Black Sheaffer Balance Admiral - Vacuum-Fil - fine nib - Victor Keller

A mirror polished black pen that reflects every nearby object is a thing of beauty.

The Sheaffer Balance Admiral may be my favorite vintage fountain pen. It isn't the largest Balance - a bit shorter and more slender than the vaunted Premier or OS. I believe the Admiral is a better pen because it has a Feather Touch 5 nib - one of the best vintage nibs. Not flexible or even semi-flexible yet with enough softness and bounce to produce beautiful line variation under normal writing pressure. Better than a truly flexible nib because it can be used every day for all sorts of writing or drawing.

The pen is flawless. Perhaps Victor Keller was a Parker man and simply kept this gift in a drawer because there is little evidence of him having used this.

Length
Capped - 137 mm (5.4)
Uncapped - 115 mm (4.5”)
Posted - 153 mm (6”).
Diameter
Cap - 13.3 mm (0.53”)
Barrel - 11.5 mm (0.45”)

Filler
Vacuum-Fil

Nib
Bouncy Fine