The Esterbrook Estie - Journaler: A Review

I began collecting fountain pens early in the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic after years of random purchases on JetPens.com. One bottle of Pilot Iroshizuku and a Pilot Metropolitan were my starting point, and from there, I dove headfirst into the hobby. Although I haven't focused much on vintage pens, I have stayed within the realm of familiar brands like Pilot, TWSBI, and Diplomat, among others. I also ventured into Spoke Designs with the Axle, which I love.

During yet another episode of the Goulet Pencast, I discovered the Esterbrook Estie, which offers various custom grinds. Having had some custom work done before by Marc Bacas, I was intrigued by the Journaler Nib. This medium nib is ground to a stub with just enough roundness to be a versatile, everyday writer. I was sold.

The Esterbrook Pen Company traces its roots to 1858 when Richard Esterbrook emigrated from England and set up shop in Camden, New Jersey. With the mission to provide high-quality yet affordable writing instruments to a growing nation, the company quickly became one of the world's largest pen manufacturers. At its height, Esterbrook supplied millions of nibs to schools, businesses, and government offices, pioneering innovations like the famed "Durachrome" nibs. Though times and technologies evolved (and the ballpoint pen made its mark), the Esterbrook legacy continues today, renewed through an appreciation for fine writing craftsmanship.

The Look

I chose the Nouveau Bleu/Gold edition, which is simply stunning. Up to this point, I've mostly opted for basic colors, avoiding anything too extravagant. However, the design and color of this pen have quickly become a favorite in my collection, expanding my horizons to multi-colored pens.

The blend of blue and gold hues makes it visually striking, suitable for both personal journaling and professional settings.

The Experience

The Good

The Journaler Nib was the feature I was most excited about, and it did not disappoint. From the first moment I began writing, I was captivated by its performance. In fact, minutes later, I was on Gena Salorino’s website, daydreaming about future grinds.

The flow is smooth, and the medium nib lays down a wet, satisfying line. I typically prefer medium to broad nibs to highlight inks, and the Estie does a fantastic job of it. Writing with it is a joy, and the custom grind adds a distinctive flair.

The Bad

I often view new pens with rose-colored glasses, so I've incorporated a "Good and Bad" section into my reviews. After a morning of note-taking with the Estie, I noticed it began skipping and hard starting. This was disappointing, as I love the pen overall. I tried everything from cleaning it repeatedly to using brass sheets to ensure the split was even and clear, but the problem persisted. I eventually cleaned the pen and put it away for several months while considering sending it to Gena for tuning.

On a whim, I recently pulled the Estie back out, but the provided converter wouldn't draw ink. Strange, right? I realized that this issue might be related to the hard starting and skipping. I inserted a random international short cartridge, gave it a few squeezes, and to my surprise, the pen started working flawlessly.

Upon closer inspection, I found a hairline crack at the base of the provided converter. This explained the ink flow problems all along. Lesson learned: this is another area to inspect when troubleshooting ink flow issues.

Overall

Writing Sample
Dave Matthews Band - Two Step
Esterbrook Estie - Journaler
Diamine Blue Velvet

After solving the mystery of the hard starts and skipping, the Estie is easily a 5 out of 5. Fountain pens inherently require more maintenance than other writing instruments, so I don't mind some upkeep, though I wish I had noticed the crack sooner. Despite this, I love the pen's look and feel. Combined with the unique Journaler Nib, it’s a winning combination that I'll reach for often. Perhaps my next stop will be one of the other unique grinds offered by Esterbrook.

This is not a promotional post, nor did I receive any product or compensation for this review.

Spoke Axle by Spoke Design

When I heard on The Pen Addict Podcast that the Spoke Axle had been released, I knew what the inaugural review on The Inked Nib would be. It had to be the Spoke Axle.

I placed an order and patiently waited. Due to some shipping delays with supplies of the JOWO #6 Nibs, my order was backordered for a short period but eventually made its way to me in some very stylish packaging.

I really love the attention to detail with the packaging especially the aluminum pen case. Additionally, I am a fan of anytime stickers are included.

The unboxing of the Axle. The Axle comes with two standard short cartriges - I believe this is Monteverde ink

The Look

The design of the Axle can only be described as industrial. This is unlike any other fountain pen in my collection. I opted for the aluminum barrel and grip with a black grip. The best description for the feel of the pen is almost pencil like. There is no clip, and the cap is meant to be posted by screwing onto the back of the pen. I really love the anodized aluminum look of the pen, and I can see this aging well as this makes its way into my everyday rotation.

The initial presentation in packaging is excellent. I can tell Brad and Brian put a lot of thought into the presentation. While I am normally not one to keep the pen in its original case, I can see this quickly becoming a nice place to store my extra nibs and ink cartridges that seem to collect around my office.

I believe the modular design of this pen makes it very easy to customize, and from the episode of The Pen Addict that introduced this design, I believe there will be additional colors available in the future. Additionally, the barrel can be swapped with the Axle S. I expect this also makes order fulfillment and customization very easy for Spoke. Very smart.

The Jowo #6 nib has a wonderful engraving of the Spoke design. This really shows the amount of detail Spoke went into with the design of this pen, and I really like the little touches like this. For this pen, I went with the medium nib. I suppose that this nib is likely friction fit with the feed and housing, so I believe you can swap. However, I have not been brave enough to do that this far!

The Experience

When it came time to fill the pen, I decided to go with a syringe filled short cartridge filled with Robert Oster Bondi Blue. The pen does accept a regular international converter (not included), but I had some empty cartridges laying around. I prefer to syringe fill these from my ink collection.

The pen is very well balanced both posted and unposted. I typically prefer unposted pens, but the smaller cap makes this pen look and feel a bit better with the cap screwed on to post.

The writing experience is great - the low profile of the pen and relatively smaller barrel size makes this a pleasure to write with. The best I can describe the experience is like holding a pencil but having all the benefits of a fountain pen. This pen will easily make its way into my daily rotation. I have grown to know what to expect with Jowo #6 nibs, and the Axle does not let you down in this regard. Flow is smooth and feedback minimal to non-existent - I love a smooth writing experience.

I did notice one oddity while filling the pen. As I said, I used a cartridge to ink this pen for the first time. Typically, the capillary action of the feed takes one or two minutes to fill. With the Axle, I waited a solid two hours with the pen nib down, and I still had to squeeze the cartridge to force ink into the feed and nib. This is not a deal breaker, but this is the first time I have encountered something like that. Perhaps I was just too impatient? Is the feed just larger?

Writing Sample
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Spoke Axle - Medium Nib
Robert Oster Bondi Blue

Overall

The Axle is a great addition to my collection, and I can’t wait to see what Spoke does in the future. I will certainly keep my eye out for new products to add to my collection based upon my experience here. 5 out of 5 for me.

~Grant