Sheaffer 440

[bijou3owl]

Talk to me of the Sheaffer 440 - how it writes, ease of cleaning, how fine their nibs run, etc. I was looking at getting a Pilot E95S for the inlaid nib, but Peyton has NOS of the 440 for much cheaper. One thing I'm wary about is how chunky the feed seems to be under the nib, as this is one of the major drawbacks of my Waterman Hemisphere (which I'm considering selling for that reason).

[brownargus]

I have an almost identical (brushed chrome finish) Sheaffer 444 pen which I purchased over 40 years ago. It is an excellent pen and has been in use most of this time. It is fitted with a fine nib which is slightly on the medium side of fine but not too much and is very smooth. The flow is excellent and the pen rarely fails to start even if being left capped for a week or more. The original squeeze converter still functions but the new screw type also fit. Cosmetically, the pen is still in excellent condition. I have no hesitation in recommending this pen. Last year I purchased a new nib section from Peyton to convert another 444 from a fibre tip - so I now have two similar pens. Hope this helps.

John

Edited July 12, 2015 by brownargus

[Tas]

Mine is one of the most reliable pens I own. NEVER fails to start no matter how long it's been neglected for and then writes like a dream. Very smooth nib and handsome to look at too. Brilliant workhorse.

 

My medium is a medium and easy enough to flush through.

 

Best of luck.

[catbert]

I have a 440 from Peyton Street in black. It’s smooth, fine and fairly dry. Not unpleasantly dry - good on cheap paper and for marginalia. Was initially surprised how much shorter it is than my Imperial II Deluxe. Handy as a carry pen. I like the lightness and small size. (I don’t post and don’t have huge hands.)

 

Re the feed, I know what you mean about the chunky look - I prefer thin swoopy ‘ski slope’ type feeds on open-nibbed pens - but I think it complements the inlaid nib on this one.

[bijou3owl]

Thanks guys! After your comments and a lot of my own research, I'm going to spring for a Targa instead (I like the longer nib inlay and the continuous lines when capped better), and am now vigilantly stalking eBay while keeping my eye on the Peyton listings.

[pen lady]

If you are looking for a Targa, make sure you buy the full size version not the slimline/slender one. Carts and converters are readily available for the full size model, not so the skinny one.

[bijou3owl]

If you are looking for a Targa, make sure you buy the full size version not the slimline/slender one. Carts and converters are readily available for the full size model, not so the skinny one.

I picked up on that, and as a result eBay has been frustrating because most of the listings that are more in my price range are slims, mediums (I want a fine), or gold bodies (which I think looks ostentatious). Constant vigilance.

[ac12]

You do realize that the full size Targa is a rather largish/fat pen.

[bijou3owl]

Thanks for the heads up! I'm still rolling around whether to go through with a purchase or not, as I seem to have a good number of pens in rotation currently. We'll see.

[jar]

You do realize that the full size Targa is a rather largish/fat pen.

 

Interesting how different folk see large and fat. I would call the full size Targa a slim pen.

[terim]

Interesting how different folk see large and fat. I would call the full size Targa a slim pen.

I too was surprised to see the Targa described as fat! I'm bringing some NOS Targas to the PPPC meeting Saturday and I'll seek out ac12 for a further discussion....

 

Teri

[Roger W.]

A full (classic) Targa is in line historically with a #2 sized pen as far as diameter and is, therefore, considered thin by today's standards for fountain pens (.42"). Pens were rarely large or oversized until the mid 1920's and note that they were called oversized as the #2 or #3 sized pens were the most common before that (6's and 8's very large and uncommon though most desired today). A slim targa is a very slim pen in line with a #1 which was slimmer than most pens. If one is thinking of a bic then a classic is a very fat pen.

 

Roger W.

[bijou3owl]

 

A full (classic) Targa is in line historically with a #2 sized pen as far as diameter and is, therefore, considered thin by today's standards for fountain pens (.42"). Pens were rarely large or oversized until the mid 1920's and note that they were called oversized as the #2 or #3 sized pens were the most common before that (6's and 8's very large and uncommon though most desired today). A slim targa is a very slim pen in line with a #1 which was slimmer than most pens. If one is thinking of a bic then a classic is a very fat pen.

 

Roger W.

 

 

Thank you for this! It's fascinating, and actually gives me a good frame of reference to the Targa's girth. I'm thinking it's probably around the same size as my generic IP(W)G, which is maybe a tad on the slim side for me, but not un-doable (and not enough to override the aesthetic preference, for me).

[ac12]

 

Interesting how different folk see large and fat. I would call the full size Targa a slim pen.

 

I think you won't like my pen of choice, a Parker 180/Classic, cuz they are even slimmer. The 180/Classic are "slimline" pens.

 

 

I too was surprised to see the Targa described as fat! I'm bringing some NOS Targas to the PPPC meeting Saturday and I'll seek out ac12 for a further discussion....

 

Teri

 

Teri,

My pen of choice is the Parker 180/Classic.

The Parker 51, Pelikan 200 and Sheaffer 330 are at the outer edge of my tolerance.

The Lamy 2000 is outside my tolerance, its too FAT. I think of the L-2000 as an overgrown Parker 45.

[jar]

 

I think you won't like my pen of choice, a Parker 180/Classic, cuz they are even slimmer. The 180/Classic are "slimline" pens.

 

 

 

I like my 180s as well as some other slim pens but I also understand that they are slim pens.

[terim]

I think its slimness might have been the Parker 180's tragic flaw in the marketplace .... Because they are otherwise very awesome to write with .....

[bijou3owl]

I decided to include the 444 in my search because that appealed to me almost as much as a Targa and are cheaper, and I just won one for $35 including shipping on eBay! I'll update with how I like it when it gets here.

Edited July 19, 2015 by bijou3owl

[bijou3owl]

I AM IN LOVE:

 

 

A 444 with a F nib - it actually writes just a tad finer than my Pilot VP, which is exactly what I wanted (needed another pen for color variety in my 5mm graph rule reading notes book). The best part is that it's a tad soft, so my normal writing gives a slight bit of line variation - a non-FP user wouldn't notice, but it makes me super happy, and it was quite unexpected, because the reviews said it was quite stiff. Clearly I'm used to using all nails, aside from my Konrad. It has Diamine Oxblood in it for now, but I might put something that shades more in it soon. I'm going to pick up a piston converter at Bromfield Pens in Boston when I'm up there this weekend (I was going to stop in anyway, but wasn't sure exactly what I was going to get).

 

Edit: Reduced picture size.

Edited July 28, 2015 by bijou3owl