I have a fondness for esties too - my first real restoration was a black Dollar pen. With a good Estie that generally means a resac, nib flush, and polish, and I enjoyed every minute. My favorites are still dollar pens and comprise most of what I have in the world of Esterbrook.
For years I considered myself a "user" only - my ebay moniker is userpens - but finally admitted that I was a collector too when I had many more pens than I could or would use. So, I call my Superlative Writers a subset collection of the whole. There are a few dozen there and I love to write with every one (they are not just users - they are FANTASTIC users). I no longer feel anguish that I can't possibly use/ enjoy writing with all the pens I have. And there are some that I just can't bring myself to write with or carry - too rare, too fragile, too historical, whatever the reason. "What are you carrying today, Calluna?" "Oh, I have a Lamy 2K, an M600, an Omas, and a Ripley Vacumatic in the pen case today!" Nope, can't do it.
Sorry for sidebar response to earlier posts... I struggled with this for a long time.
Bookmarks