(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)
It's been quite some time since I've had a Sheaffer pen on my desk. As far as I can remember, the only other Sheaffer pen I've ever used was a calligraphy pen that I picked up at Staples when I was in middle school. It was a horrible pen, and I quickly gave up on it. Since then, I've rarely even thought about Sheaffer as a brand.
Sheaffer still exist, and they're (thankfully) doing more than those poor-quality calligraphy pen sets these days. The fountain pen I've enjoyed using lately is the Sheaffer Icon with a fine nib. When opening this pen, I really had zero expectations. I knew it wasn't fair to compare it to a pen I had used so many years ago that was obviously in a different price/quality bracket, but I was honestly intrigued to know what else the brand had to offer. With the Icon, I've been delightfully impressed.
The body and cap of the pen are made of metal and coated with a matte PVD material that feels great. The grip section is made of plastic, but also feels great in the hand. The top of the grip section features a red band with the Sheaffer name in bold, black print. The contrast of black and red is striking, and I'm sure it won't be everyone's cup of tea. I like it, as it reminds me of Star Wars or Thinkpads.
The real star of this pen is the nib. The hooded nib is tucked into the grip section perfectly and certainly makes you think of the predecessors from decades ago when this nib design was more popular.
The tiny nib is a real star. My unit is incredibly smooth and easy to use. It didn't require any tuning out of the box, and I've been incredibly happy with how it writes. The fine tip is smooth and consistent, the ink flow is great, the steel nib is firm and dependable. With such a small nib and feed assembly, you also don't need to dip the pen very far into the ink bottle to draw up ink.
The Icon includes two black ink cartridges as well as a cartridge converter. I'm really happy that they included the converter since they use a proprietary fitting — especially given the price of the pen! It's incredibly frustrating to buy a cool new pen only to discover that it takes a unique converter that you don't have — meaning you have to place another order and wait for it to arrive before you can use the pen with the inks you choose instead of the boring black that they include in the box.
There's really a lot to like about this pen. The aesthetic won't be universally liked by everyone, but it certainly fits a certain bill that will appeal to many. The writing experience is fantastic, it feels great in the hand, and it looks great on the desk. But does that mean it's an easy recommendation? Not so fast.
When reading over the marketing materials for this pen, I'm a little disappointed by the target audience for this pen. (I'm not sure why they mention millennials specifically because generational affiliation is irrelevant.)
New Icon Collection targets Sheaffer® enthusiasts, first-time fountain pen users and millennials seeking a meaningful first pen.
But more importantly, the bit about a meaningful first pen means I have to compare this pen to other pens that I associate with "first-time pens" — like the Lamy Safari, TWSBI ECO, Pilot Metropolitan, Platinum Preppy, and Kaweco Sport. The obvious problem here is the giant price gap between those excellent pens and the Icon. At the $75 price point, it finds itself in an incredibly awkward price bracket. There are so many compelling products at a cheaper price that you'd have a hard time choosing just one. Alternatively, if you spend a few more dollars, you can pick from more premium pens that pack a lot more value than the Icon when you compare the quality/features/price ratios.
Ultimately, the price is the most damning thing about this pen as a product in a vast sea of competitive and compelling offerings. For the price, they'll only attract hardcore Sheaffer fans and people who may not know any better. For this pen to be truly compelling, it needs to be closer to $40.
It's a shame that Sheaffer priced this pen so high! If you ignore the retail price of the pen, it's really quite enjoyable as a fantastic pen. That being said, it's currently sold out at Goldspot, so my opinion is obviously just one very insignificant detail in this equation. If you're interested, check out the Sheaffer Icon over at Goldspot!
(Goldspot provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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