Esterbrook Brand Being Revived This December?

[gweimer1]

I'm still fascinated at the stir this has caused among a group of people claiming not to care.

 

LOL. I bookmarked the Fahrney's site. The J is $70.

[KBeezie]

I'm still fascinated at the stir this has caused among a group of people claiming not to care.

Do you care?

[CoolFool]

I'm still fascinated at the stir this has caused among a group of people claiming not to care.

I think we just really want to be excited about the return of an important historical brand and want the new pens to be as fun as the old pens were, and it's just frustrating when the name returns but it doesn't seem the same. So we may not particularly "care" for at least the look of the new pen and the way things seem to be progressing, but we do care deeply about the legacy, the name, the history, and the possibility of a great new pen. That's my take on it, anyway.

[Mr. JW]

Now that the new Esterbrooks are available, has anyone here actually handled one? They're not my cup o' tea, but I am interested in people's impressions of them. FWIW, that looks like a pretty serious step down from the barrel to the section.

[sd10521]

FWIW, that looks like a pretty serious step down.

 

Edited for my first impression of looking at these and reading what has been going on with their disclosure.

[inkstainedruth]

@ gweimer1:

$70? You can get one of those "Vacumatics in name only" Parker IMs for less than that. Do these people not understand that the original Esterbrook Js were something like a buck or $1.25, at a time when a Parker 51 was about $12.50? That is to say, about a tenth the cost? In today's market that would be, IIRC, the equivalent of a $15 pen vs. a $140-$150 one.

 

@ CoolFool:

+1 on that.

 

@ Mr. JW:

It isn't clear that anyone has handled them, other than the people behind bringing them to market. And I'm only guessing on the latter.....

 

@ sd10521:

Wow -- snarky. I *totally* approve of snarky when it's warranted. Which in this case it very likely is....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Mr. JW]

@ Mr. JW:

It isn't clear that anyone has handled them, other than the people behind bringing them to market. And I'm only guessing on the latter.....

 

 

I agree with you, Ruth. At those prices, with that design and with the vast number of better alternatives at that price point and lower, I seriously doubt that anyone will handle one. A sad coda for an iconic brand.

Edited January 8, 2015 by Mr. JW

[sd10521]

 

 

@ sd10521:

Wow -- snarky. I *totally* approve of snarky when it's warranted. Which in this case it very likely is....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

Thank you for noticing and your approval.

 

My reasoning for this attitude is this:

 

Esterbrook was a brand of very low cost but surprisingly good quality pens for the masses. I have three in my possession that I used in school from the late 60's to mid 70's. They have been in my family since they were new and still work today, (well one does, one has an ink sack that has disintegrated, and one was never inked).

 

Now someone is attempting to revive this brand with two pricey models which seem to have nothing to do with the original, and is not very forthcoming with information of any kind and is censoring any criticism and questions they don't seem to like.

 

What a way to revive a brand.

[Venemo]

What a way to revive a brand.

 

Honestly, I don't believe they are trying to revive the brand or anything. For them, this is just a way to try to make some quick money.

[inkstainedruth]

 

Honestly, I don't believe they are trying to revive the brand or anything. For them, this is just a way to try to make some quick money.

Which, given how little information is available, and given how much negative buzz they've been getting (we're now up to 11 pages and the pens aren't even available yet -- and it isn't entirely clear they *will* be available anytime soon), that seems a somewhat unlikely prospect under the circumstances.

It also isn't clear they've done either sufficient (if any) market research, other than say "Hey, FP people like Esterbrooks -- we'll make a mint!"

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

edited for formatting

Edited January 9, 2015 by inkstainedruth

[FarmBoy]

Do you care?

Not really but I'm having fun.

[benbot517]

Looking at the new J it seems like they weren't even trying to emulate the original. I knew it was a long shot to expect a good revival, but I'm still very disappointed. They should have created a new company instead of trying to "revive" an old one. They could have made a brand new company with a brand new product that wouldn't carry the huge weight and fan base of the old. It could have been a success, but the new "Esterbrook" will always be compared to the old one.

[Venemo]

Which, given how little information is available, and given how much negative buzz they've been getting (we're now up to 11 pages and the pens aren't even available yet -- and it isn't entirely clear they *will* be available anytime soon), that seems a somewhat unlikely prospect under the circumstances.

It also isn't clear they've done either sufficient (if any) market research, other than say "Hey, FP people like Esterbrooks -- we'll make a mint!"

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

edited for formatting

 

Yeah Ruth, I totally agree with you on that. Doing this without making any research or asking the potential customers is doomed to failure.

[KBeezie]

Looking at the new J it seems like they weren't even trying to emulate the original. I knew it was a long shot to expect a good revival, but I'm still very disappointed. They should have created a new company instead of trying to "revive" an old one. They could have made a brand new company with a brand new product that wouldn't carry the huge weight and fan base of the old. It could have been a success, but the new "Esterbrook" will always be compared to the old one.

They could have, but then they'd have nothing to sell it with, they'd be valued simply but what they look like, cheap chinese pens. Would be real hard press to sell a new brand with no history (other than the history of starting up pens that are cheap and flashy and then selling off the brand) for that price. Least with the name Esterbrook, they might actually snag a few people who don't know better, especially when it comes to gifts.

[benbot517]

They could have, but then they'd have nothing to sell it with, they'd be valued simply but what they look like, cheap chinese pens. Would be real hard press to sell a new brand with no history (other than the history of starting up pens that are cheap and flashy and then selling off the brand) for that price. Least with the name Esterbrook, they might actually snag a few people who don't know better, especially when it comes to gifts.

 

This is true. Sad, but true.

[Brian Anderson]

Believe it or not, I actually have a couple of samples headed my way (one FP, one RB). They were supposed to be here Saturday, but didn't get delivered. I'll give my thoughts once I get them (J's only, not the deluxe, which is now listed at Fahrney's as "exclusive" to them)

[inkstainedruth]

Believe it or not, I actually have a couple of samples headed my way (one FP, one RB). They were supposed to be here Saturday, but didn't get delivered. I'll give my thoughts once I get them (J's only, not the deluxe, which is now listed at Fahrney's as "exclusive" to them)

Yes, please do -- I definitely want to get your feedback on those. I saw the Fahrney's exclusives on their website last night and was fairly appalled by the price of the Deluxe models (as in, sorry, but I could pretty much buy a Pelikan M400 for less than that on Ebay).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Snargle]

I see that "Esterbrook/Harpen Brand Holdings LLC" will be at the Philadelphia Pen Show this upcoming weekend (1/16-1/18/2015) so I'll have the opportunity to see these pens in person. I seriously doubt I'll be parting with any of my hard-earned dollars on them, though.

[KBeezie]

I see that "Esterbrook/Harpen Brand Holdings LLC" will be at the Philadelphia Pen Show this upcoming weekend (1/16-1/18/2015) so I'll have the opportunity to see these pens in person. I seriously doubt I'll be parting with any of my hard-earned dollars on them, though.

Ask them where they are produced, on video preferably.

[Brian Anderson]

The pens arrived today. When I get off work in a couple of hours, I'll take a look. Let's just say a humorous exchange of texts has already taken place.