Review: Sheaffer Targa Fine Nib

February 20, 2016

Sheaffer Targa 1979, 14ct gold fine nib

Introduction:

I was looking for a second fountain pen that was a bit more upmarket than my old Parker Frontier. I looked for a very long time at a lot of modern pens but when I was almost ready to buy them, it just didn't click for me. Suddenly I started thinking about vintage pens and immediately bought a pen in 2 weeks time!

I fell in love with the Sheaffer Targa for a number of reasons which will be described below.

Buying process:

This being a vintage pen, the buying process might be interesting in and of itself. I bought the pen from penamie.co.uk. Brian is a wonderful seller! The process is a bit weird as you need to email him to tell which pen you want and then send the money through paypal. However he's completely trustworthy and always answers promptly.

Design:

When the pen is closed, it has a fairly understated design. Flat top and bottom with a slight taper in the barrel. The classy materials and square engravings in the metal give it a rather businesslike look. It's perfect for someone who wants an exquisite writing instrument that doesn't scream out to other people.

The weight is a little less than I was expecting. Especially when the cap is off. This is probably because of the construction. When the pen arrived I noticed the barrel malfunctioned so I got to see how it's built. The section actually attaches to a plastic sleeve inside the pen. This black elongated sleeve fills the whole barrel and forms the end of the barrel. A very thin metal sleeve is glued to this plastic sleeve. This glue had come loose so I had a pen with a plastic barrel and a separate metal sleeve. Some glue fixed this problem very quickly. The cap is completely metal so it weighs more than the barrel.

Despite all this, the pen still feels very nice in hand and even posting it doesn't make it very top heavy. I personally don't post it because I'm paranoid that I'll scratch the barrel with the cap.

http://i.imgur.com/g8QKzNj.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/V35xTuq.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/vreP7Xa.jpg

The nib:

Oooooooh, the nib. I can honestly say that the nib is the absolute main reason I bought this pen. Ever since I was young I've seen flashes of the Sheaffer inlaid nib here and there in shops or maybe some advertising. It always stood out to me as the pinnacle of writing instruments. By buying a used vintage pen, I could finally own one at a reasonable price. When I opened the pen for the first time, the nib was a bit smaller than I expected, but it's still a work of art!

Does it meet expectations? Absolutely. Does it exceed expectations? Not really. The nib is very smooth but it's pretty picky about the sweetspot. When writing with it, I kind of have to search for it the first sentence(s). I expect that I'll get to know it better when I own the pen for a longer time. When I write a little off of the sweetspot it still writes smoother than my Parker Frontier. There's just a bit more feedback than I'd want from this pen. When I do find it, it writes like a dream. It's very smooth. However, it's not like a hovercraft gliding over the paper. There's still a tad of feedback that keeps you in check. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, I like it this way. Just pointing it out because everyone has preferences. I guess that a tinkerer could smoothen it up even more in a few seconds.

Being completely gold, there is some flex in the nib. It doesn't need a lot of force to be flexed so it's usable. However don't expect super wide line variation like you would get from say a Noodler's Ahab. Do keep in mind that it needs a lot less force to flex than the Ahab, only the 'maximum amount' of flex is lower.

http://i.imgur.com/R40bqTa.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/xLlesMh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/chTlIWv.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/raSsJyW.jpg

filling system:

A Sheaffer C/C filler. I got one of those squeeze type converters with the pen but switched it for a modern piston style converter instantly. It's a proprietary fitting which limits your converter choices and raises the price of converters but it's not the end of the world. Surprisingly, the fact that it's a C/C filler is another main reason I bought this pen over a Sheaffer Imperial of PFM. I was worried a filling mechanism with a rubber sac would leak or couldn't handle Noodler's bulletproof inks. Going for a C/C mechanism seemed like the wiser choice for a daily driver pen.

Conclusion:

I love this pen and it's totally worth the 85 pounds I paid for it. It's an absolute joy to write with and just watching the nib glide over the paper is a spectacle to admire. Although there are pens out there that are more flashy or pens that offer more unique features, this pen is the perfect one for me. I can carry it almost everywhere, I can use it without standing out too much (but just enough ), it's a smooth writer and in my opinion quite the looker. The fact that it's a vintage pen and already has a history that I can only guess at, is icing on the cake.

lastly, here's a writing sample. I don't have a scanner at the moment so i had to make do with a smarthpone app...

http://i.imgur.com/PpXxxcI.jpg

February 20, 2016

Great review but a small warning. The Sheaffer inlaid nibs are glued in place and held with a small tab at the very rear. It's generally not a good idea to flex them since that may break the glue and allow a leak at the upper edges of the inlay.

http://www.fototime.com/C05AA58E5F46A69/standard.jpg

February 21, 2016

Great review and excellent call-outs for others to use in evaluating their preferences!

I, too, love Sheaffer's inlaid nib. I have two Targas, a Legaxy, and am now on the hunt for an Imperial!

Thanks for sharing.

John

February 21, 2016

Seeing the "naked" plastic pen body is interesting. It really is just like an Imperial wrapped in a fancy costume.

I've used a lot of Imperials and several Targas. Both the steel nibs and gold nibs have been excellent, but they do have a different feel and write differently. The steel nibs are firm and smooth and basically feel like a high quality rollerball to me. The gold nibs do have a subtle bit of flex, which I think is perhaps typical of gold nibs from the 1960s. I wish that type, and quality, of nib would make a comeback in more of today's pens.

February 21, 2016

Great review ... I use a Targa with medium point as my daily writer as well and I absolutely love this pen! Sheaffer did so many things right!

February 21, 2016

Just noticed this bit. . .

A Sheaffer C/C filler. I got one of those squeeze type converters with the pen but switched it for a modern piston style converter instantly.

I've used both types, and they're both good. I actually have grown to like the squeeze converter. It is kind of homely looking. . . and you can't see how much ink you've got in it. It makes for a very convenient fill, though. A quick squeeze and release of the converter, and a quick swipe of that smooth nib and section makes it no hassle at all to fill or top off.