Lately, I've been eyeing the Cobalt Balance that's still available NOS. I'm very attracted by the appearance of this pen - a beautiful blue in the Balance shape. I'm referring to the once currently available - comes with a clock and bottle of ink. Does anyone have one of these, and if so, is it a good pen? I noticed that IsellPens.com has a nice price on the broad nib balance, and I'm currently torn between that and a Parker 100. But I haven't heard anything about this modern Balance around here. Any advice?

Thanks,
Ryan

Mornin' Ryan.

I bought the set you are talking about from Todd at isellpens.com. I got mine with the xf nib about a year ago and couldn't be happier. It has a very smooth(for an xf) nib with nice flow and writes just a little finer than my Sailor 1911 with a fine nib. It has been inked and in my rotation continuosly since I got it. Isellpens is a great place to do business with too. I have placed several orders with Todd, and the service has always been excellent.

Larry

I've got a Cobalt Glow with a fine nib - wonderful, extremely reliable pen. Highly recommended. Also recommend Todd, although I got my pen a while back before he had these (usual disclaimer).

I too have a Cobalt Glow-patterned Balance II that I got from ISellPens.com...but mine has a broad nib. My nib wrote smoothly but 'squeaked' when I wrote with it, so I had to adjust the nib a bit with some very fine Mylar. Otherwise it was fine. The broad nib on mine was *quite* broad, though (you can see the large 'blob' of iridium on it), that's something to be aware of. Lovely pen, though. Wish I had one in Crimson Glow (my fave color is red) though, in a M nib.

I've tried both the XF and the B nibs. I ordered a B from isellpens.com and accidentally received an XF, which I found too scratchy for my tastes (although, as previously stated, not too bad for an XF). After receiving the B nib, I found it very smooth but too broad for everyday use as it is a really broad juicy nib.

I sent the pen to Sheafer to have the nib exchanged for a medium, which cost me $15 or so IIRC. I really like the medium nib as it is smooth and very useable for daily writing; alas, I decided the section was a bit too narrow in diameter for my tastes and the pen is for sale HERE (sorry for the shameless plug ).

I can highly recommend Todd at isellpens.com, but I found Sheaffer a bit difficult to deal with.

I was not a fan of the black (gray?) ink that came with the pen; I found it very watery and washed-out looking.

I got one on special, without the little clock, from a retailer not on this board. As it happens, the fine nib on mine was defective. Now that's fixed, it's a lovely pen. Basically, it's a modern Balance, but the plastic with it's inset sparkles is lovely, especially if you rotate the pen in your hand. It's not getting a lot of time in my rotation at the moment, but if I still had to sit through meetings, it would get out more, so I could have something pretty to look at.

Best

Michael

Edit: second thoughts. I've seen a picture of the Cobalt Glow on sale here, and that isn't the one I was thinking of. The one with the clock was the Millennium special edition, and I got one without the clock and special packaging. This has the plastic with the little spangles in it, and the entrancing depth to the material when you twirl it in your hand.

I haven't dealt with this retailer. Although I have 3 marble Balance II pens. I have 2 of the Jade and 1 Levenger's Aspen (like the regular Aspen only with nickel trim and a single cap band with Levenger's stamped in the cap band). As well I have 2 of the classic black.

I love these pens. One of my black ones was inked and in service for about 2 years and is great!! The 14kt single tone nib is excellent. I'm a poster and you can hardly notice that I posted the cap (very minor posting ring on the barrel).

I have been using one of my Jades on and off for about 2 years (medium nib) (the other is a B nib). It is a really nicely Balanced pen (hence the name ) in either classic or marble finish. Marble finishes have the 18kt two tone nib.
These are my "go to" pens and I find the Jade more attractive and nicer to use than my Duofold International (overpriced).

You can't go wrong with one of these.

My thoughts

Rowdy

Ryan, I have an Amberglow Balance II which I bought when it came out in 1998. It has a B nib, and I had a lot of trouble with the nib skipping. When it behaved itself, it produced a really wet, juicy line - very broad indeed. But it would skip badly on downstrokes and I gave up on it. Recently - about three months ago - I took it to a Sheaffer dealer, who was happy to send it back under the Lifetime Guarantee for a nib exchange. The new nib wasn't much better, so back it went yet again. Third time, the nib was much improved, but still not 100%. I cut my losses and accepted it. All the while I had been using Sheaffer's own ink, as I thought this was likely to be least troublesome. But I then happened to try some Diamine Prussian Blue, and guess what? The pen writes perfectly now, with no skipping whatsoever!

Some points: the Amberglow model, like all the marbled models, has the 18kt duotone nib, which I was told was very troublesome in the B size. The plain coloured Balance IIs, which have 14kt monotone nibs, are said to give less trouble. Also, the marbled pens are quite fragile, with the acrylic material cracking quite easily around the clip fitting. I wouldn't recommend you keep it in a jacket's inside pocket, especially if you lean forward against anything like the edge of a tall reception desk or table (thats what I did - result: pocket full of stuff like rock salt and a new cap needed)!

These are nice-looking pens, and good writers if (or when) their nibs are sorted - but IMO really not suitable as working 'daily drivers'. Good luck if you go ahead, anyway.

HTH
Richard

I also got a Cobalt Balance from Todd. I took the XF, because the Sheaffer broads can be a bit too broad.

The XF writes pretty smooth for that nib width. Compared to the XF nib on a 1930s vintage ebonized Balance that I have, it almost seems like a M/F.

And I would agree with everyone else, the Cobalt is a gorgeous color, as are the other patterned barrels in the reissue series.

Of all the reissues that Sheaffer did in the 1990s, this is the best one. Except for the lever on the side (recreating the Vac-Fil is out of the question), it is true to the original. Sheaffer ought to bring this one back.