Best Sheaffer Pen?

[freshcinnamon]

No price limit!!

In the market to buy a pen from each different famous pen brand

Which Sheaffer pen do you think is the best?

thanks lots!!!!

[cocoliso22]

Sheaffer PFM IV or V, if possible with a B or Stub nib, a pen of your dreams. Greetings.

[elmer1950]

Really PFM IV or V. I prefer PFM IV because its cap is nicest.

If you cannot get these, Legacy would be OK.

[tonybelding]

I personally find the PFM a bit chubby and homely-looking for my taste. It just depends on whether you like an oversized pen, I guess. The one I have is certainly well made and an excellent writer.

 

I'm on cloud nine with my recently acquired Imperial VI though. I fancy it as Sheaffer's ultimate rebuttal to the Parker 51. Strangely, I don't see many VIs popping up on eBay, but when they do appear they go for a song. For such an iconic -- not to mention high quality -- fountain pen, the lack of collector interest is puzzling. I got one recently in near-mint condition with matching pencil for $16.77 plus shipping. Or you can buy a brand new Sheaffer Legacy Heritage with the same trim level and a list price of $350. Seems like an easy choice to me.

 

Another pen that I have a special fondness for is the 1940s Triumph, with the beautiful striped celluloid and the huge conical/tubular nib. The vac-fil models (which are most of them) are notoriously difficult to restore, but once properly restored they work well and are robust. I like the "Valiant" variant best of all, which is a wee bit fatter than the regular Triumph. The heft and slight chubbiness -- but very sleek streamlined shape -- are highly appealing to me.

[Silvermink]

I'm fond of the PFM, OS Balance, and Flat Top. I also have a very nice early Crest lever filler - among the largest of said 1940s Triumphs - though it needs a little work.

Edited January 30, 2011 by Silvermink

[jimhughes]

With the caveate, I don't do modern, with the exception of custom makers. I love a Lifetime Flat top or Balance. For a bit of a different nib and filling mechanism, go Tuckie with a Triumph, sheath, conical nib. It has a turned up nose with a huge sweet spot and is a Vacu-Fil. It too comes in a Lifetime model. Beautiful writers, and a classic style. Prices on them are reasonable here on FPN or EBay. Jim

[Glenn-SC]

OS Balance in red veined gray pearl.

[br549]

OS Balance in red veined gray pearl.

I second that. I recently finished restoring a white dot Lifetime version of this same pen and it's an excellent writer. IMO, it has the best length and width of my Sheaffers. My touchdown Sentinel with a triumph nib is a close second.

[DrPJM1]

For my hand, the OS Balance and Balance II pens are the best.

http://i796.photobucket.com/albums/yy241/DrMonzon/IMG_2109.jpg

[Martius]

Honestly, there is an exemplary model from every decade from 1920-2010. This is not so of every pen company. You have to choose which era you like best if you're only looking for one pen. My opinion is that the "golden age" of Sheaffer corresponded to the height of fountain pen manufacture in general - 1920-1960 - so you might want to look over the Balance (1930's), the Vac-Fil and Touchdown Triumph (1941-1952), and the Snorkel models including the PFM (1952-1968). The PFM, of course, is one of the best Sheaffers, and I believe it was the last great effort of the era of fountain pens in the West. My favorite Sheaffer overall is the TM Snorkel (1952-1957), particularly the Valiant. Best of luck - do yourself a favor and try out a few Sheaffers!

[Ron Z]

OS Balance in red veined gray pearl.

 

That also happens to be the most vulnerable of the Sheaffer celluloids, followed by black and pearl. I see a lot of these with crazing and cracks running through them. They don't always respond well to attempts to repair them.

