Sheaffer Triumph Vacuum Filler Carmine Red XF nib

April 4, 2009

I was a bit surprised to see that this pen wasn't reviewed here. I'm, in fact, slightly surprised that quite many of Sheaffer's vintage models are not reviewed here.

Look & Finish 4-4.5/5

This is a beautiful pen. The carmine red stripes reflects the light and have a very fine finish - after about 60 years in service. It has a broad, extravagant, gold band on the cap which gives character and rememberance of the 40s. The combination of the sleek, streamlined body and the extravagant gold band gives this pen an original and a cosmopolitan personality. I like it. It has a great shape. The special duo toned cone shaped nib adds to this feeling. It looks as innovative as it is. Even if it is a reminder of the 40s, it also has a timeless quality and beauty.

Especially regarding the fact that this was supposed to be a "ordinary" daily user, and that it has been in use for over 60 years, the look and finish is well worth 4-4.5/5

Filling system 4/5
This pen has a newly restored vacuum filling system that works flawlessly. It sucks a big chunk of ink and this filling system is very easy to use and more easy to flush than I had expected. If it were not for the fact that it is expensive to repair the filling system, it would have got 4.5/5.

Nib & Performance 4/5

This is not a nib for people who detest stiff nibs. This is Sheaffers innovative conic nib made to write through duplicate papers. Someone wrote that these nibs can be used as nails without breaking, and that is probably right. However; this is a smooth stiff nib which is very pleasant to write with. The nib width is not marked, but I believe it is a XF, or even a XXF (but I don't know if Sheaffer manufactured XXF nibs for the Triumph). It lays down a very, very fine line which is perfect for notes in the margin. It is pleasant both to take notes and write more extensively with. It is not a wet writer, though, so some inks doesn't work well in this pen. I have - this far - concluded that it seems to like Diamine inks, but is a bit picky when it comes to Noodler's. Pelikan seems to work OK, but I'm not sure yet. The nib is also very handsome - both original and functional at the same time. Clever.

Since it is a dry writer it takes a word or two before it starts properly, but when it is started there isn't any problem with skipping. One of the best things with this nib is that it writes a very fine line and, at the same time, is surprisingly smooth to write with, which brings the over all grade for nib performance to 4/5.

Size and balance 4/5
This is a slim, but not tiny, pen. It is slightly longer than a Pelikan 400 and is very well balanced when posted. I I find it less balanced/comfortable to write with unposted, that is why it only gets 4/5 and not 5/5.

Value for the money 5/5
Including the repair of the filling system I've paid about $60 for this pen. With regards to its quality it is a steal. You can get few - if any - modern pens with that kind of lasting quality to a price equivalent or less to $60.

Overall performance
This is a very well made pen. It is made sometimes during the 40s and is still in a great condition (except for the initial need to restore the filling system). It is well built and the barrel and cap has aged very well. No discolouration and no brassing. I think it is hard to find this kind of quality in most contemporary pens. I also thinks a used vintage pen, purchased from another country, makes a very nice acquaintance. I like to fantasise about what the pen have been through and what might have been written with it.

Edited April 5, 2009 by dandelion

April 4, 2009

I have the green version of this pen, restored by Ron Zorn a few months ago.

It is a tremendous writer that I think gets overlooked because of how much of a pain restoring vac-fils can be. But when these pens leave the hands of Messrs. Binder and Zorn (or the other hardworking penmeisters who take on vac-fil restoration without flinching), you can count on them writing and functioning the way they did when they left Fort Madison nearly seven decades ago.

The Triumph nibs are great. Yes, they're stiff, but they are smooth, precise and every bit the equal of the "51" -- which is where this pen was positioned in the Sheaffer lineup in the 1940s: to go toe-to-toe with Parker's best pens.

April 4, 2009

Great review, and great photos. Now I'm really on eggshells waiting for my Triumph (in basic black) to arrive.

(and thinking maybe I want a carmine one, too...)

April 5, 2009

I was a bit surprised to see that this pen wasn't reviewed here. I'm, in fact, slightly surprised that quite many of Sheaffer's vintage models are not reviewed here.

Nice review, Dandelion. Actually, there are a lot of Sheaffer's reviewed on FPN... the problem is the Sheaffer pen naming convention having some confusion (some inconsistent use of names). In order to fit the reviews in some kind of order, I had to stick with one convention--so, it might cause some people to miss a few. Although there are a lot of Triumph nibbed Sheaffer's reviews, this is probably the first that has just 'Triumph' as the model name (so it is under Triumph).

The Carmine Red is a great color!

Edited April 5, 2009 by MYU