Exploring Stock Custom Nibs: The Esterbrook Needlepoint by Kirk Speer

In my past few pen show reviews, particularly my review of the Baltimore Pen Show, I remarked on how there are many more nib grinders working at pen shows than there used to be. The result is not only shorter wait times and more options for those looking to tune or customize their fountain pens to their personal preferences, but a wider range of styles and specialties that only make this hobby more fun and more interesting.

A secondary benefit to having more working nib grinders is yet another trend: manufacturers offering pre-ground specialty nibs as an add-on to standard pens. While Franklin-Christoph has done this for years, with their Masuyama, SIG, and Nagahara-ground nibs, Esterbrook now offers a cursive italic (“Journaler”), an architect (“Scribe”), and now a needlepoint, from Kirk Speer of Pen Realm.

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This Kirk Speer needlepoint nib from Esterbrook balances a narrow line with smooth writing.

Needlepoint grinds, or “extra, extra-fine” or “ultra-extra fine” nibs, aren’t necessarily as popular among enthusiasts as stubs, italics, and architects. They require you to use light writing pressure, or else the sharp tip will dig into the paper, and even with a light hand needlepoint nibs can feel toothy, which some people consider “scratchy.” That said, if you have small handwriting, or need a fountain pen to use for annotations or marginalia, I’m a firm believer that you need at least one needlepoint nib in your collection.

Kirk ground this needlepoint from a fine, as opposed to an extra-fine. Having more tipping to work with on the original nib often leads to better results, in my experience, especially if you value smoothness.

This particular nib, ground for Esterbrook by Kirk Speer of Pen Realm, is smoother than most needlepoints I’ve used, making it a perfect nib for those who want something that writes a narrower line than your typical JoWo steel extra fine nib, but isn’t so fine that it can’t easily be used for everyday writing. I would compare this needlepoint nib to a standard Japanese extra-fine nib (or even some Japanese fine nibs), rather than something like the Platinum Ultra-Extra Fine or the Franklin-Christoph Nagahara nibs. That said, because these nibs are ground by hand, there will lbe at least some variation between them, and the nib I received may not be identical to every nib out there.

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Comparing the line from a Platinum Ultra-Extra Fine Nib (top), the Franklin-Christoph Nagahara needlepoint (middle), and the Esterbrook by Kirk Speer needlepoint (bottom). The Esterbrook nib writes a wider line, but is much smoother and better for everyday writing than the other two, which many people find too toothy. (I personally love them, but I have situations where I need to write very, very small.)

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Esterbrook has done the pen community a great service by introducing these custom nib options into its standard lineup, and by making it easier to get a custom nib grind as an add-on to your purchase of an Esterbrook pen without having to travel to a pen show or separately send your pen off to a nib grinder for what can be a weeks-long waiting period. While an ultra-fine needlepoint grind may not be for everyone, I found this particular nib to be well-made, and it will have a permanent home among my various Esties.

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The Esterbrook featured here is the Honeycomb with Chrome Trim, one of my favorite materials.

You can purchase the nib and pen featured in this review from most Esterbrook retailers, including our friends at Vanness Pens. Typically, the custom-ground Esterbrook nibs cost an additional $48, with most of the markup going to cover the cost of the nib work. (To compare, having a pen ground to a needlepoint typically costs around $50, excluding the cost of shipping.) If you’re interested in further exploring Kirk’s work and having him grind or modify a pen for you, visit his site at Pen Realm.

Further Reading

Those interested in reading further on different types of custom nib grinds should start with this post I wrote a couple of years ago. In terms of other specialty Esterbrook nibs, I have reviewed the Esterbrook “Journaler” nib - a cursive italic nib ground by Gena Salorino of Custom Nib Studio, which is still available. There is also an architect nib, the “Scribe”, ground by Josh Lax of J.J. Lax Pen Co., which I’ve not had the opportunity to try but I have used Josh’s architect nibs and enjoy them.

