Favorite Sheaffers??

[jor412]

Hello All. This is my first post. Just arrived from the other FP site and liked the geek of the week feature. Beyond the fascination with pens and such it is people such as Brian from Edison and the Goulets that make it something more. We all contribute in a way whether online or at the local pen club. Writing is a dying art that few pay any attention to in this electronic age.
I believe my first FP was a Sheaffer school pen, then I bought a No Nonsense Medium that I still have some 30 years later. I saved my pennies and bought a Stainless Steel Targa which I still use. I have about a dozen targas now, including a ball point, a pencil and two roller balls - one is a slim brass model.
I have an Imperial II deluxe with the TD filler and a fine Triumph nib. Very smooth writer. I prefer the weight and feel of a metal pen but the Sailor 1911 with Zoom nib may allow me to appreciate the plastic body pens. Good size and balance not unlike a PFM which I intend to acquire someday. There is a pen club member who has a Blue and silver one he may sell... The Lamy Studio is similar in size to a targa. So for me it keeps coming back to the Classic targa. I just purchased a black GT online this week. Just can' t get enough of a good thing.

I had forgotten that I have a Sheaffer No Nonsense pen with a fine italic nib and that got me hooked on italic nibs. I also just bought two Sheaffer Imperials -- one VIII TD and a sterling silver TD, both with fine 14kt nibs. So far my favorite Sheaffer is still the Targa. Its skipping problem is due to a broken feed which I will fix when the replacement feed arrives, but the nib is excellent to write with.

[onefallingleaf]

I have about a dozen Sheaffer's and I love all of them. My favorite, however, is an old Military Balance piston fill with a Feather Touch #5 nib that is a wonderfully smooth writer.It also holds a huge supply of ink. I bought this pen on Flea Bay six or seven years ago and I often wonder about its history The finish on the barrel is flaking off and it would win no beauty contests nonetheless it is a treasure to me Sheaffer's Military Balance 1.jpg

[Maja]

Probably my Snorkel with factory 3-tined music nib, because of its rarity.
My first fountain pen was a Sheaffer NoNonsense and I collect those, so that's another favourite....but there are too many great Sheaffer pen models to limit my choice to just one. Great question, though!

[jonro]

I'm a big fan of vintage Sheaffers. They were, arguably, for reasons mentioned above, the most innovative fountain pen company. Walter Sheaffer was inspirational, too. In the early 1900s, the fiftyish Sheaffer founded his eponymous pen company at an age that most people would retire and built it into one of the top pen companies in the world.

My favorite Sheaffers are my golden age OS Balances, my PFMs and some of the Triumph-nibbed pens. Amazing writers, all, they feel great in the hand.

[chad.trent]

I have quite a few Sheaffers that I love. I have a Sheaffer/Levenger Connoisseur that is probably my favorite. I also have a Balance that is probably a close second. I also have an old Sheaffer that was given to my father as a graduation present that means a lot to me.

[jd50ae]

My favorite Sheaffer is hands down the NoNonsense series. They write every time the first time.

[CS388]

At school, I had a Sheaffer Stylist. It had the double sided nib - one side broad, the other fine.

Even now, I marvel at that inventiveness and sheer practicality.
Just flip the pen over and use the broad to make crucial parts of the writing stand out; keywords, subtitles, headers etc.

Still got it, although it's in bits. Needs a complete rebuild and probably a few parts replacing. Unforgettable pen, though.

[cedargirl]

At school, I had a Sheaffer Stylist. It had the double sided nib - one side broad, the other fine.

Even now, I marvel at that inventiveness and sheer practicality.
Just flip the pen over and use the broad to make crucial parts of the writing stand out; keywords, subtitles, headers etc.

Still got it, although it's in bits. Needs a complete rebuild and probably a few parts replacing. Unforgettable pen, though.

What's not to love about Sheaffers.

I didn't know that Sheaffer did that with its nibs. I knew it was famously done by at least one Japanese nibmeister - and that Richard Binder (and maybe others) grinds nibs two ways. But I didn't know it had any historical basis. Which side was the normal side and which was upside down?

[CS388]

...snip...
Which side was the normal side and which was upside down?

Well, both sides were the normal side, oddly enough.
The nib was a flat piece sandwiched between two feeds.
At least, that's what it looked like, I believe that only one of them was an actual feed - but the nib was in the middle.

I'll try to find, or take, a picture and upload it later - it's easy to see but difficult to describe.

Thanks

Edited to add:
My photos are phone snaps. They are purely for technical guidance and have no artistic merit.
To give an idea of how it worked, my old (beaten up) Stylist nib. In profile:



And the component parts:



Just dip tested it and it still works, smooth as butter.

First time I've done this. If photos too large, I will remove and resize etc.
Thanks.

[jacksterp]

Only have one, so the choice is easy. An Imperial II but a smooth, reliable and very enjoyable writer.

I could easily be talked into another - and probably another.

[nxn96]

By and large, I think the Sheaffer Triumph and Inlaid nibs often provide some of the smoothest writing experiences known. I've got a couple of Snorkels, but I think the Touchdowns are the better value, since more people are chasing after the Snorkel system.

My favorite? Probably an Imperial with a 14k gold inlaid nib. When me and the Missus were engaged and were addressing our wedding invitations, I used my Parker 75 and loaned her my Imperial, as it was the smoother writer.

Sentimental favorite? My father's Snorkel- a Burgundy Sentinel. There's probably a reason why my own 51 Aerometric is a Burgundy with a Lustraloy cap/gold clip....