Your snapshot of the video with the pen squirting ink reminded me of some old Sheaffer history. The inventor of Skrip ink, Robert Casey, was a chemist who worked for Sheaffer in Fort Madison, Iowa, back in its glory days. He was a rather eccentric man whom our family knew, and he would occasionally have us up for dinner or out on his boat on the Mississippi. He had a room in his house where he worked on his creations, and the walls were splattered with ink from him testing the pens to see how ink dispersed. It's my understanding that whomever bought his house when it was sold painted over these walls, and it seems a part of history was erased.
Those were the times when men could be unafraid and unapologetic about being men. Nobody complains or comments about many pen models called Ladies’ in their names, as being sexist. Funnily enough, pens have only become larger and girthier since the heydays of the PFM. Wonder what Sheaffer’s marketing men would call that kind of pen today. 🙂
I gotta say, touchdowns are so incredibly fun to repair but I am so scared of trying to repair snorkels lol. The PFM has always been such a cool pen, even if the name hasn't aged well at all hahaha
Touchdowns are a great pen to repair, but yeah, I’m not messing with snorkels. I’d be so scared of misaligning the tube with the feed... PFM is definitely a name that is a product of its time, lol.
I have the Sheaffer Legacy v1 and it's quite different from your Sheaffer Legacy Heritage. It has the squared of barrel end and is a very smooth writer with no nib issues at all. Maybe the newer Legacy pens have incorporated more cost cutting?
I recently received the Sheaffer Legacy Heritage, which was released in the early 2000s. I have never had PFM and I have nothing to compare with, but I am delighted with the nib of my Legacy. I get the impression that modern fountain pen manufacturers have absolutely no control over the quality and they are not interested in the opinion of the customers who will use it. And this is especially noticeable on the nibs.
Excellent review. It was especially relevant and helpful to me for a few reasons. I’m very fond of Sheaffer. It remains my sentimental favorite because the brand (along with Esterbrook) was my gateway to the world of fountain pens when I was only a boy. Also, I have several vintage Sheaffers that I love dearly. The modern ones not nearly as much. The Legacy II was the first fountain pen that I bought with my own money. That makes it special just for that alone. I now have three of them. They are among my firm favorites. I only got around to finally getting a beautiful PFM less than two years ago. Fully restored, working and at a decent price. Anyway, this latest Legacy makeover model obviously caught my attention this year. All the three colors look attractive enough to me. I like the black and silver ones best. But I wasn’t excited about the PVD coated finish. And the price tag made me balk. Looks like another cash grab aimed at Sheaffer fans like me. I had bought a wonderful NOS bronze touchdown filler Sheaffer Legacy from Vanness Pens for just $160 two years ago. That’s a right price. Your review clinched it for me. I’m not falling for this new Legacy. Despite that unique inlaid nib that has always made me swoon. But then, the older nibs were the real deal, as your review made clear to me. Thanks for this!
Thanks for the review. I preordered this pen back in 2020 and I am still waiting for it to be released. I wonder if your issues are the reason why it has been delayed until 2022?
Necro posting but the Legacy I and Legacy II pens are very much on par with the PFM. I think your review is great and on point. Your Legacy Heritage is not up to snuff compared to PFM or Legacy. Thank you for this video. I was considering purchasing the Heritage. Was !!
The Legacy comes in I, II & III (Heritage). I have the Legacy I in 18K & the nib is simply superb & wet! Maybe you should also compare with these other 2 versions of the Legacy for a better perspective. Thank you.
Thank you for this great review. This helped me out with a Pelikan m805 which I recently bought. Out of the box it seemed to have issues with the way it writes. Looking at the nib under a loop I found that the tipping is not equal on both sides. I contacted the seller and sent it back for a replacement. But the replacement, which I'm not sure is actually a different one, had the same issue. I was starting to doubt my self, as I'm new to fountain pens, but your explanation of how the tipping is cut off center actually confirmed to me that this is actually a faulty product and it should be returned as I may not be able to fix it myself. Especially that it is an expensive pen. Thank you again.
