What Has Happened To The Parker Range?

[Vendome]

Dear all,

 

Although I've only got back into using fountain pens in the last year, since the late 80s, I've used Parker ball pens and pencils for over 30 years and always rated the brand highly.

 

My first Parker was a Jotter pen and pencil set I was bought starting secondary school in 1980. Through my years of school and college and from starting my first job in 1987 there was always a great mid-price range to choose from. I bought many more Jotters, and along the way upgraded to the 25, 45 and Classic pens.

 

Why did Parker stop making beautiful mid range pens, be they ballpoint or fountain pens?

All they make now as a step up from the Jotter and Vector series are the I.M and Urban sets, before you go up to the Sonnet price tag or the top end Duofold / Premier range of what I call Executive pens.

 

Through the internet, I have bought a couple of NOS fountain pens; a 45 Flighter and an 88 grey Vendome model. I got my dad a NOS 1985 Arrow fountain pen in matte black. All 3 look the business.

 

When I wanted to upgrade from my I.M pens, I wasn't that enamoured with the Sonnet, so I went against a lifetime of only buying Parker and bought a Sheaffer Intensity in ultramarine to use as my best pen.

 

None of the present day mid range Parkers seems to make a statement that the vintage models did.

Have Newell Rubbermaid lost sight of the rich history and legacy that instilled a sense of pride in those owning a Parker or receiving one as a gift?

 

It was a sad day indeed when Parker stopped making decent pens in all modes. (Comparable to Sheaffer, with their vast array of 2013 models, in this, their centenary this year.)

 

Jason

[inkstainedruth]

It's even worse than you think. Parker still makes Vectors, but doesn't appear to sell them in the US except occasionally as rollerballs. The bottom level ones are Jotters, which I have only seen as BPs. Then (in some places like Office Max) they have the Urban sets (pen, 4 cartridges, a slide converter and a bottle of Quink Black), for around $50 US. And those are *not* entry level/gateway pens, IMO; if they were, one would think they'd try to have better quality control, in order to build/retain customer loyalty. But they don't.

If my first FP had been an Urban, I would have gone back to BPs long since. Fortunately for me (AND for Newell-Rubbermaid), my first "good" FP was what I now suspect was a NOS Vector (the date code I found -- once I knew what I was looking for -- suggested that it was a UK-made one from the early 1990s. I was very sad when I lost it just before Christmas (and keep hoping it will someday turn up in the house). Fortunately it was flushed just beforehand; but when I lost it once before and it sat for a month and a half, it started right up without blinking an eye. Now THAT was a gateway pen. Sigh. The 1980s era red UK one I got on Ebay recently as a replacement, is a good enough pen, but my old blue one was a trooper.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[welch]

Newell seems happy with the per-unit profit they make on the high end Parkers, especially the $4,000 Duofolds they sell in China. Waterman stopped the Philias about the same year Parker dropped the 45 and the Frontier, and even the Sonnet seems to want a customer to buy the gold-nib / extra-decorated version.

 

Sheaffer might be the odd one. My local pen store says that Sheaffer's US distributor seems to be pushing the low-end models rather than the Valor and the Legacy or Heritage (the pen that looks a bit like the PfM).

 

Yes, the middle seems to have dropped out of the Parker line...but, luckily, you can find a 75 or a well-restored 51 or even Vacumatic between $100 and $200...say 100 pounds give or take a bit. And those are great pens.

[PolarMoonman]

In contrast to what's being said I do enjoy Parker's new lines. Now am I arguing they are better? No, I would never make that kind of argument because I do not believe it is true... But I love my IM it writes well, and the design is contemporary and clean looking.

 

I must however state that I hate their new 5th generation felt tip markers they pass off as fountain pens...

[Harlequin]

<snip>

I must however state that I hate their new 5th generation felt tip markers they pass off as fountain pens...

 

First, I cannot tell you how much I agree, you nailed it: the "5th Generation of Writing" is nothing more than a fineline felt tip marker, imo!

 

 

Secondly, just by coincidence this very subject popped up in conversation in the Virtual Pen Posse chat room earlier this week, I wonder if someone saw this thread? I don't have much experience with Parker, so I couldn't really add much to the discussion at the time, but it intrigued me nonetheless. To me, it seems that Parker really has almost stopped trying, completely abandoning the mid-level market in the past decade (or possibly longer?) and really has only been, for lack of a better word, 'coasting'. It's visible even at the top end of their line (the modern Duofold, for example, instead of a new pen that isn't a "re-issue" of sorts). Would you say that is the prevailing perception of Parker lately?

[richardandtracy]

...

Have Newell Rubbermaid lost sight of the rich history and legacy that instilled a sense of pride in those owning a Parker or receiving one as a gift?

...

Yes.

That's the only possible answer.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[twdpens]

...

Have Newell Rubbermaid lost sight of the rich history and legacy that instilled a sense of pride in those owning a Parker or receiving one as a gift?

...

Yes.

That's the only possible answer.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

 

In addition I would add that I suspect nobody at Fraggle Rock Fradley Park (the home of Parker/NewellCo in the UK after Newhaven closed) actually knows what a Parker pen really is. I mean they know they are made of plastic and metal and cost roughly £xx to £yy but that's where it stops. When Newhaven closed the baby was well and truly thrown out with the bath water.

 

Sad but true.

 

Has anyone seen the (new) Parker Premier? It's a Waterman with a Parker logo. Badge-engineering can only get you so far before it all implodes. Reminds me of British Leyland.

 

Martin

[richardandtracy]

Martin, I agree.

