Parker 51 Special Edition

[TheNobleSavage]

This is my review on the Parker 51 Special Edition fountian pen but first an intro about my very short history of MY experience with my vintage Parker 51.

 

I never really cared for the Parker 51 when I first started collecting fountian pens. I though that the hooded nibs looked rather lame and it just didnt do anything for me. Well, after about 3 months of collecting fountian pens, I started to do research on the Parker 51 and the more pictures of this pen that I saw, the more I started to like it. It kind of grows on ya, kind of like a hairy mole on your face. I have really started to admire the jewels that they put on the top of the cap along with the blue diamond on the clip. The thing that really intrigued me was the Vacumatic filling system. I have never seen anything quite like this before. My Dad was telling me about his Parker 51 and how much he liked it. So I decided that I was going to get one and it had to be with the Vacumatic filling system. Sure enough, I won an auction on Ebay for a Parker 51 in Jet Black with the blue diamond, vacumatic filler and dated in 1946. One thing I did not like was the fine nib. My Dad loves fine nibs and his 51 has a medium nib. So we decided to trade 51's. I have many black pens and I needed a change in color. So the pen I traded for was a Dove Grey 51, blue diamond vacumatic dated 1947 with a medium nib. We were both very happy with the trade. So that is how my love for the Parker 51 started!!!

 

http://www.penbox.co.uk/images/par51vb.jpg

Pictures taken from http://www.penbox.co.uk

 

http://www.penbox.co.uk/images/par51b.jpg

Pictures taken from http://www.penbox.co.uk

 

When I saw the New Parker 51 Special edition in Black, I fell in love with the pen. I really loved the gold accents on the Empire cap. I only wish they had the gold accents on the Vista Blue because I would have bought it in a heartbeat. I heard about the problems with the defective barrels. So I was careful about buying the new Parker 51 to ensure that the pen is the one that did not have the defective barrel. I found the best price from a very reputable dealer (penseller.com) I told the owner about my concerns with the defective barrel. Weaver McCracken from Penseller.com assured me that Parker corrected the issue on the next release and he only has the corrected 51's in stock. I was able to get the pen for around 230.00 USD through penseller.com

 

I knew I was not buying a vintage parker 51 but I fell in love with the black 51 with the empire cap with the gold accents. One thing that I did notice was that the pen seemed a bit on the light side when it came to weight. I think that was due to the filling system (converter) modern vs older Vacumatic. I bought the pen in a medium nib, expecting that the nibs would run a bit finer than stated. Well, I filled the 51 using Aurora Black ink. OMG, the pen was sooooo smooth when it came to writing!! It felt like I was writing with a stick of warm butter!!! The medium nib is in fact a TRUE medium nib. I was a bit skeptical when I bought the pen, I didnt think it would perform as well as the True vintage 51. Boy was I wrong!!! This is a very nice pen that writes like a dream. I have been very happy with this pen and I think I made a wise choice with buying it!!

 

The only complaints that I have with the Parker 51 SE ia the weight, it seems a bit too light. The filling system is on the weak side, especially if it is a "51 Special Edition". This would be asking too much, but I would have loved to have seen this pen have a Vacumatic or a Button Filling system. The other complaint is the way the cap fits on to the pen. It seems that there is no liner inside the cap so when you put the cap on tho the pen it seems that the snug fig might be a little too snug and it might tear up the barrel after repeated use. Surprisingly it doesnt.

 

With the complaints VS the wonderful points, I would say that the good really outweighs the bad by a large margin. I have been very happy with the way the pen performs and also with the way it looks. I think Parker did a great job on this pen, I just wish they would have added all of the wonderful things that made the Vintage Parker 51 a legend that we all know and love. There is no way I would pay the MSRP of 350.00 But I did get a great deal for 230.00 and there are other places you can get them for even cheaper than that but buyer beware. I would shy away from Ebay because that is where I think most of the defective 51 SE are laid to rest. But this is a wonderful pen, a real looker and one hell of a writer. I keep this pen on my rotation because it is such a great writer!

 

I would rate this pen (4) **** out of *****(5) stars.

 

 

The Noble Savage

Edited February 18, 2005 by The Noble Savage

[Keith with a capital K]

The 51 Se is quite a good looking pen and I am like you in that I much prefer the vintage 51's to the new SE.

 

It's interesting to know that the caps from the Se fit vintage 51's

[amin]

Having recently purchased two vintage "51"s, I am being drawn towards this pen in Vista Blue. Thank you for the savage review!

[Maja]

 

Ok, how did I miss your very first FPN review, NS??

