Is Parker 51 A Good Second Pen?

[mitto]

I gather the OP has already started hunting for his 1st Parker 51. Wish him success and good luck.

 

All the best.

[Runnin_Ute]

My first 51 is a 51 Special and I got it as a set with mechanical pencil for a very reasonable price. (<$50 shipped) It gets used more than my Metro, but not as much as some of my others. (45, 45 Flighter, Pelikans.....)

[mitto]

I have not been using any of my 400+ pens for the last two months or so except my 51s. And, for the last few days I have been using my 1949 aero 51 with broad nib and am feeling as if I have fallen in love , afresh , with this specific 51 of mine. It needs just a soft and very very gentle touch with the paper and it starts flowing. I just love my 51s .

[jdllizard]

^^^^ what he said.

 

If you really feel that way, I'd be more than happy to help you rid yourself of your Esty collection. No sense in muddying up the waters with all of them Estys taking up valuable Parker 51 space. :-P

 

Hehee

[gweimer1]

If you really feel that way, I'd be more than happy to help you rid yourself of your Esty collection. No sense in muddying up the waters with all of them Estys taking up valuable Parker 51 space. :-P

 

Hehee

 

I appreciate your offer....my pens are more than compatible, and have no problems cohabitating.

[DrCodfish]

Hello I'm new to the fountain pen world and my first pen recently has been a Pilot Metropolitan and now I've started looking at Parker 51's after I saw the hype. Is it a good second pen to use or should I go after something else? Thanks

 

Asking this queston on the Parker forum is like asking Mr Hershey if chocolate is a good second choice for a candy bar.

 

I Take it from youur post that you mean that to this point the Metro is the sum total of your fountain pen collection. Aside form all the comments above, I think a Parker 51 is a good choce for a second pen. Here is my reasoning:

 

• You have referenced the hype so obviously you know that there are many who think highly of this pen, and you may know that there are quite a few for whom this pen is just another pen. Itis possible that where there is smoke, there is a vey good pen.
• Because the pen has a loyal following, you can assume there is a fair markert should you decide it's not your cup of tea.
• Liekwise, because they are so popular you stand a good chance of getting a nice, representative example.
• If you are or become seriously infected with FP disease in the future, you will evenually get one of these, so might as well get that out of the way early on.
• They are really very simple pens and amazinging durable.
• If this does become pen 1 for you, it comes with a slavish collection of followers so any and evey question you might have will be quickly and enthisastically answered by the enablers here on FPN.

Like Rith I was late to the P51 party. I like Vacumatics, and Pelikans but I kept hearing all the ruckus over here about the P51. So I bought one just to give it a fair trial. Maybe half a dozen pens later, I am convinced, these are very nice pens however one considers them. They are wondeful writers, seem to be nearly indesctible, long Iived, an apparently not prone to some common problems such as leaking, loose caps, etc.

 

I am never going to be the one to bang the drum more loudly than some here, but I can say I have a few of these pens and Like them, ... quite a lot.

[Dr.Grace]

They're well-made pens, very reliable. I keep a few inked up. But they're not the only great pens out there. There are many, many other choices, some of which I consider far more attractive. It's a matter of taste. Some people, especially those who tend to rotate a pen around its long axis while writing, have trouble with hooded nibs, because you can't as easily see the angle of the nib on the paper.

[mmg122]

Used a buckskin beige Parker 51 vacuumatic with a broad nib and 14K solid gold smooth cap every day of a 40 year career and it never failed me...not once. They are definitely reliable workhorses and arguably the finest pen ever made.

[Charles Rice]

My Parker 51 is far from my favorite pen. But if that's what you want/like, why listen to me or anyone else?

[inkstainedruth]

If you really feel that way, I'd be more than happy to help you rid yourself of your Esty collection. No sense in muddying up the waters with all of them Estys taking up valuable Parker 51 space. :-P

 

Hehee

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[pajaro]

A Parker 51 would be a good only pen. I have ceased to regard other opinions on the subject some time back. Other pens exist so you can try stuff, have fun using that stuff and reinforce the choice of a 51.