Pen Review: Sheaffer Imperial Triumph (1970s)
This is my first fountain pen. It was gifted to me by my wife's grandfather. I initially asked him if he had any fountain pens that I could try (thanks B&B!) as I was loving shaving the "old" way, maybe I'd love writing that way too. After going through all his stuff he was only able to find this one. He thinks he has more from his father and his grandfather but isn't sure if they were lost during one of the world wars or possibly when he moved from Scotland to Canada. Or even one of his moves in Canada! Regardless, he let me borrow the pen and with a bit of a flush of water it wrote like a charm. He said it had never been inked but I think they came inked back then as the converter was pretty full (took a while to flush it).
Appearance and Design
The pen is a 23K gold filled model with a fluted design. It has a nice weight to it, making sure you know that you have a pen in your hands. The gold has not tarnished or flaked off at all, no signs of corrosion or issues. The clip works fantasticly, having been tested both in pant pockets and suit jacket pockets. The white dot is firmly attached.
Construction and Quality
The construction of the pen is top notch. The clip-style cap is nice, I've never been a big fan of the screw-on caps. While I get that those are probably better for you if you have a leaky pen I liken it to a leaky Harley...Fix the issue, don't add in a compensating control!
Nib Performance
Ahh, the nib. Old Sheaffers like this one had chalk marks on them to denote what size nib you were receiving. While that's great as it didn't leave any sticky mess it sucks for people like me who got the pens secondhand. I took the pen into a couple of local-ish stores in Toronto and got some semi-expert opinion. The shops all stated that the nib appeared to be a M. The nib it an inlaid 14K gold nib. The flow of ink out of this nib is great. It's a bit of a wet writer compared to others I've tried which is not good on crappy office paper. My old office notebook I had to write double-spaced and only on one side of the page as there was a lot of feathering and bleed-through. If you haven't yet used an inlaid Sheaffer nib you're seriously missing out. Beautifully constructed, elegant lines and buttery smooth. Just an all-around fantastic writer.
Weight and Dimensions
Unfortunately there isn't much information about this pen in the wild that I've been able to find. The closest I've found is the diamond patterned 827. Mine is the fluted pattern which is either model 829 or 727 depending on who you ask.
The general info is:Total length - 5-3/16" capped
Weight - around 30 g
Filling System and Maintenance
The aeromatic (squeeze) converter is great. Sucks up a huge amount of ink. I also find it easier to use than the twist converters that are so prevelant now. There's no need here to play with the converter to make sure you get more ink than air. Simply squeeze three times and the converter is full. I really don't understand why more pens don't use this style converter.
Cost and Value
The MSRP on this pen was $25 (in Canada). I have found similar (the diamond mostly) for as low as $75 to upwards of $200, if all three pieces of the set are included (original set came with rollerball and mechanical pencil.)
Conclusion
I love this pen. No two ways about it. I'll never get rid of it and not just because it has sentimental value to my wife. It's a fanstastic writer and helped launch James' journey into this great world. If I recall correctly, prior to him trying it out he stated "I don't ever plan on collecting pens. Don't see the point. I only write with one." After trying it, I believe the conversation went something like this "Oh. Wow. Where'd you say you got that from again?"
Cheers,
M.
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