Fountain Pen Review: Esterbrook Estie Pink Sands

The Esterbrook Pen Company has introduced beautiful pens and accessories during the last two years.  A number of Esties, JRs, and new writing and journaling accessories have been released one after another. Have you tried their custom nibs? The Journaler is an excellent recreation of a vintage Esterbrook nib. Have you seen the new Bee Page Holder in Brushed Rose? Do you have Patience on your table?

By now, the Esterbrook Pen Company has introduced a number of Estie pen models in two sizes (regular, oversize) and various materials. In November 2021, Esterbrook delighted fountain pen lovers and fans with the release of their first limited edition pink fountain pen called Pink Sands. The all-pink fountain pen is inspired by the pink beaches in Greece, Indonesia, and the Bahamas, and it is a gorgeous coral pink with the proprietary all-pink nib designed in collaboration with Hinze Pen Co.

The Estie Pink Sands in the red Esterbrook box. 

During its first run, 50 Estie Pink Sands fountain pens in palladium trims were sold out in less than 24 hours. Since then, many Esterbrook fans expressed their desire to own one of the rare all-pink Estie. As a second and final limited edition run, Esterbrook has reissued the Pink Sands in gold trims this time. The final run will have 150 pens that are available only through Esterbrook. 

Estie Pink Sands has a unique vibrant color that is a mix of pinks and corals. It comes in a coral pink barrel and cap that sometimes look like red-orange.  

The limited edition Estie Pink Sands in gold trims.

Uncapping the Estie Pink Sands reveals its beautiful pink nib.

The Estie Pink Sands is a light pen even with a full converter. It's easy and comfortable to use for long periods of writing. While some pens need their caps posted for comfortable writing, Pink Sands can be used without posting the cap. I do not usually post my pens because it makes writing uncomfortable for me—the pens become too long and top-heavy. Thankfully, Estie fountain pens can be used comfortably without the need to post the cap. 

The Estie fountain pens also have the cushion cap closure feature that prevents the nib from drying as it provides a secondary seal that ensures the nib does not dry while the pen is capped. 

Pink Sands Estie's cap, section + converter, and barrel.

My Estie Pink Sands is fitted with the unique and one-of-a-kind pink nib made by Hinze Pen Co. I chose a medium nib this time, and I love writing with it. It's wet and has written smoothly out of the box. Estie Pink Sands is also available with standard Extra Fine, Fine, Medium, Broad, or 1.1 Stub nibs. They are also available with the custom Gena Salorino “Journaler” nib, or the Scribe nib by Joshua Lax.

Why 1858? In its rebirth, the Esterbrook Pen Company holds dear the history and story of how the iconic company started. 1858 was the year that entrepreneur Richard Esterbrook established his pen company under the trademark Esterbrook Pen Company, which became one of the biggest and most beloved pen makers in the world. 

The Estie Pink Sands is fitted with a pink nib especially made by Hinze Pen Co. My pen has a smooth medium nib and it writes well every time I use it.

The Estie Pink Sands has Esterbrook's cushion cap closure that provides a secondary seal to ensure that the nib does not dry up. The cap is also engraved with the Esterbrook logo. 

The pattern on the Pink Sands barrel is beautiful. The translucence reflects light beautifully with exceptional gloss and shine.

Now here is something I wish all fountain pen manufacturers would do. The metal threads in the barrel and section of the Pink Sands ensure durability and longevity. The barrel and section will stay in place and won't unscrew unnecessarily.  

Pink Sands is only one of the many beautiful Estie fountain pens that the Esterbrook Pen Company has released in the previous two years. Among these beautiful pens is the Lilac Estie released in 2020 and the Frontier Green Estie that was released in May 2021. 

Three beautiful Esties in Esterbrook's antique brass Patience Tortoise Pen Holder.

Oversize, regular, and small: Rocky Top Estie OS, Pink Sands Estie, and Esterbrook JR.

The Estie Pink Sands is a standard-sized fountain pen, sharing almost the same length as the Laban 325 Snow. It's longer than a TWSBI ECO, Lamy Safari, and Pilot Prera. It's a well-balanced pen that is comfortable to use.

To test how this beautiful pink fountain pen writes, I filled it with Robert Oster Hot Pink, a safe ink for the pink nib. The pen wrote smoothly out of the box. The medium nib wrote smoothly, there were no hard starts, and I had no trouble writing at all. I'm so happy that I chose a Medium nib for my Pink Sands because I can use it for regular writing and drawing. Pink Sands is such an enjoyable pen. It's beautiful, classy, versatile, and one that can be used for long periods of writing without any discomfort.

Jesse's Poem is a perfect poem to try writing with Pink Sands.

In the previous two years, Esterbrook has kept the tradition of providing good quality specialized nibs through the Esterbrook Custom Nib Program to highlight exceptional American nibmeisters. Gena Salorino of the Custom Nib Studio in Los Angeles has created the Journaler, the first edition nib in the series. The second nib in the series was the Scribe, done by JJ Lax. 

The third nib in the series is the Needlepoint, done by Pen Realm's Kirk Speer. Esterbrook has sent me one to try and I fitted it with Pink Sands. The Needlepoint is a modified #6 Fine nib, and it is a true Fine nib but I am surprised at how wet it writes. It's also very timely as I have been using more of my Medium and Fine nibs lately. I enjoyed writing with it and it matched my writing style for now.

The Needlepoint writes wet and smooth, I enjoyed writing with it.

The Needlepoint was modified from a Fine nib.

Pink Sands Estie is truly the right pen for the way I write!

I do not have many pink fountain pens and I am very happy to add one to my collection. I love the Pink Sands Estie and  I recommend it to anyone who wants to explore and know Esterbrook fountain pens. It's a beautiful pen and well-built for long-term use. The Pink Sands is on its final run and only a few pens remain. Make sure you get it before it's gone. Get one for your collection!

Rants of The Archer thanks the Esterbrook Pen Company and Kenro Industries for providing the Pink Sands Estie for review purposes. The Pink Sands Estie fountain pen and the entire Esterbrook collection is available at Esterbrookpens.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)