Jump to content

Sheaffer Taranis (Bright Amethyst)


snowbear

Recommended Posts

This is my first pen review. I only have a few pens, all but the Delta Serena were well below $100. When the local B&M announced their fall show and sale, I went for a visit. This pen was on my list to look at, and as soon as I picked it up I decided to get it. This is my first hooded pen.

______________________________________________________________________

 

Appearance & Design (9)
A contemporary design that will not be loved by everyone. The pen is wide in the center and tapers down to the squared ends. The nib section, about 2/3 the size of the cap, and the nib hood is chromed on top and black plastic (resin?) below. The cap is almost the same length as the body shell. If Steve Jobs and Apple had designed a fountain pen, it might look like this.

Construction & Quality (7.5)
I like the way it is constructed. The body and cap seem to be aluminum or brass and there is a brass insert on the body shell for fitting to the nib section. The finish, a muted purple seems durable, but time will tell, of course. The warranty is for three years.

 

One issue I see is when screwing the body back onto the nib section: it threads on fairly easily until the last mm or so, and then it feels tight. Not like it’s cross-threaded or going to break, but it definitely needs a little more force to go that last little bit.

Weight & Dimensions (9)
The pen’s length is about 5-1/2” (14 cm) overall. The cap and body shell are almost the same length, about 2 5/8” (6.5 cm) and 2/7/8” (7.5 cm) respectively. The weight is listed as about 2-1/2 oz. (35 grams).

 

The pen’s balance seems to be slightly weight forward, but it seems to fall into writing position rather naturally.

 

Nib & Performance (8)

This nib is a bit wider than I expected, but it is finer than the others I have. Being somewhat impatient at times, and spending the day in town with the family, I didn’t want to wait to get home and flush before trying. I immediately popped in one of the cartridges and the pen started right up. No skipping, so far; it will get a good workout this week.

 

Filling System & Maintenance (8)
I haven’t used the converter, yet, since the pen came with two cartridges. I’ll load it with something special later in the week and give it a run. The cartridge fits without leaking and the pen started right away.

 

Cost & Value (9)
This pen normally sells for $110 at this particular store but with a 10% discount on everything in stock (or ordered), it came in at $99. This allowed be to purchase two pens and a bottle of ink, keeping within my budget.

 

Conclusion (Final score : 8.4)

I’ve only had this pen a couple of days, and I am quite happy with the purchase. I am even considering a second one with the medium nib. If you like a pen with a sleek, contemporary design, you might want to look at this one.

 

 

 

22299422711_d42d3af9ec_n.jpg

cmw3_d40_6441 by Charlie Wrenn, on Flickr

 

21666151404_d7f5966c9b_n.jpg

cmw3_d40_6436 by Charlie Wrenn, on Flickr

 

22299422581_78679e8aa5_n.jpg

cmw3_d40_6438 by Charlie Wrenn, on Flickr

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 1
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • snowbear

    1

  • ThirdeYe

    1

Popular Days

Top Posters In This Topic

If that fine nib writes as good as my Sheaffer 100's fine nib does, I can imagine it being a fantastic writer. I'd love to get one of those, but I feel it's priced a bit higher than it should be.

Derek's Pens and Pencils

I am always looking for new penpals! Send me a pm if you'd like to exchange correspondence. :)

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...