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Sheaffer Prelude G/T


Cerbeos

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First Impressions (8/10)

Being my first fountain pen and due to the pictures I had seen of it before, I was expecting this pen to be much bulkier than it actually is. I was first turned off by this but after writing with it for a little while, it is very nice. The brushed chrome and gold accents on the pen make it look superb.

 

Appearance (9.5/10)

This would have received a 10 if it were not for the rubber grip on the pen itself. While the pen is capped however, it looks amazing to me. The nib itself is very attractive as well. As I stated above I absolutely love how the brushed steel and the gold accents look. Very sophisticated look in my opinion, and if posting the cap ever does leave a mark on the body, it will be very unlikely that you will be able to notice it due to the styling of the body.

 

Design/Size/Weight (8/10)

Heavy. First thoughts, and still with me. However, this was something that I was looking forward to. Too many times has the following occurred; buy a pen or pencil, which looks great, high quality, and has a great feeling in your hand. But alas, it only weighs 0.002 pounds. The entire experience can be ruined for me if something is too light. This pen has a very nice weight to it and seems to write very well.

 

One comment that I can say about the design/weight is that then pen, to me, feels much better whenever it is posted. The only bad thing is how the cap posts and the way it feels whenever you put it on the body. I wish they would have put mabye an o-ring in the cap itself so that it would seat a little bit nicer. Even if you don’t like to post the cap, the pen still feels very nice, but it does seem nicer whenever it is posted.

 

The cap itself, while capping the pen, snaps into place very securely and makes me feel ‘important’ or gives me the feeling of accomplishing something. Just a nice feeling :).

 

Nib (8/10)

Despite the reviews I had seen while researching for my first good fountain pen, my Prelude nib does not feel ‘scratchy’ or dry at all. While this may be a production of my being new to the fountain pen scene, but I was expecting this Medium nib to be a little smaller than it actually is. It is not overly big at all, I was just expecting something a bit smaller. I probably should have ordered a Fine for my writing style. I would have gotten an Extra Fine if they would have offered one so I could use my fountain pen in everything I do; be it a fast paced college class with lots of notes or just the casual note taking sessions that I’ll be able to use this medium nib for.

 

Filling System (5/5)

Rating this out of 5 due to not using converter.

 

I have only used the cartridges for my pen so far. The bookstore has packages of 5 carts for $0.99. An entire $4.00 less than everywhere else I’ve found them!

 

I do plan on getting a bottle of ink in the near future and will be able to use the included converter then.

 

Cost and Value (7/10)

For my first fountain pen, this was very pricey. Plus it is only leading to me wanting to get more and more fountain pens as I discover what I love! However, this pen is very high quality for what I am used to and I do believe I will get tons of use out of it. The value will obviously start to increase once I get a bottle of ink and stop using cartridges.

 

Conclusion (45.5/55)

All in all this is a great pen. Especially for a first pen and those who don’t want to get a Lamy Safari or the like. Much more of a professional feel than I believe something like a Safari could deliver. This was something that was important to me for my first fountain pen even though my next buy is going to be a Safari :)!

 

 

 

 

EDIT: Added Pictures

 

The first two of my pen itself, while the third is a stock photo (obviously). Sorry for the bad quality, all I have is my cell phone!

 

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/cerbeos/0109091634.jpg

 

 

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/cerbeos/0109091634a.jpg

 

 

http://www.penherostore.com/catalog/SheafferPreludeBrushChromeGT.jpg

Edited by Cerbeos
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Welcome to FPN!!!

 

Nice review! The Prelude was my first fountain pen too! I still have it just because it feels and writes well.

 

Safari is indeed a good choice for your next pen..... I see from your review that you like sophisticated looking pens, thus I would suggest you check out some Cross, Pilot, and some other brands in the Safari's price range. No doubt the Safari is a real good pen and you won't go wrong with a Safari. I myself own a great yellow safari. But just to widen your choices you may want to look at the other brands.....

