When we last looked at the collaboration between American “heritage” brands Esterbrook and Accutron, it was limited to a special edition Esterbrook Camden fountain pen in a gorgeous green shade. Recently, Esterbrook and Accutron have followed up with two new limited edition Estie fountain pens in green and gold DiamondCast material, in both standard and oversized versions. All feature details such as the Accutron “tuning fork” logo on the cap and nib that set these pens apart from the standard Esterbrook lineup.

Esterbrook x Accutron Spaceview Watch with Estie Fountain Pens

To recap a bit from my previous post, the “Accutron” brand was first associated with a line of watches manufactured by Bulova, and recently relaunched as a separate company by the Citizen Group. You can read more about both vintage and modern Accutron watches on dedicated watch sites such as Hodinkee, and the story behind the development of the technology is fascinating. Short version: Accutron watches bridged the gap between traditional mechanical watches and modern quartz watches, introducing a unique “tuning fork” movement that was one of the first mass-market electronic watches available. Esterbrook distributor Kenro and Accutron were kind enough to send me the modern Accutron “Spaceview” watch pictured here, so that I could get a sense of the current company’s aesthetic and how it complements the limited edition Esterbrook pens. I won’t do a full watch review, since that steps out side my area of expertise, but I did enjoy wearing the watch for a few days, and if you enjoy the Accutron look, I’d encourage you to read the full Hodinkee write-up of the Spaceview 2020 here.

My First Experience with the Oversized Estie

This particular post will focus on one of the two pens I was sent for review: the Accutron x Esterbrook Oversized Estie, which - believe it or not - I’ve never had the opportunity to test for an extended period of time. I’ve always though I would remain partial to the “standard” size Estie fountain pen, since (1) it’s quite comfortable and nearly the perfect size for me; and (2) it posts, which can be important given how/where I do much of my daily writing. That said, after having a few weeks to test out the oversized version, I’m beginning to reconsider.

Here’s what I enjoy about the Oversized Estie:

This pen has fantastic balance. While the standard Estie is extremely comfortable to use, the Oversized pen is perfectly weighted for unposted use, and even though it’s a big pen, you don’t notice the size. I would compare the overall length and proportions to a slightly slimmer Opus 88 Jazz.
JoWo 18k nibs are among my favorite stock nib units. I’ve had several JoWo 18k gold nibs in my collection over the years, and they never fail to disappoint. This medium nib arrived perfectly tuned, and I’ve not experienced any issues with skipping or hard-starting.
The larger pen body is the perfect canvas for showcasing the DiamondCast material. If you’re unfamiliar with “DiamondCast”, it’s a material made by McKenzie Penworks in here in Tennessee, which features a mixture of alumilite, pigment and real diamond dust. You can read more on the McKenzie Penworks website.

If there’s anything that I don’t enjoy about the Estie Oversized, it would be the metal threads on the barrel, which, in my opinion, somewhat disrupts the streamlined design of the pen. At the same time, the threads are not sharp at all, so they don’t interfere with a comfortable grip, and the added bit of metal front-weights the pen which likely contributes to the excellent balance I noted above. Taken as a whole, this is an aesthetic preference for me that at the end of the day, won’t prevent me from adding an Oversized Estie to my collection.

Esterbrook Estie Accutron Nib Branding — The Accutron “Tuning Fork” logo dates back to the “tuning fork movement” used in vintage Accutron watches.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Unlike the Camden, which was available only from select Accutron watch retailers, the new Esterbrook x Accutron Diamondcast Esties pictured here are also available through most major Esterbrook pen retailers. Like other Esties made from Diamondcast material, the price point is higher than standard Estie fountain pens, with the standard model bearing an MSRP of $395 / $316 retail, and the oversized priced at $750 MSRP / $675 retail. (The Oversized version comes only with a 18k JoWo Nib.) If you’re a fan of this green and gold Diamondcast material, or looking for an Accutron-branded Estie to match a recent watch purchase, I’d act quickly because these pens are part of a limited edition series and won’t be around forever. In fact, they’re already sold out at some retailers.

The Esterbrook x Accutron Estie Oversize pens are numbered in an edition of 100.

On a more general note, count me a fan of the Estie Oversized! I’m already looking for the perfect model to add to the permanent rotation, and strongly considering one of the “Nouveau Bleu” models with the gold trim, perhaps adding a “Scribe” specialty nib.

Many thanks to Esterbrook and Kenro Industries for making this review possible. This post does not contain affiliate links, nor was I compensated for this review. All products shown here were lent to The Gentleman Stationer for review purposes and returned afterwards.

Getting to handle the new Esterbrook pens was one of the highlights from this year’s D.C. Pen Show. When Kenro first announced that they had acquired Esterbrook back in April, I suspected they would turn out something good, but the Estie far exceeded my expectations. Given the history with the “new” Esterbrook brand, first resurrected a few years ago to little acclaim and much derision in the pen community, I was concerned that the Estie wouldn’t get a fair shake, but it appears that the reception has been largely positive, mainly because you can’t argue with the fact that the quality is top notch.

For my two review pens, I chose Esties in Cobalt Blue with chrome trim and Tortoise with gold-plated trim. An ebony model is also available, and you can opt for either trim on any color pen.

