Jump to content

The New Sheaffer Preludes Are Hitting Dealer Shelves


PenHero

Recommended Posts

Hi Folks!

 

This is the new Sheaffer Prelude Deep Blue cartridge / converter fountain just released this Spring. It’s about 5 ¼ inches long capped and retails for $85.00. A rollerball pen and ballpoint pen are also available. The cap and barrel are finished in a deep blue PVD with horizontal engravings that create a banded effect. The trim is chrome plated. The cap band is stamped SHEAFFER. Other colors are planned. The stainless steel nib is firm and available in medium and fine.

 

They should be available at your Sheaffer dealer.

 

http://www.penhero.com/Temp/SheafferPrelude9163_2048_01.jpg

 

Thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 26
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • StevenC

    6

  • gammada

    5

  • PenHero

    4

  • dan in montreal

    3

I have a black onyx Prelude from the 1990s. It's a bit worse for wear

(slightly loose cap, scuffed up section) but still a very smooth writer. I

have seen a few disparaging comments about the newer Sheaffers.

 

Does anyone have an opinion of the recently-produced Preludes?

(Not necessarily the 2020's.)

 

Thanks,

Steve

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Up until last week, I pretty much ignored all modern Parker and Sheaffer pens, dismissing them as utter non-sense. But I bought a 2018 second hand Parker and it made me reconsider. I mean, they definitely don't stir any passions in me, but seems their write qualities and fit and finish are not that bad.

 

Hopefully this Prelude is the beginning of great new things for Sheaffer under the Cross umbrella.

 

BTW Just spotted a Taranis that definitely caught my eye!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just spotted a Taranis that definitely caught my eye!

Not sure how that model performed, but it should definitely be reintroduced as it had an excellent design. I personally have no love for the design of a prelude, especially the section and nib.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you both for your replies. I haven't acquired a Sheaffer (or Parker or Cross) since the 90's,

though that was not due to dissatisfaction with the ones I bought back then. (The Prelude and

a Cross Townsend from the same era still write perfectly. And I can't blame the Prelude for the

exterior wear and tear. It is a well-traveled pen.)

 

I have never tried the Taranis. Are you eyeing a new one?

 

 

Not sure how that model performed, but it should definitely be reintroduced as it had an excellent design. I personally have no love for the design of a prelude, especially the section and nib.

 

The Prelude section does appear to be a generally unloved component. What do you dislike

about the nib? I wonder if the the new Prelude nibs will be different from the old.

 

Thanks again.

Steve

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Which factory do they come out of?

Good question. If the pen is still available, I will find out. Are there significant

differences?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I meant, is there a difference in quality between the old Preludes

and the new (Chinese-made) pens? I read one remark to the effect

that the newer ones "feel" cheap and poorly assembled. But someone

else --- a knowledgeable Sheaffer collector --- sees no difference in feel,

fit and performance.

 

Thank you for your reply.

 

Steve

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Of course, the problem is price. I can get many vintage Sheaffers for $85.

"Respect science, respect nature, respect all people (s),"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a Sheaffer Prelude from circa 2012 of basically the same design as shown in the photo (it's a brushed metal not this pretty blue). I like it, it's got a smooth but firm nib and is a reliable writer. Pen is medium weight - not as light as plastic models. Has a nice snap on cap. Two things to note, 1) the section is angled (kind of like the Lamy) and not everyone is comfortable with that, especially when writing for a long time (it also has a ridge at the bottom which can be uncomfortable if you are prone to holding the pen too close to the nib) 2) the pen feels top heavy when posted and a little insecure. Mine was purchased in the UK and doesn't denote the place of manufacture.

 

Is it worth $85? I'd say it's a well-built, quality pen, that has years of service but I will admit there are plenty of vintage pens to be had for this price.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I meant, is there a difference in quality between the old Preludes

and the new (Chinese-made) pens? I read one remark to the effect

that the newer ones "feel" cheap and poorly assembled. But someone

else --- a knowledgeable Sheaffer collector --- sees no difference in feel,

fit and performance.

 

Thank you for your reply.

 

Steve

While I can't speak to this recent incarnation of the Prelude, based on my experience with the Sagaris, I don't see with they would be poorly assembled. The fact they are made in China does not matter if the QC is good.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Agreed, 85.00 USD is too expensive. I expect the price will drop after a while. I got the Sagaris for less than half the MSRP.

 

About the section... I don't get why they hever changed the material it's made of. The pen looks classy until you uncap it. The section is made of a plastic that feels and looks cheap. However, ergonomically, it has never bothered me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

While I can't speak to this recent incarnation of the Prelude, based on my experience with the Sagaris, I don't see with they would be poorly assembled. The fact they are made in China does not matter if the QC is good.

Thank you for your reply.

 

I agree that Chinese manufacture per se doesn't imply poor quality. I am only paraphrasing

one reviewer who found these pens unsatisfactory in certain respects

 

Steve

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just fine and medium nibs...... Pah.

That also gave me pause. The nib rating on my ancient Prelude wore off some time ago,

but I am pretty sure it is an EF. However, it writes as broadly as (for example) a Waterman M.

I wonder if the new F is considerably broader than the old EF.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not sure how that model performed, but it should definitely be reintroduced as it had an excellent design. I personally have no love for the design of a prelude, especially the section and nib.

Me neither. As for the Taranis performance, seems to be good, if nothing outstanding. But for some reason, I really like what they did with the section.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you both for your replies. I haven't acquired a Sheaffer (or Parker or Cross) since the 90's,

though that was not due to dissatisfaction with the ones I bought back then. (The Prelude and

a Cross Townsend from the same era still write perfectly. And I can't blame the Prelude for the

exterior wear and tear. It is a well-traveled pen.)

 

I have never tried the Taranis. Are you eyeing a new one?

 

 

 

The Prelude section does appear to be a generally unloved component. What do you dislike

about the nib? I wonder if the the new Prelude nibs will be different from the old.

 

Thanks again.

Steve

I'd rather buy something second hand. As someone wrote before, you can have many a vintage Sheaffer pens for the price of a new one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Of course, the problem is price. I can get many vintage Sheaffers for $85.

Agreed! And also, with much more interesting features. The Stylist MKII I just got, was only $21. Definitely a lot more pen than pretty much any current Sheaffer (the in-laid pens seem to have been discontinued).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

While I can't speak to this recent incarnation of the Prelude, based on my experience with the Sagaris, I don't see with they would be poorly assembled. The fact they are made in China does not matter if the QC is good.

Well guess it all depends on how you view this. My very first fountain pen was a Cross Century from the early 80's. I got it brand new back then and had fond memories of it. A couple years back, I went to a pen shop to purchase the modern one. The minute I held it on my hands, the minute I was deeply disappointed! The section felt particularly cheap, looked horrendous in gold (mine had a black section), and the overall pen weight was lower than that of the original (had held one a few days prior).

 

According to friends and reviewers out there, the pen performs quite well and so far, I've been unable to find any notable issues with the Chinese version, but the feel would definitely prevent me from ever getting one, specially so, when I can get a vintage for a little less money.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33494
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26624
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...