Bandless Models - It is hard for me to say where these belong. Some say that they are experimental pens but they are too easy to find for that. I am more inclined to think that they are an attempt to hold cost down. The cap band is used for decoration and to reduce splits in the cap. The early Esterbrooks are very well made and it is unusual to see cracked caps in the mottled plastic pens. At any rate they come in all of the standard colors with both a standard and demi sizes. They are also considerably harder to find that similar models that have cap bands.