Best Sheaffer Pen?

[Hugh200au]

Well if money is no object then a solid gold Masterpiece is in order or a rather rare solid gold PFM ( custom made for Sheaffer UK and said to only be 100 made). Okay, if you can find a gold PFM it'll set you back around $8000 to $whatever to buy....so while money might not be a problem finding one is. Next would be a gold balance, last one I saw sold for $800 (buy now on ebay)....expect to pay a lot more more if you can find another one . Another very difficult one to find is the pre Snorkle TM...again a couple of grand. So that leave the Snorkle and Targa Masterpieces....again look at $2000 plus. The other rarity would be a full plastic Snorkle in fiesta red...the "holy grail" of snorkledom"... As you've seen from all the posts, plenty of great pens to choose from!! Have fun

 

Regards

Hugh

[PenHero]

For me it's two pens, a PFM Autograph and a PFM demonstrator - pens I don't yet have.

[Wyre]

I just purchased two Balance "white dot" in red veined gray pearl... I do hope that they are in as good of condition as they looked in the pictures.

 

This is by far one of my favorite colors.... However Ron Z is quite correct about this particular color having problems. I bought a Sheaffer in this same color on ebay about 2 years back.... it just turned to powder.

 

Still trying to find a way to stabilize the celluloid without too much damage. So far I have had the best luck with very lightly misting the celluloid with pure acetone. This causes the surface of the celluloid to become quite soft... I then let it stand for about 24 hours to let it harden back up... then carefully sand and polish the fine cracks out of the surface. Did this last to a black and pearl... it worked quite well.

[DrPJM1]

I just purchased two Balance "white dot" in red veined gray pearl... I do hope that they are in as good of condition as they looked in the pictures.

 

This is by far one of my favorite colors.... However Ron Z is quite correct about this particular color having problems. I bought a Sheaffer in this same color on ebay about 2 years back.... it just turned to powder.

 

Still trying to find a way to stabilize the celluloid without too much damage. So far I have had the best luck with very lightly misting the celluloid with pure acetone. This causes the surface of the celluloid to become quite soft... I then let it stand for about 24 hours to let it harden back up... then carefully sand and polish the fine cracks out of the surface. Did this last to a black and pearl... it worked quite well.

 

Interesting, and the acetone does not damage the celluloid or makes the surface sticky?

I've had Pearl & Black and Red Veined Marbled Grey pens for many years and have not seen any signs of degradation on them.

I have seen crazing, ambering and worse on pens out in the wild, luckily mine have survived so far.

[mdbrown]

My vote is for the PFM IV, the OS Balance is nice too but... PFM for me.

[79spitfire]

I can't say which one is "best" I like all my Sheaffers for different reasons. They are all examples of the "best" of their eras, so I would suggest you pick one that you like and go for it!

[Wyre]

Interesting, and the acetone does not damage the celluloid or makes the surface sticky?

I've had Pearl & Black and Red Veined Marbled Grey pens for many years and have not seen any signs of degradation on them.

I have seen crazing, ambering and worse on pens out in the wild, luckily mine have survived so far.

 

a very fine mist will cause the surface to melt ... this usually gets rid of most of the fine cracks and crazing. It will be tacky until the celluloid starts to cure again. This usually takes about 24 hours or so. I usually only do this on pens that are almost too far gone as it is fairly destructive to imprints and such.

 

Edit: back on topic

 

I would say that for me the Balance or Heritage models are some of the best balanced usable pens.

Edited February 6, 2011 by Wyre

[laureat]

For me: the Targa, M-nib. It's elegance with the beautiful inlayed nib, gold, not too posh and affordable. There are still some Targa's out there, in stunning colors.They are excelent work-horses in my opinion.

[Beechwood]

Modern Sheaffers seem to get better in inverse proportion to their price.

 

 

 

This school pen, like its chrome capped ancestor of the 60s, performs well and sells for pocket money

[tonybelding]

My vote is for the PFM IV, the OS Balance is nice too but... PFM for me.

