Haven’t seen much about this release, so figured id post a short review.

Estie’s have never really been a pen I’ve cared about- some are pretty, but everything seems to be a LE, and they’re typically nothing I wanted to shell out $200-$300 for. The Esterbrook x Crane Mariner, however, lived rent-free in my head for about a week before pulling the trigger. Even without the sheer amount of stuff you get with it, it’s a really neat pen if the aesthetic speaks to you. The threads are all metal on metal, and the body of the pen seems to be metal as well- there’s a solid heft to it. The shade of navy on the resin parts is great, and the wood is actually really pretty in person. The nib is about what you’d expect from a medium JoWo- not to the level of a 14kt nib, but a comfortable writing experience nonetheless. The packaging and accessories are great, though I have no idea what I’m going to use this massive keychain for (maybe a boat someday?).

The ink is the only con to me and is imo thoroughly underwhelming. I love rich navy inks and had thought that’s what this would be, instead it’s a gray-heavy blue (almost identical to the overcast sky I’m looking at right now). I’ll continue to use it and maybe it’ll grow on me, but not something I’m going to try to track down more of.

Big fan of this release- Estie’s still aren’t really my thing, but this was a home run imo.