Disclaimer: Esterbrook provided me with the nib featured in this review free of charge, for review purposes. This post does not contain paid third-party affiliate links. The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases made through the T.G.S. Curated Shop and the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

The More Things Change, The More They're The Same: The Visconti Homo Sapiens Revisited

Back in 2017, I reviewed a Visconti Homo Sapiens “Dark Ages” fountain pen that I purchased at the D.C. Pen Show, and while my impressions of the pen were generally favorable, I ultimately moved on from it due to usability concerns. The 23k Palladium nibs that Visconti used at the time wrote far too wet for my preference, making it extremely difficult for me to use the pen at work, even with an “extra fine” nib that Mike Masuyama had ground down even further. Though it wasn’t a particularly difficult decision to sell this pen, I still found myself admiring the Homo Sapiens, with its comfortable size and shape and unique texture. When I saw that Visconti had moved away from Palladium nibs and back to 18k gold, I snagged a standard “Bronze Age” pen on sale. While the experience hasn’t been perfect, I do intend to keep this pen as part of my personal collection.

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For the most part, my previous review of the Visconti Homo Sapiens remains accurate, and I would encourage you to start there for background on the pen design and overall usability and build quality. In short, the pen itself has not changed, other than Visconti has now made it available in many new materials. As noted above, however, I wanted to take the opportunity to update the review to reflect the new nib, as well as updated impressions of the filling mechanism now that I have a Visconti Traveling Inkwell.

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The Visconti Homo Sapiens 18k nib. Certain of the new models have a 14k, but the Bronze Age is 18k.

Visconti Should Stick with the 18k Nib

In my personal opinion, the 18k gold nib is a huge upgrade over the previous Palladium “Dreamtouch” nib, at least for those of us who use our fountain pens for everyday writing. While still a wet writer, the 18k nib writes a much more usable, consistent line, and I’ve not experienced nearly the same amount of bleed-through as with the Dreamtouch. That said, my “extra fine” Visconti nib lays down what I would consider a “fine-medium” line, or even what many might consider a medium in a Japanese pen. If you like to go much narrower with your nib sizes, you’ll need to have the nib ground. (More on that below.)

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The “extra fine” nib on the Visconti Homo Sapiens writes a broader line than some might expect.

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The Visconti Homo Sapiens is a large pen, and doesn’t post. I find the combination of size and material extremely comfortable to use.

The Visconti Traveling Inkwell Is a Recommended Add-on Purchase

If you recall from my previous review, one of the critiques I had about the Homo Sapiens was ink capacity. Despite Visconti’s use of the vacuum “Power Filler,” it was hard to get a full fill. For example, I was barely able to get the filling system to take more than 1ml of ink - little more than a standard converter. While there are many tips and tricks that people use to get more ink into their Homo Sapiens fountain pens, the best method is to use Visconti’s Traveling Inkwell, which creates a seal around the section and allows you to invert the inkwell above the pen while you’re filling, maximizing the volume drawn into the barrel. (Just remember to hold on tight, lest you inadvertently create an “ink rocket”.) Since I last reviewed the Homo Sapiens, I’ve picked up a Traveling Inkwell, and I can confirm that it does maximize the ink capacity. While the pen still doesn’t hold as much ink as the Pilot Custom 823 or even the TWSBI Vac700R, you won’t need to refill as often, a point helped by the fact that the pen no longer has the ink-gushing Dreamtouch nib.

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The Visconti Traveling Inkwell in action (shown here with a TWSBI Vac700R)

Alas, Visconti Nib Quality Control Remains Maddeningly Inconsistent

When Visconti switched from the Palladium nibs to the 18k, there was hope that it would improve the consistency in the “out of the box” writing experience. I had no such luck, and still had to have the 18k nib adjusted by Mark Bacas (who discovered that the tines were actually bent into a “wave” shape). While the pen is an exceptional writer now, it still required an after-market nib adjustment, which at this price point simply should not happen. The Homos Sapiens Bronze Age pictured here retails for $895 MSRP, with most retailers selling for around $715 street price. It is entirely unacceptable for a pen at this price point to have serious nib issues, especially things like bent tines, and even though Visconti accepts returns, I always end up avoiding the delay and inconvenience by simply sending the pen off for work myself, especially where there’s no guarantee that the replacement pen will write any better.