 

The IM feels like a poor, re-badged Jinhao, and the Urban is simply unusable as a fp with that ghastly section shape.

The 5th nonsense is a poorly dressed fine liner.

 

And look what has happened to the lovely range of Duofolds. Now you can have black, or white with black line, and every nib size you want from fine right up to medium.

 

My wife's Valor actually feels like a nice pen compared to the latest Parker offerings.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[Harlequin]

<snip>

My wife's Valor actually feels like a nice pen compared to the latest Parker offerings.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

I'd take a Valor over any Parker available myself. It may be a tough decision on a Vacumatic though...

 

Maybe I should stroll down to the Newell-Rubbermaid HQ, since it's local to me, and give them some "constructive criticism" regarding their fine writing lines? lol.

[pajaro]

I recently bought a late model Sonnet, and the pen is as good as my 51s as a writer, and is as pretty as my Englush burgundy 51.

[PolarMoonman]

Martin, I agree.

 

The IM feels like a poor, re-badged Jinhao, and the Urban is simply unusable as a fp with that ghastly section shape.

The 5th nonsense is a poorly dressed fine liner.

 

And look what has happened to the lovely range of Duofolds. Now you can have black, or white with black line, and every nib size you want from fine right up to medium.

 

My wife's Valor actually feels like a nice pen compared to the latest Parker offerings.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

 

I disagree about the IM, I have the IM premium and love it. The nib works well, and the design is awesome...

 

I do agree with the Urban though, I hate Urbans

[Mike 59]

Hi all, To me, a Parker pen meant a 'good' pen at school, the one not to be lent out, or lost.

I knew there were more expensive Parker pens in the shops, that one day I might own.

So the range today is missing at least a couple of choices in the school/student price range, e.g. less than £15.

There is the 'Jotter' and 'Vector' fountain pens at the moment, the 'I.M' and 'Urban' being £16 & £19 currently.

The 'Frontier' was ideal in this range, and it was really hard to fault for the price, and I use mine often.

The 'I.M.' is almost there, aside from the slippery section, and the nib on mine is smooth and consistent, it does write well.

The 'Urban' is unusual, I don't mind any maker trying different designs, mine writes well, same nib and feed as 'I.M' so not a surprise there. The grip is ok for me, and it's a really well made and solid design, pictures don't show that.

Maybe a scaled-up 'Jotter' would work? i.e longer/wider/heavier ? The grip section on the Jotter is good, in my opinion.

Edited April 20, 2013 by Mike 59

[rochester21]

Parker is just...fading away- in a slow, painful and sad manner. Of course, it`s not the only company in this situation(sheaffer?).

They are still capable of making good pens and can profit from their almost intact international reputation- but they don`t.

Let`s take a couple of examples- someone wrote about the IM and the vector. The vector is a good cheap pen, but it does have its flaws- they should have made it with a grip in the metal section. Also, they should have made it with more nib sizes- like ef and italic, etc. Availability is also an issue in some places.

The IM is an upgraded version of the vector, but still feels a bit cheap for the price(30-40 usd). I once bough a frontier as a present, but failed to impress me.

 

Under these circumstances, i keep asking myself why parker abandoned the 45- which was a great pen, even the last generation- in comparison with the IM, for instance.

[PolarMoonman]

Parker is just...fading away- in a slow, painful and sad manner.

 

I wouldn't say fading as much as going in the wrong direction.... I feel they are targeting a very specific group of people with their new pens. I think the corporate audience is who they are trying to reach. My opinion is that a company that makes Tupperware and trash cans should not be making fountain pens...

[Harlequin]

Parker is just...fading away- in a slow, painful and sad manner. Of course, it`s not the only company in this situation(sheaffer?).

<snip>

I would not put Sheaffer in the same situation. If anything, I think they are heading in the exact opposite direction as Parker (even despite the move to much cheaper and some would argue inferior manufacturing standards). That may just be my opinion though.

[pajaro]

Parker makes some pens in France, still. I have a red Sonnet of the recent manufacture, gold plated steel medium nib, and it is an excellent pen. I am not much into buying a Chinese made pen for big bucks.

 

I gather there will be opportunity for Parker to sink or swim when they obsolete the Sonnet line. Fountain pens are a luxury, nobody needs them. I was putting into use a NOS rollerball last week. It can stay uncapped all day and be ready to write. Why mess with a fountain pen? This is what Parker's engineers will need to figure out. They will have to design and produce something to lure in the buyers. When I finally broke down and bought a used Sonnet I found it to be an improvement over their previous models. They will have to repeat the process and inspire faith in the fountain pen suckers.

 

 

[FLZapped]

[

 

I disagree about the IM, I have the IM premium and love it. The nib works well, and the design is awesome...

 

I do agree with the Urban though, I hate Urbans

 

 

Sure, as long as all you want is a medium nib.....

[Harlequin]

I would try a Parker even today if I could find one that appealed to me even in the least (not counting the 45 Harlequin, of which I have the grey and black versions). I liked the look of the Ellipse, but as far as I can recall, that is the only Parker I have liked in quite a while. Of course, the Ellipse is by no means a sub $50 (or even $200) pen.

[RudyR]

It will take a massive infusion of Italian designers and Japanese pen makers to revive the otherwise boring and dying line of Parkers out today. Until Newell Rubbermaid take their hands of it, Parker is doomed to die.

[PolarMoonman]

[

 

I disagree about the IM, I have the IM premium and love it. The nib works well, and the design is awesome...

 

I do agree with the Urban though, I hate Urbans

 

 

Sure, as long as all you want is a medium nib.....

 

Yes, that is true, it is really hard to find a fine nib...