So, I don't want to start a "this pen is better than this one" thread. But I am genuinely curious...
I was speaking with a fellow FPNer and we got to talking about pens we were looking for and she mentioned she was after a Parker 51.

I know I may get lynched for asking this, but why are these so popular? I genuinely would like to know, because I feel the outcast who wasn't invited to the party.
I have owned two different 51s and I just could get into them. I know everyone has their own tastes and opinions, but with 51s its like a cult (no offense), and I am pretty sure its me, not the pen... I would like to like them, I just don't get them. Maybe the two that I had were not up to par, but I didnt feel they wrote nice, a little dry.

Any comments welcome, but I would really like to hear from the people who are all about them. I would really like to be convinced.

Also, can 51s ever have flexible nibs? It wouldn't look that way, but I am still pretty new...

Thanks and Cheers!
Bryant

From your description, the Parker "51"s you had needed a good service. Often a good soak and flushing can fix up and Aero Model, but a Vac will need to be restored if it has not been done already. But given that the "51" was a workhorse pen, even the robust Aero can benefit from a professional strip down and clean.

As to the flex, if you want flex don't buy a "51"! The hood prevents the nib from flexing although there are rumours of flexing "51"s I have never personally seen one in the flesh let alone written with one.

From my time here, what i've consistently seen is that the popularity of the 51 stems from it's reliability. They're built like a tank, and they're also great writers. It's not uncommon to hear of a 50+ year old parker that still works without any meddling, only needing a good flush/ultrasonic cleaning. It's historical significance doesn't hurt it either. It was such a monumental paradigm shift in the market when it was first sold, and became one of the best selling fountain pens ever, if i'm not mistaken. Parker historians, feel free to set me straight. I personally don't have one, but i did just finish a transaction with garageboy, so I should have one in a few days to see for myself. sounds like you had one that could have used a bit of tweeking.

Of course, not everyone is going to like it, but a great number of people do, because it does what it is supposed to and does it very well.

The '51' was, and is, famous because it was built to last, in my opinion. When it was new, in 1941, it was literally revolutionary. And yet, for all it's flashiness and amazing new technology, it was manufactured and designed with practicality in mind and is a workhorse pen, designed for everyday use. I think that's why it's popular. It was revolutionary, but it was still meant for everyday use, and pen-users benefited greatly as a result.

This is possible, I really didn't do much to mine when I got, although one I bought was a collector, so I guess I assumed it was up to par...

Thinking of a nice, semiflex nib I love my vintage Pelikan 400s. You cannot compare a Parker 51 with any unhooded nib. The 51 is stiff like a nail. Feels more like a rollerball than a fountainpen. Most of my 51s have smooth nibs with good ink flow. Two fine nibs are a bit drier than I like it.

Nevertheless there are Pelikan 400s and Parker 51s living side by side in my everyday pencase because the Parker 51 simply works! They get a good flush and soak when I get them and that's it. They have a good ink capacity, too. This makes the Parker 51 a reliable daily writer and this is what I am looking for.

And if I am in the mood for a nice, semiflex nib I use the Pelikans

I bought a P51 at a flea market. It was made in 1943. Paid $3.00 for it. It needed a little work. I broke it down to "parade rest", replaced the diaphragm, cleaned all the parts, worked on the nib, etc. It now writes a smooth, wet, fine line. It is reliable, holds a lot of ink, comes from a really historic era, and is hell for strong.

In my opinion, it is pipe wrench ugly. It is a pain in the neck to flush out and change ink colors. It takes a long time to fill.

If you are leaning back, writing in a relaxed position, it is difficult to see that tiny nib below the curvature of the hood. This makes it hard to tell which way the pen is rotated if you should happen to drift off of the sweet spot. Aggravates me, no end. (P21s are better, because they have an aiming point on the hood.)

I gave my P51 a good, college try -- three months of regular use, simply because people here fall all over themselves singing paeans to them. Then, I gave it an hour's flush and a week's drying and took it out of rotation.

Bottom line: there are a whole lot of pens with open nibs made during the same era by Sheaffer, Esterbrook, Waterman, etc. that are just as serviceable. If you need more ink capacity, install a larger sac and lever it twice. If you are a bouncer in a biker bar and spend a lot of time in the mud, the blood, and the beer, get a P51.

Paddler

I have a 51 that I found in an antique store for $8. I didn't even know what it was when I bought it. However, after learning about it, I restored it and it is now a pen I frequently use. But to your question of what is so special about this pen.

The specialness is down to it's engineering and why this pen was designed the way it is. The 51 was engineered to handle fast drying ink (that's not to say that you have to use fast drying ink in a 51). There is a collector behind the feed that stores a large amount of ink. The hood is over the nib to inhibit ink evaporation. The combination of the collector, which provides an immediate reservoir of ink to the nib, and the hood, to keep the ink from evaporating, ensure that the ink will flow whenever it's needed. That's why it's often referred to as a work horse; it writes when it needs to write.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to personal preference. Some folks love the way a 51 looks, others think it's the ugliest pen they've ever seen. So, if you don't like the pen, for whatever reason, it's okay. If you like the engineering, but not the look, you may want to have a look at a Lamy 2000. It has very similar engineering but looks quite a bit different.

I asked the same question. Check out this thread: http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...mp;#entry412715 I ended up buying a nice Q4 1948 Vac P51 (Cedar Blue) from Richard binder. Couldn't be happier.

