So Tell Me, Honestly... New Vs Vintage Sheaffer...?

October 31, 2018

I'll have to see this to believe it. Skrip Blue and Red are two of my standbys, but BB is one of the most flat and uninteresting blue-blacks I've ever used, and I love blue-black.

I hear ya there! I've always found their blue black to be dull as ****, but in a wet nib it's actually quite charming with great shading. It compares nicely to a bottle of Skrip blue black I have dating from the forties. It probably also helps that my carts of the modern stuff are a few years old and have evaporated some.

October 31, 2018

Also, the only Sheaffer cartridge pen I had before I got the modern ones was a seventies 444 that I found out was a terribly dry writer when I invested in a silicone ear bulb and blew out some chunks of dried ink when cleaning it. It's still dry but better than it was. The new Sheaffers are firehouses in comparison!

November 7, 2018

Vintage, Touchdown Imperial, seasonal cap

Vintage 60s? 70s? pretty good pens. 1996 cap. Burgundy barrel. PVC sac by Main Street Pens.

Edited November 7, 2018 by pajaro

November 11, 2018

It's hard to say why you like the '20s to '40s pens. Historic interest, beauty of style, the way they fit into an older lifestyle, a kinder and more polite era. Those pens reflect their time. Elegant and stylish, with the beginnings of streamlined style, style that might remind you of Tiffany lamps, beautiful pottery, flappers in pretty dresses, very cool cars, a happy and going era between the World Wars. A happy time. And the people who lived then, some of whom you might have known.

I was prowling a local antique store a few years ago and clerk saw me looking at the old pens on offer. Surprisingly, she thought the flat-tops were the newer more modern pens—which makes sense, I guess since pens like the pilots look a lot like the older flat tops. To her eye, the Sheaffer Balance pens looked old-fashioned.

Getting back to the topic of the thread...of course the 'vintage' pens which were made to work every day for years, as opposed to being a fashion statement, are very likely to be better built and more reliable than what is produced today.

November 13, 2018

It's hard to say why you like the '20s to '40s pens. Historic interest, beauty of style, the way they fit into an older lifestyle, a kinder and more polite era. Those pens reflect their time. Elegant and stylish, with the beginnings of streamlined style, style that might remind you of Tiffany lamps, beautiful pottery, flappers in pretty dresses, very cool cars, a happy and going era between the World Wars. A happy time. And the people who lived then, some of whom you might have known.

I was prowling a local antique store a few years ago and clerk saw me looking at the old pens on offer. Surprisingly, she thought the flat-tops were the newer more modern pens—which makes sense, I guess since pens like the pilots look a lot like the older flat tops. To her eye, the Sheaffer Balance pens looked old-fashioned.

Getting back to the topic of the thread...of course the 'vintage' pens which were made to work every day for years, as opposed to being a fashion statement, are very likely to be better built and more reliable than what is produced today.

Well put.

November 13, 2018

Well put.

You have to watch out for the quiet ones...

January 5, 2019

I believe Sheaffer does not use Bock nibs.
Current models are fine, although no redeeming qualities: they are made in China - not a and thing per se - but I find them quite pricey for what they offer.

Lots of wasted potential: the Sheaffer Sentinel is locked into using Sheaffer refills, and costs 2x the price of a regular Jotter (not the new, premium model). Sheaffer VFM retails at about 16EUR - it would be quite a decent beginner pen, but again, they designed it with an inner plug in the barrel, so it can only accept international short carts.

Don't know about The Viewpoint: looks legit to me, but if it's not a popular model there has to be a reason. Perhaps it is not a good stub pen?

I believe the higher end modern Sheaffer's, Legacy Heritage, and Valor with the 18K gold nibs were all made in Slovakia and nibs by Bock right up until the last batches. The production of the lower end pens were China. My latest Sheaffer, a Legacy Heritage bought 2 years ago before Sheaffer stopped making them are just as nice and great writers as any modern Pilot, Montblanc, or Pelikan IMHO. The original nib had ink flow issues and when I sent it to Cross, they backed it up and replaced the nib for me. Took two tries as the 2nd one leaked with serious nib creep, but the 3rd one they sent me, no questions asked, writes like a dream. Cross/Sheaffer warranty and after sales service support I have to say is best in the industry.

Edited January 5, 2019 by max dog

January 6, 2019

I believe the higher end modern Sheaffer's, Legacy Heritage, and Valor with the 18K gold nibs were all made in Slovakia and nibs by Bock right up until the last batches. The production of the lower end pens were China. My latest Sheaffer, a Legacy Heritage bought 2 years ago before Sheaffer stopped making them are just as nice and great writers as any modern Pilot, Montblanc, or Pelikan IMHO. The original nib had ink flow issues and when I sent it to Cross, they backed it up and replaced the nib for me. Took two tries as the 2nd one leaked with serious nib creep, but the 3rd one they sent me, no questions asked, writes like a dream. Cross/Sheaffer warranty and after sales service support I have to say is best in the industry.

That's good to hear! I had a look at the Legacy Heritage recently when I saw one collecting dust in a store. It struck me as a nice pen, but no sparks flew. Then again, I have a vintage PFM-III and two Targas and it's hard to top that.