~1936 Golden Brown Sheaffer Balance Standar Size - medium-fine Feather Touch 5 nib - Vacuum-Fil

The Sheaffer Balance Vacuum-Fil is one of the best pens ever made. The Sheaffer Feather Touch 5 nib is one of the best nibs ever made. When you put those two together it makes an amazing writing machine. Listed in the 1936 catalog as VACUUM $5.00 model C5W this pen would get the model name Admiral in 1938. Golden brown was introduced as a new color in 1936. Catalog copy says: $5 models have the famous FEATHERTOUCH two way point. The nibs were designed to write a thinner line when turned upside down. This pen is comparable in physical dimensions to a modern Pelikan M6xx or Sailor 1911L (ProFit 21). The Feather Touch 5 nib is the same size as a modern #5 nib. Though there are no modern #5 nibs that perform on this level. It is soft and expressive and provides very nice line variation under normal writing pressure. It is not meant to be pushed like a flexible or even semi-flexible nib. There are no notable flaws in this pen. The plating is intact and unmarred. There are no marks or flaws in the celluloid. The barrel transparency is remarkable - the filler head is visible. LengthCapped - 134 mm (5.3”)Uncapped - 115 mm (4.5”)Posted - 156 mm (6.1”).DiameterCap - 13.3 mm (0.52”)Barrel - 11.6 mm (0.46”) FillerVacuum-Fil NibModern, Western Medium-Fine with lovely line variation