Esterbrook Brand Being Revived This December?

[Helen350]

They've noted that they are working on the new Js, and for us to hold our opinions until then. I believe that they recognize the strong feelings of the Esterbrook community, so let's give them a chance.

[jdllizard]

Generally speaking, for me anyway, Net content owners with products who censor out legitimate questions about their new product can sod right off.

 

Homie don't play that.

 

It doth befuddle me how a resurging old pen company like this Doesn't get with it's fanboys for it. Like the Twsbi-wan. THAT'S how you introduce new pens. (And I don't even own one.)

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl*

 

*The quote above has been edited down to the parts I felt most important.

 

WORD!..... Homie.

[greensparcs]

what they have released picture wise leaves me with a sour taste. If I wanted a Chinese pen Id pick up my Jinhao or Wingsungs/Heros. What is a slap in the face is first deleting comments about questions or concerns someone may have about these new "Esterbrooks" secondly is Taking an American company and putting the name and history it embodies and putting it onto some pen made by some other company. Dont like it one bit. I will just stay with ebay and flea markets and find the real mccoy. Good luck with your attempt at using the Esterbrook name who ever you are but I wont be buying any of them.

[FarmBoy]

Is it true that when these are released to the public that real (vintage) Esterbrook pens will no longer be available?

[estie1948]

They've noted that they are working on the new Js, and for us to hold our opinions until then. I believe that they recognize the strong feelings of the Esterbrook community, so let's give them a chance.

A reasonable suggestion. After all, if we don't like what is produced, we don't have to buy it. From their request, it is obvious that they have noted the current feelings. It has been my experience that when I (personally) shovel dirt (or any substance) on to the top of a large pile of the same, only two things happen: (1) the pile gets higher which is not really accomplishing anything, and (2) I get tired which is all that is really accomplished. As several others have suggested, there are better ways to get tired.

 

 

Is it true that when these are released to the public that real (vintage) Esterbrook pens will no longer be available?

FarmBoy has an excellent point. The production of The New Esterbrooks will have little, if any effect, on the already existing (real) Esterbrooks. If I have missed your point, FarmBoy, please straighten me out. Otherwise, I am going to take Helen's and FarmBoy's advice and quit sweating this production of The New Esterbrooks.

 

-David.

Edited November 13, 2014 by estie1948

[KBeezie]

A reasonable suggestion. After all, if we don't like what is produced, we don't have to buy it. From their request, it is obvious that they have noted the current feelings. It has been my experience that when I (personally) shovel dirt (or any substance) on to the top of a large pile of the same, only two things happen: (1) the pile gets higher which is not really accomplishing anything, and (2) I get tired which is all that is really accomplished. As several others have suggested, there are better ways to get tired.

 

 

FarmBoy has an excellent point. The production of The New Esterbrooks will have little, if any effect, on the already existing (real) Esterbrooks. If I have missed your point, FarmBoy, please straighten me out. Otherwise, I am going to take Helen's and FarmBoy's advice and quit sweating this production of The New Esterbrooks.

 

-David.

Maybe it'll make the original Esties in the mainstream market cheaper in demand when word gets around that "Esterbrook sucks" with the new ones.

[SteveE]

I'm really conflicted on this one. I still have a major accumulation (collection?) of "new" Conklin pens from Rob's tenure with that brand. Those pens, I believe, evoked many of the design cues of the vintage Conklin pens. They represented a generally honest value for the price, were well made (up to "state of the market" for their time) but not leading edge. These pens often make it into my daily rotation, and are still a pleasure to own and use. Personally, I feel they are better than the ones released under the present ownership. Toward the end, I'll admit, Rob had some quality and customer service problems, but he was dealing with some issues well beyond brand management at the time.

 

What I've seen so far disappoints me, both in the apparent design of the coming pens and in the manner in which things have unfolded to date. I'm not writing off the New Esterbrook, however, until I see just how it is handled and what their products are. Rob and his late father managed it with Conklin, and IIRC also Chilton after that, so there is some knowledge on Rob's part of how to re-create a brand that has some appeal to our market.

