Hello, I am Lorenzo, from Italy, and I would buy my first fountain pen.
I like Parker so mutch, and I think that I will buy the new parker sonnet (the Duofold is too expensive)
I hope that someone can help me in this decision

I need some information about the nib: I like the laque black model and the ocean blue model(especially the blue model). The first has gold nib, and the second has gold/rhodium plated nib. Which is better?

Thanks to everyone that can help me, Lorenzo

While gold has alway been the "gold standard" for nibs, modern steel nibs are very good too. I suspect that if you did a blind test you would have a hard time picking out which nib is which. Richard Binder has an article on steel nibs on his website http://www.richardspens.com/. Look under "Reference Info."

Can you go and see the two pens, and try writing with them?
If you can't try them, you should just pick the one that looks better to you. The important thing about the nib is not what it is made of; the important thing is the shape of the little 0.5 mm piece of metal that touches the paper. If it is perfect, the pen writes well. If it is uneven or scratchy, then the writing is not as good.

Hi Lorenzo - welcome to FPN.


That's a very good choice for a first pen.


I have both, and there's nothing to choose between them*. They're both 18-ct gold - the rhodium plating on the Laque Black nib is purely for cosmetic reasons.

* Except that I had my Laque Black's nib ground to a 0.8mm cursive italic, which makes it better (for me).

I have used Parkers from the Parker Vaccumatic to the Sonnet and almost everything in between, and i can tell you that you can nenver go wrong with Parker. Only one ecception, some of the lower end Parkers bellow 100 dollars seem to be lacking severely in quality lately, but not the Sonnet. The Sonnet is a superb pen, so no worries there, it meets the Parker standard and it will make a first great fountain pen for you.

I admit, i have switched lately from Parker to Pelikan, but i could see myself getting one or two more Parkers in the future. I definaltely will never get rid of my Parker 51 or my Parker Vaccumatic, no matter how good Pelikan is. There is just a certain magic that comes from writting with Parker pens.

You cant do wrong with Parker (as long as you stay with the Sonnet or higher), as you can tell i had a traumatic experience with a lower priced Parker pen that shall remain nameless.

Thank you for the help!

I have only an other question:
How can I charge the ink? I like use ink bottle and not cartridges.

Which nib do you think is better for school using: I have to write numbers and long text(writing fast). I hate when the ink spots my hand when I go in the next line lol.

Lorenzo

Lorenz, I suggest you buy from a reputable dealer. If you can, try to avoid buying from Ebay, unless the seller is known to be honest. There are a lot of counterfeit Sonnets floating around. If the price sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

thank you blak000, I wasn't informed about counterfeit Sonnets.
Can you tell me the name of a good seller? I prefer buy from USA because buying in euro I spend less money.

Lorenzo

Well, to be honest, I don't know of many stores that sell Sonnets. They're not pens that I generally pay much attention to.

I found some on www.swisherpens.com (US) and www.pengallery.com (Malaysian)
A lot of people purchase pens from those dealers regularly, and haven't had many problems. Pengallery tends to have pretty decent prices on some pens.

I know there are a few members who absolutely love the Sonnet, and they might be able to point you in the direction of some good dealers.

Oh, here's an article concerning fake Sonnets, and just how convincing they can look:

Fake Sonnets

For current range Sonnets, I would recommend eBay seller Lewertowski: Pen Seller From France. Jean-Michel is an FPN member, and extremely reliable. You aren't likely to do much better price-wise by buying from the USA either.

Waowww!! thank you for your post, J.M.L.

I can confirm Lewertowski, I bought my Sonnet Set (Black matte FP, BP and pencil) from him; but take care, Lorenzo, when I start my collection I also said "Duofold are too expensive", and now I've 1 Sonnet and 4 Duofold... and I don't know why.

I have purchased many pens from Lewertowski too (pen seller from france) - and I can say he is reputable. If I were buying a Parker Sonnet, I would only buy from Lewertowski. I trust him to sell only genuine merchandise. No fakes in Lewertowski's shop.

A few months ago --- before I had much idea about these things --- I ordered a cheap "Sonnet" that turned out to be from China. I'm not entirely sure if it's genuine (possibly not) but it's still a very good writer. If it is a fake, it seems like a good one! The advantage of this pen is that if I carelessly drop it on its nib --- which has happened --- then it's not a lot of money down the drain if it can't be fixed. (I did seem to get it back to a decent state and still writes quite well.)