[georges zaslavsky]

sheaffer vac fill os balance in brown striated celluloid, green striated celluloid and grey striated cellulid as well as sheaffer pfm II and pfmIII in blue

[Penman222]

Honestly, there is an exemplary model from every decade from 1920-2010. This is not so of every pen company. You have to choose which era you like best if you're only looking for one pen. My opinion is that the "golden age" of Sheaffer corresponded to the height of fountain pen manufacture in general - 1920-1960 - so you might want to look over the Balance (1930's), the Vac-Fil and Touchdown Triumph (1941-1952), and the Snorkel models including the PFM (1952-1968). The PFM, of course, is one of the best Sheaffers, and I believe it was the last great effort of the era of fountain pens in the West. My favorite Sheaffer overall is the TM Snorkel (1952-1957), particularly the Valiant. Best of luck - do yourself a favor and try out a few Sheaffers!

 

+1 - The Snorkel Valiant is as about as good as it gets.

[bogiesan]

No definitive answer was offered so how are you all assessing "best?"

 

Was the OP after a pen with a unique and elegant nib or a unique body design?

 

Unlike the OP, price is everything for me so I seek value. Of my many Sheaffers, the five I use the most all have fabulous nibs and exhibit great writing capabilities. The "best" is the one I happen to have in my hand.

 

david boise ID

[ashbridg]

I would choose a pen with the three features that in my judgment best exemplify Sheaffer:

 

1) Their gorgeous hand-turned celluloid,

2) Sheaffer’s elegant Vac-Fil system, and

3) The famous Triumph conical nib (I prefer the largest size in 14k gold with an upturned point and platinum-lined nib slit).

 

The example I have is a 1940s Triumph Lifetime, striated gold and brown, with a wide, gold-filled cap band.

 

However, another pen, which lacks these features, is a close runner up. I’ve had my PFM III Snorkel for 50 years and love it. Sheaffer’s inlaid nib is blockbuster, nobody else could do it. And the Snorkel feed is unique, too.

 

It’s a close call, but for me the Triumph's hand-crafted celluloid and Vac-Fil system win by a nose over the injection-molded plastic PFM. (Or, you could call it a tie and buy both pens).

 

Ashby

Edited February 1, 2011 by ashbridg

[MSB]

OS Balance in red veined gray pearl.

 

That also happens to be the most vulnerable of the Sheaffer celluloids, followed by black and pearl. I see a lot of these with crazing and cracks running through them. They don't always respond well to attempts to repair them.

 

Very interesting. I've seen several red-vein gray pearl pens that look just fine. Was the plastic better made or were these pens not subjected to bad storage conditions? Since they have survived well this long, will they continue in good condition if well stored, or is the red-vein gray pearl plastic doomed to self destruct? ... probably no one knows the answers.

[DrPJM1]

OS Balance in red veined gray pearl.

 

That also happens to be the most vulnerable of the Sheaffer celluloids, followed by black and pearl. I see a lot of these with crazing and cracks running through them. They don't always respond well to attempts to repair them.

 

 

However, Ron did a masterful repair on a red-veined OS I dropped in Las Vegas. I could barely tell where it had cracked. The pen is still a keeper!

[Glenn-SC]

OS Balance in red veined gray pearl.

 

That also happens to be the most vulnerable of the Sheaffer celluloids, followed by black and pearl. I see a lot of these with crazing and cracks running through them. They don't always respond well to attempts to repair them.

 

Very interesting. I've seen several red-vein gray pearl pens that look just fine. Was the plastic better made or were these pens not subjected to bad storage conditions? Since they have survived well this long, will they continue in good condition if well stored, or is the red-vein gray pearl plastic doomed to self destruct? ... probably no one knows the answers.

And I have one where the barrel end just crazed to dust and fell away!

I polished the end square and now it looks like a "Half Balance"!

[Robert1639]

For an everyday writer can't beat a Targa, and the 600's are beautiful, for an iconic filling system, a snorkel or a PFM is hard to beat and a great writer. The Vac-fils from the 40's with the striated barrel and triumph nibs are beautiful and write like a dream.

[PAKMAN]

OS Balance, lever fill carmine red!