Sheaffer Prelude- Zero or Hero?

[The penner]

Exactly how proud should I feel to have one in my collection? The pen behaves quite well to me.

Comparisons, reviews and comments welcome here!

[QM2]

Exactly how proud should I feel to have one in my collection? The pen behaves quite well to me.

Comparisons, reviews and comments welcome here!

 

I think this is a wonderful pen both to start a collection with and to use as a regular writer. One of my first pens was a chrome Sheaffer Prelude and it was a trusty friend. Now even though my collection is much larger and more impressive, I just recently bought another Prelude -- a pretty white and gold one -- just to keep the chrome company and to commemorate my enjoyment of this model.

 

My only issue with the Prelude, is that after continuous use, the material on the gripping section began to look worn from my fingers. I am not sure whether this is a common problem, or just me.

 

 

[Richard]

I think the Prelude is an excellent pen. I have one:

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/collection/zoomed/prelude_cad_yel.jpg

 

Interestingly, the design team that created the Prelude had come from Parker, where they were responsible for the Sonnet. I've labeled the Sonnet one of the most significant pens of the 20th century because it's basically bulletproof and there are bazillions of them out there -- but the Prelude is a better pen. It just hasn't managed to develop the cachet.

[TYoung]

I like the Sonnet more than the Prelude - it feels more solid and as noted it's bullet-proof! Sheaffer should do something about the cheap look of the Prelude clip.

[TYoung]

Also, the Sonnet cap post MUCH better than the Prelude. When using a Prelude the cap frequently becomes loose - never with a Sonnet.

[Velma]

I Have had about eight, perhaps ten, Preludes -- I've given some away to people who wanted to experiment with fountain pens. I think they're excellent, sturdy, attractive pens, and most of the extra-fine nibs I've gotten have been good right out of the box. PenHero had a blue lacquer one that was lovely, but I think he's completely out of them. While my tastes have shifted, I think I shall get the rose gold one, because I have the desire to have both the copper and the rose gold together.

 

Okay -- a lot of that was aesthetics. The pens themselves are comfortable to my hand, balanced, and the ink flow is perhaps a little on the dry side with the extra-fine nibs, but I prefer it that way. I would say get one, and then see if you want more.

[davefoe]

I've enjoyed my Prelude very much . . . no problems, although the plastic section threads got stripped and I had to get that repaired. I do think this pen could look very nice with a "Triumph" style nib. Maybe Sheaffer could explore that, as well as some more colors than what is currently offered. I hope they keep making this pen.

 

Dave

[PenTieRun]

I want Richard's orange Prelude. Somebody hold him down while I....

 

Anyhow, the Prelude is a great pen. Occasionally, it will become finicky with ink, but that's probably because I've ignored it for a few days. It writes a beautiful fine line and has a perfect weight balance for its size. I do worry about those plastic threads--mine is only a year and a half old. The barrel and cap materials feel like they will last two lifetimes.

 

Yes, penner, good job on snagging a Prelude.

[RLTodd]

Most of my previously posted comments have been negative on the Prelude, save I do find them good writers when they have a good nib.

 

I finally bought a Parker Sonnet, burshed chrome G/T Steel "F" nib, and have compared it to my three Preludes (now that all the nib situations are fixed). My opinion is that the Parker Sonnet is a much better pen overall.

 

Therefore if we are talking user, I will always recommend the Sonnet. If were talking collections, sure, load up on the Preludes.

 

Best of luck...........

 

[langere]

I have a Prelude and was pretty unimpressed by it. But of course, I switched in my rotation from a Legacy to the Prelude and my reaction is perhaps to be expected.

 

And yes, I agree that aesthetically and in terms of writing, a Sonnet is much better. I love my red Sonnet and my blue & silver one...) But they of course cost about twice as much or more!

 

Erick

Edited August 14, 2008 by langere

[Scribero ergo sum]

I found a base model Javelin at, of all places, a store in a local mall. I might not have given it much thought, but it was sharp in the silver with silver trim and was on clearance for eleven dollars. It had a medium nib, which wasn't my first choice, but for eleven bucks I didn't mind at all.

 

Fast forward a few weeks and I'd loved the new Javelin (my first Sheaffer) so much that I rushed out and bought another Javelin in blue with silver trim, but with the fine nib. That one instantly became one of my favorites, right up there with my newish Cross Apogee and rOtring Initial, among others.

 

So, I wrongly assumed that if the lower level Javelin was so good, the upper level Prelude must naturally be even better. Add to that the fact that the online seller incorrectly labeled the dimensions of the Prelude as larger than the Javelin (I like a large-ish, solid pen), and I dove in and bought two for my arsenal to match my other pair of Sheaffers: a medium blue with nickel trim, and the brushed chrome with nickel trim, both with fine points.