My 1 penny (2 cents) would also go with Penseller from France (Lewertowski). I have bought from him several times and you will get a great pen.

The Sonnet will come with a converter, which fits into the section just as a cartridge would. It basically is a cartridge, with an integrated, twist-operated piston mechanism. Having unscrewed the barrel, simply submerge the nib and the end of the section into the ink, and rotate the piston knob first anti-clockwise, then clockwise to draw up the ink. Repeat if necessary, and gently wipe off the surplus ink on the inner edge of the bottle. Then, holding the pen with the nib upright, gently wipe off the remaining surplus ink with soft, damp tissue. Screw the barrel back on, and away you go.


This is more difficult to answer, not knowing your handwriting style. If you're new to fountain pens, you might find that you can write more quickly and smoothly with a medium nib; on the other hand, if your writing is small and you need to do figure work, a fine nib may be more suitable. This is something you need to ascertain for yourself by testing them out, in a bricks & mortar store if possible.

Thank you for the answers, now I will coose only the colour, I like black-gold and blue, and to buy the pen!(for christmas)

(I like also pelikan Souverän, they are very beautyful, but I don't know if these are good pens)

Lorenzo

Sure they are good... no, they are better . Search in the Reviews section or in Pelikan forum and you'll find the answer.

I second what tipstricks said... if I had to choose between a Pelikan or Sonnet, I'd go with a Pelikan as well. They're piston fillers, which hold more ink, and have interchangeable nibs.

Also, modern Pelikans seem to be held in higher esteem than modern Parkers, at least from what I can see.

The Sonnet has interchangeable nibs too. Plus, they have an italic in their range, which Pelikan do not.


That may be true, especially here. However, I have several Sonnets and several Pelikans, and I can honestly say I'd stack a Parker Sonnet Laque up against any Pelikan Souveran below an M800 any day of the week, in any comparison bar the ink capacity.

Just one example of where it's superior: I find the Sonnet's long, shaped section much more comfortable to grip.

Wow, Col, that's interesting to hear. Also, I didn't realize the Sonnet nibs were interchangeable.

I'm sure the OP would be as interested in hearing this as I am: what exactly do you think puts the Sonnet in the same league as the mid to lower range Souverans? Is it the nib? The grip?

I was afraid you'd ask that!

Firstly, I was being mindful of Lorenzo's stated liking for Parker pens, and didn't want him to get the idea that a modern Parker is somehow automatically inferior to a Pelikan. There's a general perception I think, that Pelikan enjoy a long tradition of fine pens, whereas modern Parkers live in the shadow of their illustrious (American) forbears; I'm not sure that this is entirely justified. I think there might also be an element of pen snobbery involved in this, a notion that Pelikans are for people 'in the know', whereas Parker (and the Sonnet in particular) suffer from their own ubiquitousness.

The Sonnet has enjoyed quite a long production run (14 years and counting), and is not as popular (nor indeed as faked) as it is without good reason. It has a simple yet functional elegance, being well balanced either capped or uncapped; it's comfortable to hold, and not tiring to use. The long section is a significant plus point here - some people have been known to complain of the Pelikan's very short one, which may be difficult to grip without having your fingers on the cap threads.

The build quality is every bit as good as Pelikan's, particularly in the Laque and silver-plated ranges, and you get better value for money in terms of the materials used. An 18-ct gold nib, for a start; not that I'm saying that being 18-ct necessarily makes it a better nib, just more bang for your buck. As it happens though, the Sonnet Laque nib is very nice - it has a 'springiness' that is very appealing, and pleasurable to use. Mid-priced Pelikan nibs on the other hand, seem a little less precise to me, sometimes almost 'mushy'; and the line width is too variable from pen to pen (many threads on this in the past).

Pelikans undoubtedly win on ink capacity, although not everyone prefers the piston-filling system (I'm neutral here). Also, Pelikan customer service, at least in the UK, beats Parker's hands down, no contest there.

All off the top of my head, and just my opinion, you understand. Is the Sonnet a better pen than the M400/M600? Debatable. Is it even in the same league? Very much so - I think it's a viable contender.