~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.

Length
Capped - 134 mm (5.3”)
Uncapped - 115 mm (4.5”)
Posted - 156 mm (6.1”).
Diameter
Cap - 13.3 mm (0.52”)
Barrel - 11.6 mm (0.46”)

Filler
Vacuum-Fil

Nib
Modern, Western Medium-Fine with lovely line variation