They are harder to find than most other series, but are the best looking Esterbrook nibs, and the hardened ball is usually nice to use. This is denoted by the first number, which is most commonly a 1, 2 or 9. I won’t argue that the 2000s are quite nice, but I’ve got some fantastic 9000s that are much smoother than 2000s. Esterbrook Nib Chart V2.0 - posted in Esterbrook: Cross posting from Reddit. Hope I sent a few people your way!Well this is informative.
Early 5000- and 7000-series Dip-Less nibs are technically not Renew-Point nibs; they slip with a mating feed into a threaded socket (which can accept either these nibs or Renew-Points) and are locked in place. The 9xxx series also has the most available nib models.Both the 3xxx and 8xxx nib models are highly sought after. So what do these numbers mean?These are the most basic and inexpensive Esterbrook nibs you’ll find and were branded on the nib box as Durachrome. (Later versions of these series are Renew-Point interchangeable.) Here’s one that fits an Osmioroid pen. The stubs are great writers and should be great for drawing, too!I had an Esterbrook a couple of years back. Though my stock is WWII they still hold factory oil to reduce rust. The variety of nibs that Esterbrook made is quite astounding, but can be overwhelming if you don’t know what you’re looking for. These fit into my Estie pens and I have been using them for so many years that I forgot they aren’t actually Estie nibs.
Paper and Ink Arts dot com, Pendemonium dot com, the latter having a slew of vintage nibs for dip and fountain pens. The more uncommon include nibs numbered 6xxx or 7xxx. Entire contents of this Web site (except as noted) The 1xxx can be ok, but out of the ones I used, I would only choose those with folded tips like the 2xxx nibs. Esterbrook Nib Chart This listing of Renew-Point nib units comes from the front of a 1950s display case Esterbrook links: Pen Profile - nib units for sale - pens for sale All I have are their stickers.Glad you found it helpful, Ged! If you start down the path of collecting Esterbrooks, you’ll quickly begin to recognize which nibs are more or less desirable to collectors. I include the 5000 and 7000 series here because they bear 4-digit numbers and are contemporaneous with the Renew-Point. Depending on your needs, you could easily find and choose the correct nib.The Esterbrook Project has a very comprehensive listing of Since Esterbrook already had a history of making nibs, when they started making fountain pens they carried over many of the same naming conventions that they already had in place. Slightly flexible, the nib writes like a super-fine italic.I didn’t know there was such a thing, Susan. It was a fun article to write. My medium nib was great, smooth and awesome.Had? This nib may have been modified at some point. With that many different nibs, they needed a numbering system to differentiate between them. Not as much flex as other flex nibs but very easy to write with.Both appear to be slightly oblique, both are nice and smooth.
These are actually dip pen nibs and were made for the Dip-Less line of desk pens.There are a few other types of Esterbrook nibs out there, some more common than others.
The more common include nibs that are simply marked “Fine”, “Medium” or “Broad” and are comparable to 2xxx series nibs. This is not the best nib for beginners.Incredibly smooth for such a fine nib. Have fun trying them out!John, great article! Let’s get to the nibs!Great flex and variation, my 9048 is almost too fragile to be unscrewed. I always wondered about those numbers etched on estie nibs.