Nobody Ever Texted A Mission Statement

So I recommend you find a more permanent communication device. I give you the Esterbrook Model J in Lotus Green. 

Pen people are slightly connected to watch people, but in truth they are a tribe unto themselves. Watches, by and large, come as they are. True, you can order a custom Sartory-Billard, or Holthinrichs watch, but by and large you buy what the brand has made. You might put your own twist on it with a different strap, but for the most part that's it.

For pen people, it's often a wee bit different. Some of it's about heft (i.e. how much it weighs, how dense it feels in your hand), for some it's about the flow of the ink from the nib, for others it's about how stiff or flexible the nib is. Others are solely focused on the name on the box that the pen came in. Pen people, like watch people, are often looking for that extra bit of validation.

I have been guilty of this, with a flock of Pelikan pens in various drawers and pen boxes. I had an opportunity to check out Esterbook's pens back in October and I took the Model J for a test drive.

It is available in two colors. And as you came to Henki Time for the words, and not the photos, I will borrow a better image from the folks at Esterbrook -

Courtesy of Esterbook

This is the Model J in Antique Rose. It was a close contest, but in the end I opted for the Lotus Green with a broad nib. Yes, to quote that other great commentator on watches and pens, Boz Skaggs, I put my money on the table and drove it off the lot.

Now should you ever encounter my handwriting, you will scratch your head, and wonder why I would bother even trying to use anything so elegant. Well, that is an answer in two parts:

Part One:

Just prior to my sixth birthday, I took an ill advised leap off of our neighbor's swing set. According to my mother, it was a multiple break "2 or 3 places!" Luckily, long-suffering family friend and neighborhood doctor, Dr. Mason, was on hand to splint me up in (according to my father) that day's copy of the New York Times. The accuracy of that last factoid remains lost to history, but after an overnight stay at Allen Memorial Hospital, and six weeks in plaster, I went off to first grade where they tried as best they could to get me to hold a pencil correctly, and produce anything that might vaguely pass as handwriting. What was not realized at the time was that there was nerve damage in the arm - and therefore the hand as well. About a year after leaving the U of O, I picked up a fountain pen and used it from time to time, nothing too serious. Almost as much an affectation as anything else. But I did notice that it forced me to be more patient when writing. Wendy gave me a Parker Sonnet for our first wedding anniversary. But by and large, I still mostly used ball points or roller balls.

Part Two:

In 2009 I took a rather nasty tumble off my Gitane Team Replica bike (it is worth noting that the only 2 cycling accidents I have had have been on blue French bicycles - my Peugeot in 1982, and the Gitane). I managed to drag my face along the tarmac for a good 25 feet. Two front teeth, literally the skin off my nose, a knee filled with gravel (of which the removal was excruciating), and two broken fingers later, I was back at work. And needless to say, holding a pen was also, excruciating. 

I started trying to get control of my hand, and its now semi-serviceable fingers. And I started writing exclusively with fountain pens as a type of physical therapy as it forced me to focus my actions and motions. And for the most part? I never looked back.

But back to my new Esterbrook -

It is safe to say, that not unlike watches, when it comes to pens you have plenty to choose from. Some of it well worth the money, some of it disappointing. The Esterbrook does not disappoint! I opted for a broad nib. The feel is forgiving without being flimsy. The ink flows evenly, and it requires little to no downward force. 

It is crafted of ebonite, and therefore has a wonderfully warm feeling in the hand. And it now has me looking at it's Antique Rose partner.

While it is not inexpensive, it is not outrageously priced at $295. Now while that would have been way out of my league as a freshly minted graduate with journalistic ambitions, it is certainly not too outlandish. It is the type of pen that just might inspire the next Charles Foster Kane (ideally the one before his fall from grace).

So for those of you out there working on a business plan, a mission statement or even a declaration of principles...

Get yourself a decent pen, and write like you give a damn!