1960’s Imperials and other inlaid nibs:Any models particularly desireable??

I am thinking about looking for one of these at some point since they remind me of my Grandmother but have no idea if there are any avoid. Any ideas are appreciated.


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The PFM's are the most desirable/expensive of the inlaid nib models. You could pick up a Targa for a lot less and still have a marvellous pen/nib, without a fiendishly difficult filling system... :)

In terms of any to avoid; no, Sheaffers of that era were fantastic pens.

Classic Targas and C/C Imperials spring instantly to mind. I've found their gold nibs to be excellent writers.
If you wanted to pay more but didn't want the fiddly PFM filling system you could also look at a Sheaffer Legacy Heritage as that version has a "normal" c/c filling system.
In the US you can also get some nice Legacy Fantasy pens. :)

In Imperials, my preference is for plastic caps over the metal which can pick up dents and dings.

I much prefer Imperials to PFMs. I hate the overly complicated Snorkel filler and the PFM name — the whole idea of the pen, in fact. I’ll admit it does have nice nibs. I’ve been tempted to stray from my no-Snorkel policy by some stub nibbed PFMs.

The Targa is simply a great pen and a very practical choice. I usually don’t mind smaller pens, but i stay away from the slim Targa since it takes non-standard cartridges & convertors. Apparently some Kaweco converter fits. Easier to avoid the whole question and stick with the regular size Targa.

There are also the cheaper pens with inlaid steel nibs such as the 440. They’re perfectly fine pens.

I would stay away from the Slim Targa, because it uses slim cartridges and converters, which can be hard to find.

If you buy a PFM, chances are you will have an expert work on it, and you might make out all right. Expensive.

The various plastic and metal Imperials are probably the best of the lot. I prefer the Touchdown fillers. They are easy to resac.

The C/C ones are good. They use the usual Sheaffer cartridges and converters. No resacking needed for piston converters. You can resac the squeeze converters -- don't throw them away.

I know this may sound like a basic question but am an not clear which Imperial and Targa models are on the larger size in terms of girth. I far prefer a rather stout pen.


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Targas are all slim, some of them ridiculously so.

If you want a beefier pen, then go for an Imperial.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by silverlifter

Targas are all slim, some of them ridiculously so.

If you want a beefier pen, then go for an Imperial.

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For comparison, an Imperial IV (touchdown) in blue next to a first year Snorkel, Waterman 55, WASP Clipper Oversized, Sheaffer Balance (standard size) vac-fil.

https://i.imgur.com/SjsPEi8.jpg

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