I have a weak spot for the so-called “third tier” pens. Back in the heyday of fountain pens, those made by the big name makers, like Sheaffer, Parker, Waterman and Eversharp, were not inexpensive. Consider the low-end Sheaffer 3-25 of 1925– in modern terms, this was about a $40.00 pen. Not a vast expense, but for someone on minimum wage or some Willie Loman type of salesman who must have a pen for work, not an amount spent without hesitation. In come the low-grade makers to fill a market niche. They’re not great, but they work well enough until you can afford a really good one. The reason for my soft spot is that once a good one was possible, the not-so-good one generally got tossed, or given to the children for destruction. Those that remain intact should get some kind of reward.
Champion pens appear to be exactly this sort of pen– cheap, not particularly decorative, but functional enough.
Models I’ve examined:
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