 

 

Thank you amin, for bumping up the thread with your post above. I am glad that the newer members are reading and posting in older threads. As you can see, even someone like myself with a couple of thousand posts may have missed reading one or two old threads

 

Glad the Parker "51" SE writes as well as it looks! I love the Art Deco "Empire" cap---what a great look on a jet black pen. Thanks for this fine review, NS, and also for all the ones you've done since

Edited November 24, 2005 by Maja

[Glenn-SC]

I recently bought a 51 SE in Vista Blue with a Medium nib.

Pen couldn't be better!

Fills great, writes perfectly, starts when the nib hits the paper, no skipping.

I let it sit for a week and it wrote instantly.

Great pen.

[emrecan]

I missed this review like Maja ?

Thanks for the review TNS and thanks for bumping it

 

Take Care

Emrecan

[southpaw]

Thanks for the review. Nice to read a piece of FPN History. I too missed reading the historic first pen review of The Noble Savage. Ah, the nostalgia!

[Robert Alan]

Greetings! Can anyone tell me exactly what the problem was with the original Parker 51 Special Edition Barrel? I own a Vista Blue pen that I purchased on eBay before hearing about the barrel problem. The pen seems to function perfectly and its medium nib is excellent.

 

At first, it seemed that the barrel fit loosely into the cap like a couple of my old Parker 61's. A slight push secures the pen into the cap with no damage. However, it does not have a secure "click" like a Parker 100.

 

Any information about how to spot a defective barrel on the Special Edition would be greatly appreciated.

 

Robert Alan

[Sparky]

Robert:

 

I have spoken with Bertram's Inkwell and Fahrney's pen representatives on this becuase I am interested in the Parker 51 SE. What they told me was that the earlier barrels were too thin and that sometimes they would crack, but that Parker redesigned the new barrels and gladly replaced the barrel for those customers whose pen did have cracks. To my knoweldge there is no way to easily tell. You may want to call Parker Pens to find out more.

[Apollo]

I've been very pleased with my Parker 51 SE. Like Sparky stated, there is no easy way to tell the difference between the earlier "51" SE's that were prone to cracking, but should any problems arise with your pen, send it in to Parker and they will make it right.

[Robert Alan]

Sparky and Apollo, Thank you very much for the fast reply! Service out of Janesville has been very good so I will certainly contact them if there is a problem.

 

I think the P51SE in Vista Blue has been showing up on eBay because the model is discontinued and the blue version may not have sold as well as the black (remaining stock sold through jobbers). They may not necessarily be the pens with defective barrels. I hope not, anyway!

 

Robert Alan

[Sparky]

Regarding the 51 Special Edition, can anyone comment on the thinness of the fine versus the extra fine line. I tend to favor thinner lines, but each type of pen tends to run a little differently. I am tempted to go with the extra fine, but I don't know if they are too scratchy. I also write somewhat small and like the "e"'s to stay open. Anyone have a fine or extra fine to comment on. Thanks!

[offbase]

One of my favorite pens is a black 51 se with an xf nib. In writes extremely smooth ... in fact, so smooth I bought another and keep it, unopened, in my closet in case anything ever happens to this one, along with a blue/sterling cap 51 se in xf, as well (ok, so maybe I DID go a bit overboard).

 

I won't let go of either of my black ones, but if you want, I'll sell the new-in-the-box blue/sterling one for $230.

[Sparky]

Dear offbase....

 

Thank you for the offer. I also sent you a private e-mail. I, too, am looking for the black vermeil version as it is harder to find than the others. I would be interested in that offer you made if you could spare the black vermeil. Thank you. I am in Virginia, USA!

[offbase]

Hi Sparky,

 

I also replied to your email. Sorry, but I like the black ones to much to ever part with them. I believe montgomerystationary on ebay is selling the black ones for $279. I've purchased from them more than once without any problems. Best of luck to ya!

[Sparky]

I purchased several 51 SE's black barrel and frankly I am delighted with them. They look great, and I like the way they write. I purchased extra fine and generally use rhodia paper. While it may not be a like a true vintage 51 (I have only one of them, along with the Parker 100), I do like this is a mix of Parker 51 design.

[contravox]

I just wanted to add a little bit to Noble Savage's review of this pen. I received my Vista Blue 51 SE yesterday and am already overwhelmed by how great this little pen is. My Vista Blue is a medium, and writes just as smooth as my Edson or Legacy. The silver cap is not hallmarked, so I'm a little curious as to the silver content. Although I'm not sure if this is solid silver or silver plate, I can say that it is quite a hefty cap and looks to be a very white metal, such as sterling silver. While the pen body does feel lighter than my 51 vac or aero the pen, as a whole, feels to me to be about the same heft. Hence, when posten and writing, I can't tell much of a difference.

