What Has Happened To The Parker Range?

[Vendome]

Parker do offer a free postal nib exchange service, under warranty, on any new pen where you require a different size nib. This is free providing the original nib is not damaged and you enclose proof of purchase / guarantee paperwork.

 

I've took advantage of this offer a couple of times with a couple of Vector pens to get fine nib units fitted. They do nib sizes for other current models as well.

[inkstainedruth]

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.

 

 

Actually, I found that the section on the Urban is relatively ergonomic (at least for me -- but then I have small hands), although the pen is a bit heavy for me as compared to a Vector, which was my "gateway" pen.

My problem with Urbans is the quality control. The first one didn't seem to do well with converters (even the replacement slide converter I was sent when I returned the pen to Parker for repairs when a twist converter didn't fit and broke the first time I tried to use it). The replacement pen they sent after *their* converter got stuck in the barrel has a dry and scratchy nib that seems to leak ink from the feed/section no matter how many times I've tried to clean/flush the nib unit. Given that the original came in a set (with cartridges, a slide converter, and a bottle of Quink Black) for around $50 US, I've calculated that buying the pen itself (it's not a one of the Premium models) probably would cost around $35; I have other pens that are a lot better that cost far less than that.

Have not tried an IM or a Sonnet. I have had a couple of Vectors, though, but neither were newly minted ones. The first one I had (the one I lost at Christmastime ) had a date code of 1993 or '94 -- I guess it would count as NOS; the one that replaced it has a date code of, IIRC, 1985 (don't recall from the Ebay listing if it was NOS or a used pen). Both Vectors were made in the UK, with F nibs. The replacement pen isn't quite as juicy as the first one, but still does okay with iron gall inks (I have R&K Salix in it at the moment, which is a little on the dry side in the pen, but still quite usable).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Stephen2020]

I think the Vector is enjoyable to use and my IM, black with chrome I think looks very nice and writes well. Shame they stopped making the Rialto though.

[PolarMoonman]

I agree I love the Vector and IM :roflmho:

[icevic]

When you look at the brilliance of the Vacumatic, 51, and even the Jotter, it feels like the Parker company is long dead and the current Parker is a zombie.

 

Pens are so frustrating: almost all of them are either a) cheaply made, or wildly overpriced, or quite often c) both (a) and (.

[pajaro]

When you look at the brilliance of the Vacumatic, 51, and even the Jotter, it feels like the Parker company is long dead and the current Parker is a zombie.

 

Pens are so frustrating: almost all of them are either a) cheaply made, or wildly overpriced, or quite often c) both (a) and (.

 

I thought that, and then tried a Sonnet, wine red, steel gold plated nib, of recent manufacture. The medium nib is very smooth, and the rest works as if Parker has updated their technology and finish to a current level. Vac or squeeze filler to a user-replaced converter. Fixed nib to screw-in so you can change it out like other makers. Lacquer finish like some other makers use. Nib that, while being rigid, is improved in smoothness like many other makers' wares. I think this is a good transition into current technology. This Sonnet is more of a user-serviced pen, a current trend. I am rethinking Parker, but I am not likely to buy many more pens at 64.

[storyteller]

When you look at the brilliance of the Vacumatic, 51, and even the Jotter, it feels like the Parker company is long dead and the current Parker is a zombie.

 

Pens are so frustrating: almost all of them are either a) cheaply made, or wildly overpriced, or quite often c) both (a) and (.

 

 

REINTRODUCE THE PARKER 51! I'm shouting at Parker BTW, not FPN members

 

"Current Parker is a zombie" I hear you on this and wish Parker were not alone amongst manufacturers. Parker has ceased to function as a hub of creative pen manufacturing doing business in the interests of the public and has come to function more as a profit center. Parker is still doing business in the interests of the public, although some would argue not in the interests of the same members of the public as before.... The market has changed.

 

It would make an interesting case study to look at how the major players overcame, or succumbed to, the worldwide decline in fountain pen sales after the introduction of the "practical" but nevertheless cheapo and unecological throw away ball point. A sort of comparative strategy analysis in the face of declining market size.Then again maybe not....zzzzzzzzzz

[pajaro]

Reintroduce the Parker 51? This has been shouted over and over. Why not just buy an NOS 51? They come up from time to time, and probably wouldn't cost any more than a reintroduced 51. I bought a 51 new in 1970, and have put several NOS 51s into use. Having your own new pen is better than somebody else's castoff.

