Sheaffer 100 Review

[a.lachlan]

Initial Impressions:

My first impressions were very good - this is a very solid, tough pen, that I’m sure will last a very long time if not forever. The cap doesn’t have an amazingly satisfying *click* but it’s secure and not too tight, although I’ve heard reports of them being too tight. Upon writing with it for the first time I found it to be very wet and very smooth, one of the smoothest I’ve tried. I got this for only £25 from CultPens, and for this price it seems to be a very good pen...

Design:

It’s a pretty slim pen - it has a long plain barrel, and a polished grip section. For a polished grip section I don’t actually find it too bad, it has a slight oval shape to it but doesn’t taper making it not very slippy at all. The clip on the cap is definitely on the tight side being almost unusable. The nib is, like the other lower-end Sheaffer’s rather small. I opted for the matt black finish and so far it hasn’t suffered from any scratches. The pen’s weight is a little on the high side having a metal construction but I don’t find it to be too heavy. By metal I mean all-metal, the barrel, the grip section and the cap making for a very solid pen and for a grip section that screws onto the barrel very nicely - if you’ve read any of my other reviews you may know I’m generally not a fan of a plastic grip section, metal body combination as they usually don’t “glide” very well when assembling the pen.

Overall a nice design, the only thing I think could really be improve on is the cap. I have large hands so find it to be a little too slim for my taste but I can’t hold tht against it, it’s a very nice pen so earns a score for this part of the review of...

9/10

Nib and Performance:

The nib is one of the smoothest I’ve ever used and I am very impressed by it. It has a little bit of feedback, just enough to be nice but not so much as to be a nuisance. In terms of line thickness it’s thinner than Lamy nibs, but thicker than Pilot nibs, I’ll upload a picture for comparison with various other medium nibs.

In terms of flow it is definitely on the wetter side, not absolutely soaking but just right, and the feed always keeps up and there are never any false starts. As I said before it’s quite a small nib which I rather like - I generally find smaller nibs nicer to write with for some reason. It’s nicely decorated as well, with a big “M”, “Sheaffer” and some slight decoration, again I’ll upload a picture so you can see for yourself. Overall the nib gets an impressive...

10/10

Conclusion:

For only £25 this pen is a steal, and perfect for anyone who’s more inclined towards the slimmer fountain pen. Personally I like bigger ones but I still find myself using is due to its almost perfect nib. If you’re looking for a tough pen for day to day use this would be perfect, I’m sure this pen could withstand quite a lot!

Score: 19/20

 

Pics!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7451/12254103865_f98be6dfbf_c.jpg

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5479/12254103005_b84cfb40bb_c.jpg

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2884/12254269963_f3fd8e3661_c.jpg

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5503/12254532144_25357d15b1_c.jpg

 

Writing sample with comparisons to Lamy nibs and a Kaweco as well...

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7352/13166469415_2e3fa31e49_c.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7007/13166733314_51ccd3a148_c.jpg

 

And a size comparison...

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2857/12254281983_82b552b578_c.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7440/12254281053_a872506103_c.jpg

Sheaffer 300, Sheaffer 100, Sheaffer Prelude, Lamy Studio, TWSBI Diamond 580, Kaweco Allrounder, Pilot Prera

Edited March 15, 2014 by a.lachlan

[linuxid10t]

It is a shame the price on them went up so much. Sheaffer makes really great nibs for their budget pens though.

[Anirban4u]

@a.lachlan

 

How does the grip section hold up when you are writing for an extended period of time?

I always suspected that it'd turn slippery.

[kokopelli_TR]

I also got mine last week. I already had a 300 and a Prelude and 100 didn't disappoint either. The nib is very close to 300 if not the same. For the price I got, $16 on eBay exc case inc converter, I couldn't believe how refined this pen was. I've got an F nib and it is just perfect for my small print characters. It is butter smooth and flows perfectly every time. The surprise was the shiny section, as all others here, but it almost sticks to my fingers and never slips. Of course not in a negative way, it just has a thick enough shape for your fingers to hold tightly and securely.

 

The only thing I also would like to criticize is that its clip is a bit too big in an inelegant way and a bit too tight. Still a very well made pen for its price.

[henkm]

@a.lachlan

 

How does the grip section hold up when you are writing for an extended period of time?

I always suspected that it'd turn slippery.

 

 

That may depend on body chemistry and sweating, but I have never had any problems with mine.

[a.lachlan]

@a.lachlan

 

How does the grip section hold up when you are writing for an extended period of time?

I always suspected that it'd turn slippery.

 

It does get a little slippery alas, but the shape of the section makes not too much of a pain. Depending on how you hold it it isn't too bad at all but I can see some people having a problem with it - sorry if that's a little vague!

 

EDIT: Even if it doesn't get slippery it will get covered in fingerprints easily!

EDIT 2: Also, it doesn't get nearly as slippery if you grip it very lightly

Edited March 16, 2014 by a.lachlan

[pagama]

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Edited March 17, 2014 by pagama

[rwilsonedn]

Thanks for a really informative review with lots of writing samples. I've been curious about the new Sheaffers, and I'm glad to hear they are pleasing.

ron