Back in the day, you didn’t have to change your pen if you became bored with how it wrote. You just bought another nib. Vintage Esterbrook pens are affordable and easy to find, and offer new-to-vintage fountain pen collectors the joy of interchangeable nibs. (Esterbrook.net is the online destination for Estie information, pictures and more.)
I managed to acquire several uncommon nibs, including a 9128 (Flexible Extra Fine) and a 9284 (Signature Stub). The most common Esterbrook nib is the 2668, an all-purpose medium. Well, you know me. I am adamantly anti-medium.
The nibs screw in and out easily. I think I have to replace this Estie’s sac, though.
These nibs were the workhorses of their era: steel nibs, not gold; and no iridium tipping, which meant they would eventually wear down from daily use. The previous generation’s disposable is now our collectible. That only seems fair.
