On a recent visit to my old stomping ground of Uxbridge, in the north west outskirts of London, I took the opportunity to check out the options if one were looking to buy a fountain pen. From my brief reconnaissance, I found three shops: WHSmiths for some entry level Parker and Lamy pens and a few own brand cheapies; Ernest Jones, jewellers for a few Montblancs and finally, F. Hinds, another high street jeweller for some mid-range Parker, Cross and Sheaffer.

It was in the Bracknell branch of F. Hinds in April, that I had first seen a Sheaffer Icon, but did not know its name at the time. I had been struck by the gleaming chrome finish and the contours which harked back to the Sheaffer Legacy, a pen that I admired but never owned.

Here in Uxbridge, I spotted the same model Icon in the shop window, displayed next to a matching rollerball. The fountain pen was reduced from £85.00 to £63.75. I went inside to have a closer look.

The sales assistant, a helpful lady named Vaishali, came back outside with me so that I could point out the pen in the window. Ah, the joys of buying from a bricks and mortar shop, which I have missed lately!

I had a close look at the nib, using the magnifying app on my phone. The pen felt very comfortable to hold with a generous wide girth and no step or cap threads. The nib certainly looked unusual and small in relation to the large pen but appeared to be perfectly aligned over the tiny feed. The tines and tipping and the tine gap all looked spot on. Without needing to try it, I decided that I would take it. Vaishali went to get the box, which she found with impressive speed, unlike my recollections of Paperchase or Rymans where this often means a long wait!

The pen came with a converter fitted but the gift box also contained two Sheaffer cartridges, one black and one blue. On a nearby public bench I inserted the black cartridge. I had a Stalogy A5 notebook with me and eagerly put pen to paper. Within a few seconds, ink reached the nib. The nib was very smooth. Ink flow was just right. However the Sheaffer black ink was feathering and bleeding through, even in my Stalogy notebook which normally resists this.

Later at home, I ditched the black cartridge, flushed the pen and filled it instead with Diamine’s Gibson Guitar Series Pelham Blue. This was much better: no feathering or bleeding on Stalogy. Indeed the pen felt so enjoyable that I wrote for five pages. I revisited reviews of the pen on The Pen Addict and SBREBrown.

Size and Weight.

Length capped	134mm
Length uncapped	125mm
Length posted	145mm
Weight capped / or posted	44g
Weight uncapped	29g
Weight of cap alone	15g

Likes and Dislikes.

Likes:

• Unusual, sporty design with elements from the Legacy and the Taranis;
• Striking, bold grip section and semi-hooded, tiny nib – which is exquisite;
• Comfortable grip, generous girth, no step, no cap threads;
• Tough, metal barrel and cap; Nib would be protected if the pen were dropped or stepped on;
• Long enough to use unposted and with a decent heft, without being too heavy;
• Small nib, (marked as “M”), beautifully set up and which writes a smooth, medium/fine line; A Fine nib is also available;
• No branding on the outside, except the Sheaffer white dot and, if you look very closely, the name Sheaffer on the far end of the pocket clip;
• On close examination under a loupe, I found that the red stripe in the cap band and the red portion of the grip section, are glittery!
• Converter included;
• Inside, there is a long metal collar to support the cartridge or converter; (this was lacking in my old Sheaffer Connaisseur, where a cartridge could wobble about);
• Metal threads on the outside of the cartridge collar, meeting plastic threads inside the barrel;
• Two cartridges included (although the black ink may bleed through)
• Lifetime mechanical warranty;
• Comes from Sheaffer, a brand for which I have a long-standing affection (albeit now part of A.T.Cross Company);
• Nicely presented in a lidded cardboard gift box, with padded pen bed, a clear plastic protector cover, and a compartment beneath for cartridges or converter and the care and guarantee booklet.
• Is photogenic!

Dislikes:

• Polished chrome looks great but is a bit slippery when you uncap the pen;
• The cap posts deeply but not securely (at least, mine didn’t) – although Stephen Brown did not have this problem;
• Cap is quite stiff to pull off;
• The metal collar which supports the cartridge or converter, is so long that it leaves little of the converter’s ink reservoir on view;
• Another reviewer commented that the rim of the cap is sharp, although this did not trouble me;
• Black ink cartridge included is so wet that it feathers and bleeds badly.

Conclusion.

Overall, I am delighted with the pen, glad that I bought it and happy that it was on special offer. The nib is tiny but a joy to write with. Although the design might not appeal at first sight, I have quickly come to appreciate it.