Parker Sonnet Copy

[h.farmawi]

found this video thought it might help some pof you guys from getting in that trap...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Koc_z9IrNg4

Edited April 14, 2014 by h.farmawi

[richardandtracy]

The Tartan seems to be the most widely circulated of the Sonnet fakes. Then, as far as I can see, the red & blue lacque versions. I am sorry to say, but I would only buy a Sonnet from online sellers with physical shops near me and JML.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[Aysedasi]

Easiest way is not to buy one at all.......

[Charles Rice]

Just makes me happy that all my pens are from B&M stores.

[OcalaFlGuy]

I wish Steph had done a couple more things in that vid.

 

I wish he had a Real Sonnet to compare to to show the differences more clearly.

 

I wish while he had the nib out, if he had taken an exacto knife and scratched the far aft shoulder where it attaches to the feed to show that the hallmarked Gold nib was only plated. You wouldn't be able to see the scratch (not that is should matter on the fake) with the nib screwed back in.

 

I gotta admit, it was an entertaining, good info vid and Steph writing in "Chinese" had me chuckling a bit.

 

The total p*ssah is that that damn fake seems to write better than my Real one. (As is alleged in some cases to be the case.)

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

Edited April 14, 2014 by OcalaFlGuy

[h.farmawi]

i like to watch videos that Steph upload and yeah that chinese writhing .
for me i dont like to get pens online i prefer to see them in a shop and hold them it makes me feel better than to throw 100$+ on something i cant hold before paying unless im getting the pen from Steph or shops like so.

[Aysedasi]

 

 

The total p*ssah is that that damn fake seems to write better than my Real one. (As is alleged in some cases to be the case.)

 

 

I'll go with that Bruce. A fake couldn't write any worse than the four Sonnets (and about 8 nibs) that I've owned. There aren't many pens that I wouldn't want to be given for free - it may be that the Sonnet is the only one.......

[OcalaFlGuy]

My Black Laque Sonnet is Beautiful.

 

I've been asked by a FPNer to sell it to them.

 

It's the only pen I own that I had to tell the person, I'm sorry, I couldn't do that TO you. (Sell them such a poorly functioning pen.)

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[The Blue Knight]

I brought a Checked grey GT last week from amazon, from what I could tell it was the real deal. Just making sure, amazon is likely to be safe?

[OcalaFlGuy]

MOST likely real if from Amazon themselves.

 

From a third party through Amazon, somewhat less likely real, though you are protected By Amazon if it IS a fake.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[The Blue Knight]

MOST likely real if from Amazon themselves.

 

From a third party through Amazon, somewhat less likely real, though you are protected By Amazon if it IS a fake.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

 

 

Thanks. Stupidly the nib slit was about a mm off the breather whole so off to France it must go. Sigh!

 

About the Sonnet I really do rate the design highly but the inconstancy in manufacture turn what could be one of the Parker greats into an average pen.

Edited April 14, 2014 by top pen

[OcalaFlGuy]

IF the pen is fake, you'll know for Sure once it gets back to the Mothership.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[pajaro]

 

 

Thanks. Stupidly the nib slit was about a mm off the breather whole so off to France it must go. Sigh!

 

About the Sonnet I really do rate the design highly but the inconstancy in manufacture turn what could be one of the Parker greats into an average pen.

 

The visual design is attractive. The functional design of nib and feed is similar to Waterman C/C pens. Somehow, though, the Watermans all seem to write as one would wish them to.

[Ernst Bitterman]

The Tartan seems to be the most widely circulated of the Sonnet fakes. Then, as far as I can see, the red & blue lacque versions. I am sorry to say, but I would only buy a Sonnet from online sellers with physical shops near me and JML.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

 

There's also the option of buying a Baoer 388-- then you KNOW the thing you just bought that looks rather like a Sonnet isn't one.

[pajaro]

So, it's so hard to tell a fake Sonnet that everybody sees fakes whenever Sonnets crop up?

 

Why learn the signs of a fake when you can just say they are all fakes and dismiss them all?

 

I have personally found that the acknowledged imitation Sonnets, the Kaigelus, et al., write just as badly.

[OcalaFlGuy]

Even within the abilities of the camera to focus, that pen was Clearly not Kosher.

 

I actually had less issue with the Chinese on the paperwork. That might even be legit. Cross is big time buddies with China now. It is not beyond the realm off possibility they might have China only packaging. Heck if I know.

