I’ll be honest: This pen landed in my mailbox out of nowhere and I wasn’t particularly excited about reviewing another Esterbrook just yet, given all the hype surrounding the Esterbrook JR and the deluge of reviews that followed the pen’s release. That is, until I actually got my hands on this “Maraschino” Estie. While I’m a fan of red pens, my tastes typically run to darker burgundy or red-black finishes, not necessarily “cherry” or “fire engine” reds. This pen serves as yet another example of why it’s good to unexpectedly step out of your comfort zone every once in a while.
I went with an all-red setup for this review. Montblanc Corn Poppy Red is a perfect pairing for this pen (and if I might say so myself, so is the T.G.S. “Aged Red” Penwell).
The bright “end of summer” theme pays homage to visits to your local ice cream parlor for a sundae, including the cherry on top. Personally, I’ll pass on the cherry (I have plenty of others in my house who will eat them), but I appreciate the imagery and the name nails the color of this red “cracked ice” acrylic. Like all of the materials Esterbrook uses in the Estie lineup, the “Maraschino” material is vibrant, feels solid, and packs a ton of depth reminiscent of what you would find on a much more expensive custom pen.
Gold trim is also a perfect pairing for the bright red of the Maraschino, IMHO.
Reviewing this pen also gave me a chance to revisit the Estie itself, a pen I haven’t used in a while. I won’t rehash my full review of this pen (which is available here), but suffice to say the Estie remains a supremely comfortable writer with good balance, “all day” writing comfort, and a reliable JoWo No. 6 nib. I have a few more Esties that I picked up at pen shows last year, in both the “Blueberry” and “Honeycomb” finishes, and I’ll be inking them up soon.
Takeaways and Where to Buy
As I’ve said before, and will say again, the Esterbrook Estie is a great pen, and whether or not you’ll want to run out and pick up this particular model hinges on whether you love the color. I do, and I wouldn’t cry if Esterbrook ended up adding the bright red “Maraschino” finish to their standard lineup.
Three Esterbrook Estie Limited Editions, from left: Maraschino, Honeycomb, and Blueberry. I believe the Honeycomb joined the regular lineup.
The Estie Maraschino is designated as a limited edition, meaning that at least for now, it’s not part of the regular lineup and already has started to sell out. Vanness Pens has limited stock of the fountain pen with chrome trim, as well as the chrome and gold trim rollerballs. Goldspot also has Maraschino Esties available, in both the standard and oversize fountain pens. Regular Estie pricing applies, with the Maraschino priced at $156 for the standard version and $200 for the oversize.
Disclaimer: I received the pen featured in this review from Kenro Industries, Esterbrook’s parent company and distributor, free of charge for review purposes. This post contains links to paid sponsors of the blog.