The New Sheaffer 300 Pens

[PenHero]

Fellow Collectors,

 

Sheaffer has introduced two new finishes on the Sheaffer 300 and your local dealer should either have them available or be able to get them from the distributor.

 

The finishes are black with 22 karat gold trim and Straightline Chased Chrome plate.

 

You will recognize the two-tone gold plated Prelude stainless steel nib on the gold trim fountain pen, while the Straightline Chased Chrome plate pen uses the unadorned Prelude stainless steel nib.

 

The pens are heavier than the Prelude, and more cylindrical in shape.

 

The retail prices are:

 

Fountain pen - US $75.00

Rollerball pen - US $60.00

Ballpoint pen - US $50.00

 

These prices are $5.00 per pen higher than the rest of the 300 line.

 

The fountain pen uses the standard Sheaffer cartridges and comes with a converter. The rollerball pen uses the international type refills.

 

[kuno]

Interesting...I love Sheaffer pens but it just seems like the nib and the section could be so much better. I wonder how the 300 line is selling. I can't imagine a lot of the old Sheaffer pen aficionados coming back for the 300 when they still have Snorkels and Targas and Balances in quantity out there.

[watch_art]

I agree. It's not nearly as attractive as their vintage lines. Looking only at the nib and section, it just screams "cheap chinese pen". But maybe that's just me.

[bogiesan]

Thanks. No appeal to me, only makes me appreciate all the more the NOS Sheaffers I've been buying (mostly from Peyton) since becoming interested in fountain pens.

Since Sheaffer is only one brand of the mother company, one presumes the marketing arm knows what it is doing. These apparently are designed to sell to a demographic we perhaps do not understand.

 

david boise ID

[davefoe]

These pens look attractive to me. Nice additions to the line, I think.

[carlosjaviercontreras]

Looking only at the nib and section, it just screams "cheap chinese pen".

 

+1. Btw, cheap chinese pens are cheap. Take a Sheaffer pen, then remove everything but the name on it. You'll have one on those 300.

[freewheelingvagabond]

I would have done a review of this pen, but unfortunately my camera is not working, and also my father liked this pen, so I've given it to him. This was my first 'serious' fountain pen, purchased in August 2009. It is metallic, very heavy with the cap posted. It is large in size, is probably what one calls a standard size. A rigid, smooth nib, and ranks 5/10 on the wetness scale.

I liked the pen, apart from it's weight, it would weigh around 3 Lamy 2000s put together.

 

Regards,

Anindya.

[PenHero]

I'd be interested in seeing a member do a side by side comparison of this pen with the Prelude (my comparison would sound too much like a dealer review, I'm afraid, and I don't want to flog product here). As of now, both are made in China. I personally don't find the 300 or any other current Chinese made Sheaffer pens "cheap". I've done side by side comparisons with the older lines that are now made in China, and the quality is the same.

 

Sheaffer (yes, they are a BIC brand ) has already shown that they will make this model in both metal and plastic resin, where the Prelude is a metal only pen. And the 300 is a bit heavier than the Prelude. Before the 300 (and 500) came out, Sheaffer made a big deal about the heft and the articulated solid clip on the pen. It also only came in a ballpoint and pencil initially. So the 300 offers options not currently available on the Prelude.

 

By expanding the 300 line, it looks like Sheaffer sees this line as another leader in the sub $100 gift market, considering that the Prelude is a 15 year old model that still sells well (and it is a classic design). Proven, yes, but there are people who want to see new designs.

 

I don't have any illusions of the 300 appealing to collectors of older Sheaffer pens. I don't think that is the intent. Legacy, yes. 300, no.

Edited November 30, 2010 by PenHero

[davefoe]

Well put, Jim. I think it's nice that they are expanding this line, and I imagine it is an impressive pen to hold, and at a reasonable price. The Prelude style nibs are good writers, too.