 

The cap engraving matched the worst fake examples I've seen pics of. Parker would have stroked right out over the visible cap cement.

 

Paul, I like to see you get one of the later series that's known to be legit. I'm optimistic from reports they may have fixed the issues.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[pajaro]

I have several of the later Sonnets from the "Refresh" group. I should take some pics. I have checked all of these carefully, and they look legit to me. Some of them were bought from Paradise Pen, so they ought to be good (the sellers sent the papers, receipts). The pens all look the same. I have bought nibs for them from Lewartowski in Paris. As they are, the pens tend to dry out overnight or if uncapped for long.

 

I suspect they need to have the nibs carefully adjusted, opened slightly to get more flow and possibly heat set with the feed. This all takes time, and I am just becoming aware of what might be done from reading posts about other kinds of pens. I suspect that the Parker factory just assembles parts without any care or tuning. That's what I conclude from the results. I liked these pens for the looks. The ballpoints and rollerballs are nice. I am glad most of these came very cheaply. I am sure most of the pens I have were mined from estate sales and not from China. Frankly, a Waterman Kultur, Phileas or Carene stays moist for long periods uncapped. On the other hand, several other modern pens I have bought have similar issues, making me think the makers are just slapping stuff together to get it out the door.

 

Well, there's lots to think about and try here. It must be possible to make something better out of these pens. If I can I'll sell them, because I am almost as tired of them as of the pronouncements that the Sonnets are all fakes.

[richardandtracy]

 

There's also the option of buying a Baoer 388-- then you KNOW the thing you just bought that looks rather like a Sonnet isn't one.

I actually prefer the Kaigelu 356 to the Baoer. The feel of the brushed surface is more like that of the traditional Parker Flighter finish (closer, indeed, than the bead blasted finish of the Sonnet CT Flighter), there is no gold trim to wear off and the cap click force on mine was closer to the Sonnet than the B388. The nib on the K356 was better initially than the B388 I had, and both were better than my Sonnet on good paper simply because they would make a mark on the paper. The K356 is almost identical in size, weight, shape & balance to my Sonnet Refresh, and as it costs 10% of a replacement cost, I am happy to use it in areas I'd be terrified of using the Sonnet (such as in a test chamber at -25C or up on a roof). Also, unlike a 'Fake' it doesn't claim to be a Sonnet.

 

Regards,

 

Richard

[pajaro]

I actually prefer the Kaigelu 356 to the Baoer. The feel of the brushed surface is more like that of the traditional Parker Flighter finish (closer, indeed, than the bead blasted finish of the Sonnet CT Flighter), there is no gold trim to wear off and the cap click force on mine was closer to the Sonnet than the B388. The nib on the K356 was better initially than the B388 I had, and both were better than my Sonnet on good paper simply because they would make a mark on the paper. The K356 is almost identical in size, weight, shape & balance to my Sonnet Refresh, and as it costs 10% of a replacement cost, I am happy to use it in areas I'd be terrified of using the Sonnet (such as in a test chamber at -25C or up on a roof). Also, unlike a 'Fake' it doesn't claim to be a Sonnet.

 

Regards,

 

Richard

 

I was reading this post and got out my two Kaigelu 356s. Nice blue pens, I really like the looks of them, and the price was indeed very low. OMG, one of them actually wrote after having been set aside for days! I have worked on this nib, slightly opening it to get some flow and cleaning it up. I changed the ink to Montblanc Midnight Blue. It actually works! You can have no idea how heartening this is. The other pen is still pretty dry, but this one writes, and writes what seems to pass for a fine line these days.

 

With many modern pens it seems that medium and broader nibs tend to write better than fine and extra fine nibs. These Kaigelu pens came with medium nibs. Well, something works. Deo gratias.

 

Richard, thanks for writing about these pens. It has kept me working on them, knowing someone had success with them.

[frenchguy86]

anyway everyone knows by now if it writes, it's a fake... More seriously I have the " unusual black laquer Sonnet with a broad band and chrome trim.'' and it writes very well. I just don't like the pen design that much. Bought it in a lot of pen and I just keep it around as a novelty since it works well without any of the problems mentioned by Fpn members, which according to this board is not supposed to happen with a sonnet...

Edited April 17, 2014 by frenchguy86