Oh boy. I just wish I had never seen this. I have been loyal to these pens and inlaid nibs since coveting a targa used by the protagonist in the Peter Greenaway film The Belly of an Architect. In 1987 I was an impressionable architecture student… and found these American pens were so beautifully balanced and a delight to write and draw with. Some 35 plus years and many, many tragic lost, stolen, broken and then commercially unavailable legacy pens later… I find out they were styled on something called a PFM… a Pen for Men. For serious…? F me / curse you internet and your boundless exploration of things.
I loved the balance and feel of my Legacy. But the snap on cap was scratching the inlaid nib and that was going on my nerves so I eventually sold it. Great pen, but I think it has a design flaw.
Thank you for the detailed review and comparison with your PFM's. I've had multiple earlier editions of the Legacy pens and they were great pens. Did you ever contact Sheaffer to take care of fixing your pen? I would hope they would take care of the issues with your pen.
I have three fountain pens Legacy Heritage by W. A. Sheaffer: Black laquered --made in Checoslovaquia--, Silver Imperor and Deep Palladium -made in U. S. A.--. They write very 𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕. I have also a Prelude one made in China. Antonio Saiz from Alicante, Spain.
You mention no Japanese ink in vintage pens. Q: I have two Sheaffer Sentinels snorkels. Would Noodler’s Black, Zhivago, Lexington Gray, and such be ok to use in them?
Pens For Men is the the correct plural pronunciation. I own two early Legacy versions. At one brand name revival is better than the original: Esterbrook's revival is superior to the original design (own some of the J and desk pens). The difference is that the original "Esties" had a huge selection of interchangeable screw-in nibs.
Hello. Is there any converter that is compatible and can be used in a Sheaffer Legacy I / Legacy II fountain pen? As far as I know, the Sheaffer 96700 converter isn't compatible with the Legacy I / Legacy II models (it only is with the Legacy Heritage because this model lacks the internal mechanism of the Touchdown filler). Thanks.
I have several Legacy and Sheaffer CC pens and they all use the exact same cartridges and converters. The Sheaffer cartridges and converters are proprietary but they're cheap and readily available.
Sheaffer hasn't really had its due since the brand has been passed between owners, especially when they relegate it to tiers well below their own brands (particularly when the brand was owned by Cross). At least the legacy is gold nibbed! Pretty much all of the common production Sheaffer pens are steel nibbed - in contrast to when the brand was independent. On the plus side, at least the modern converter is compatible with some of the older pens from the brand's glory days (particularly the targa). But that's been in short supply since the brand got sold off again...
Another great review of a modern "legacy" pen that doesn't hold up to the original...complete with totally unacceptable quality control issues, and of course a modern outrageous price tag to go along with it. I like the whole concept of the PFM and its phallic snorkel filling system, and I like very much the rounded square design. Of the two PFMs, I prefer the PFM 4. I am very new to vintage pens, and your series so far has increased my knowledge and interest in them. In their day they were the essence of modern and built to quality standards the maker took pride in. We in the 21st century must deal with paying a lot more for a lot less by companies only interested in quarterly profit and not quality. A lot of people bitch about the price of Apple products, but you do get quality. I just wish more pen companies would actually improve their quality to the level of their outrageous modern pricing.
I agree wholeheartedly. Though, to give Sheaffer a fair shake, the Fort Madison produced Legacies are apparently better- touchdown filling and squared-circle looking. I’m glad you’ve enjoyed the series! It does break my heart a little to see pen companies going this route lately, but I get it. Pen making is somewhat of a lost art in that pen companies no longer have their old tooling nor the capital nor the market to really go full swing back into fountain pen innovation. I’m just glad there’s this community of folks keeping vintage pens alive.
This was a great video - thank you for going to the trouble of making it. I have really enjoyed these videos. The modern iteration of the Sheaffer pen was a text book example of many of the things wrong with the pen industry today; exploit a classic design, do it badly and charge people crazy money for the product. Someone who was given this as a gift would be really upset and disappointed by how badly it wrote. I am very surprised by the Sailor nib. I hope that the quality control on their other nibs is better than this? As far as other comparison videos, how about a comparison of the original Lamy CP1s from the 1970s and the modern ones (assuming you can find the pens)?