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Thanks!

 

Yeah I had actually ran across the Pilot Knight Collection and I absolutely love them. However, they only come in Medium nibs and I am trying to get something I'll be able to use all the time. And I just looked at Cross' website and the only pen they have that would be in my budget is a Century II Fountain. It's regularly $95 but they have it marked down to $32. The only bad thing is, again, it only comes in a Medium nib ><.

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Hey one more short question. Just to confirm what I'm finding everywhere, the Cross nibs act just as Lamy nibs? I found places selling just the actual nib itself, I'm assuming that the pen (Century II) can be swapped inbetween nibs for that pen?

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Nice review, now I've got to go get one of my Preludes and put it into the rotation for next week! What color is the pen body on yours?

 

They are very nice pens, I have a mini collection of them.

 

Old style:

Rainbow

Collegiate Pastel Blue

Polished Copper fp, rb and bp

Ruby with Palladium Cap

Sapphire with Palladium Cap

 

New style:

Black and red mottled with black trim.

 

Hope you enjoy yours as much as I have mine!

PAKMAN

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Just noticed something. Went to switch to a new cartridge this morning for classes today and I noticed that whenever you use a cartridge (Sheaffer ones) there is a gap inbetween the golden colorband and where the body screws onto the nib unit. You probably could close it with force, but I don't know how much I trust the plastic threading on the nib unit. Will take pictures whenever I get home and update review with pictures.

 

Note: The gap is not there when the converter is in the pen. Only when a cartridge is in use.

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Hi again!

 

I guess Sheaffer carts and barrels are designed that way..... I have noticed this with all my sheaffers, even the older versions like the Targa and Imperial. They made it that way, probably to ensure that the cart stays in place and doesn't come off and make a mess inside the barrel.

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Picture including gap from converter. (And I'm amazed how hard it is to get a nice close-up of the nib, and absolutely flabbergasted on how scratched my nib is! I was expecting nice and shiny when I got a close-up!!!)

 

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/cerbeos/IMG_2290.jpg

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The entire experience can be ruined for me if something is too light.

I've been given to understand that a pen should be lightweight so that one can write with it comfortably for a long time.

 

Alas, I believe this to be true for me after my modern Vanishing Point becomes less comfortable to use as time goes on. Fortunately it is awesome for rapid quick notes, which is mostly what I do. I now have another VP but the older style that is lightweight.

 

Of course I do need to get to the gym and work on getting properly pumped up... :)

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  • 4 weeks later...
Thanks!

 

Yeah I had actually ran across the Pilot Knight Collection and I absolutely love them. However, they only come in Medium nibs and I am trying to get something I'll be able to use all the time. And I just looked at Cross' website and the only pen they have that would be in my budget is a Century II Fountain. It's regularly $95 but they have it marked down to $32. The only bad thing is, again, it only comes in a Medium nib ><.

 

I just thought I'd mention that, generally, the Cross medium nib is smaller than the Sheaffer medium nib. When I bought my Prelude I ordered a medium because that's what I always used and liked with Cross. But come to find out, the stroke is much broader on the Sheaffer, so I had to reorder a fine point. So I think if you had to try out a Cross with a medium it wouldn't be so bad -- for that matter, I'm not even sure Cross sells a fine point. I've never seen one. But maybe I just haven't clicked enough drop down menus. :)

 

About the cap and posting on the Prelude -- I totally agree with you. It's the only thing that bothers me even a little bit about mine (which I love to death). If there was a soft band to slide it over the back of the pen, or something else that would make it stay better without making me feel like it was going to leave a mark, that would be nice. I do prefer when my pens are posted, partially for feel, and partially so I don't lose the cap.

 

Also, I agree the Prelude has a nice weight to it. I actually thought it was very light for a metal pen. My Century II is very heavy (I have smallish hands, so anything very heavy tires them out) but the Prelude has great weight for me.

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