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Look, I’m not a Visconti “hater”, even if I’m not a Superfan. I have no axe to grind agains the company, and I enjoy their designs, with two expensive pens in my personal collection that I purchased with my own money. Moreover, my experience is consistent with other reviewers. It still frustrates me, however, to see the price of these pens climb ever higher without corresponding improvements in quality control, with the company likely banking on the fact that people will like the unique designs enough to overlook the continued nib inconsistency. Nib issues on Visconti pens have persisted for years, and even it QC is anecdotally “better” with the gold nibs than it was with the Dreamtouch, Visconti has a long way to go. Yesterday I did an unofficial (and admittedly unscientific) Instagram poll, and 36 out of the 60 respondents reported that their Visconti did not write correctly out of the box (approximately 60%). Is that possibly overstated? Sure, since there’s a bias towards those who experienced problems with a product being more willing to report an issue than people who didn’t. But that’s a lot of people who bought expensive pens, and it does reflect my own experience. The three Viscontis that I’ve purchased myself (disregarding those sent to me specifically for review) all required nib adjustments for issues ranging from the minor (inconsistent flow/baby’s bottom) to the major (bent tines). As one nib worker messaged me in response to my post, “Visconti keeps me in business.”

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The finish on my Visconti Bronze Age is already developing a patina, which will look even better as time goes on.

Takeaways and Overall Impressions

I guess it’s true that “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” While Visconti has updated the Homo Sapiens to include new colors and materials, and has moved to a gold nib that I find much more usable and pleasant to write with than the old Palladium Dreamtouch, it’s hard for me to recommend that anyone purchase a Homo Sapiens new, unless a nib adjustment is included with the purchase. Viscontis can be exceptionally good pens, and their designs are gorgeous, but if you’re looking to make this kind of investment you will be better served, in my opinion, by purchasing on the secondary market and budgeting for a nib adjustment. The Visconti Homo Sapiens Bronze Age shown here, as noted, retails for around $715 and can be found at most authorized Visconti dealers.

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The Visconti Homo Sapiens compared to the Montegrappa Extra 1930 (right), and the Lamy 2000 (left).

I purchased this pen with my own funds, for my own personal use. I was not compensated for this review, and this post does not contain third-party affiliate links. The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

State of the Collection: My Franklin-Christoph Fountain Pens after Baltimore

I’ve not written about my Franklin-Christoph fountain pens in a while, even though the brand has been a mainstay of my “daily workhorse” rotation for years now. Previously my collecting has focused on the Model 20 “Marietta” fountain pen, the slip-cap pen that’s one of my all-time favorites, especially for showing off acrylics and other materials. In recent years, however, I’ve expanded my repertoire and added several new pens in different models, including the Model 31 “Omnis”, the Model 02 “Intrinsic”, and the Model 45.

From left: two Model 31 fountain pens, four Model 20s (still my favorite), a Model 02, and a Model 45.

Even if I don’t end up purchasing anything, browsing the prototype trays at the Franklin-Christoph tables is one of my favorite pen show experiences. (It’s rare that you don’t end up walking away from the table with something.) This past weekend, I purchased the Model 02 and Model 45 shown here, both in this dark flecked acrylic with scattered gold, burgundy, blue, and green. (I believe this material is called “Cathedral,” and it’s made appearances at pen shows in the past but I was never able to snag it in a pen model that appealed to me. I’m still looking for a Model 20.)

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The Model 02 features this material on the section and finial, with the slightly blue-tinted “Antique Glass” body.

Another reason I never feel guilty about picking up more Franklin-Christoph pens is because the purchase includes a tuned JoWo nib, with numerous specialty grinds available for a small uncharge. In addition to Franklin-Christoph’s own excellent in-house nib grinds, you can opt for work done by Japanese nib crafter Yukio Nagahara. I chose Nagahara needlepoint nibs for both of the pens shown here. I haven’t inked these pens up yet, but you can expect these pens (and these nibs) will get a full write-up sooner rather than later.