I agree wholeheartedly with your take on modern pen making- it's a real shame! I'm glad you enjoyed the video though. I wish I had thought of this series before- I just sold my vintage 70s CP1! If I can find another one somewhere I'll do it...
Thank you for this. I think I will stick with the "oldies but goodies". I have yet to pick up a PFM- a name which made me laugh when I first heard it, because as a woman I see some much larger pens in the hands of women, such as those Leonardo Momento Grandes. I wonder what the creator of the PFM would of thought of those... Of the vintage pens, I have mostly the ones with the triumph nib (approximately circa 1940-1950s) which I think is one of the prettiest nibs on any pen.
Glad you enjoyed the video! It’s funny that now, the PFM is a solidly medium sized pen compared to what you can find on the market, and is honestly very comfortable for the majority of people. Triumph nibs are lovely! I highly recommend you try a PFM or Imperial nib too, they’re quite pretty and have good bounce to them.
Not a fan of the new Sheaffer legacy heritage it looks cheap it's to heavy for majority of people they could have made it more neutral it's a cheaply made pen🖋️that costs what it's not worth the shape isn't the same so it's not really a legacy no Snorkel filler either what a Shame.
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
Your snapshot of the video with the pen squirting ink reminded me of some old Sheaffer history. The inventor of Skrip ink, Robert Casey, was a chemist who worked for Sheaffer in Fort Madison, Iowa, back in its glory days. He was a rather eccentric man whom our family knew, and he would occasionally have us up for dinner or out on his boat on the Mississippi. He had a room in his house where he worked on his creations, and the walls were splattered with ink from him testing the pens to see how ink dispersed. It's my understanding that whomever bought his house when it was sold painted over these walls, and it seems a part of history was erased.
What an amazing piece of history! Thanks for sharing!!
Also, the pic of that legacy nib was practically a jumpscare :o
Truly heinous. Sailor, why??
Very informative video. The glory days of Sheafffer...
The fact that it's called "Pen for Men" and has such a fallic looking snorkel is amazing
Oh yeah, also, the snorkel feeds ink into the "sac".
@@Sekilloda It's definitely not a product that would fly today 😅
Those were the times when men could be unafraid and unapologetic about being men. Nobody complains or comments about many pen models called Ladies’ in their names, as being sexist.
Funnily enough, pens have only become larger and girthier since the heydays of the PFM. Wonder what Sheaffer’s marketing men would call that kind of pen today. 🙂
Don't be scared, fellas! Unlike our competitors, this manly pen won't turn you fancy!
I gotta say, touchdowns are so incredibly fun to repair but I am so scared of trying to repair snorkels lol. The PFM has always been such a cool pen, even if the name hasn't aged well at all hahaha
Touchdowns are a great pen to repair, but yeah, I’m not messing with snorkels. I’d be so scared of misaligning the tube with the feed... PFM is definitely a name that is a product of its time, lol.
I have the Sheaffer Legacy v1 and it's quite different from your Sheaffer Legacy Heritage. It has the squared of barrel end and is a very smooth writer with no nib issues at all. Maybe the newer Legacy pens have incorporated more cost cutting?
I recently received the Sheaffer Legacy Heritage, which was released in the early 2000s. I have never had PFM and I have nothing to compare with, but I am delighted with the nib of my Legacy. I get the impression that modern fountain pen manufacturers have absolutely no control over the quality and they are not interested in the opinion of the customers who will use it. And this is especially noticeable on the nibs.
Excellent review. It was especially relevant and helpful to me for a few reasons. I’m very fond of Sheaffer. It remains my sentimental favorite because the brand (along with Esterbrook) was my gateway to the world of fountain pens when I was only a boy.
Also, I have several vintage Sheaffers that I love dearly. The modern ones not nearly as much. The Legacy II was the first fountain pen that I bought with my own money. That makes it special just for that alone. I now have three of them. They are among my firm favorites. I only got around to finally getting a beautiful PFM less than two years ago. Fully restored, working and at a decent price.