Particularly striking to me is how this pen feels in the hand. I’ve used a LOT of turned acrylic pens - I probably own dozens - but the materials chosen for the Esties feel solid and have a lot of warmth, reminiscent of ebonite or celluloid (even though they’re obviously not). The section in particular is quite comfortable, and I find myself wanting to write with this pen for long periods of time. I also absolutely love the vintage cigar shape. Though I’m not a collector of vintage pens, I very much appreciate vintage-inspired design, and the Estie sports the beautifully streamlined look of a classic Sheaffer balance, sans cap band or any adornments other than the clip and an engraved “Esterbrook” logo.

Two features are being used extensively to market the Estie: the “cushion cap” closure and the “MV Adapter,” the latter of which is available for purchase separately, and allows you to use your vintage Esterbrook nibs in the new pen. After some initial skepticism, I’m a fan of the cushion-cap. It’s a spring-loaded inner cap that requires you to push the cap down and turn in order to engage the threads to close the pen. It takes a time or two to get used to, and after that you don’t notice it much. The one thing I don’t love about it is that it makes it difficult to post the cap straight on the barrel - a very minor annoyance, but I’m a poster, so there it is. On the other hand, the purpose behind the cushion cap is similar to Platinum’s “Slip & Seal” system on the 3776 Century: the nib won’t dry out even if you leave the pen sitting unused for long periods of time. This may be convenient for some people, but it’s not so much a selling point for me, nor is it a feature I’m likely to test. I tend to write my pens dry fairly quickly.

The MV Adapter alters the overall look of the pen quite a bit. The adapter only comes in black, and vintage Esterbrook nibs are narrower than their modern JoWo counterparts. From an aesthetic perspective, if you’re looking to purchase this pen prima… — The MV Adapter alters the overall look of the pen quite a bit. The adapter only comes in black, and vintage Esterbrook nibs are narrower than their modern JoWo counterparts. From an aesthetic perspective, if you’re looking to purchase this pen primarily for the MV Adapter, consider the Ebony model.

Similarly, while vintage Esterbrook enthusiasts who own a large collection of vintage nibs might view the MV Adapter as an essential, those who merely want a smooth steel nib on their daily workhorse can probably take a pass. I honestly prefer the feel of modern steel JoWo nibs to standard Esterbrook fines or mediums, and wouldn’t spring for the MV Adapter unless you want to use your vintage Esterbrook stubs, flexies, or stenography nibs. (Confession: I’m not a vintage Esterbrook enthusiast. I like the “J” series and Dollar Pens just fine, but I only own one or two vintage nibs, and I didn’t get particularly invested in the drama over the sale of the brand. The MV Adapter therefore doesn’t have much emotional resonance with me personally.)

Even the packaging has a retro flare. I love the cloth box.

That said, major kudos to Kenro for making peace with vintage Esterbrook enthusiasts, and for envisioning a way to connect the “new” and “old” Esterbrook pens by incorporating a key feature of the vintage brand: the ability to swap the absolutely massive array of available Esterbrook nibs. The MV Adapter works quite well, though you do have to use a different converter, and I suspect that the relaunch of the brand and nib compatibility will prompt vintage nib hoarding and, eventually, price gouging. While Esterbrook nibs are fun to play around with, I don’t personally think the quality justifies the prices some people are willing to pay today for what amounts to a stainless steel nib that can be kind of scratchy. For the prices charged on some of the vintage specialty nibs you could purchase a custom grind.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Short answer: the Estie is a great pen that I can wholeheartedly recommend as an everyday writer, but it’s the overall classic look of the pen and comfort in the hand that wins my recommendation, rather than a fancy cap closure or vintage-nib adapter that, frankly, most brands do just fine without and that I could take or leave.

Esterbrook Pens are available from most Kenro retailers and were widely distributed at launch. Site sponsors Pen Chalet, Vanness Pens, Anderson Pens, and Goldspot all stock the Estie. (Full Disclosure: I acquired the Cobalt Blue Estie pictured here from Pen Chalet using affiliate credit, and Kenro sent me the brown Tortoise Estie for review purposes.) The pricing of the pen has prompted some debate. Currently the standard (MSRP) pricing on the Esterbrook Estie is around $195, with the retailer “street price” around $156, after applying all permissible discounting and coupon codes. The standard Estie comes in three colors: Cobalt Blue, Tortoise, and Ebony, with all colors available in either chrome or gold-plated trim. Esterbrook also has released an oversized version of the Estie, available in Ebony only, at a MSRP of $250 and a street price of $200.

Some people have remarked that this pricing is inconsistent with the spirit of the brand. Esterbrook, after all, was a “budget-friendly” pen back in its heyday. Some vintage Esterbrooks cost only a dollar (hence the “dollar pen” models). I tend to disagree with such assessments. In today’s market, given the realities of manufacturing and distribution costs, $150 seems to be the price point at which smaller brands are able to make a high-end fountain pen without running into significant quality control problems. Turned acrylic pens are more expensive than cheaper injection-molded plastic models, and the $155 price point is lower than both Edison and Franklin-Christoph pens, with which the Estie compares favorably. Plus, if we want these companies to stick around to serve a small (albeit growing) niche market, they need to be able to turn a profit.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.