Olivetti MS 25 Premier Plus Typewriter

I just purchased an Olivetti MS 25 Premier Plus typewriter for $8 at my local Goodwill store. It is a small typewriter, with a snap-on carrying lid. It weighs about 10 pounds. The primary material of the typewriter is plastic. It is quiet (especially for a plastic typewriter), the print quality is good, and the styling is pretty good. It has one problem, which fixes itself--sometimes the keys "lock up." The solution is to let the key fall back down, and press it again. The typewriter is good, but not for the $100+ that it sells for new. (It is great for $8-$12) Ironically, it is better than the Studio 44 I once owned (it had too heavy of a touch). This typewriter is still being made today.

Olivetti MS 25 Premier Plus Typewriter

Olivetti MS 25 Carrying Case

Updated Review--Sheaffer No Nonsense

Review:

Sheaffer No Nonsense

1969-2005

The Sheaffer No Nonsense is one of those pens that come around once in a lifetime. In this case, the lifetime lasted for almost forty years. Introduced in 1969, this pen was designed after the Sheaffer Flat-top pens of fifty years before. Sparked by a new interest in Art Deco, the new pen, sold as a cartridge-filled fountain pen, a ballpoint pen, and a felt marker, was an instant success. At first it was only sold in a choice of khaki and navy blue, but soon, more colors were added. In fact, there are many color variations on this one design. For instance, in addition to the initial eight added colors, two-tone models were also made, as well as intricately decorated pens, and a stainless steel version. A special Bicentennial model was also made, with a design of an eagle over the American flag. Many of these were purchased by large companies as a promotional item.

The Sheaffer No Nonsense is a very well-made pen, in spite of the fact that it was always a lower-end pen—the average retail price of the No Nonsense in 2000 was five dollars. The pen is comfortable, with a wide barrel. The cartridge-filled fountain pen works very smoothly. The ballpoint, however, leaves much to be desired, if a Sheaffer ballpoint refill is used with it. The refill tends to skip, or simply not work. However, by substituting the refill with a generic, or a Parker refill, you will have a very, very good ballpoint pen. As Sheaffer hasn’t made a felt pen refill since the early eighties, I was unable to test the Sheaffer No Nonsense felt marker. If you own one of these pens, a ballpoint refill will fit perfectly, as they are the same pen, with the exception of the refill. In later years, Sheaffer also made a No Nonsense rollerball. The No Nonsense is a very common pen, often showing up at Goodwill stores, antique shops, and flea markets, in addition to sites such as eBay and Amazon. They do not command a high price, usually selling for less than $5.00, but are a great deal for the money.

Updated Review--Sheaffer No Nonsense

Review:

Sheaffer No Nonsense

1969-2005

The Sheaffer No Nonsense is one of those pens that come around once in a lifetime. In this case, the lifetime lasted for almost forty years. Introduced in 1969, this pen was designed after the Sheaffer Flat-top pens of fifty years before. Sparked by a new interest in Art Deco, the new pen, sold as a cartridge-filled fountain pen, a ballpoint pen, and a felt marker, was an instant success. At first it was only sold in a choice of khaki and navy blue, but soon, more colors were added. In fact, there are many color variations on this one design. For instance, in addition to the initial eight added colors, two-tone models were also made, as well as intricately decorated pens, and a stainless steel version. A special Bicentennial model was also made, with a design of an eagle over the American flag. Many of these were purchased by large companies as a promotional item.

The Sheaffer No Nonsense is a very well-made pen, in spite of the fact that it was always a lower-end pen—the average retail price of the No Nonsense in 2000 was five dollars. The pen is comfortable, with a wide barrel. The cartridge-filled fountain pen works very smoothly. The ballpoint, however, leaves much to be desired, if a Sheaffer ballpoint refill is used with it. The refill tends to skip, or simply not work. However, by substituting the refill with a generic, or a Parker refill, you will have a very, very good ballpoint pen. As Sheaffer hasn’t made a felt pen refill since the early eighties, I was unable to test the Sheaffer No Nonsense felt marker. If you own one of these pens, a ballpoint refill will fit perfectly, as they are the same pen, with the exception of the refill. In later years, Sheaffer also made a No Nonsense rollerball. The No Nonsense is a very common pen, often showing up at Goodwill stores, antique shops, and flea markets, in addition to sites such as eBay and Amazon. They do not command a high price, usually selling for less than $5.00, but are a great deal for the money.

A blue Sheaffer No Nonsense fountain pen

A few of the wide spectrum of No Nonsense colors produced by Sheaffer from 1969-2005

The original logo of the Sheaffer No Nonsense, circa 1975

Parker Club Fountain Pen

I bought a Parker Club fountain pen off of Amazon.com, for $10 including shipping. The Parker Club is one of those rare breed of pens that nobody has ever heard of. When I called the Parker Pen Company, they had no idea what it was. I contacted the seller of the pen; apparently it is new old stock (NOS). It was most likely made in the 1970s. It comes in a wide range of colors, and is a high-quality pen. It reminds me of the Eversharp Big E, which was a pen made in the early 1960s by the Eversharp division of the Parker Pen Company. It is even made of the same kind of plastic as the Eversharp, which feels like butter. The feel of the pen is very comfortable; the ink flows well, and is very smooth overall. It is reminiscent of the Parker 45 fountain pen (1962-2007), but is more ergonomic. Overall, this pen deserves a rating of 4 1/2 stars.

First Review: Sheaffer NoNonsense, 1969-2003

Background: The design of the Sheaffer NoNonsense is based on that of the Sheaffer Flat-top pen of the 1920s.


This review is unique, as there are two different types of Sheaffer NoNonsense; ballpoint, and cartridge fountain pen.





The Sheaffer NoNonsense ballpoint is comfortable. However, the quality of the ink in the ballpoint refills that are manufactured by Sheaffer is questionable. I always replace the Sheaffer ballpoint refill with the type that is used by the Parker Jotter. The Parker ink is quick to flow, and never skips (the primary problem with the Sheaffer refills). The pen is large--almost a half-inch in diameter, which is perfect for my hands, for those who prefer a narrower vintage-style pen, I'd go with a Parker Jotter--these are still refillable, and still look like their 1950s counterparts. Pictured below is one of the more interesting Sheaffer NoNonsense pens--the Bicentennial Edition, made only in 1976.

The Sheaffer NoNonsense cartridge fountain pens are all very high-quality, especially the older ones. They can be found in a variety of colors; a yellow one is pictured below:

Like any Sheaffer Cartridge pen, they are relatively inexpensive, yet are fun to use. Sheaffer fountain pen cartridges are the best for this, and all Sheaffer fountain pens. The NoNonsense is by no means a good investment, unless you want a good, everyday pen. There are special versions, such as the Vintage, with gold-plated trim, and a chased black plastic finish, which are collectible.


Overall, the NoNonsense series deserves a five-star rating.