Catch Up on the Rest of My Baltimore Pen Show Adventures

You can read my full recap of the 2022 Baltimore Pen Show here, and you can also view additional show photos on my Instagram, including in the Stories where the pics and running commentary are saved to the highlights. I got home late last night, so I’m still getting settled, but you can expect the blog to resume a normal schedule this week.

Finally, T.G.S. Curated Shop orders are no longer delayed and will ship within the typical 2-3 business days. All orders placed during my absence started shipping out LATE last night and will continue through the weekend. Many thanks for all your support!

Your Questions Answered: Flying with Fountain Pens

A common question I’m asked concerns fountain pens and travel, namely, “Can you fly with a fountain pen?” or “Can you take inked fountain pens on an airplane?” The answer I always give is “Yes”, with a few qualifications. I flew out to Baltimore on Thursday, and as my flight was sitting on the tarmac getting ready to leave Nashville, I realized that I had (inadvertently) packed five eyedroppered fountain pens, two Parker 51s with vintage aerometric filling systems, and a Lamy 2000, all of which were more than half-full of ink. Experiment time!

Instagram Poll Results

My first thought was to ask the readership (via Instagram): Which pens do you think will leak? Here’s what you all thought:

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Two of the eyedroppers were Opus 88 Japanese-style pens with the shut-off valve, so I didn’t include them in the poll. Predictably, they didn’t leak.

Real World Results

And the “real world” test results? The only pen that truly leaked - meaning that it dumped a bunch of ink into the cap to the point where I had to rinse it out - was one of two Parker 51s with a vintage aerometric-filling system. Interestingly, a modern “fantasy” Parker 51 that used the same filling system but had a modern barrel and cap didn’t leak or even burp ink slightly. All three Schon Design eyedroppers had absolutely zero ink in the cap or on the nib, and my Lamy 2000 had a blob of ink on the feed that required me to blot it prior to writing. Importantly, I did NOT keep these pens “nibs up” during the flight. They were in my bag, in my pen case on their sides as I had to slide my backpack under the seat.

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This unintentional experiment confirmed that you don’t have to worry excessively about flying with fountain pens. It’s never been something that I obsessed over, and these results are typical of what I’ve experienced over the years. Only one out of eight pens burped a significant amount of ink into the cap, though no ink leaked into my pen case, and that one pen was a vintage pen which I probably shouldn’t have flown with inked up anyway.

Tips and Techniques for Flying with Fountain Pens

If you absolutely want to minimize the possibility of a leak when flying with fountain pens, I might suggest the following general tips:

• Fly with eyedropper/vacuum-filler pens with shut-off valves, such as Opus 88 pens, the TWSBI Vac700R, or the Pilot Custom 823 (among others).

• Make sure any pens with other filling systems are full. This sounds counterintuitive, but it’s the expansion of air inside the filling system as air pressure changes that pushes ink out of the nib during a flight. If you remove the air by filling the pen immediately before taking off, you have a smaller chance of a leak.

• Remove your pens from your carry-on bag and fly with them nibs-up in the seat pocket in front of you. Just don’t forget to take them with you when you deplane. I’ve heard horror stories.

• Don't fly with vintage pens inked, especially vacumatic and aerometric filling systems. I’m no vintage pen expert, and can’t say why specifically these pens (in my experience) tend to leak more often than modern pens, but I suspect it’s due to modern feed/section/housing designs that minimize leakage. The majority of airplanes leaks I’ve experienced have involved me flying with vintage pens to or from a pen show.

Again, these are not absolutes, and there are no guarantees that you won’t have an issue, but I’ve had a lot of success flying with fountain pens and regularly do so.

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Check in on my regular updates from Baltimore via Instagram!

Check Out My Instagram for Real-Time Photos of the 2022 Baltimore Pen Show!

I’ve been posting a series of pictures from the 2022 Baltimore Pen Show, ranging from crowd photos to vendors to nib grinders. It’s a combination of posts and stories (the latter of which are saved to the highlights so they don’t expire), and I’ll continue through today. To give you some examples of what you can find at the show, I picked up several inks from the Laban “Greek Mythology” series, took delivery of some specialty nib grinds I ordered from Custom Nib Studio (Gena Salorino), and had nibs ground in person by J.C. Ament (The Nib Tailor) and Josh Lax (J.J. Lax Pen Co).

