This week, Esterbrook announced arguably its biggest release to date: the “JR Pocket Pen”, which is the first modern Esterbrook that actually attempts to replicate the design of the famed vintage “J” pen. As such, Esterbrook knew that there would be heavy expectations piled on this release, and there was no room for error. So how did they do?
While I’ve only had the pen for a week, what I’ve seen so far leads me to believe that the JR will be widely viewed as a success. As with all “heritage” releases - which is how I generally refer to products such as pens and watches that draw inspiration from a vintage product without copying it exactly - the JR borrows from those aspects of the original “J” that translate best into a modern fountain pen, and dispenses with others that, well, wouldn’t work so well today. I’ll briefly run through the similarities and differences:
The Esterbrook JR comes in three different colors: Tuxedo Black (shown here), Carmine Red, and Capri Blue (which is the only one with gold trim). Based on pictures alone, the Tuxedo Black and Capri Blue are my favorites.
First of All, What’s Changed?
The new Esterbrook JR is slightly slimmer than a standard vintage Esterbrook J, and the barrel and ends less rounded. While I don’t currently have any vintage Esterbrooks in my collection, Ana over at the Well-Appointed Desk has published her own review and has some extremely thorough comparison photos that show the JR compared against various vintage Esterbrook fountain pens.
Esterbrook has dispensed with the black plastic cap jewels in favor of metal finials. The finial on the cap bears the Esterbrook “infinity” logo also found on the Camden. While the black plastic finials lent the original J a unique, almost Art Deco look, they also grew fragile over time and had a tendency to crack and/or fall out if you accidentally dropped the pen. Here, I would say that gains in long-term durability make up for any losses in terms of aesthetics and faithfulness to the original design.
The filling system on the JR, predictably, is cartridge-converter instead of a lever-filler. I’m sure many vintage pen die-hards will complain (loudly) about this fact, but seriously, is Esterbrook really going to release a lever-filling fountain pen that would require periodic ink sac replacement? No. Nor should they. Even back in its heyday, Esterbrook was a mass-market brand, and to me, going with cartridge-converter is more faithful to the original vision of Esterbrook than releasing a throwback pen with a high-maintenance lever-filling system.
Size comparison, show here between a Kokuyo Sketch Notebook (left) and a Hobonichi Techo A6. Writing samples in this review are shown in the Kokuyo Sketch.
What’s the Same or Similar?
The overall look, feel, and aesthetic of the pen are very similar. As someone who has used vintage Esterbrooks extensively, I will say that the modern iteration of the company has definitely managed to “recapture the magic” of the original brand. A key part of this reissue is the choice of pearlescent acrylic: Vintage Esterbrooks are known for the depth of the material used to make the barrels, which was largely unique to that brand. The black, blue, and red materials chosen for the JR, while not an exact match, replicates at least some of that same depth.
While slightly longer and slimmer than the clip on the original J, the clip on the JR retains the same ribbed look while omitting the “Esterbrook” engraving, which moves to the cap band. While I’m glad they retained some version of the classic clip, I’m torn over the placement of the engraving. Could they have gone with a wider clip and kept the vintage-style engraving? Possibly, but I suspect this would present production issues, whereas placing the Esterbrook engraving on the cap band also creates branding consistency with the Estie and the Camden.
The JR features an interchangeable stainless steel JoWo No. 5 nib unit, which allows you to swap in different nib sizes, and even JoWo nib units you may have had ground to a stub, italic, architect, etc. It remains to be seen whether the JR will get its own adapter that will allow you to use the full array of vintage Esterbrook nib units.
Esterbrook is marketing the JR as a “pocket pen.” I typically don’t pocket-carry pens like this one - it’s slightly too large for that purpose, at least for me - but it’s quite portable. The JR would make a great planner pen. (Picture below)
Perhaps my one critique of this pen is that I wish the cap posted a touch deeper as it looks a little awkward. The pen itself is so light, however, that it makes very little difference from a functionality perspective.
No surprises with the line written by a medium No. 5 JoWo nib.
Takeaways and Where to Buy
The Esterbrook JR is a very well done heritage pen that I expect will please the majority of Esterbrook fans while still managing to tick off those few who would only be pleased with a “J” replica. As evidenced by the visceral reaction to Parker’s recently announced Parker 51 re-release, attempting to recreate a vintage pen design for modern users can be a risky move, in that you need to strike a balance between catering to fans of the original pen while still making a product that is marketable to new customers. So far, Esterbrook seems to have done just that, and I’m excited to see where they take this pen design over the next year or so. The next logical step would be to introduce additional colors, either special editions or green and grey pens to match the original lineup, as well as a vintage nib adapter.
You should now be able to purchase the Esterbrook JR at most Esterbrook retailers, including site sponsors Vanness Pens and Goldspot. Current MSRP on the Esterbrook JR is $175, with most retailers so far pricing this pen at $140, which is becoming the standard price point for a steel-nib pen of this quality.
The Esterbrook JR fits perfectly in the pen slots on my Hobonichi Techo. Planner pen, anyone?
Disclaimer: Many thanks to Esterbrook/Kenro Industries for sending me this pen for review. This post contains links to paid sponsors/affiliates.