I would say that after the Sonnet design Parker has strayed seriously from its American roots. American roots of the 51, 61, VP, VS, 75, Vacumatic, T1, Insignia. The Insignia was the last made in USA Parker. Sonnet (made in France) was still true to the Parker Design of earlier American Parker pens. Since Parker has moved manufacturing to Britain the design appears to be entirely British. We have seen the Ellipse, the 100, the Reflex (a completely worthless pen whose caps all split within days of use). What is it about the British design - bulkiness - wierd nib design? The Duofold Centennial is the closest to an American design but it is ridiculously expensive and beyond the budget of most. On the other end is the jotter and despite some changes has not yet been ruined. The American Spirit that once guided Parker from the 20's thru the early 90's is no longer there. The last American Pen company is Sheaffer with the Legacy Design.

Why don't you start a pen company then? That's the only way to fix the problem that you're seeing.

I don't think its necessarily a British or Parker thing, it just seems inherent in a lot of pen design at the moment, notably the sub $150/$200 area. If you look at the offerings within this range from the last remaining big four, Parker, Sheaffer and Waterman, I would argue nothing is particularly innovative or has a look that just makes you say 'YES!'.

I am generalising - but on the whole this is what I feel.

There are a number of factors, but I think a lot of it probably comes down to money. There just isn't the market to invest lots of time in developing and testing new designs, or manufacturing them. These days the accountants rule. There are also (imho) some odd design decisions - I like the look of the 100, but I can't quite fathom the choice of colour or finish.

- Mark

The Parker "51" doesn't look "American" to me at all....it looks more like something from outer space . . .



It's true that Parker has introduced some new designs which differ from what the pens looked like back in the days of old - but I don't see how it's a bad thing. A big company like Parker has to adapt to the new market and the modern community, as Fountain Pens are no longer the primary writing instruments (some people don't even know what a 'fountain pen' is these days :doh: )

Inevitably, the designs have to change too.

If anything I would perceive the 100 and most of the other series (including the new Duofold) as being more American than most 51 /61 /Vacumatics /50s Duofolds (apart from the Blue Diamond and special capped variants).

“British” () design usually consists in conservative, rather staid deigns with colours from the darker side of the palette, further complimented by a pleasant , generally more flowing form. Consider vintage Conway Stewarts as an example . The above vintage Parkers seem more akin to this philosophy than the modern collections.

The Sonnet, however seems to play a more hybrid style; a concept being echoed in the Frontier series.

Variety is the spice of life.

Edit: Wierd grammar/punctuation

(1) Yes, to be blunt, there is no longer enough gross revenue in fountain pens to pay for expensive design work.

(2) The accountants are there to keep the company from going bankrupt (as most of the pen manufactures did) and to prevent the company's employers from stealing from the company's owners (stockholders who are mostly the pension plans representing the widows & orphans these days).

(3) FWIW, the current Duofolds are "skim the cream" products to bring in revenue from the high end market. They have not been office supply writing instruments for decades.

This thread did not exactly go the way I thought it would. The great American pen companies have rapidly moved overseas - Parker in the 90's, Waterman in the 50's, Parker bought up Eversharp in the 50's, and now Cross has moved almost all manufacturing to China. Rumors are that Sheaffer will follow to China. The Sheaffer Legacy - spiritual decendent of the PFM - appears to be the last great fountain pen of American design and manufacture still produced with U.S.A. stamped on the pen. Back when UK and USA were both manufacturing fountain pens - there were some differences although both made some of the same lines - 51, 61, 45. The VP and the 65 are a lot alike with the exception of the VP having a screw in nib which makes them easy to change out. I have 16 VP s and 2 65 s (my favorite pens). Some of the uniquely English pens like the 25 never sold well in the U.S.. I realize that Europe probably has a much bigger market for fountain pens than the U.S. - but I wonder if it has to be that way? I think it is very difficult to find inexpensive (less than $150) fountain pens in the U.S. which would appeal to Americans - except at a Flea Market. There is something about the Parker 100 which I do not like - I think it is the nib (too much sticks out)- the shape of the pen (larger diameter) - or the arrow clip(too modernized till you wonder if it is even an arrow anymore). I believe the Parker Pen Company founded in 1891 by a gentleman of English Ancestry (but many generations an American) is getting further away from its core designs which made it such a great pen company. 50 years from now Parker pens will probably be so unlike those of the past that even George Stafford Parker would not be able to tell they were from a subsidiary of the once proud company he founded.

DD6847, you say that Parker is getting further away from its core designs which made it such a great pen company. Times change, designs change, new materials are developed and manufacturing techniques evolve with the times. A modern pen company like Parker has to adapt to the times in order to stay competative. I personally like my British and French-made Parkers and the new lower-prices Asian Parkers aren't too shabby either. More to the point, if modern Parkers aren't your cup of tea there are always vintage Parkers to hunt.

Now, the whole pro-American sentiment is warm and fuzzy, but the fact is the United States is not the great manufacturing and economic giant that it once was and I don't think it'll ever be. We "Yanks" need to accept that as reality and go on. Part of the issue is our lingering American arrogance. For years we were fed the idea that 'Made in USA' meant it was the top of the line and anything made elsewhere (especially the Orient) was of inferior quality. One can't deny the outstanding quality of pens made in the UK, France, Italy and Germany. Northern, Western and Southern European manufacturing techniques are as good and anything being done today in the States. As far as Asian manufacturing is concerned, one can clearly see that Japan can rival and even exceed the quality and manufacturing techniques of the West and while Chinese-made products have long had a reputation of being cheap, their quality and manufacturing standards are rapidly advancing and in some cases can already rival that of the United States.