Also, to celebrate the Baltimore Pen Show, and to compensate for the fact that I don’t have a table, all orders placed in the Curated Shop while I’m traveling this week will receive a free gift, and I’ve also added some new items from my personal collection to the Gently Used page.

This post does not contain paid third-party affiliate links, and I paid for all products featured in this post with my own funds. The Gentleman Stationer relies upon purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and the T.G.S. Patreon Program for support.

Pen Review: The Schon DSGN Peek-A-Boo: So What Exactly Is "PEEK", Anyway?

Schon DSGN inserted itself into the “workhorse pen” conversation last year, with the release of their “engineered plastics” collection featuring two different types of Ultem, a “semi-transparent high-strength plastic” that has rapidly become a favorite medium for pen makers. Another such material, “PEEK” (polyetherkeretone), is similarly indestructible, with manufacturers traditionally using the material in aerospace, oil and gas, medical, and other applications that value durability and resistance to extreme temperatures and other environmental stressors. So of course it was only a matter of time before Ian introduced a third pen to the lineup!

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Can you spot the ghost icon?

Schon DSGN released its “PEEK-A-Boo” edition fountain pen around Halloween, hence the name and subtly cheeky ghost engraving around the cap (which I love). Other than the PEEK material and this tiny flourish, the design of this pen is identical to the Ultem fountain pens, which feature a streamlined, lightweight design that’s extremely comfortable to use; five integrated o-rings that allow you to easily eyedropper the pen if cartridge-converter filling systems aren’t your thing; and the versatility of JoWo No. 6 nibs. You can read more about the design and usability of this particular pen design in my writeup of the Ultem fountain pens, and if you want to learn how to maximize the versatility of JoWo compatibility, check out this post about combining nib housings from Flexible Nib Factory with your favorite gold nibs from other brands like Platinum, Pilot, and even Sailor.

The full Schon DSGN “Engineered Plastics” collection, from left: PEEK, Amber Ultem, and Black Ultem fountain pens

What I find most interesting about the success of the PEEK-A-Boo fountain pen is how it’s held its own against the “brightly colored sticks of plastic” that seemingly dominate the pen hobby these days. The success of pens made from materials like PEEK and Ultem show that enthusiasts value craftsmanship and design choices beyond bright-and-shiny visuals, and hopefully more penmakers will take notice. In my opinion, there’s been such a focus on cranking out pens in increasingly crazy color variations, that those of us who appreciate a more understated, functional aesthetic have felt left by the wayside. Schon DSGN’s engineered plastic collection provides a suitable counterweight to the rest of their lineup, and for this reason I find that they have one of the more balanced selections of pens on offer.

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Takeaways and Where to Buy

Sure, PEEK may not be as traditionally eye-catching as Ian’s latest color-anodized creations, but like Ultem, it has it’s own functional, industrial aesthetic that to me evokes nostalgia for the era of similarly hued 1980s and early 1990s personal computers. (A matte version of this pen would be awesome.) If you’re a fan of excellent craftsmanship and modern industrial design, and like your everyday carry both versatile and indestructible, you won’t want to pass this one up. The two Schon Ultem pens and the PEEK-a-boo make an awesome three-pen set for your collection.

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I have my PEEK-A-Boo fountain pen set up with a Franklin-Christoph Stainless Steel Flex nib, one of the benefits of the JoWo-compatible nib system.

You can purchase the PEEK (Peek-A-Boo Edition) fountain pen directly from Schon DSGN. The pens are priced at $275, which represents a slight upcharge from the Ultem pens. As with the Schon Ultem, these are small-batch pens made from unique materials that impact the price, which to me is more than fair, but this pen probably won’t - and isn’t intended to - appeal to everyone.

Schon DSGN provided the PEEK fountain pen pictured here for review purposes, free of charge. Many thanks to Schon DSNG for making this review possible. I was not otherwise compensated for this review, and this post does not contain any paid third-party affiliate links. The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by reader contributions and purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and the T.G.S. Patreon Program, which offers access to online meetups, exclusive discounts and pre-orders, and more!