Anyway, this latest Legacy makeover model obviously caught my attention this year. All the three colors look attractive enough to me. I like the black and silver ones best. But I wasn’t excited about the PVD coated finish. And the price tag made me balk. Looks like another cash grab aimed at Sheaffer fans like me. I had bought a wonderful NOS bronze touchdown filler Sheaffer Legacy from Vanness Pens for just $160 two years ago. That’s a right price.
Your review clinched it for me. I’m not falling for this new Legacy. Despite that unique inlaid nib that has always made me swoon. But then, the older nibs were the real deal, as your review made clear to me. Thanks for this!
Thanks for the review. I preordered this pen back in 2020 and I am still waiting for it to be released. I wonder if your issues are the reason why it has been delayed until 2022?
Necro posting but the Legacy I and Legacy II pens are very much on par with the PFM. I think your review is great and on point. Your Legacy Heritage is not up to snuff compared to PFM or Legacy. Thank you for this video. I was considering purchasing the Heritage. Was !!
Glad I could be of help! I’d love to own an older legacy someday- they seem so much better as an everyday pen than my PFM!
The Legacy comes in I, II & III (Heritage). I have the Legacy I in 18K & the nib is simply superb & wet! Maybe you should also compare with these other 2 versions of the Legacy for a better perspective. Thank you.
I enjoyed this video because everything was explained very well and the quality is high.
Thanks!!
Thank you for this great review. This helped me out with a Pelikan m805 which I recently bought. Out of the box it seemed to have issues with the way it writes. Looking at the nib under a loop I found that the tipping is not equal on both sides. I contacted the seller and sent it back for a replacement. But the replacement, which I'm not sure is actually a different one, had the same issue. I was starting to doubt my self, as I'm new to fountain pens, but your explanation of how the tipping is cut off center actually confirmed to me that this is actually a faulty product and it should be returned as I may not be able to fix it myself. Especially that it is an expensive pen. Thank you again.
Glad I could help!! It sucks that so many expensive pens have problems like this.
Oh boy. I just wish I had never seen this. I have been loyal to these pens and inlaid nibs since coveting a targa used by the protagonist in the Peter Greenaway film The Belly of an Architect. In 1987 I was an impressionable architecture student… and found these American pens were so beautifully balanced and a delight to write and draw with. Some 35 plus years and many, many tragic lost, stolen, broken and then commercially unavailable legacy pens later… I find out they were styled on something called a PFM… a Pen for Men. For serious…? F me / curse you internet and your boundless exploration of things.
I loved the balance and feel of my Legacy. But the snap on cap was scratching the inlaid nib and that was going on my nerves so I eventually sold it. Great pen, but I think it has a design flaw.
Vintage of course.
Thank you for the detailed review and comparison with your PFM's. I've had multiple earlier editions of the Legacy pens and they were great pens.
Did you ever contact Sheaffer to take care of fixing your pen? I would hope they would take care of the issues with your pen.
Sheaffer Legacy Heritage nib has made by Sailor when A. T. Cross Pelees one?
I have three fountain pens Legacy Heritage by W. A. Sheaffer: Black laquered --made in Checoslovaquia--, Silver Imperor and Deep Palladium -made in U. S. A.--. They write very 𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕.
I have also a Prelude one made in China.
Antonio Saiz from Alicante, Spain.
I do not like Chinese wtiting instruments when A. T. Cross, Parker or W. A. Sheaffer.
You mention no Japanese ink in vintage pens. Q: I have two Sheaffer Sentinels snorkels. Would Noodler’s Black, Zhivago, Lexington Gray, and such be ok to use in them?
I would say mayyyybe noodler’s black. I generally say no noodler’s in vintage pens but some are less iffy than others.
For vintage pens with rubber sacs,safer to use inks with neutral pH. Not Pilot Iroshizuku cause they are very alkaline. Will damage the sacs.
@@dridrisdatokassim3133 Thanks! I'm looking at the Waterman blue/black. I'm using Quick right now, but it's a bit dry for a couple of my fine points.
Pens For Men is the the correct plural pronunciation. I own two early Legacy versions. At one brand name revival is better than the original: Esterbrook's revival is superior to the original design (own some of the J and desk pens). The difference is that the original "Esties" had a huge selection of interchangeable screw-in nibs.
Hello.
Is there any converter that is compatible and can be used in a Sheaffer Legacy I / Legacy II fountain pen?