 

Let's just give him a chance. Maybe he has made some mistakes, but if he takes a path that avoids future gaffes, maybe we will have another viable brand and maybe one which pays some real homage to the Esterbrooks we remember and love.

[Brian Anderson]

I got into Esterbrooks for their coloring, ability to switch nibs in seconds, and their ease of repair and maintenance. If the new Esties don't have those attributes, then I have zero interest.

 

Wait and see I guess.

Well, I doubt you're going to see a self filler other than a cartridge converter pen, so it will be easy to maintain, and many manufacturers are using threaded nib units now, but I don't think in the same way you are thinking. These are not likely to be backwards compatible. So with this it meets your criteria.

[Ernst Bitterman]

I had some misgivings when I heard that there was connection to the redivivus Conklin and Mabie, Todd pens, and this appears to be in the same vein. The M,T objects were...

 

http://dirck.delint.ca/beta/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/M-T-0312.jpg

 

...not very inspiring, with very heavy metal bodies and loads of laser engraving. Cool roller clip, not much else to hoot about. The initial reborn Conklins were in some cases good call-backs to the originals, but the one I had...

 

http://dirck.delint.ca/beta/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Conklin-0255.jpg

 

...had some serious problems in the cap-sealing department and was an essentially all-modern-looks item. If the Esterbrooks are more like the MTs than the Conklins, they'll be eehhhOK pens but little more, and I have a feeling that's what we're due for here. If they're like the Conklins, they'll be mildly interesting, maybe.

 

I also subscribe to Bruce's comment re: how to generate good-will in the fan base, or to alienate it entirely. A poor augury.

Edited November 13, 2014 by Ernst Bitterman

[welch]

I believe that Newell / Rubbermaid owns the rights to "Esterbrook", since their Sanford Office Products division bought Faber Castell, which bought Venus, which merged with Esterbrook in the late '60s. Last it was mentioned, Sanford offered a variety of "magic marker" in Latin America under the "Esterbrook" name.

 

Of course, Syd "The Wahlnut" Saperstein bought the rights to the Wahl Eversharp name and has been selling modernized versions of the Skyline. A Chinese-made Esterbrook is possible...

[ISW_Kaputnik]

It would be interesting if their version of the J is an actual lever filler with a selection of replaceable nibs, particularly if it would take actual vintage Esterbrook ReNew Points. A cartridge filler that merely copied the general styling, like those modern "Eversharps", would seem kind of pointless. Either way, I'll certainly be happy to read what anyone who gets one has to say about it. With a good selection of the original Js, SJs, etc., however, I doubt if I'd be tempted to buy the reproduction myself.

 

For comparison, I found the modern Conklin Crescent very disappointing, not actually bad but way overpriced. Comparing it side by side with my real old BCHR Conklins, it was clear that legitimate ownership of a trademark doesn't make something the same product.

[kidde]

Don't we sort of have a modern incarnation of an Estie? Levenger's "True Writer"? While it doesn't say Esterbrook they do claim it to be an homage. Maybe the "New Ester-anus" (Duke/Uranus, see what I did there?) will be a fully semi-functional writing implement. I'll keep rummaging for the real ones. More my taste anyway.

 

Paul

[spaceink]

As someone relatively new to Esterbrooks but somewhat of an old hand with vintage watches, I feel like all this looks familiar. Sometimes a new company would buy the brand/name rights for defunct Russian watches and produce new versions that are nowhere close to the originals in terms of quality and aesthetics. The saving grace is that these new versions are often inexpensive and are somewhat fun, if you don't take them seriously.

 

With Esterbrook, I'm wondering if they'll take a pen that was basically a pen for the masses and try to convert it to yet another overpriced product. If they can create well made, reasonably priced New Esterbrook fountain pens with throw-back retro designs that give a nod to the originals in some small way, it may not be so bad.

 

If they produced garish, gaudy "luxury" pens that defy good taste and also ignore the company's storied histroy, then it'll be painful; one will just have to look away, in that case and hope Zombie Esterbrook will meet its end somehow, so as to give dignified rest to the brand.

 

What will it be then, New Esterbrook or Zombie Esterbrook!? We shall see.