 

Today's Sheaffer offerings are more diverse than in the 1950s, when you basically had one style of pen (the cigar-shaped Snorkel, TipDip and cartridge pens) with two basic nibs (Triumph and standard), with the only variations being the trim, caps, etc. So in a way it's quite remarkable that we have all these pens in the much-reduced fountain pen market of the 2000s.

 

Dave

[kuno]

That's not a bad point. I might have been mistaken about the 300. After all, a pen that looks great (or horrible) in picture sometimes do prove to be lousy (or fantastic) in the hand...perhaps I will try one out at my local pen shop near Christmastime.

[Silvermink]

Huh. I like mine, but mine is the red version and the red and blue ones lack the brass body, which I think all the others have; I find them lighter and better-balanced.

[RockFL]

Honestly, I don't see the "cheap Chinese pen" in this style at all. I rather like that flat top with a black & gold finish.....it seems contemporary and understated to me.

 

I'm very fond of my Prelude, especially since I've found an excellent ink & nib combination (medium point with J. Herbin 1670), so I'm not put off by the Prelude-style nib.

 

The price doesn't sound too high, but we don't have any pen shops in Central Florida which carry Sheaffer in stock, so I'll have to take everyone's word for the quality look & feel. If it's comparable to my Prelude, I wouldn't be disappointed at that price point.

[watch_art]

Honestly, I don't see the "cheap Chinese pen" in this style at all. I rather like that flat top with a black & gold finish.....it seems contemporary and understated to me.

 

 

Specifically, I mean the section and nib and how tiny they look compared to the rest of the pen. It's a sharp pen and I like the cap and shape, but the taper of the section and that TINY nib just kill it for me.

[Scribero ergo sum]

...we don't have any pen shops in Central Florida...

 

Brief side point: I can second this statement, very sadly so. How a city of 2+ million people cannot support one full-blooded pen store is both a mystery and a frustration to me.

 

Back to the topic: the new chrome 300 has a bit of a classic look to it. I've wanted a new Sheaffer for a while now and I think this will be it.

 

Thanks, too, to Jim for the news.

[lovemy51]

let me revive this "not too old" thread to say: i bought one today and i think is way better built than the Prelude. don't ask me to do a "side-by-side" cuz' i never liked the feel of the Prelude, so never bought one.

 

the spring clip makes it so convenient to take in any pocket, shirt or blazer. the gold appointments make this pen very attractive in real life.

 

 

BTW, mine is the black resin one. i don't like the marbled body ones... i think they do scream "cheap".

[Flounder]

I kind of like that two-tone nib on the left, it does sort of hark back to the old gold washed palladium silver nibs. I have to say there is a certain something in the shape and design of the section that made me think of Chinese pens.

 

What I'd really like to see from Sheaffer is a new mid range pen with either the old long style inlaid nib, or a new take on the theme. I wrote to them last year to enquire, but they don't have any plans for that sort of thing. It's a shame the Imperial line in the 90's had such a short run.

[tonybelding]

Honestly, I don't see the "cheap Chinese pen" in this style at all.

 

I don't see the "Sheaffer" in this style. If there wasn't a white dot on it, would you even know what it was?

 

Ironically, I have Wing Sung 234s (I got for $5 each) that look more like Sheaffers. They have a Triumph-like conical nib and a body resembling a Targa. Plus an aerometric filler just to confuse things further.

[TechWriter]

Hi,

 

The pens are attractive and serve a niche in the market and are probably justified as another way to maximize profits, which sort of puts them in the "me to" category of pens.

 

Andy

[Black Rose]

I like the look of these pens.

 

Unfortunately all I can find are ones with medium nib.

 

Anyone know how the M nib on the 300 compares to the M nib of a the "good" NoNonsense pens?

[lovemy51]

I like the look of these pens.

 

Unfortunately all I can find are ones with medium nib.

 

Anyone know how the M nib on the 300 compares to the M nib of a the "good" NoNonsense pens?

 

i like my 300 M better, but YMMV!