You may remember I reviewed the Esterbrook Estie way back in October last year. It was a strong entry to the pen market from the reborn Esterbrook brand, and I was impressed not only by its clean and comfortable design, but practical features like the sealed cap and vintage nib adaptor.
The pen I reviewed was in Cobalt blue, and since then the Estie has launched in a range of colours: Blueberry, Tortoise, Evergreen, and classic Ebony black.
Now the Estie is available in a new shade: Honeycomb. Kenro sent me one for free to review.
At the risk of spoilers, it is gorgeous.
The Estie’s design really shows off different colours. Much like the ebonite Sailor King of Pen, it’s swooping and almost featureless, with only the simple clip and the white-filled etched Esterbrook logo visible when capped.
This colourway is well named: the overall impression is golden honey, but around the cracked-ice pattern are colours ranging from pale shimmering yellow to a burnt caramel brown.
There’s chattoyance, and the material is translucent enough to glow when backlit.
I went for the silver trim, which I think sets the colour off better than gold would.
The Honeycomb is my favourite colour of the Estie yet — and I say that as a person that has accumulated an alarming number of yellow/orange/red/brown pens recently, so I have a lot to compare it against.
Ahem.
The pen itself is exactly as in my original review. It’s just the right size, good proportions, very comfortable and perfectly balanced.
The section is not long, but it’s a good shape.
A branded converter is included, along with cartridges.
The nib unit is standard JoWo #6, Esterbrook laser-engraved on top. I went for a fine, and it was too dry for my liking out of the box, but that was easily fixed.
The cap threads are square-cut, which is a touch I always like. It means they’re guaranteed painless under the fingers.
The clip works great, and the section threads feature an o-ring to prevent accidental unscrewing.
The cap comes off quickly, the red fabric box remains smart and practical… and that’s pretty much all I’ve got to say. This is a great pen, and the Estie range is now available in the UK from The Writing Desk, for £156.
At that price, there is a lot of good competition, including the renewed Aurora Duo-Cart, and the sublime new Karas Vertex. This would be an easier purchase at £125, but I still believe the Estie holds its own — there’s just something about it that feels right, and a beautiful material like this certainly helps. My only wish is that the vintage nib adaptor came in the same material to match…
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