I just opened the GT M Valor PenHero had on MARKETPLACE.

Wrote just a few lines...

GOD WHAT A PEN...

Feels like a dream, drives like sports car, lays down a PERFECT medium width line.

As most folks know, I am very partial to the SLEEK pens, I tolerate TRADS. This pen's gold inlaid nib is just gorgeous. Peg wanted to see a sample right away, so I popped out the converter, chucked a cartridge into the chamber, waited 15 seconds..the pen wrote without skipping, hesitation or burping...

This, my friends, is what buying an upper end pen is all about...

I will do a more in-depth report later. I am still working on the backyard.

Bill

I really like the look of them, however I don't like how few threads there are on the cap. I like a cap with many threads so it stays on better. They're really nice looking pens though. Man! If only they could incorporate the Snorkel into this! It would almost be a modern day PFM!

Evan

I just got the other Valor that Jim was selling on the Marketplace, in the Palladium finish. Verrryy smooth fine nib, started up immediately when I loaded a cartridge, just like Bill's. Of course, these were demo pens and had been previously inked so the factory oils had already been taken care of. However, I'm still just as impressed with this pen as he is.

Evan, it's true that there aren't many threads but I don't think more are needed. There's plenty of friction and it feels like a little bit of taper at the end so that they bind a little bit. They feel very secure. I have several pens with a lot of threads and it can get annoying if there are too many. I think this is an excellent compromise.

I have a problem with the cap of mine misthreading from time to time. It doesn't do it much but it does feel like it is going to bind up. Anyone else have this problem with the Valor caps?

When we got the first Valors in, I noticed that I was misthreading the cap sometimes. I've made it a habit of starting the cap by reversing first to make sure the threads are meshed correctly. Once that it done, I've never had any problems with the cap coming loose or threading incorrectly.

FWIW - I find this on a lot of pens, and it could be that I don't always seat the cap and barrel evenly.

Cheers,

Jim Mamoulides
www.PenHero.com

I just took a look at my Valor..and noticed something very different...the thread on the barrel/cap junction is an Acme thread. Now before we get the whole Roadrunner/Coyote thing please read the following...
[post="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acme_thread"]Wikipedia article on Acme threads[/post]

Note the phrase "compressional forces". Acme threads do a good job of holding things together...

Most threads on FPs are more or less Unified Screw Forms (I think that is the proper term...I am sure if I am wrong SOMEONE will tell us...) The Valor is fer shure an Acme form. I know that for sure...I have worked in enough machine shops and have several woodworking machines around here that have Acme threaded adjustment systems...

Bill...

My six-year-old granddaughter "gave" me a Valor the other day (One of the benefits of being a grandfather is buying your own "gifts" and letting others get credit for them)!

Paircom01 has described the pen quite precisely. However, one thing no one has really mentioned the WOW factor. From removing the top of the white box to opening the... attractive(!) rosewood display box, to bottle-filling the pen, to that first line, the operant term is... WOW.

I would expect any pen of this calibre to be an excellent writer. But the style and class of this black and gold beauty are unsurpassed. I would put this pen up against any "boardroom jewelry" made. I'd venture that this one will get more stares than any "snow-cap." Ellegance, top to bottom.

Oh, and did I mention, it even writes... EXTREMELY WELL! Beautiful medium-fine line, just the right amount of "wet."

Some have mentioned problems with the cap threads. Odd. I find that the thick threads - the first I've seen, work perfectly. I've other pens that do require "backing" the threads, as Jim says, to keep from cross-threading. But not the Valor.

All in all, this pen is the style and quality that one would expect from a company like Sheaffer... even though it's now an international effort.