Hi, I'm a beginner here and I only have Parker, Waterman and Pelikan FPs.

I don't have any Sheaffer yet but I want to buy one.

No, not the most expensive one but still something up at the top of the line or whatever.
I'd rather have one single high-end Sheaffer than several "good-but-less-good" Sheaffers.
I want to be able to write with the thing all day, and not just look at it in its box.
I need great smoothness and flow.
Something classical and timeless (if I may say so). Like my Parker Duofolds, or Waterman Charleston or Pelikan M800.
At the same time if possible a FP with a bit of pep (thus the above-mentioned three).

But I have to date no Sheaffer.

What would you recommend?

Thanks for your time and efforts!

Mike

Hi Mike

I dont have any new Sheafers.My entire Sheaffer interest is focused at the vintage Snorkels.
I also have few Targas and I love the inlaid nib so if I were to buy 1 new Sheaffer it would be the "Valor".
The Valor comes in few wonderful colours and is a great writer.

IMHO the best Sheaffer to buy would be one like this:



Made during World War II, light and easy to use all day, elegant and unusual. All told, it's a wicked cool, and dead-shot reliable, pen.

A Legacy, because that is my favorite.

I am expecting my Valor to arrive anytime soon, and will see if it will beat the Legacy as my favorite Shaeffer.

purpledog

I would look at either a nice snorkel with a metal cap, or to save a little cash, a touchdown with the traditional nib. I really like my snorkel, but I think the "wide body" touchdown wtih the traditional nib looks better.

Richard,

Which model is that?

I love the "Early" Touchdowns which are slightly fatter than the snorkels and TM Touchdowns. Here is one in Persian Blue with the Sentinel cap.

i love my sheaffer tuckaway. very nice pen indeed and writes wonderfully.

I would suggest a Pen For Men (PFM) or a Balance II.

Both great pens.

It's a "TRIUMPH" Crest. My "TRIUMPH" profile is here.

This is another of my favorite "TRIUMPH" pens:

Ack! SHEAFFER LOVE!

I love my Triumph Tucky. LOVE IT!

That wide band on Richard's Triumph -- love it!

I shouldn't even attempt to answer this question, cos I love my Connaisseur, my Crest, the TUCKY!, the Lifetime Balance.

I'll just say... it's good that you're going to get a Sheaffer.

Get one with a Triumph nib and a lever filler for ease of maintenance and repair. I'm a sucker for the striated ones personally.

How 'bout a White Dot Radite Flattop? Your choice of Jade, Orange, black, or Black & Pearl, with a Lifetime nib.

I'm like you in that I started with Parkers and went to Waterman's. Then I discovered Sheaffer and I think they made the greatest nibs IMHO. If you are only going to get one Sheaffer (which is like having only one potato chip) I would get a snorkel depending on what you can afford. If money is no object get a PFM V. Expect to pay $150 for an average one and $350 for a really good one (maybe NOS). If you want to start lower, there are many models available.

The snorkel filling mechanism is unique and it got me started on Sheaffer pens. They are also the best when it comes to squirting ...

-Mario

I agree that the PFM would be an excellent "first Sheaffer". If you can't find one of those easily, get the modern Legacy Heritage as a stop-gap. Both have the same wide bodies and inlaid nibs. The PFM has a much cooler filling mechanism.

I guess the good news is that there are several Sheaffer models that would make a fine first pen. For a vintage pen, I agree with Richard's suggestion of the Triumph Crest. I would add the humble Craftsman. It is an inexpensive model, but my experience of them is that they write extremely well and they are durable. I have two that I have sorely abused and they keep on writing. If they have a drawback, it is their diminuitive size.

For newer production pens, I think the Legacy or Legacy II would be good; as well as a nice, colorful Balance II. Both pens are easily Pel M-800 sized, although the Balance II does not look it. They are large, comfortable pens.

If it were me, I would look at a number of pictures to see what suited me aesthetically, and then go for that pen.

WOW! Thanks everybody!!

What a lot of nice answers. Especially Richard's... that Sheaffer site of yours is much more informative than Sheaffer's is. I had of course long ago looked at the Sheaffer site but there's not all that much to see there except that I had already become an admirer of the Valor and Legacy which are in fact "reassuredly" reconfirmed in the posting here. I think the best way to start is as usual... buy a "decent" model, write with it, and then spend time looking for an oldie. I almost know for sure who is who here (new and vintage)

Thanks again,
Mike

Pre Second War- Sheaffer Balance (slender or standard size) lever filler. These are nice pens too, and the lever fill variety is quite reliable and can be restored and repaired by almost any repairman. Usually these have pretty rigid nibs. It helps here if you prefer a fine or medium-fine nib.

Post Second War- Touchdown Valiant, Sentinel, etc. The Touchdown is a basic, durable pen that usually has a very rigid nib. These are nice to use.

Modern- Imperial or Triumph Imperial. These have the nice inlaid nib, don't cost much, and you get your choice of Touchdown fill, or Sheaffer cart/convert filler. (Honorable mention: Balance II- if you want an old style look, but with modern features).

Student- No Nonsense pen: cheap but a good value and quite effective.

