I read so much in this forum about the Sonnet and the followers this pen has that I decided I must try it.
I own 2 sonnets.2 years I have them both.

One is what I think they call a sunburst with an 18K nib.
The second is a GF set with a GF nib.

I took the sunburst to work and for the first time tried it.I was very disapointed.The nib is slightly scratchy and didnt feel too smooth.It did leave a nice wet line though and that made me a little bit happier.

Disapointed I went home and tried thr GF Sonnet.This pen was excactly the other way around.The nib was nice and smooth (even though I have smoother nibs),it has NO flexibility and it leave a dry line.

What can I say I am very disapointed with both pens.On a personal level it didnt feel perfect in my hand I like thicker pens but it was ok and maybe I need to get use to it.

Anyways even though Parker is my favorite maker and most of my pens are Parkers I think I will stick to my Omas Paragon as an everyday user.
And for now my favorite Parker writer is my GF Parker 65.

Oh one more thing.If any of you where thinking which nib would I take home if I had to choose than the answer is the GF nib.

By "GF" nib....I assume you're referring to Gold-Plated? (Or is it Gold Fine ? )

The problem I have with my Sonnet (lower-end, Stainless Steel) is that it writes too smooth It is by far the smoothest writer I have (I have Pelikan, Sheaffer, Inoxcrom, Manuscript and other Parkers to compare it to). It slips, slips, slips a wet, wet line...often too wet and too slippery depending in the paper. I have found that Sonnets have a Quality Control issue. I had to get it replaced 2 times to end up with the one I have now (the previous two were scratchy and unsmooth).

For a stainless steel nib, it feels quite springy. I feel a subtle bounciness with it. My stainless steel nib feels smoother than my father's gold-plated nib.

Their Mediums tend to run too broad for everyday writing. The EF writes ok.

Some people love the Sonnet, whereas others hate it It's quite a contraversial pen actually.

Thanks for the onteresting reply kissing.GF means Gold Filled

I have two Sonnets both with Gold Plated Medium nibs and Herself has one with an 18K gold medium.

None of them wrote well straight off, I have dismantled, cleaned and polished all three nibs and now they all write just fine. Maybe a bit broad for some tastes, but nice an smooth with a wet line.

So although it runs against the grain, pens Should write out of the box, with a little tweaking, they can be good writers.

Jim

I just changed inks to Parker Washable Blue, and I have to say, it writes like a totally different pen now

The feeling on the nib is just great!! It's smooth, springy and wet and comfortable to hold and to write with.

Here is something PenHero wrote about the Sonnet when he was comparing it to the Parker 100:



I have to say, the Sonnet feels better to write with than a modern Duofold (which tend to be quite stiff.)

After reading this I caught sight of a Sonnet on the corner of my desk. I've no idea who's it is or how I got it, but when I opened the cap the nib was bent under the feed What a letdown

That is VERY sad to hear

The sight of a pen with a bent nib breaks my heart.

If you're keen on using a Sonnet again, perhaps you could buy just the nib either from your country's Parker distrubutor (Sonnet stainless steel nibs are generally inexpensive) or ask them if it could be repaired through warranty (which is probably unlikely, but worth a try).

Here you can find contact details of your local Sanford (Parker) distributor: http://www.parkerpen.com/en/transverse/contact_us


Another options could be nibs.com which sell various fountain pen nibs, including ones for the Sonnet: http://nibs.com/nibvalues.html

I would rather contact Parker directly first though

Just out of interest, what kind of Sonnet is your's? Steel nib? Gold-Plated nib? 18K Gold nib?

What material/design/colour?

regards, Kissing

I'm afraid it isnt very exciting. Just a stainless steel nib (looks medium point to me) with lustroy-ish exterior, unless thats the rare variety...

Looks like I'll have to write it off. I'm no good with taking stuff apart, no matter how much care I take Perhaos I'll get a nicer one off the marketplace here

Changing the nib on a Sonnet is very easy, it just unscrews, so rather than get a new pen, I would just replace the nib. The Stainless steel nibs are quite cheap really and certainly cheaper than a new pen. Plus you get the size you want

The nibs tend to run a bit oversize, so a Sonnet M nib would about equate to a US Broad, therefore a F nib is roughly a US Medium.

Jim

Ah, I see. Well, I'll snoop around for a nib on the net. Thanks for the info!

EDIT: Ouch, steel Sonnet nibs are £12 GBP each.

Problem is you can't just buy the nib, it has the feed etc, the whole shebang in fact, marginaly cheaper than getting a whole new pen but only marginal :doh:

Jim

You could buy a new one of what I think you have for about twice the cost of the new nib though, pays your money and takes your pick.........

New Sonnet on fleabay

Jim

Well I have my eye on a nice new P21 on the bay. If that fails then perhaps I'll get the nib

I really like the Sonnet stainless steel nibs. I reckon they're the best steel nibs I've ever used. They are actually quite smooth and springy to write with and quite durable (I dropped mine a few times, but it's still perfectly ok ). Definitely NOT a stiff nail. It is comfortable to write with for long periods of time and is one of those pens where you really can tell the difference between quality if you compared it with a cheaper pen. The springy, smooth nib gives you the freedom to write more expressively than most other pens that wield a normal ball-nib.

As with nib size, I recommend an XF (Extra-Fine). Even the F (Fine) writes like a broad medium, in my opinion The medium and fine are smoother to write with because they're thicker though (depending on your preferences I guess).

I just sent my sterling silver Sonnet Fougere directly to Parker for a new nib (18k). The cost was $40.00.