 

Technology has moved on. I have quite a few decent 51s, and I am forced to conclude the Sonnet is a better pen. It's a different pen. The changes in technology have yielded some improvements. I might be done with 51s, except that I like running counter to trends. Still, the Sonnet feels better the more I use it.

 

 

 

 

 

[kestrel]

When you look at the brilliance of the Vacumatic, 51, and even the Jotter, it feels like the Parker company is long dead and the current Parker is a zombie.

 

Pens are so frustrating: almost all of them are either a) cheaply made, or wildly overpriced, or quite often c) both (a) and (.

 

This is one of the reasons I buy and use vintage pens. For the price of a new Sonnet I can get a lovely vintage Slender Duofold that, after a simple resac, will write better than anything in the current Parker catalog. For the price of a modern Duofold I can purchase two or more vintage Senior Duofolds in good working order. I have tried a couple of the modern high end Parkers and my almost nonagenarian Big Reds are a far more enjoyable writing experience. The burgundy marble Slender Duofold I picked up cheap on eBay because it was missing a filler button and pressure bar is a much better pen than my last modern Parker acquisition, a genuine Cisele Sonnet that cost five times as much. Until the modern versions offer a comparable writing experience I will stick to vintage.

[storyteller]

When you look at the brilliance of the Vacumatic, 51, and even the Jotter, it feels like the Parker company is long dead and the current Parker is a zombie.

 

Pens are so frustrating: almost all of them are either a) cheaply made, or wildly overpriced, or quite often c) both (a) and (.

 

This is one of the reasons I buy and use vintage pens. For the price of a new Sonnet I can get a lovely vintage Slender Duofold that, after a simple resac, will write better than anything in the current Parker catalog. For the price of a modern Duofold I can purchase two or more vintage Senior Duofolds in good working order. I have tried a couple of the modern high end Parkers and my almost nonagenarian Big Reds are a far more enjoyable writing experience. The burgundy marble Slender Duofold I picked up cheap on eBay because it was missing a filler button and pressure bar is a much better pen than my last modern Parker acquisition, a genuine Cisele Sonnet that cost five times as much. Until the modern versions offer a comparable writing experience I will stick to vintage.

 

+1

[pajaro]

When you look at the brilliance of the Vacumatic, 51, and even the Jotter, it feels like the Parker company is long dead and the current Parker is a zombie.

 

Pens are so frustrating: almost all of them are either a) cheaply made, or wildly overpriced, or quite often c) both (a) and (.

 

This is one of the reasons I buy and use vintage pens. For the price of a new Sonnet I can get a lovely vintage Slender Duofold that, after a simple resac, will write better than anything in the current Parker catalog. For the price of a modern Duofold I can purchase two or more vintage Senior Duofolds in good working order. I have tried a couple of the modern high end Parkers and my almost nonagenarian Big Reds are a far more enjoyable writing experience. The burgundy marble Slender Duofold I picked up cheap on eBay because it was missing a filler button and pressure bar is a much better pen than my last modern Parker acquisition, a genuine Cisele Sonnet that cost five times as much. Until the modern versions offer a comparable writing experience I will stick to vintage.

I do not believe that the vintage pen will always write better than the current pen. This has been stated over and over so as to seem axiomatic, but I believe that if you try the modern pen, if you have an open mind, you will find that the modern nib is different and, possibly better than the vintage nib. It is smoother in a different way.

 

I have about a hundred vintage pens. The more I compare modern with vintage, the less interested I am in the vintage. Technologies are moving on, making nibs and pens better by using technology to make them, and make them easier for the user to service. Keep on resacking old pens. I will replace converters, if I live that long.

 

Of course if flexiness is what you are after, that might be different.

Edited April 22, 2013 by pajaro

[J English Smith]

It makes me sad. I have three (used) Sonnets and think they are pretty good pens for what I paid. The way things are going, I think they are probably the last "great" Parker pen. I've been a Parker man all of my life, but the current lineup has nothing for me. Lamy does an excellent job of making good and interesting and well-designed pens throughout its range. Fortunately, I have more 51s, 61s, 45s, Sonnets and many other Parkers than I could use up in 12 lifetimes already. But I sure wish the Parker brand could be reinvented and reinvigorated.

 

The new 5th point thing was about the end of the line...

 

Vectors and Frontiers are quite pleasant to use (as are 25s and 45s of course) and I still recommend them heartily as excellent entry level pens...

[Inkysloth]

I went into John Lewis (a large department store, for those unfamiliar with it) in Central London today, because I thought they'd have a decent stationery selection. It was better than many places, but the fountain pens were, for the most part, pretty uninspiring.