Sheaffer Targa.

Inlaid nib, consistently good writers, excellent design, superlative workmanship.

There are still quite a few new/old stock Targas on the market so getting one is still relatively easy. Although prices have risen recently, they are still within reasonable range.

If you want one of the vintage pens as your first Sheaffer, I suggest a new Targa as your second. I encourage you to buy one relatively soon because, as I noted above, prices are starting to rise.

Hi,

The thought of having a single Sheaffer is alarming! That said...

Among pens available NOS, I would agree with the Targa as an unassailable choice (hey, there must be a reason Sheaffer is considering bringing it back). They're great writers, they incorporate a unique Sheaffer feature - the Inlaid Nib - and their styling has proven to be enduringly attractive. It's still possible to get a nice example at a good price, but, as others have observed, that state of affairs can't last forever.

Another state of affairs that can't last forever: the availability, at attractive prices, of the Legacy and Legacy II models. These pens, too, feature the Inlaid Nib; they pay homage to the timeless profile of the iconic PFM; and they are likely to be the very last Touchdown-equipped Sheaffers ever made (acknowledging that the Touchdown converter used in these models is a somewhat compromised version of the original system).

Among current-production pens, I'm a brand-new Valor owner, and so far I'm favorably impressed. Still, I think I'd go with a Targa or a Legacy I/II first. Plenty of time to pick up a Valor later, if the spirit moves you.

And as for vintage Sheaffers...well, that's a different, and lengthier, story.

Good luck!

Jon

I can't suggest one of the modern models, because... well, I'm a vintage snob I guess, which I'm completely OK with. Modern pens just don't work as well as older ones and they seem to me to either be over priced or junk or both. Purely my own biased opinion, of course.
Having said all that, any of the Touchdown pens are wonderful. Everybody seems to want Snorkels, which drives up the cost. Snorkels are very cool pens (My first fountain pen was my dad's gray Snorkel Special that he got as a high school graduation present in 1957. I dearly love that pen.), but I find that they tend to be too long to carry in the shirt pocket of most modern dress shirts, or at least every one that I own and wear to work every day. Touchdowns are as reliable as can be, and without the added bells and whistles of the snorkel mechanism, are about the easiest thing there is to service. Short of having a vacuum filler Triumph with a fresh new packing unit (like Richard's above), I don't think it gets much better.

Tim
(Kind of missing the pockets I had when I was in uniform.)

Here is my list of favorites:

• late 1930's OS Balance (ebonized pearl = black with inlaid mother of pearl chips)
  
  
  
  
• 1960's Sheaffer PFM IV or V
• any 1950's fat Touchdown or Vac-Fil pen
• late 1990's Legacy I Sterling Silver
• late 1990's Crest Sterling Silver or
• late 1990's Nostalgia

This should show you some options :-)

The mentioned pens are among my all-time favorite Sheaffer's pens.


Let us know which you choose....


Michael

Sheafffer's OS Balance lever-filled or Sheaffer PFM would be my choice.

I would have to vote for a Legacy II, Balance or Balance II, or a PFM VI

[quote name='Michael R.' date='May 28 2008, 08:23 PM' post='624867']
Here is my list of favorites:
[list]
[*]late 1930's OS Balance (ebonized pearl = black with inlaid mother of pearl chips)



I have the Junior version of this and adore the colors and the nib. Nice pen.

Why, oh why did I have to stumble on this thread? Just when I was perfectly satisfied with my pen collection. Now I WANT one of these! That's a beautiful classic-looking pen and I love that nib!

I should go back to Chatter and stay there!

Judybug

well....

Ya gots yer 1950's Snorkels (these colors being "not so common")



Ya gots yer early 1960's PFM's. (this one being solid-gold-band Autograph)




Ya gots yer 1940's Celluloid Triumphs.



And one more 1940's Celluloid Triumph (Carmine Valiant Tuckaway) just because i likes 'em





And ya gots yer 1930's Balances. Ohhh, i love those 1930's Balances...

Like this here Black/Pearl OS Autograph (solid gold cap trim)



Or this Balance Marine Green Marble Autograph 3 piece



Or MINT Balances



Or Balances with weird-donkey (can we say, "ass" here?) uncatalogued cap-bands



Or Balances from Canada with strange clips



Or Balances in... blue



Anway...

Then we move back (More or less) to Flattops.

Sheaffer introduced Jade Celluloid to the world of pens way back when around 1924.

Jade is nice. But, ya should pick one with decent color...




Then ya gots the more modern stuff like Targa



Or some of the fancier Imperials (late 60's- 70's i suspect)



So... a first pen??? Heck, idunno. Now i have a headache.

regards

david

WOW number two.
THAT'S TERRIBLE !

I kindly asked for 1 (one) Sheaffer and you guys showed be 2 or 3 dozens of 'em!! Each one more beautiful than the other.
And I thought that Parker and Waterman FPs looked good.
I'll now have to sell the wife, the house, the car and maybe even the dog in order to afford all of those.

Mike

I have a modern Crest and I have to say it is one of my best nibs - smooth and never fails, not even once.

Mike