As far as I know, the Sheaffer 96700 converter isn't compatible with the Legacy I / Legacy II models (it only is with the Legacy Heritage because this model lacks the internal mechanism of the Touchdown filler).
Thanks.
Unfortunately I’m not sure, I have no experience with the touchdown legacies.
I have several Legacy and Sheaffer CC pens and they all use the exact same cartridges and converters. The Sheaffer cartridges and converters are proprietary but they're cheap and readily available.
Sheaffer hasn't really had its due since the brand has been passed between owners, especially when they relegate it to tiers well below their own brands (particularly when the brand was owned by Cross). At least the legacy is gold nibbed! Pretty much all of the common production Sheaffer pens are steel nibbed - in contrast to when the brand was independent.
On the plus side, at least the modern converter is compatible with some of the older pens from the brand's glory days (particularly the targa). But that's been in short supply since the brand got sold off again...
Another great review of a modern "legacy" pen that doesn't hold up to the original...complete with totally unacceptable quality control issues, and of course a modern outrageous price tag to go along with it. I like the whole concept of the PFM and its phallic snorkel filling system, and I like very much the rounded square design. Of the two PFMs, I prefer the PFM 4.
I am very new to vintage pens, and your series so far has increased my knowledge and interest in them. In their day they were the essence of modern and built to quality standards the maker took pride in. We in the 21st century must deal with paying a lot more for a lot less by companies only interested in quarterly profit and not quality. A lot of people bitch about the price of Apple products, but you do get quality. I just wish more pen companies would actually improve their quality to the level of their outrageous modern pricing.
I agree wholeheartedly. Though, to give Sheaffer a fair shake, the Fort Madison produced Legacies are apparently better- touchdown filling and squared-circle looking.
I’m glad you’ve enjoyed the series! It does break my heart a little to see pen companies going this route lately, but I get it. Pen making is somewhat of a lost art in that pen companies no longer have their old tooling nor the capital nor the market to really go full swing back into fountain pen innovation. I’m just glad there’s this community of folks keeping vintage pens alive.
This was a great video - thank you for going to the trouble of making it. I have really enjoyed these videos. The modern iteration of the Sheaffer pen was a text book example of many of the things wrong with the pen industry today; exploit a classic design, do it badly and charge people crazy money for the product. Someone who was given this as a gift would be really upset and disappointed by how badly it wrote. I am very surprised by the Sailor nib. I hope that the quality control on their other nibs is better than this? As far as other comparison videos, how about a comparison of the original Lamy CP1s from the 1970s and the modern ones (assuming you can find the pens)?
I agree wholeheartedly with your take on modern pen making- it's a real shame! I'm glad you enjoyed the video though. I wish I had thought of this series before- I just sold my vintage 70s CP1! If I can find another one somewhere I'll do it...
@@oliveboypens Thanks. I like the idea of these comparison videos, but getting the pens is a pain.
A most informative review. What terrible quality control in an expensive pen! Plus, it's too damn heavy. Thanks for the warning.
First like and first comment n_n
you must be so proud
First to like YOUR COMMENT
One day. One day I will surpass you, Minkus Okinkus.
Thank you for this. I think I will stick with the "oldies but goodies". I have yet to pick up a PFM- a name which made me laugh when I first heard it, because as a woman I see some much larger pens in the hands of women, such as those Leonardo Momento Grandes. I wonder what the creator of the PFM would of thought of those... Of the vintage pens, I have mostly the ones with the triumph nib (approximately circa 1940-1950s) which I think is one of the prettiest nibs on any pen.
Glad you enjoyed the video!
It’s funny that now, the PFM is a solidly medium sized pen compared to what you can find on the market, and is honestly very comfortable for the majority of people.
Triumph nibs are lovely! I highly recommend you try a PFM or Imperial nib too, they’re quite pretty and have good bounce to them.
will you marry me?
Not a fan of the new Sheaffer legacy heritage it looks cheap it's to heavy for majority of people they could have made it more neutral it's a cheaply made pen🖋️that costs what it's not worth the shape isn't the same so it's not really a legacy no Snorkel filler either what a Shame.