an Esterbrook J “double jewel” fountain pen. It came with a 2668 medium nib and an extra 9668 medium nib, for a very reasonable additional charge. I won’t go into the whole history of the J and the Esterbrook’s ReNew Point nib system, but both are fascinating.
I swapped in the 9668 for no other reason than I wanted to and I like the green collar and inked ‘er up with Monteverde Horizon Blue (the only bottle I currently have). I am just thrilled by how smoothly it writes. The steel nib is quite on par with the Pilot, Kaweco, and Goulet nibs I’ve previously used. The line width is perfect for me. With the cap posted, the pen is nicely balanced and sits perfectly in my hand. I really like this pen.
It’s no wonder that these pens are so popular. I think they are a tremendous value, even at the prices restored models are going for, usually $30-60 depending on condition and the restorer. But seriously, I don’t see modern celluloid pens going for less than three figures, especially a self-filler. I have to chuckle that in the J’s heyday, celluloid and level-fill we’re old tech and kept the pens cheap. But 70 years on, those are quite valuable features. I might also add that many pens from for the 40’s and 50’s have very exaggerated aerodynamic shapes that were all the rage back then, but I think polarizing (to put it charitably) nowawdays. The J, on the other hand, has a timelessly classic shape. When I think of a pen, I think of one that looks like a J. And the steel nibs are so good, the new “Esterbrook” sells an adapter for their modern pen bodies (one wonders why they didn’t design them for the ReNew nibs in the first place).
So here’s a little EDC pic to wrap things up. I rather like how the Esty matches my green Seiko. And there you have it, my first (but probably not my last) Esterbrook pen. I realize that I’m pretty late to the Esterbrook party, and the fountain pen party in general. I would sure love to hear from you Esterbrook old-timers - your favorite pens, favorite nibs, maintenance tips, all that jazz. Cheers!
It is, of course, an Esterbrook J “double jewel” fountain pen. It came with a 2668 medium nib and an extra 9668 medium nib, for a very reasonable additional charge. I won’t go into the whole history of the J and the Esterbrook’s ReNew Point nib system, but both are fascinating.
I swapped in the 9668 for no other reason than I wanted to and I like the green collar and inked ‘er up with Monteverde Horizon Blue (the only bottle I currently have). I am just thrilled by how smoothly it writes. The steel nib is quite on par with the Pilot, Kaweco, and Goulet nibs I’ve previously used. The line width is perfect for me. With the cap posted, the pen is nicely balanced and sits perfectly in my hand. I really like this pen.
It’s no wonder that these pens are so popular. I think they are a tremendous value, even at the prices restored models are going for, usually $30-60 depending on condition and the restorer. But seriously, I don’t see modern celluloid pens going for less than three figures, especially a self-filler. I have to chuckle that in the J’s heyday, celluloid and level-fill we’re old tech and kept the pens cheap. But 70 years on, those are quite valuable features. I might also add that many pens from for the 40’s and 50’s have very exaggerated aerodynamic shapes that were all the rage back then, but I think polarizing (to put it charitably) nowawdays. The J, on the other hand, has a timelessly classic shape. When I think of a pen, I think of one that looks like a J. And the steel nibs are so good, the new “Esterbrook” sells an adapter for their modern pen bodies (one wonders why they didn’t design them for the ReNew nibs in the first place).
So here’s a little EDC pic to wrap things up. I rather like how the Esty matches my green Seiko. And there you have it, my first (but probably not my last) Esterbrook pen. I realize that I’m pretty late to the Esterbrook party, and the fountain pen party in general. I would sure love to hear from you Esterbrook old-timers - your favorite pens, favorite nibs, maintenance tips, all that jazz. Cheers!
