Fountain Pen Review: Giants' Pens Maple and Resin Fountain Pen

It's been a year since I rebooted this blog and I am surprised to know that I have now written 57 reviews since April 2020. I have tested and photographed close to a hundred products since then! I have learned so many things as I wrote about fountain pens, ink, and paper. Plus I also get to meet many people from faraway countries and cultures. In my search for new products to review, I met Teun Prinsen of Giants' Pens from The Netherlands. 

I didn't know that there are pen makers from The Netherlands! Teun allowed me to choose the material, size, and nib width of the pen he was making for me. Meeting Teun was truly a pleasant surprise and it was an amazing experience being a part of the pen-making process. After some extensive exchange of messages, here's Giants' Pens' Maple Burl for Rants of The Archer!

Giants' Pens from The Netherlands offer handcrafted pens in all sizes.

Giants' Pens was founded by Teun Prinsen and Joep Prinsen. Both co-founders are pen makers, and they create custom, handmade fountain pens. Teun and Joep, both students at the Technische Universiteit Eindhoven allow customization in what they do. Besides fountain pens, they also tune and quality control the nibs that they use for their pens.

The materials that Teun used for this pen include a maple burl for the barrel and casted resin for the cap and section. This is a long pen and the section diameter is bigger than most of my pens. I love the wood grain of the maple burl even the voids, and lines towards the barrel's end. 

Giants' Pens' maple and resin fountain pen.

This wood and resin fountain pen has the following measurements and specifications:

• Length, capped: 6.09 in | 15.47 cm
• Length, uncapped: 5.46 in | 13.9 cm
• Length, barrel only: 3.77 in | 8.1 cm
• Body material: Maple wood
• Trim: None
• Clip: None
• Cap: Screw on, not postable
• Nib: No. 6 Jowo steel in Extra Fine, Fine, Medium, or Broad
• Filling mechanism: Cartridge or converter (both included)

This pen can be filled with ink using standard international cartridges or a converter, and Giants' Pens includes a converter with each pen purchase. 

A converter is included with each pen purchase from Giants' Pens.

The maple barrel is given a cyanoacrylate layer for a polished and shiny finish. The coating gives the wood depth and character, showing off its natural beauty.

The cap and barrel ends of this pen are both pointed. The barrel end shows the wood grain beautifully.

Giants' Pens offers Jowo No. 6 nibs in their fountain pens. This pen came with a steel JoWo No. 6 Broad nib that wrote smoothly out of the box. I'm not so much into nib priming or tuning when using a pen for the first time, so I'm glad this pen's nib wrote so well with its first ink. I did not experience hard starts, skips, or inky blobs as I wrote with it. 

This pen's Broad nib wrote smoothly out of the box.

This Giants' Pens fountain pen is a full-sized pen that shares almost the same length and diameter as an Esterbrook Oversize, and Bexley Intrepid. I personally chose a large-sized fountain pen that is lightweight yet substantial. Uncapped, this pen is longer than Esterbrook OS, Bexley Intrepid, or Lamy Lx.

From the top: Esterbrook Rocky Top OS, Bexley Intrepid, Giants' Pens Maple Burl, Unnamed pen from China, and Lamy Lx.

To test this pen, I filled it with New Brew Ink Blood Stain, a new fountain pen ink brand from the Philippines. The Broad nib wrote smoothly out of the box and did not need any priming or modification. This large but lightweight pen fits my hand so well, and its design allows for comfortable writing. Even if I had to write a whole page, I did not experience any discomfort at all.

I love this pen and ink combination! The No, 6 Broad nib writes so smoothly.

I am very happy with my first fountain pen from Giants' Pens and I am recommending it to anyone who wants to know Teun and Joep and explore their wonderful pen creations. This pen is beautiful and well-designed, and I'm glad to have one in my collection. Teun and Joep are excellent and skilled pen makers who can customize any pen using a variety of materials. Get one of his pens for your collection now!