 

The plastic that the pen is made from feels harder than the lucite used on the original 51's. I imagine this helps the pen resist scuffing and keep its luster longer. It does, however, make the pen seem as if it would be more brittle, but who is to say. If you step on a vintage 51, I'm sure you'd get the same result as if you stepped on a 2002 SE....a broken pen.

 

The clip and jewels on the new SE have a really bright gold finish. It does not seem to have any antiquing done to it, which might make the lettering and feather on the arrow harder to see. The blue diamond is smaller and darker than on a vintage 51, and the enamel on the diamond seems to be raised or built up somehow. The vintage 51s have a flatter look to their blue diamonds. The end jewels are a bit of a disappointment on the new SE. They are smaller and seem to be a bit dull-looking. They are more rounded at the top, and you can see the hole in the metal underneath them, which gives the jewels a dark circle toward the middle. If you were to unscrew the barrel and look through it up to a light source, you would see light coming in from this area. I feel the jewels could have been better executed.

 

The barrel has a wonderfully smooth and polished feel to it, and although it is light, it feels like quality material. The words

PARKER "51"

MADE IN UK

are lightly etched just below the all-gold plated clutch ring. There is no date code or other special identifying insignia.

 

This pen takes a standard Parker converter which, IMHO, is what makes this pen actually superior to the original 51. I love being able to flush out my pen in a matter of a couple minutes. I love being able to change inks quickly. I really love how I can pack up some carts and take this baby on the road with me. I love being able to see the ink level clearly, always. Personally, I believe this was the biggest improvement from the original design. Sure, the old filling systems held more ink. However, I know of no one that would write so much in one day that they would need to refill their pen while at work. If you regularly write that much, then you probably have a bottle of ink near you anyway. It is an improvement!

 

The nib is wonderfully smooth and delivers ink on the first stroke, every time. This is a testament to the strides in fountain pen design and its implementation in the 51 SE. My vintage vac even starts slightly dry, so I really appreciate the fact that this pen is so smooth and reliable. The medium nib writes like a true medium and is moderately wet, although on the various types of paper I have tried, I have noticed no feathering. This is not a pen that is going to be soppy wet. I would say it's comparable to a Pelikan medium in almost all respects (the SE just feels smoother to me).

 

My only gripe is that the pen is not "user serviceable." Perhaps you bend the nib on one of these 15 years down the road and Parker has nothing with which to replace the nib. As has been stated before in these forums, the pens of the past were really not conceived to be stripped down and taken apart by ordinary folks anyway. This is why our great repairmen that we love and trust so much come up with new and exciting ways of fixing pens. I leave my future woes in their caring hands.

 

And there you have it. I love this pen!

 

-Robert

Edited November 17, 2006 by contravox

[contravox]

Update To Above Post:

 

After using my P51 SE for a few more days now, there are a couple things I have noticed.

 

PROS

1. Pen starts every time. There is no hesitation with the ink flow and the nib is consistantly super-smooth.

2. Barrel is resistant to wayward scratches. Whatever plastic Parker used for its barrel is quite imressive to me. Lightweight, extremely smooth and surprisingly durable.

3. No noticeable writing fatigue.

4. Clip stays tight and feels secure, more so than on a vintage 51.

5. Eye-catcher! I've had dozens of comments on the Vista blue of the pen. This is a great color.

 

CONS

1. Cap posts oddly. There is no "stopping point" when posting or capping the pen. Hence, it sometimes goes on too far and it can get difficult to replease the cap.

2. Clutch can scratch barrel if you're not careful. One must always remember to release the cap straight out, or you'll get a couple little scuffs from the clutch. The good news is, they easily buff out.

3. If the plastic twist knob on the convertor is not perfectly straight, you will hear and feel the convertor rattling inside the barrel. I'm on my second convertor because of this...not a fault of the pen, but one of Parker nonethless.

 

All-in-all, I'm still delighted with this pen. I usually rotate pens after a day or two, but this one has been in my pocket since I bought it. I recently picked up a pack of cartridges for my trip back to SC for Thanksgiving. Just imagine, a 51 that has bottle filling as an option!

 

-Robert

[miwishi63]

Just received (as a gift) a Black SE 51 with what I assume to be a medium nib. Once I figured out the best way to fill it, I find that It's growing on me.

 

Mike

[AntonioSt]

The 51 Se is quite a good looking pen and I am like you in that I much prefer the vintage 51's to the new SE.

 

It's interesting to know that the caps from the Se fit vintage 51's

 

I have vintage 51 (1957) and a cap from 51 SE black. A cap is a little large for the pen so it was necessary to fit it.