Marine Green Sheaffer Balance Statesman fountain pen

 This may be the nicest Balance Statesman I've ever handled. And I may kick myself for letting it go.

Balance LIFETIME nibs are notoriously firm. I'm not certain that firm is an adequate descriptor for most of them. Meanwhile, the Feather Touch 5 nib is bouncy and sweet. This is a rather unusual LIFETIME nib that falls somewhere between. It cannot be described as soft or bouncy. But, it does have a bit of nice line variation under normal writing pressure. It is enough to make me look twice to be certain it says LIFETIME rather than Feather Touch 5.

The barrel color and clarity are like new. The celluloid is perfect. The only sign of age is a bit of plating wear at the end of the clip.

Sheaffer called this pen a full size. It compares well with a Pelikan M6xx or a Sailor ProFit 21 (1911L). I have large hands and grip pens high on the barrel but have no difficulty using this pen without posting the cap.

Length
Capped - 138 mm (5.4”)
Uncapped - 119 mm (4.7”)
Posted - 159 mm (6.25”).
Diameter
Cap - 13.4 mm (0.53”)
Barrel - 11.6 mm (0.46”)

Filler
Vacuum-Fil

Nib
Fine-Medium