 

By any standard, they're both beautiful pens. Had I not been expecting a larger pen, I'd likely be a bit more thrilled with the weight and balance of the Preludes. But I've had them both for a week now and neither of them have yet to perform even close to acceptably. Although I've never used an extra fine nib, my guess so far is that this is what it must feel like, because both of these Preludes write like they have scalpels for nibs. I can barely get to the end of one line of text without slicing the notebook page; and each time that's happened I've grabbed at least three other pens, each of different makes, to test and see if the problem was the paper and not the Prelude. So far, the Preludes have been the problem. Thus, the blue one scrapes so much paper fiber off the page that I have to constantly stop and smear the paper schmootz out of the nib, while the chrome one seems so stiff that it barely lays down an inkline at all, and feels like it will take about three lifetimes to loosen up.

 

I've never had a nib ground, but I'm willing to look into that option even though I don't know one way or the other if that is even the right answer to this problem. For all I know, I just happened to have gotten "lucky" and wound up with not one, but two, shoddy malfunctioning nibs.

 

I still think they look and feel like terrific pens, and based solely on my experience with the Javelins I still trust that Sheaffer sells some good, solid, trustworthy hardware. But so far, these two Preludes are not falling into that category.

 

I would be very appreciative for any suggestions as to how I might turn these zero Preludes to heros.

 

Thanks.

Edited August 20, 2008 by Scribero ergo sum

[RLTodd]

Javelin, Prelude were just talking about pen holders. The nibs are the same, save the plating. On my desk I have a translucent brown Javelin that came with an unaceptable nib (pen). I replaced it with an satisfactory Prelude (gold plated steel nib). It is now a satisfactory instrument.

 

However, I have found the tipping material of the nibs to be rather soft. With far less than a year of intermittent use it has a prominent flat spot (foot).

 

I would be very interested to know who the contractor for these nibs was.

[Ray-Vigo]

I have a Prelude MPI and pencil set that the better half got on sale one week. They nice and they function well, but are a bit heavy.

[wednesday_mac]

I bought a black Prelude which my father promptly stole upon playing with it. He carried it 92 miles away and it is lost to me.

 

So I then bought three more - Red, white, and powder blue - which were sold together but have separate boxes. The marketing blurb said Sheaffer intended to sell them through university bookstores in the U.S. I guess that never came to be?

 

I now have a Prelude in every room that counts and nobody bothers them because they are such p-r-e-t-t-y colors. ::

 

I've found them a bit heavy for my hand, so that I leave off the cap while writing. But they're such smooth writers that i don't mind.

 

 

Edited August 21, 2008 by wednesday_mac

[goodguy]

I had few Preludes but sold them all,they were ok but just not my taste.

I found the nibs to be boring and too dry to my taste but all in all its a good pen.

[PAKMAN]

I have 6 Preludes in some hard to find colors. I thought they were the greatest thing when I first got them but don't use them much now. My one Sonnet is a really sweet Sterling Silver model that is a very good writer.

[purpledog]

I am still looking for that almost-impossible-to-find Rainbow Prelude. I managed to find one for sale in one of the shopping centres in Singapore, but it is sold for about 85 USD. I might buy that if I still cannot find a cheaper buy.

 

purpledog

[gregamckinney]

I am still looking for that almost-impossible-to-find Rainbow Prelude. I managed to find one for sale in one of the shopping centres in Singapore, but it is sold for about 85 USD. I might buy that if I still cannot find a cheaper buy.

 

purpledog

 

It took several months of watching the boards closely for one before I found a Rainbow Prelude. It was offered by Pendemonium for $70, and I was happy to have gotten one. I think the odds of you finding one for less than $85 are low. I would go get that one if I was in your shoes.

 

Regards, greg

[PigsEye]

I have a prelude and like it with one exception. I use a converter and when just over half empty, stops writing. I have to push the ink down with the plunger. I've done all the standard cleaning steps to no avail. Other than that, a nice fine line, which works well for me.

[Ron Z]

I work on pens (duh!) and therefore tend to look at things from that viewpoint.....

 

I will admit that there are glitzier pens than the Prelude, but they are an excellent pen. Solidly made, clean lines, generally good nibs, tough. The same basic nib is used in the Prelude, and Agio, with different gripping sections. While I have plenty of expensive pens, for daily use, one or another of my Preludes will usually be in the rotation.

 

 

 

 

Edited October 14, 2008 by Ron Z