Hi all,

Where are all the once-ubiquitous inexpensive Sheaffer pens for under $5?

They are not the fanciest pens made, perhaps, but they are well-beloved workhorses. I am sorry to say that I murdered several of those and a few other inexpensive fountain pens by soaking them in a cup, then forgetting about them until they rusted.

Currently, I use a black Waterman that looks like a Phileas, a gift after my blue-marble Waterman Phileas fell out of my pocket. When I retraced my steps, I found it in the street. It had been run over, the cap destroyed and the bottom ring damaged, but continued to write like a charm.

I aspire to the stubby little green Pelikan and other finer instruments one day...

They show up on EBay.

EBAY?!?!?! HORRORS... I feel suddenly...antique!

Also had a Sheaffer Legacy, I think, maroon, with my initials for college graduation #1. I think it was among the victims of the pen-soaking massacre.

Natalie Goldberg of Writing Down the Bones fame also expressed a strong affection for the cheapie Sheaffers, as I recall.

I need schooling in proper pen care and aim to get it here.

I saw some cheap Sheaffer pens at Michael's (the craft store) the other day. I think they were Javelins? Not sure if that's what you were looking for.

Nolapoet,
you can buy Sheaffer Javellins at penhero.com
http://www.penherostore.com/servlet/Catego...heaffer+Javelin
There are couple models for $5 and $7 each. Prices similar to what are you lokking for.
I have several of them and just love these pens. Many FPNers could confirm that. Javellins have moderate ink flow, start each time and put even consistent line. And of cause PenHero is top notch store (Just happy customer...).

Sheaffer Javelins work great as long as you don't put "heavily saturated" ink in them. All the pen-company brands of ink for sale as new stock in the USA are not too saturated.

Of the non-pen-company brands of ink, ask here about Private Reserve before buying any. I'm qualified by experience to tell you not to put Levenger Cobalt Blue or Raven Black in a Javelin, and that the other Levenger colors are just fine for a Javelin.

All new-stock Noodler's should work just fine in a Javelin. Older-stock Noodler's American Eel colors might be a problem, but new-stock American Eel should be good. The exclusive Noodler's-Swisher inks are even freer-flowing than the inks under Noodler's own label.