Edited November 15, 2014 by spaceink

[FarmBoy]

Don't we sort of have a modern incarnation of an Estie? Levenger's "True Writer"? While it doesn't say Esterbrook they do claim it to be an homage. Maybe the "New Ester-anus" (Duke/Uranus, see what I did there?) will be a fully semi-functional writing implement. I'll keep rummaging for the real ones. More my taste anyway.

 

Paul

I'll take the red and the blue Esteranus. PM me payment details.

[kazoolaw]

Maybe the "New Ester-anus" (Duke/Uranus, see what I did there?).

 

Sounds like a great marketing tie-in with Preparation H.

[kidde]

I'll take the red and the blue Esteranus. PM me payment details.

Sorry, production so far is limited to Boot-rear, a muddy brown.

 

Paul (can I say stirring the pot?)

[Brian Anderson]

I believe that Newell / Rubbermaid owns the rights to "Esterbrook", since their Sanford Office Products division bought Faber Castell, which bought Venus, which merged with Esterbrook in the late '60s. Last it was mentioned, Sanford offered a variety of "magic marker" in Latin America under the "Esterbrook" name.

 

Faber-Castell let the trademark lapse in June, which is when it was bought by the "New" Esterbrook. Those markers were available in Mexico in the early 2000's. I bought a bunch of them and use them every once in a while.

 

It would be interesting if their version of the J is an actual lever filler with a selection of replaceable nibs, particularly if it would take actual vintage Esterbrook ReNew Points. A cartridge filler that merely copied the general styling, like those modern "Eversharps", would seem kind of pointless. Either way, I'll certainly be happy to read what anyone who gets one has to say about it. With a good selection of the original Js, SJs, etc., however, I doubt if I'd be tempted to buy the reproduction myself.

 

I wouldn't hold your breath. All the extra steps it would take to make a lever filler, cutting a hole in the barrel, attaching a lever, either by lever box (which wouldn't be original in looks but might be easier to do) or by pin (and drilling a hole for the pin), a J bar, a sac, all the extra parts. You can bet it would run quite a bit more than a c/c (think $200+). If it were easy to do you'd see a whole lot more companies doing it (the only company I can think of right now that is making a lever filler is Delta, but I suspect there might be one or two more). I will bet, however, the nib units will be threaded and removable, but they won't be backwards compatible. That would be too much work when there are existing nib units available with standard threading.

[estie1948]

 

Faber-Castell let the trademark lapse in June, which is when it was bought by the "New" Esterbrook. Those markers were available in Mexico in the early 2000's. I bought a bunch of them and use them every once in a while.

 

 

I wouldn't hold your breath. All the extra steps it would take to make a lever filler, cutting a hole in the barrel, attaching a lever, either by lever box (which wouldn't be original in looks but might be easier to do) or by pin (and drilling a hole for the pin), a J bar, a sac, all the extra parts. You can bet it would run quite a bit more than a c/c (think $200+). If it were easy to do you'd see a whole lot more companies doing it (the only company I can think of right now that is making a lever filler is Delta, but I suspect there might be one or two more). I will bet, however, the nib units will be threaded and removable, but they won't be backwards compatible. That would be too much work when there are existing nib units available with standard threading.

Reality has a devastating effect on optimism, doesn't it.

 

-David.

[spaceink]

That's a shame. How could they have let a trademark expire, especially one that has enough of a following to warrant a brand forum among pen aficionados, when Faber-Castell doesn't even have one? To save a few thousand dollars in fees every ten years?

 

Seems like even if they hadn't revived the brand themselves, they could've licensed it to some other party who would. Doesn't make sense to me.

Edited November 19, 2014 by spaceink

[welch]

Brian...or Hobiwan...how could you let the trademark expire without buying the name? Achhhh!!! I bought one of those pseudo-revived 1930's pen. Discovered it was just like hundreds of other Chinese pens. I'd have volunteered to find an empty factory in New Jersey...in Camden, even.

 

Reduced a Levenger True-Writer from 5 1/4 inches to about 5 inches and you have a J. Use a cartridge / converter feed and you'd have a modernized Estie. Same principle as Syd's new Skylines.