If Sheaffer would get serious and make an interesting LE pen what would you like the filler be ?

I think it should be a sheaffer classic.Of course its kind of a problem as Sheaffer does have lots of "Classic Sheaffer" fillers.
Sheaffer used the lever filler for so many years,then you have the Vac-Fill that hopfully with today technology Sheaffer could make it reliable.
Then you have the reliable and simple TD and of course you have the Snorkel (my favorite of course).

Oh and if you wanna go practicly boring a C/C is always an option.

So yes I would choose the Snorkel but as second place I would love a RELIABLE Vac Filler

I suspect that it would be either lever, or cartridge/converter. I seriously doubt that they will revive the touchdown (they tried with the Legacy and dropped it) and are even less likely to revive the vacuum filler unless they had Visconti make it.

Too many people like the cartridges to abandon them. A significant number of the vintage Sheaffers that come in for repair come in from people who use cartridges and never the converters.

I know this is anathema, but I like cartridges. (Ignores the collective gasp.)

It's funny that of the five pens I have on me that are inked, only one is a C/CC, and I'm using the CC.

Not from me. I prefer Snorkels and Touchdowns. But I do use cartridges in my more modern Sheaffer pens from time-to-time, and they are convenient. When Sheaffer introduced their cartridge pen in the 1950s, the market went for it in a big way, so much so that the cartridge filler pens were their biggest sellers.

My wife uses cartridges exclusively, and I'd bet most people are like her.

The market for fountain pens is small enough as it is, so I don't think many manufacturers would want to limit the appeal of their products by offering just lever-fillers and the like. Even Pelikan and Mont Blanc now make cartridge pens.

Good luck,
Don

Now, maybe I'm just being all wrong here, but wouldn't it be fun if one of the big companys put their collective and technological knowledge into a dip pen? A high tech, dip pen.

What would that look like, hm?

cart

I'd want it to be a lever filler. I don't have many cartridge pens and of the ones I do have, I always use a converter and fill them from a bottle. I have some old unused cartridges so old the ink has half evaporated right through the plastic. How did that happen?

The plastic of a cartridge is not as impermeable as you think it is! The water will evaporate through the plastic given enough time.

#1 Lever Fill
#2 Touchdown

Serious LE: a lever-filled Black and Pearl or Jade Green OS Balance. Sheaffer was the first with lever-fill and with Celluloid.

With apologies to all, I still have a bad attitude about Sheaffer being turned into a brand rather than being a real company. If they made an LE I would sit around sputtering that it was not a "real" Sheaffer. Yes, I know, I am a terrible old hold out. I have Sheaffer's jungle green Balance LE from a few years ago that is a lever filler. I think it is a great LE. I just wish the thing held more ink.

Hi all,

Excellent question.

Apologies in advance for beating the same old drum. I would consider a two-tier program (not all that different, in spirit, from the way Delta handles its LEs).

I would be OK with a mid-level LE that continued to use the cartridge/converter system: something a cut above the regular-production pens, but still appealing to the segment of the market that might shy away from a pure self-filling design. I'd probably use the Valor as the platform here. The key, for me, would be to make sure that this LE had plenty of "Sheafferness." If Parker can reference classic patterns like Black-and-Pearl and "True Blue," why can't Sheaffer give a nod to some of its more attractive (and collectible) historical patterns? Here's one idea:

Year One: LE Valor in Roseglow striated resin, emulating the Balance pattern (assuming celluloid would not be a viable choice)

Year Two: LE Valor in "Blue" (light blue/dark blue/white) marbled resin

Year Three: This is a stretch, but perhaps consider one of the 1930s/40s striated colors that never made it past the prototype stage...Aqua, maybe?

These choices would have a few things going for them. First, they would allude directly to memorable Sheaffers of the past, reconnecting a rudderless brand with its own history. Second, they would offer some reassurance to Sheaffer loyalists - some sense that the brand was not an orphan. And third, these patterns are inherently attractive...so even if you didn't know that Roseglow was a collectible Balance color, you might buy the new LE on the basis of looks alone.

I think I would also develop a higher-end LE: a lever-filler based on the Connaisseur platform. That pen is now widely regarded as the first successful neo-retro design, and it is a successful evocation (and updating) of the classic Sheaffer flattop look. I would consider some really attractive finishes: maybe an ebonite model, or perhaps a revival of the desirable "chased" Connaisseur - how about a red chased resin lever-fill Connaisseur, referencing the scarce RCHR Sheaffers?

I would make sure that a full range of nib choices was available. I hate to keep bringing up Parker, but if that company is capable of offering a wide variety of nib options for the Duofold, then Sheaffer should be able to do likewise, particularly for a high-end model.

I think I would stay away from anything that might be perceived as a reintroduction of a past self-filling model, just to steer clear of the "been there, done that" feeling. (The reality is that past products, particularly ones that may not have enjoyed resounding success, are typically viewed by marketers as "tainted.") So no Touchdown Legacy and no lever-fill Balance III. I would probably avoid a Snorkel, on the basis of complexity alone, at the outset. And I would not try to develop a self-filling Targa.

Once I had a successful two-tier program going, there would be plenty of ways to extend it (maybe revisit the Snorkel question a few years down the road).

Oh well, just a few ideas. I'm sure there are lots of other ways to make such a program work. And (sadly) I'm reasonably confident that Bic wouldn't have a glimmer of interest in any of 'em.

Cheers,

Jon

I think I'd also like to see a series of nice pens from Sheaffer that do away with the Inlaid Nib. That design is nice, but way over-used. I think the use of the new "Feathertouch" nibs on the Balance II pens was a good idea. I'd even like to see some of the old style open Lifetime nibs return in two tone 14k.

I would combine some of the above with a LE version of the

Oversized Balance (either in Converter or Level Fill)

but in any or preferably ALL of the following colors:

* Red Veined Grey Pearl
* Blue (the dark blue/light blue/white veined)
* Rose Glow striated

or how about

* Bright Blue Veined Grey Pearl?

I would love a solid gold Balance but I'd never be able to afford one.

Cool ideas . . . how come everybody can understand the appeal of this brand EXCEPT the current owners, Bic?

My nominee: a 50th anniversary edition of the Sheaffer PFM . . . built on the Legacy platform, with exactly the same trim choices as the original (no snorkel though). With PFMs going for $200 on ebay, it should be easy to sell a new LE PFM at an attractive price point. I'd buy one!

Dave

Jon,
We have to put you in charge of making any Sheaffer LE pieces. I don't own a limited edition pen but if they made pieces like you suggested I would possibly change my tune!
Pearce.

I wish they would make an OS Snorkel with the same size sac as a Duofold Senior

I'm not one for inlaid nibs, but Triumph nibs are always nice. An updated section (don't really like the texture), which would be visulated, as would part (or all) of the snorkel tube.

Would be absolutely marvelous...

You've pretty much hit the nail on the proverbial head. The Sheaffer I knew no longer exists and thus any LE they may attempt to make now would be a shell of the great pens the company was known for making. I am a crusty old pen collector as well and find the Valor pen not attractive at all.