Fountain Pen Review: Esterbrook Gold Rush Frontier Green

Haven't you noticed? So many beautiful things have been coming out of the Esterbrook Pen Company! It's like Santa's Workshop! Last year, they released the amazing Estie Premier (Rocky Top and Peacock) and threw in some nice accessories, too! Have you seen the Ester Book? What about the Esterbrook vintage logo stamp? Love them!

Last month, the Esterbrook Pen Company has again surprised fans and the fountain pen world when they launched a new limited edition pen series to celebrate America's Gold Rush and honor Esterbrook’s own history. The Gold Rush series is a trio of Esterbrook Esties reimagined in limited edition gilded colors, beginning with the release of the Prospector Black and the Purple Dreamer. Now, a few weeks later comes the third pen in the series, the Gold Rush Frontier Green Estie. 

I love the presentation boxes of these limited edition Esterbrook fountain pens. They are bold and expressive, fully celebrating the theme of the series.

Esties in the Gold Rush series are presented in bigger red cloth-covered boxes with a roll of limited edition Esterbrook washi tape and Eternity cloth.

The Esterbrook Pen Company celebrates the California Gold Rush, a significant event that shaped American history and was just coming to a close when Richard Esterbrook was setting up his shop on the US east coast in 1858. San Francisco became the central metropolis of the new frontier as the discovery of gold nuggets in the Sacramento Valley ten years earlier stoked the American dream, leading one of the first major gold rushes since the time of the Roman Empire.

The rivers of California had plans for this sleepy part of the country and the glistening waters drew industrialists, laborers, entrepreneurs, and dreamers to sift them for ore and to secure their fortunes. This sense of making one’s own way was not lost on Richard Esterbrook, who was himself trying to make a better life for himself and his family by seeking prosperity on the United States east coast.

These significant events in history are the inspiration for the gilded colors of the Gold Rush pens. These pens are truly special because the pen blanks for the Gold Rush are made from proprietary material created by McKenzie Penworks. The sparkly, glittery, shimmering shine you see on the Frontier Green is from DiamondCast™. These sparkly, glittery blanks are created with real gem-quality diamonds that are ethically sourced as reclaimed chips direct from diamond cutters.

The Gold Rush pens are made from pen blanks by McKenzie Penworks. Estie Frontier Green is a glittery green that evokes the color of rivers in California during the Gold Rush.

The material for the Frontier Green pen is translucent, making it more unique.

The Esterbrook Gold Rush Frontier Green shares the same specifications with other Esterbrook Estie fountain pens: 

• Length, capped: 5.9 in | 15 cm
• Length, uncapped: 5 in | 12.7 cm
• Length, cap posted: 6.7 in | 17 cm
• Length, barrel only: 3.4 in | 8.6 cm
• Length, cap: 2.75 inches | 6.9 cm
• Diameter, barrel: 0.5 in | 1.27 cm
• Diameter, section: 0.4 in | 1 cm
• Weight, capped: 24 g | 0.85 oz
• Nibs available: Extra Fine, Fine, Medium, Broad, Stub 1.1, Custom Gena/Journaler, Scribe Nib
• Also offered as a rollerball pen, and for the first time as a ballpoint pen

The Frontier Green Estie can be filled with ink using standard ink cartridges or bottled ink using the Esterbrook ink converter, both are included in each purchase.

The Frontier Green Estie's cap, section + converter, and barrel.

The Frontier Green Estie has a cushion cap closure that provides a secondary seal to ensure that the nib is always wet. The cap is also engraved with the Esterbrook logo. The Estie's narrow clip complements the clean design of the pen. 

My Frontier Green Estie is fitted with the newly-launched Esterbrook Scribe nib which is an architect nib. This is the first time I have tried an architect nib and it's fun! I love writing with it especially the thick cross stokes.

The Gold Rush Esties are available as Standard and Oversized gold-trimmed fountain pens with standard Extra Fine, Fine, Medium, Broad, or 1.1 Stub nibs. They are also available with the custom Gena Salorino “Journaler” nib, or Scribe nib for an additional cost.

The Scribe nib is an architect nib and it is new to me, but it's so cool! (I will do a separate review for this nib!)

The Frontier Green's sparkly and glittery green and gold barrel. I love the gold sparkle!

The metal threads in the barrel and section of the Estie ensure durability and longevity. The barrel and section will stay in place and won't unscrew unnecessarily. Metal threads also don't break apart easily.

I got a regular size Frontier Green Estie which is a comfortable size for my hand. It's my second regular size Estie, the first one is the Estie Lilac from last year. 

Oversize, regular size, and small. These pens are the Rocky Top Estie OS, Estie Lilac, Frontier Green Estie, and the Esterbrook JR.

The Frontier Green Estie is a full-length fountain pen, sharing almost the same length as the Laban 325 Lagoon, though it is lighter. It's also longer than a TWSBI ECO, Lamy Safari, or the Leonardo Momento Zero. It's a well-balanced pen that is comfortable to use.

The Frontier Green Estie shares the same length as the Laban Lagoon, and longer than the TWSBI ECO and Lamy Safari.

Uncapped, all pens have almost the same length.

To test the Esterbrook Scribe, I filled the Frontier Green Estie with Evergreen ink from Esterbrook. It was my first time writing with an architect nib and I was surprised at the shape of the nib. I am more used to using stubs, italics, and regular broad nibs, which are all the opposite shapes of an architect nib. I got used to it after writing a whole page of text and I love the thick cross strokes and thin upstrokes. It's new to me, but it's cool and I'll be using it more! I'll try using it to do some shape art. When I tried the nib, it wrote smoothly, I did not experience any hard starts or skipping. By experience, the Estie is such an enjoyable pen, and it's comfortable to use for long periods of writing. The Frontier Green Estie is also a beautiful pen, very elegant and classy.

I'm excited to try using the Scribe nib in doing shape art.

The Estie's section is easy to hold and comfortable for writing.

I am very happy with the Frontier Green Estie, and I feel giddy whenever I hold it because of the glittery, sparkly DiamondCast™. I recommend it to anyone who wants to explore and know this excellent brand and this limited edition series celebrating important events and places. It's a beautiful pen and well-built for long-term use. The Gold Rush Esties are available only in very limited quantities globally and they will be gone soon! Get one for your collection! 

Rants of The Archer thanks the Esterbrook Pen Company and Kenro Industries for providing the Gold Rush Frontier Green Estie for review purposes. The entire Gold Rush series and Esterbrook collection are available at Esterbrookpens.com where the pens retail for around US$350 (regular Estie, EF-stub 1.1) to US$395 (OS Estie, EF-stub 1.1). The special nibs (custom Gena or Scribe) are an additional US$50 and US$60, respectively, for either regular or OS Estie.

In the Philippines, Esterbrook pens are available at Scribeph.com.

To learn more about the Esterbrook Pen Company, where to buy their pens, and for other details on purchasing their pens, visit their website at https://www.esterbrookpens.com/ or follow them on social media:

• Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/esterbrook_official/)
• Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/esterbrookpens)