This is a guest blog post by Rhys Wilson of Rhys' Pieces custom pen maker
I’ve seen a fair bit of hubbub roiling around various fountain pen groups recently. Esterbrook’s latest special edition, the Avalanche colorway of the Estie, was released with an eye-watering (to some folks) $350 price tag. Now, the standard Estie is not a cheap pen by any means, at around $200 depending on retailer, but what makes this special edition worth nearly double the price? Well, manufactured scarcity definitely plays a role, we humans are woefully susceptible to FOMO and there are only a limited number of these made, but the big selling point for a lot of people is the material: DiamondCast.
What is DiamondCast? Well, to start, it’s one of MY absolute favorite materials to make pens with. From the McKenzie Penworks website:
“DiamondCast® is a patented (Patent #12,005,614) material made with a urethane resin designed for us by ThermoSet Solutions in Michigan and a combination of real diamond and various pigments. We mix our resin in a state of the art mixer that removes air from the mix and all blanks are heat cured for maximum strength.”
That’s right - real, gem-quality diamonds, ethically sourced as waste from gem cutting, are mixed into this material. And let me tell you, there is absolutely a difference in the level and fire of sparkle you get from a DiamondCast blank versus a blank made with mica powders and glitters! It must be a pretty darn expensive material then, right?
Well, no, and therein lies a lot of the issues that people seem to be having with the price of the Avalanche. A DiamondCast blank large enough to make a complete pen costs $15-$18, the same as just about any kitless pen blank on the market. In fact, I have purchased and used the same Copperline DiamondCast blanks (or very similar, the Avalanche material does look to have been a custom tweak on that mix) to make a couple pens in the past, and it is a currently-available option from McKenzie Penworks.
There are a lot of very talented independent custom pen makers (and a few mediocre ones such as myself (:P)), who can use these same, or similar, materials to make something truly one-of-a-kind for you, and oftentimes it is going to cost less than some of these recent special editions. Does that mean that the Estie Avalanche is a horribly-overpriced pile of junk? Absolutely not. The Estie is a fantastic pen, with features that few custom pen makers offer, such as the springed inner cap. However, with the increasing exposure and popularity of the custom pen scene, fountain pen enthusiasts are starting to realize that some of these beautiful resins are relatively inexpensive and commonly available. Why give the big guy more money, when you can shop with the small guy AND get a pen custom-tailored to your preferences. Like a long section? We got you. Want something super wide or skinny? No problem. The sky is truly the limit with a non-production pen, and many, if not most makers use Jowo-made nibs. So, if you’ve been eyeing a Journaler nib, a custom pen can/will be compatible.
I’m incredibly excited for folks like Jonathan Brooks and Tim McKenzie (of Carolina Pen Company and McKenzie Penworks, respectively); it’s so cool to see small businesses like theirs grow from casting blanks in their garages, to supplying some of the world’s largest pen companies with material for special editions. It gives me hope that I can carve out my little niche in the community, and continue to make cool, custom pens for people for years to come; and I’m excited to be able to use some of these same, or similar, materials. Is the addition of DiamondCast to the Estie Avalanche worth the increased cost over a base model? Well, that’s your decision to make for yourself. If you do get one, I KNOW you’re going to love that sparkle.