Jump to content

Parker 21 Review


M@rtin

Recommended Posts

Brief introduction and First Impression:

A simpler version of Parker 51 that is an excellent workhorse. This is an earlier version of the model.

 

Imagen0544.jpg

 

 

1.Appearance & Design (8-10)

Classic design that reminds a Parker 51, but smaller. The clip is very simple (invert crest on this case) and the cap is very simple, without any fantasy , marked ‘Parker’ on front , ‘Made in USA’ on back, and made of stainless steel. This pen has black body and section and it is a very functional design.

 

DSC02546.JPG

DSC02548.JPG

 

2.Construction & Quality (6-10)

The major lack is the crack tendency of body and section. For a relatively cheap pen, the construction is just correct.

 

3.Weight & Dimensions (10-10)

Comfortable weight, even fully charged. Its dimensions are 13cm. capped, 12 cm. uncapped and 14cm. posted.Comfortable for small and medium hands, I also ask some people with big hands and found the pen well suitable too (maybe not good as a 51).

 

4.Nib & Performance (9-10)

An ‘Octanium’ nib, that is between fine and medium, just smooth. Never had a skip, and it isn’t scratchy at all.

 

5.Filling System & Maintenance (7-10)

Aerometric, similar to a Parker 51 but simpler. It loads a good amount of ink. Low maintenance needed.

 

DSC02542.JPG

 

6.Cost & Value (7-10)

Here (Argentina) are usually overpriced (U$D 40 and more)

 

7.Conclusion (Final score 47/60=7.8)

Very good everyday pen, well balanced even posted, comfortable weight and very good looking vintage design, a typical classic. Pay attention especially with the section, it tends to generate cracks if you haven’t care.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 8
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • georges zaslavsky

    1

  • Brian

    1

  • M@rtin

    1

  • Tennessee Dave

    1

Nice review. Thanks for sharing.

Dave

 

Thankful for being blessed with a genteel life and wonderful wife

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is one of those great starter FPs that can stay with you for a long time. Its reliable, seems to have many parts still available, an is pretty bulletproof. It has handsome good looks...perhaps if I could attribute a character to such a pen it would be that it is stoic. Thanks for the review.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

a very good daily user :thumbup: thanks for sharing

Pens are like watches , once you start a collection, you can hardly go back. And pens like all fine luxury items do improve with time

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think we all need reminding sometimes of just how good many of the humbler Parkers can be. I have several, decades old, 25s and 45s in daily use. They have never given me any trouble and write very well despite having had a hard life in a working environment. Thanks for the review.

"The cultured man is the man whose interior consciousness is forever obstinately writing down, in the immaterial diary of his psyche's sense of life, every chance aspect of every new day that he is lucky enough to live to behold!" - John Cowper Powys

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think we all need reminding sometimes of just how good many of the humbler Parkers can be. I have several, decades old, 25s and 45s in daily use. They have never given me any trouble and write very well despite having had a hard life in a working environment. Thanks for the review.

+1 to that, and for the 21 in particular, I think. I only recently tried one, and I'm amazed at how well Parker preserved the weight, balance, and much of the feel of the 51, and at least equaled the nib quality, in such an inexpensive pen.Those guys really knew their stuff.

ron

Link to comment
Share on other sites

+1 for the review, except:

 

"2.Construction & Quality (6-10)

The major lack is the crack tendency of body and section. For a relatively cheap pen, the construction is just correct."

 

add to that the problem of shrinkage of the plastic parts especially the section.

 

OTOH the feed is very similar to the P51s in my Super P21s, ad the nibs are interchangeable. That system is definitely a big plus.

 

So where I would like to take away some points for the material quality, I'll have to concede some for the iconic feed mechanism. So I'll go with the reviewer (M@rtin) but with additional comments.

Enjoy your pens

Have a nice day

Junaid

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the review. I just got a Parker 21 with a fine nib at an antiques mall for US$7.50; it was priced at $10.00, but I got a discount for paying cash. It has a gray body with a fine nib. Delightful writer and a complement to the Parker 51 with medium nib that I bought about 40 years ago. Wonderful smooth nib. Sheer chance that I found it. I had just had an oil change in my car and had a little time to spare. The antique mall is just down the street from the car dealer, so I thought I would browse. Good fortune was my reward.

There will be no crisis this week. My calendar is already full.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33494
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26624
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...