Parker Premier Custom Tartan

June 18, 2012

Real F nibs (not the F/M ones) are rarely smooth. I know I have searched much (and spent much) in order to find one that is really smooth. So, before you decide, read this article that might help you out.

Some time ago, I ordered a Parker 5th Tech Intuition and a Parker Premier Tartan fountain pen (F nib).

When the pens arrived I left the Premier aside and "played" around with my other latest purchases. For some reason, the pen attracted me enough to buy it, but once had it, I hardly used it.

That changed some days ago, and I can right away tell you this: Smooth nib!

The pen is lacquered in a deep black brilliant finish, the trims are silver plated and It comes with a silver neo-tartan chiseled cap. I love the design of the cap, and this is the reason I chose this particular model. There are two other options (I think, maybe more) that you might like better though, which you can easily find at the Parkerpens.com site.

It can be used posted or not, very comfortably either way. The cap might seem heavy, but it will not bother you because since the pen is nib heavy, when it is posted it remains very well balanced by the also heavy cap. So, the heaviest parts are the nib and grip section and the cap on the opposite side, so the weight remains distributed quite evenly when posted.

The nib and feed

The pen has a 18k solid gold rhodium plated nib, decorated with a lattice work pattern and stamped with 18k 750 pure gold hallmarks.

I can't emphasize enough how smooth that nib is. I will repeat that The nib is smooth! And we're talking about a fine nib. Not a medium/fine that most smooth F nibs really are, but rather a pure F nib that while it lays down a fine and precise line, it lets you feel hardly any resistance at all. I don't know how these Parker guys did that, but I have to give them my compliments!

Don't expect any flex though. This nib is quite hard, with very little line variation. If you're looking for a semi-flex nib, this is not the one you want. But if you want a smooth nib, please try this pen before you decide. Since the F is so smooth, I can only imagine how smoother the M nib will feel.

The nib lays on a strange looking kind-of wide feed that will never, ever, let you down. No railroading. No starting. Ever. That's all.

The pen comes with a cartridge/converter filling system (I prefer the converter). It holds a quite large amount of ink, and in my case with the F nib, it consumes it slowly, so you can write tens of pages before you need a refill.

I have no idea if the nib section is changeable. Or better, changeable easily at home. Pelikan, TWSBIs, Conway Stewart etc have detachable nibs that can be purchased separately which is great, but I do not know if this is the case for the Parker. I am surely not touching it until I find out!

The pen's dimensions are 14.0cm in length, 1.3cm in width.

Finally, the pen's price, I believe, is very competitive. I think it is about 260 euros, which is an excellent price for a 18k gold nib pen of this quality.

If there are things I did not cover, or pics you want to see that I haven't posted, please ask and I'll try to satisfy you

Thanks for reading!

P.S. If you're interested in engraving this pen, keep in mind that you can do that only on the barrel, which, because of the material, will be engraved in brilliant white letters. I know, because I have "ruined" my pen's barrel that way, and I have ordered another one which is on its way home. So if you are not into more subtle engravings, leave this pen be, or put on just your initials at most.