 

They had a stand of Lamy Safaris, Nexx, and Al-Stars - all very lovely, but none of the LE colours nor anything other than a medium nib.

 

In the glass cases where the assistant stood they had a good choice of shiny expensive pens from Parker, Cross, Graf von Faber Castell, Lamy, Montblanc. The Parkers looked a bit, well, tacky and plasticky. A bit *too* shiny. That being said, I don't think they looked much more plasticky than the other pens on offer. It seems to be a general trend, companies seem to assume people want things with *more* detail - flared ends, wobbles, grooves, dots or stripes.

 

My taste really isn't in line with what companies today are offering, so I'm far more interested in the lower-end pens, which are far simpler, and vintage pens.

 

If Parker were to try out a <£50 pen with a piston or aerometric type fill I'd be well up for it, but the appearance would have to be right - and it would have to be comfortable to write with! Obviously this isn't an impossible ask - TWSBI are managing it, and they're not a vast company. Clearly they're a niche company, but I'd have thought Newell Rubbermaid would have room to try out an experimental range of fountain pens. (Look at how companies like Cadbury bought Green & Blacks - a small, organic, boutique-ish chocolate brand, and have kept that brand going distinct from their usual Cadbury fare, or Toms of Maine got bought by Colgate-Palmolive ).

 

I'm not suggesting Parker buy TWSBI, but that large behemoths of companies can have small subsidiary brands that are a bit more interesting than their main offerings.

[storyteller]

I do not believe that the vintage pen will always write better than the current pen. This has been stated over and over so as to seem axiomatic, but I believe that if you try the modern pen, if you have an open mind, you will find that the modern nib is different and, possibly better than the vintage nib. It is smoother in a different way.

 

I have about a hundred vintage pens. The more I compare modern with vintage, the less interested I am in the vintage. Technologies are moving on, making nibs and pens better by using technology to make them, and make them easier for the user to service. Keep on resacking old pens. I will replace converters, if I live that long.

 

Of course if flexiness is what you are after, that might be different.

 

 

"I do not believe that the vintage pen will always write better than the current pen."

 

I agree with you and have no intention of living in the past. My new Montblanc nibs are consistant in quality (the new plastic feeds are not as good as the old ebonite ones though). I have no problem with my new Pelikan nibs either. I do not consider new nibs to be "new" anyway, the best "new nibs" are still gold, are nearly all hand finished and have little to do with advances in technology.

 

It is not really a question of old versus new technology IMO. It is about customer driven quality against investor driven profit. Its about a company either seeing the customer as its prime investor and satisfying its customers needs, or seeing shareholders as its prime investors and maximizing profit. The two are not the same. We have seen a shift in business mentalities and can see the result in products.

 

Is technology in the service of quality and a "better" product or just in the service of profit? A vast social subject. Outside the scope of FPN even though we often feel the effects.

 

Some companies still put the customer first and the shareholder second. We as consumers vote with our wallets. No problem.

 

BTW I do not own a Sonnet but would certainly purchase the Ciselé Sterling Silver version if I could find one at a "good" price

[Harlequin]

I went into John Lewis (a large department store, for those unfamiliar with it) in Central London today, because I thought they'd have a decent stationery selection. It was better than many places, but the fountain pens were, for the most part, pretty uninspiring.

 

They had a stand of Lamy Safaris, Nexx, and Al-Stars - all very lovely, but none of the LE colours nor anything other than a medium nib.

 

In the glass cases where the assistant stood they had a good choice of shiny expensive pens from Parker, Cross, Graf von Faber Castell, Lamy, Montblanc. The Parkers looked a bit, well, tacky and plasticky. A bit *too* shiny. That being said, I don't think they looked much more plasticky than the other pens on offer. It seems to be a general trend, companies seem to assume people want things with *more* detail - flared ends, wobbles, grooves, dots or stripes.

 

My taste really isn't in line with what companies today are offering, so I'm far more interested in the lower-end pens, which are far simpler, and vintage pens.

 

If Parker were to try out a <£50 pen with a piston or aerometric type fill I'd be well up for it, but the appearance would have to be right - and it would have to be comfortable to write with! Obviously this isn't an impossible ask - TWSBI are managing it, and they're not a vast company. Clearly they're a niche company, but I'd have thought Newell Rubbermaid would have room to try out an experimental range of fountain pens. (Look at how companies like Cadbury bought Green & Blacks - a small, organic, boutique-ish chocolate brand, and have kept that brand going distinct from their usual Cadbury fare, or Toms of Maine got bought by Colgate-Palmolive ).

