Non-Lifetime Sheaffer Balance

[Ray-Vigo]

Intro: I will repeat this several times but I'll open with it:

Non-Lifetime Balance pens are often wonderful in quality and are every bit the equals of a white dot lifetime. Don't be afraid to pick one of these up just because it lacks the white dot.

 

Here we go:

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/SirMike1983/nonlifebalance.jpg

 

I. Appearance: 9.5/10

Here we have a classic: an early 1930s non-lifetime Sheaffer Balance. The Balance is an excellent example of the "streamline" school of industrial design that grew up at the end of the '20s and during the '30s. This color is known as Marine Green. Marine Green mixes a shiny, dark green chip assortment with plain black. This particular Balance also offers the early-mid 1930's short, bent ball clip. There is no White Dot. The nib is simple gold with the 3-25 engraving on it. It is a very nice, clean looking pen overall. Note that Marine Green does have the propensity to discolor- the green turns brownish in many instances. This one has good color.

 

II. Feel In Hand: 9/10

The Balance is very light in-hand. Posting adds some weight, but unposted the pen is quite light. Posted the pen feels to be of moderately light weight still. I would call the feel of this pen as nice and light, but nothing special. So why the very high score? It's simple- the Balance series offered different girths so there's something for everyone. No matter what your preference, you can find something in the ballpark by choosing your model. The pen, true to its name, remains fairly balance posted or not.

 

III. Filling: 9/10

This Balance is a lever fill. "So what!" you may say. However, that's exactly my point in this category. As mundane as a lever action is- it's common for a reason: it's reliable and simple. The lever fill system fills simply and once you're familiar with the process you really can't go wrong. The down side, of course, is that you need to make sure your sac is pliable and the pressure bar is working correctly, but beyond that there isn't too much to it. I actually go higher in this category for the lever than for the Touchdown model. I know some people will certainly disagree- but the lever fills simply and reliable without the use of air seals (which often require fixing for restorers in addition to the sac). The lever is timeless.

 

 

IV. Writing: 8.5-9.0/10

But how does it write? This nib is the non-lifetime 3-25 nib in a medium width. It is fairly firm, but does have a touch of flex.. This nib is really wonderful on the whole, it originally had a slight sharp spot on the inner margin, but a smoothing took that right away. The nib is quite smooth, especially with a more copious ink like Aurora Black. It's certainly a nice writing. The only slight drawback I will note is that the medium width and generous flow do cause some problems on lower quality papers. Feathering, due to the rich flow, does happen on these papers. On paper of any sort of quality, it is wonderful. For that reason, I give a range score- 8.5 on lower quality papers, right up to a full 9 on good paper.

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/SirMike1983/3-25.jpg

 

V. Durability: 8/10

These original Balance pens are now quite old and many are made from Celluloid. Care must be taken to ensure they are not left in extreme environments. This is true of almost all fountain pens though. It's not as durable as modern plastics or metal pens, but it's nothing fragile to hide away either. It gets a decent score, but does suffer a deduction for the propensity for discoloration in the green portions of the pen.

 

 

What to look for:

The fountain pen-

-WATCH FOR WHETHER IT'S A VACUUM FILL or a LEVER FILL!!! (this review covers ONLY LEVER fill)

-new sac and a functioning lever that moves without a struggle, and doesn't flap around freely

-nibs of this vintage can vary in terms of flex- take your pick of them. Most I've encountered tend to be more rigid, especially compared to the Mabie Todds and Watermans of old. The nib, as always, should be free of defects and should write fairly smoothly, though a bit of tooth is often present. This is normal, and you will find a different effect on different papers and with different inks.

-the hard rubber section will often be a bit discolored- you can have this re-blackened, but you don't have to. Often fading of color will not be bad because the cap usually shields the section from UV effects.

-beware of corrosion on the lever as it means you could have corrosion on the pressure bar as well. Replace badly damaged parts as always.

-the section should fit snugly and tightly to the barrel

-check the cap lip for cracks- the threads are usually plastic or celluloid on the same, so cracks may be present sometimes

-you will need bottled ink as the pen doesn't take a modern cartridge

-with celluloid models beware of celluloid damage like cracks or celluloid shrinkage. A little shrinkage may be present, but heavy-duty shrinkage could cause problems

-as always with a lever fill- watch out for cracks around the lever slot

-don't overlook non-lifetime pens. As this one proves, they have much to offer and can be wonderful writers. They are often every bit as good as the lifetime pens.

 

 

The Final Word

The Balance is a classic, plain and simple. You can get a nice writing classic from the 20s, 30s, or 40s that also has the period "streamlined look". They offer a good value too, as they can be had for less than many new pens sell for, and certainly much less than high-grade collector pens sell for. Just remember to out for LEVER VERSUS VACUUM FILL. A Vacuum Fill will most likely need a professional restoration, whereas a lever fill is much simpler. I recommend the Balance highly for those looking for a basic, classic user, or for hardcore collectors. Finally, and most importantly, don't turn down a good Balance because it's not a Lifetime. These non-lifetime Balances are often of high quality, despite the lack of the white dot and the longer guarantee on the pen.

Edited April 6, 2008 by Ray-Vigo

[Maja]

:clap1: Excellent review, Ray-Vigo! Thanks for taking the time to do such a thorough and easy-to-read review.

Oh, and the "What to look for" section of your review is sure to be helpful to those who haven't taken "the vintage plunge" yet. Thanks again!

[goodguy]

Nice review and I share your love and respect to these pens.

I owned a pen exactly like yours but I sold it just because it was too small for my taste.

On the other hand I have 3 Oversize balances with lever fillers and they are indeed WONDERFULL!!!

 

Maja you were always a Sheaffer fan so I expected you to be the first to reply to this lovely review :clap1:

Edited April 6, 2008 by goodguy

[Ray-Vigo]

Thank you for the kind comments.

 

In many ways these reviews are here to help people get into vintage pens. Most of the more experienced locals in this forum know well about the Balances, Duofolds, Touchdowns, etc. However, I know there are people out there looking to buy a vintage pen, but who aren't sure what to get or to look for. I do these reviews to try and help them (or anyone for that matter) get a handle on some of the pens out there. I guess in a way I'm trying to write a helpful little thumbnail guide as to what to look for in certain pens. It can be daunting to buy vintage, especially given the age and variety of the offerings, but information does help, I think.

[Maja]

Thank you for the kind comments.

 

In many ways these reviews are here to help people get into vintage pens. Most of the more experienced locals in this forum know well about the Balances, Duofolds, Touchdowns, etc. However, I know there are people out there looking to buy a vintage pen, but who aren't sure what to get or to look for. I do these reviews to try and help them (or anyone for that matter) get a handle on some of the pens out there. I guess in a way I'm trying to write a helpful little thumbnail guide as to what to look for in certain pens. It can be daunting to buy vintage, especially given the age and variety of the offerings, but information does help, I think.

Absolutely!

 

(and to goodguy: )

[Mrsal]

exactly, there is nothing wrong with a non white dot pen!

[georges zaslavsky]

non white dot pens can be as every bit good as white dot pens.

[SusanLowe]

I've got three 'non-white dot' Sheaffers and they all write beautifully. One is a snorkel filler; one is an early black 1930s piston filler (which I don't seem to be able to make fill reliably so I'm going to have it serviced) and one which looks like a 1988 'old timer' and takes modern cartridges. I love them all. My snorkel filler is every bit as smooth as my modern Cross pens and I love writing with it..

[jar]

You have to remember that this was a period when pens like these only carried a 25 year warranty. How many things today would qualify for that?