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View Full Version : Heritage ain't what it used to be



catbert
December 11th, 2017, 02:14 AM
From the Sheaffer website (https://www.sheaffer.com).

https://s2.postimg.org/rcs57wx5l/Sheaffer_-_respect_the_past.png

Ten whole years? Surely no pen company could be that old ...

Marsilius
December 11th, 2017, 06:35 AM
Ouch?

penwash
December 11th, 2017, 08:58 AM
Sounds like the product of a marketing agency who didn't bother to research the brand they are hired to promote.

Now that, is surprising!

catbert
December 11th, 2017, 03:48 PM
An honest typo, I think, but it tickled me.

To be fair, their history/about page looks pretty detailed and accurate.

Sammyo
December 11th, 2017, 08:21 PM
"For over 100 years"??? surely!
This is ridiculous... 10 years under new management?

The "Our Story" page definitely says "In 1912, Walter A. Sheaffer, dedicated his life savings to his idea of a pen-filling apparatus that initiates a lever system."

Jon Szanto
December 11th, 2017, 08:45 PM
I want to slap someone. Hard.

And I'm going to contact them.

***

ETA: I just did. Here is the text of my email:




To Whom It May Concern,

As a life-long user of Sheaffer writing instruments, I was horrified when someone brought to my attention a particularly egregious typographic error in your "RESPECT THE PAST" banner on the home page. Fortunately, mistakes of this nature are easily corrected on a web page, not so much in print.

Please show the true "heritage" of the Sheaffer brand by correcting the text to indicate "For over 100 years..." (not 10). It would be a travesty of high order for this erroneous copy to stand for a moment longer. This is a great brand and product, one that I hope will see a resurgence. I would love to purchase a new Sheaffer that I could be as proud of as I am of some of them that I own - and use! - that are near to that 100 year mark. I am attaching a photograph of one of my pens: a Sheaffer 8C from roughly 1926 that is still in daily use. You can see the quality of this pen simply by looking at it, which I consider a remarkably high bar to match.

Thank you for your attention to this most important detail.

With sincere regards,
Jonathan Szanto
San Diego, CA

VertOlive
December 11th, 2017, 09:04 PM
I want to slap someone. Hard.

And I'm going to contact them.

***

ETA: I just did. Here is the text of my email:




To Whom It May Concern,

As a life-long user of Sheaffer writing instruments, I was horrified when someone brought to my attention a particularly egregious typographic error in your "RESPECT THE PAST" banner on the home page. Fortunately, mistakes of this nature are easily corrected on a web page, not so much in print.

Please show the true "heritage" of the Sheaffer brand by correcting the text to indicate "For over 100 years..." (not 10). It would be a travesty of high order for this erroneous copy to stand for a moment longer. This is a great brand and product, one that I hope will see a resurgence. I would love to purchase a new Sheaffer that I could be as proud of as I am of some of them that I own - and use! - that are near to that 100 year mark. I am attaching a photograph of one of my pens: a Sheaffer 8C from roughly 1926 that is still in daily use. You can see the quality of this pen simply by looking at it, which I consider a remarkably high bar to match.

Thank you for your attention to this most important detail.

With sincere regards,
Jonathan Szanto
San Diego, CA

Boom!

SIR
December 12th, 2017, 04:01 AM
egregious
Good word!!

Also, may we see a photo of the 8C to which you refer?

RocketRyan
December 12th, 2017, 05:35 AM
egregious
Good word!!

Also, may we see a photo of the 8C to which you refer?

I was going to ask the same thing.

AzJon
December 12th, 2017, 08:00 AM
egregious
Good word!!

Also, may we see a photo of the 8C to which you refer?

I was going to ask the same thing.

Yeah, come on, Jon. You can't allude to something like that without flashing us the goods!

penwash
December 12th, 2017, 08:39 AM
Which email did you sent that to, Jon?

Jon Szanto
December 12th, 2017, 09:43 AM
Which email did you send that to, Jon?

Consumer Relations: consumerre@cross.com



egregious
Good word!!

Also, may we see a photo of the 8C to which you refer?

https://i.imgur.com/pigbrDSh.jpg

Deb
December 12th, 2017, 09:50 AM
That's wholly unlike recent Sheaffers that have come my way!

Jon Szanto
December 12th, 2017, 01:54 PM
That's wholly unlike recent Sheaffers that have come my way!

I could have just as easily posted a number of my favorite Targas that only date back to the late 70's and 80's. Still quality-made and stylish pens. The drop in those aspects of production was fairly quick, all things told.

AzJon
December 12th, 2017, 05:15 PM
Consumer Relations: consumerre@cross.com



egregious
Good word!!

Also, may we see a photo of the 8C to which you refer?

https://i.imgur.com/pigbrDSh.jpg

Just beautiful, Jon.

RocketRyan
December 12th, 2017, 11:51 PM
Looks mint.

Seattleite
December 13th, 2017, 04:22 PM
Give them a break! A 105 year-old is over 10 - waaay over.

It's funny that the emphasized statement "Respect the Past" is immediately followed by text that quantifies how unaware they are of their own.

A delightful little Freudian Slip that echos my feelings regarding the modern Sheaffer. Go Vintage!

https://fpgeeks.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=36532&d=1513204718

Bob

catbert
December 13th, 2017, 05:30 PM
The site is fixed. Well done, Jon.

https://s2.postimg.org/oxxyz7c3t/Sheaffer_-_fixed.png

Jon Szanto
December 13th, 2017, 05:54 PM
The site is fixed. Well done, Jon.

Haha! Excellent! (though they never replied...) We can never know, it might have been a dozen people writing to them. I'm just happy it's fixed.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFNLbAs3KAU

FredRydr
December 13th, 2017, 06:36 PM
Jon,

You sent them an email?

36536

Jon Szanto
December 13th, 2017, 09:19 PM
Jon,

You sent them an email?

36536

Hahaha! Hey, I was in a hurry!

penwash
December 14th, 2017, 10:10 AM
The site is fixed. Well done, Jon.

https://s2.postimg.org/oxxyz7c3t/Sheaffer_-_fixed.png

Mr. Szanto, you have done it again! Good job!

stub
December 15th, 2017, 01:49 AM
That's wholly unlike recent Sheaffers that have come my way!

I could have just as easily posted a number of my favorite Targas that only date back to the late 70's and 80's. Still quality-made and stylish pens. The drop in those aspects of production was fairly quick, all things told.

Sheaffer made some good pens even in to the 1990s.

The Legacy I is a bit heavy for my tastes but is a real quality piece of kit.
The Prelude is a great pen design with that classic Nononsense-esque feed and great stiff steel nibs.
The Triumph "Imperials" (I wan't one of those Cadium Yellow puppies) and Targas.

And those mid 90s "Crest" Reissues are genuinely great (Though the Opalite ones are prone to shrink and deform)

Do they stack up in design or QC to the Flat top or Balance era, the Forticel stuff or the Pneumatic pens, no (very little does imo) but I love my small pile of Preludes and my 2 C/C Crests. The 18k nibs on those are so soft and Sheaffer knew how to make a feed plastic that was a good as their ebonite (none better. Ever.)

& I'll just say this the Nononsense is (IMO) the absolute G O A T cheap American pen and one of the greatest pens ever and you could walk in to any drug store or Korvette's in the 1980s and grab one in a blister pack and be off to the races.