Rants of The Archer thanks Teun Prinsen, Joep Prinsen,  and Giants' Pens for providing the fountain pen in this review. Their pens are available on their website: http://www.giantspens.com/index.html

If you want a custom-made pen from Teun and Joep, visit their website or look them up on Instagram. At the moment, the queue is about 2-3 months, and anyone who wants to get on the list can choose the material for their pens. 

To learn more about Giants' Pens, visit their website (http://www.giantspens.com/index.html) or follow them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giantspens/.

Fountain Pen Review: Esterbrook JR Paradise Orange Sunset

The Esterbrook Pen Company is now one of the world's most prolific makers of fountain pens and accessories. Since 2018, the year that Kenro Industries revived the brand, the Esterbrook Pen Company has launched one product after another. But we are not complaining! Please keep them coming, Esterbrook! 

Just recently, the Esterbrook Pen Company launched a new set of fountain pens in their JR Pocket Pen series. Introduced as part of the revival of the iconic J fountain pen, the JR Pocket Pen Paradise Collection is the first limited edition set from Esterbrook and it is themed as a tropical vacation for fountain pen lovers. The Paradise Collection makes me miss the sea even more now that most of us cannot go out to take vacations. Think soothing breezes, warm ocean currents, bungalows, painted buoys, panoramic views for miles, mangroves, marinas, and lounging for hours with a cocktail in hand and mellow melodies floating through the air. It's the perfect series of fountain pens for us right now! 

A new packaging design also accompanied the launch of the limited edition JR Pocket Pen Paradise Collection. I love the new Esterbrook red boxes and they look so neat!

The J model was Esterbrook’s original sleek and suave, classic 1940’s and 50’s pocket pen that appealed to many people then and now. It was well-received for its elegance and practicality, which was a key selling point after the war. The new Esterbrook Pen Company revived the J model in 2020 and called it the JR, short for J Reborn. 

The JR Pocket Pen is an excellent "heritage" pen, built and designed for a comfortable writing experience. It's stylish and meant to match the user's style, with an elegant, non-fussy compact size. It's a slimmer pen than the Estie but also fills with ink through cartridges or converters. The JR Paradise Collection is offered in three beautiful limited edition colors, Lemon Twist, Orange Sunset, and Blue Breeze. Each color features an accented trim near the dome.

The new Esterbrook J Reborn is available in three tropical colors: Lemon Twist, Orange Sunset, and Blue Breeze.

I got the Orange Sunset fountain pen and it's so beautiful! The pen's material looks as if it's glowing especially under a bright light. It looks like a glowing fire rod or sweet orange candy sticks. This orange pocket fountain pen is an amazing modern design honoring an iconic pen. The bright orange resin is perfectly complemented by the gold-plated trims, while the turquoise accent on the finial is an eye-catcher.

Esterbrook JR Pocket Pen Paradise Collection Orange Sunset

The Esterbrook JR Paradise Orange Sunset fountain pen has the following measurements and specifications:

• Length, capped: 5 in | 12.7 cm
• Length, uncapped: 4.6 in | 11.7 cm
• Length, cap posted: 6.1 in | 15.5 cm
• Length, barrel only: 3.2 in | 8.1 cm
• Length, section to nib: 1.5 in | 3.8 cm
• Length, cap: 2.3 inches | 5.8 cm
• Full pen weight: 19.8 g | 0.7 oz
• Body material: Resin
• Trim: Gold
• Cap: Screw on, postable
• Clip material: Gold-plated metal 
• Nib: Steel Jowo available in Extra Fine, Fine, Medium, Broad, Stub 1.1mm, and Esterbrook specialty nibs Journaler or Scribe 
• Filling mechanism: Cartridge or converter (both included with purchase)

The Esterbrook JR Paradise Orange Sunset has a screw-on cap.

Esterbrook JR fountain pens can be filled with ink using international cartridges or an Esterbrook converter, both included with each purchase. Unlike other pocket pens, the JR takes on a full ink converter which makes it easier to fill from ink bottles. The section of JR Pocket Pens has an ergonomic grip that ensures comfortable writing. While it is a pocket pen, the body is long enough to use for writing without the need to post the cap. 

The JR's cap, section + converter, and barrel.