 

It's really hard to define "best", but I do think the PFM or Imperial with the inlaid nib is the most iconic, in the sense that Sheaffer has been recycling, rehashing and replicating that general design for the last 50 years, right up to the Legacy Heritage pens of today.

[Wyre]

The Feather Touch nib, the Lifetime nib, and the inlaid nibs are all fantastic. To be quite honest I really like the Feather Touch nibs in the Admiral pens... They are fairly inexpensive, about the right shape, correct weight, very well balanced... and most of them are very good writers. I have one that lays such a nice wet line.... One of my favorites.

[Flounder]

Because it combines Sheaffer's touchdown filling system, inlaid nib design, relative affordability (to the PFMs) and beautiful silverwork, I'm going to throw caution to the wind and say "In your shoes I would want to pursue an Imperial Lifetime, with the 925 silver crosshatch finish."

 

Too rich for my blood (at least so far), so I have 2 Targas instead. Here's one on eBay at the moment, pity it's a fine nib or I'd be going for it myself.

[Kelly G]

I have more than a few vintage Sheaffers from flat tops to a nice PFM I. My favorite, gauged by carry time is the OS Balance; pick your favorite color and filling system.

[ashbridg]

The Feather Touch nib, the Lifetime nib, and the inlaid nibs are all fantastic. To be quite honest I really like the Feather Touch nibs in the Admiral pens... They are fairly inexpensive, about the right shape, correct weight, very well balanced... and most of them are very good writers. I have one that lays such a nice wet line.... One of my favorites.

 

The Admiral Touchdown with the Feathertouch nib is the best kept secret in vintage pens. A while back there was a flurry of them on eBay in the $10 to $12 range. Two days ago one sold for $9 plus $2 shipping (to the lower 48). Also, you can buy a Touchdown kit for $8 plus $2 shipping. And bingo. For $21 you’ve got a fully restored Sheaffer Touchdown with a 14k platinum-coated nib, it’s a smooth bouncy writer as good as anything out there. They go cheap because of the plastic threads, no metal thread ring, and the cap band doesn’t cover the lip. Also they have an open nib and no white dot. I like them like that, classy in a modest way. I bought a NOS Admiral for $13 and restored it. A real gem, you can’t beat it at any price.

 

Ashby

[FredRydr]

Not much comment on nib performance. I have some wonderful vintage Omas, Waterman and celluloid M with fantastic nibs, but my Sheaffer EF flex nib on a pearl and black Balance OS lever-filler beats them all hands down for writing. Trouble is, you have to find the nib, no easy task.

 

Fred.

Edited February 10, 2011 by FredRydr

[furple]

No price limit!!

In the market to buy a pen from each different famous pen brand

Which Sheaffer pen do you think is the best?

thanks lots!!!!

 

Seems clear that there are as many answers to this as there are Sheaffer models. Some people demand reliability, some style, some uniqueness, some flash, etc.

 

Personally, it was the uniqueness of the Sheaffer Snorkel with the conical nibs that got me started in collecting. I had a thing for the long sleekness of the Snorkel models as well as the unusual filling system. Then I found I needed a pen that held more ink, and I discovered the Touchdown fillers. Then there's the Tuckaways that hold a lot of ink and fit well in a pocket. Then I realized the older lever fillers hold even more ink, and it's such a tried and true filling method, and... need I go on?

 

Currently, the quite flashy Snorkel Masterpiece is the Sheaffer I'd love to have (fine nib, no engraving, if you please). I doubt I'll ever be able to afford it. However, the other day my Sheaffer of choice was a Stylist, pretty roundly recognized as a Sheaffer "worst". But I'd never heard of it, I'd never seen one, and I just HAD to have it. Got it for under 20 bucks and I'm happy. And some research helped ensure I wouldn't pay too much for it.

 

My point is, I think there are a lot of "best" Sheaffers. The deciding factor is what one is looking for from a pen. Opinions are great, but nothing beats personal research. I mean it'd be great to quickly acquire a slew of great pens, but learning what makes them great is surely worth the time and effort!

 

Best of luck and happy hunting!