 

I'm not suggesting Parker buy TWSBI, but that large behemoths of companies can have small subsidiary brands that are a bit more interesting than their main offerings.

Two points: first, I don't think I have EVER been in a department store here that even HAS a "stationary" section. That may just be a sign of the time or a cultural difference though. Second, in response to the line I made bold in your reply above, I can only say:

 

<sarcasm>What, you don't consider the '5th mode' to be experimental?</sarcasm>

 

 

 

[Inkysloth]

 

Two points: first, I don't think I have EVER been in a department store here that even HAS a "stationary" section. That may just be a sign of the time or a cultural difference though. Second, in response to the line I made bold in your reply above, I can only say:

 

<sarcasm>What, you don't consider the '5th mode' to be experimental?</sarcasm>

 

Interesting about the department stores - in the UK, those department stores that are left (and there aren't very many now) do have stationery sections and always have. I'm going to assume this is a cultural difference. I've never been to the US (though plan to one day) so I've not had a chance to rummage around in a good department store over there! Those here tend to focus on the "better quality" brands and items, and fountain pens definitely fall into this category, which was why I thought I'd go to John Lewis.

 

And the 5th mode... hmmmm.... Maybe I should try it before assuming it's hideous and horrible. However, I'm pretty sure Pilot or Pentel have been doing a felt tip with a fountain pen type tip for years.

[Tom Aquinas]

Reintroduce the Parker 51? This has been shouted over and over. Why not just buy an NOS 51? They come up from time to time, and probably wouldn't cost any more than a reintroduced 51. I bought a 51 new in 1970, and have put several NOS 51s into use. Having your own new pen is better than somebody else's castoff.

 

Technology has moved on. I have quite a few decent 51s, and I am forced to conclude the Sonnet is a better pen. It's a different pen. The changes in technology have yielded some improvements. I might be done with 51s, except that I like running counter to trends. Still, the Sonnet feels better the more I use it.

 

 

 

I don't think it would have been limited to Downunder but a new limited edition Parker 51 was actually marketed down here a couple of years ago. The pen more closely resembled a 61 in that it had a CC. I like my 51s and there is one inked always on my various desks, but of modern Parkers I do like the Sonnet. I have had several but whittled them down to three, two Ciselle .985 silver ( one a Limited Ed 115 Anniversary model with two tone 18ct nib and the other a second gen with all yellow 18ct nib), and one cascade gold (a first gen model nib upgraded to two tone 18ct at time of purchase). I know some users don't like them but Ifind them just as reliable and pleasant to use as the 51s and maybe it is because I use high end nibs.

[Vendome]

As the OP, many thanks to everyone for your comments on my thread.

It is not just me then that thinks Parker have given up on producing decent pens at a mid-level price range.

[Harlequin]

Interesting about the department stores - in the UK, those department stores that are left (and there aren't very many now) do have stationery sections and always have. I'm going to assume this is a cultural difference. I've never been to the US (though plan to one day) so I've not had a chance to rummage around in a good department store over there! Those here tend to focus on the "better quality" brands and items, and fountain pens definitely fall into this category, which was why I thought I'd go to John Lewis.

 

Same here, except it's mostly clothing, shoes, accessories like purses, makeup/perfume, jewelry & watches, homegoods (like decorative stuff, bedding, kitchen stuff, TVs, or even large appliances). Stationary is not something I've ever seen represented, especially in its own section. You'd have to definitely go to an office supplies store to find FPs, if you could even find them there (you may find one or two Cross models, that's it). Almost assuredly, you'd need to visit a speciality writing or srationary store to actually find more than one or rwo FPs. That's been my experience anyway.

 

And the 5th mode... hmmmm.... Maybe I should try it before assuming it's hideous and horrible. However, I'm pretty sure Pilot or Pentel have been doing a felt tip with a fountain pen type tip for years.

 

No, you most definitely should not try it, the quicker it dies the better. Maybe if it dies a quick, unceremonious death, they'll learn something, though I doubt it. It's mind boggling to wonder what possessed Parker to think disguising a fine line marker as a "fountain pen", with FP afficianados being a major part of the target audience, would be a good- or even passable- idea!

[Vendome]

I think the 5th Mode system is here to stay.

 

Parker have put that system into their Premium I.M & Urban models. I've seen them on Amazon for £43, which is still less than half price of the original Ingenuity model.

Edited April 23, 2013 by Vendome