The JR's cap looks very similar to the vintage J fountain pen's cap.

The Esterbrook logo is etched into the pen's cap ring.

The Orange Sunset's cap finial, which is a new design, is also very similar to the black button jewels found in the earlier J fountain pens. 

The JR Orange Sunset barrel shows some beautiful marbling and swirls patterns.

The JR Paradise fountain pen is fitted with a #5 steel nib made especially for Esterbrook by Jowo from Germany. It is available in a variety of sizes, including Extra Fine, Fine, Medium, Broad, 1.1 stub, and the Esterbrook specialty nibs Journaler (by Gena Salorino of Custom Nib Studio) and Scribe (by J.J. Lax Pen Co.). The markings on the nib include the Esterbrook Eternity logo and "M" (nid width).

The Medium nib on the Orange Sunset wrote smoothly out of the box. It is one of the smoothest medium nibs I have tried and I'm glad that I can comfortably use it for regular writing for notes, lists, and journaling.

The Esterbrook Eternity symbol/logo is made up of two connected "E's," with no beginning or ending representing a timeline of perpetuity, linking tradition to modernity. It is a reminder of founder Richard Esterbrook's spirit and hard work, so the two connected E's are also translated to "Esterbrook Endures." The symbol/logo made its first appearance on the red polishing cloth that was included with the Estie Lilac. 

The medium nib in this Orange Sunset fountain pen wrote smoothly out of the box.

Esterbrook Pen Company offers a wide variety of fountain pen sizes. They have regular-sized fountain pens such as the Estie in oversize (called OS) and regular sizes, but they also offer compact, pocket-sized pens like the JR. 

Three Esterbrook fountain pens, from top: Estie Rocky Top OS, Estie Frontier Green regular, and JR Pocket Pen Paradise Collection Orange Sunset.

Two Esterbrook JR Pocket Pens, Tuxedo Black and Orange Sunset.

The JR Pocket Pen has the same length as a Pelikan Souveran M400, but I forgot to include one in this set. The JR is the smallest pen in this group, but when you uncap the pen, it is almost the same length/size as the Montegrappa Miya 450. Uncapped, it's the smallest and slimmest pen in this lot of pens. Despite that, the JR is a well-designed pen that looks classy and elegant, and comfortable to use.

From the top: Lamy Al-star Copper Orange, Leonardo Officina Italiana Furore Arancio, Esterbrook JR Paradise Orange Sunset, Montegrappa Miya 450, and TWSBI ECO yellow.

To test how the medium nib in this JR fountain pen writes, I filled it with matching orange ink, the brand new Esterbrook Tangerine. The Orange Sunset wrote so well out of the box, and the #5 Jowo steel medium nib wrote smoothly. I did not experience any scratchiness, hard starts, or ink skipping. I had no problems using the JR Orange Sunset fountain pen out of the box.

I'm so happy that I can use this orange fountain pen for regular writing for my notes, lists, and journaling. The Esterbrook JR Orange Sunset is such an enjoyable pen. It's elegant, classy, versatile, and one that can be used for long periods of writing without any discomfort.

The JR Orange Sunset wrote smoothly out of the box and is perfect for long writing periods. 

Esterbrook launched several products lately, including the Paradise pins, and Patience the Tortoise. All important collectibles!

As with the first JR fountain pen I received in 2020, I am very happy with the JR Orange Sunset, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to have a similar experience of using the Esterbrook JR fountain pen or explore the brand. The JR Pocket Pen Paradise Orange Sunset is a neat, lovely fountain pen designed for long-term use. Get one for your collection! Or better, get the JR Paradise Collection set now!

Rants of The Archer thanks the Esterbrook Pen Company and Kenro Industries for providing the Esterbrook JR Pocket Pen Paradise Collection Orange Sunset for review purposes. The JR Paradise Collection and the entire Esterbrook selection are available at Esterbrookpens.com where it retails for around US$175. Aside from the JR Pocket Pen collection,  the following collections are also available: Camden, Estie, Estie Peacock, Estie Rocky Top, Sparkle, Phaeton, Popeye, and Navy Nook. 

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)