First let me say, I'm not a "51" Disciple. I appreciate any number of vintage pens and I love the look of a big gold open nib. Having said that, I usually have a Forest Green Aerometric w/gf cap in my pocket as one of my daily carries.

I like: the understated look; the convenience of a slip-on cap; the ink capacity (words written - one of the highest around); the durability; and the reliability. This pen is a workhorse and has never failed me.

You should, if you appreciate vintage pens at least try out a well restored "51" - you might just like it.

This doesn't mean I don't like the OS Sheaffer Balance in my pocket as well, it's also a great pen!

I was late coming into the "51" party in terms of my personal collection. Seeing the pen in photos it didnt do anything for me. Then one day while surfing da bay, I stumbled on an auction for two black 51's cheap, so I put a snipe in thinking hey worse case I can say I tried one. To my surprise, I won. Immediately sent them to Richard and forgot about them. After restoration I received them back and "still" waited a month or so before inking (had others to play with).

For me it was LOVE LOVE LOVE at first inking. The pen feels good in your hand. It is solid and streamlined and looks good in your pocket with the blue diamond. The nibs I had were fine and xf and wrote perfectly, nice and smooth (how much of that was Richards tweaking I cant say). Once filled it writes forever (note: they are different in terms of filling). Above all it has the nostalgia factor going for it, I love vintage especially WWII vintage and this pen has a serious pedigree there!

I immediately realized that I was missing out on a great writing instrument for some time.

I eventually sold one of the two I purchased and acquired two others (a black fantasy from AK and gold/black mint).

I think there are two separate things going on here. 1) Liking a pen for its style/engineering. 2) Liking a pen for how it writes.

Most of the non-reworked and NIB 51s I've seen show tight nibs. Factory replacement nibs are tight as well. That means a dry-writing pen. But it doesn't mean that can't be changed. I have a couple of 51s that write so heavy that the ink shows up on the other side of the paper. But that's how I wanted them, so that's how I set them up. Your repairman should be able to give you whatever you want. You can also "wetten up" any writer to at least some extent with a fast-flowing ink.

Engineering-wise, I'm ambivalent about the 51. The vac-fillers were suboptimal, in my opinion (and I'm trying to be generous since I'm new here). Especially in the presence of sac-rot ink. They were engineering for engineering's sake, and people fell for it. I have little patience for that sort of thing at either side of the sales counter. Then came the aeros, and they got it right, finally. From an engineering perspective, the 51 aero may have been the high point in fountain pen development.

The objection to the difficulty in ink-color changes has merit, but realize that back in "those days," people needed pens to work and nothing more, and I expect they played around with them far less than we do now. The 51 just wasn't set up for convenient color changes. In the context in which it existed, there was no need for it to be. A responsible pen dealer who truly understood a particular customer hopefully would have steered him toward a different/flushable pen had he detected a requirement for color changes, perhaps a lever-filler.

I think fountain pens are personal enough that we can't justify our tastes solely in terms of a pen's engineering or real-world performance. We either like something or we don't. Same things for horses, cats, music, and motorcycles. As much as I admire the 51 aero's engineering, I rarely if ever use one from my collection, and I have several banged-up cage fighters that have been heavily massaged, some with Mottishaw nibs, perfect for daily carry, and they all write like a dream. Frankly, I'm more satisfied writing with a good Vacumatic than I am with a good 51 Aero.

There's a difference between admiration and affection. Maybe they have to go together for things to work out.

Everyone has different tastes. I'm often amazed by the look of pens that some think are beautiful. To me, the Parker "51" is beautiful, but not in a colorful, garish way.

Most of these pens write very well without any restoration needed. Some need work. When they work or when they've been restored / adjusted, they are wonderful pens. They write very smoothly and beautifully. I now often write with other pens such as a Sheaffer Early Touchdown, but I still love my Parker "51"s.

I have one but cannot warm up to it. The main problem I have is that I am a fountain pen addict and I dont consider it a fountain pen.

Instead, I consider it a fountain pen that looks and feels exactly like a ballpoint - the very things I strive to stay away from. I never know when the nib is square to the paper cause i can't see the nib. Give me a big, beautiful and decorated nib any day!!!!!

Avoid them at any cost!!!!!
Don't buy one!!!!!



Leave them all for me!

Beat me to it. I was going to say the same thing...

I have one 51 and I like it, but perhaps singing its praises so high made me expect too much. It does have its individuality (as much as manufactured things can have it) and so I like to change every once and a while and use it. It's great in the pocket to take around everywhere. But then I really like the Vacumatic I'm using right now - it combines beauty (it's the Blue Pearl version), consistency - it writes every time - and good ink carrying capacity. So - between a Vacumatic and a 51, I would probably choose the Vacumatic.

But of course that's the great thing about all of these fountain pens - each one is different and you have to love each one for its own merits...

Erick

I bought a P51 because it has a good reputation for reliability and comfort - and there are a lot of them around. You'd be hard pressed to consistently find a better quality to price ratio in a pen. I didn't want to (potentially) have to shell out the money for repairs.

The P51's for notes and general writing, the Sheaffer school pen for math and other printing. I love the P51 for its smooth nib and easy filling. But as for looks, I have never entirely fallen for it. Someday when I can rationalize it, I'll get a nice-looking Sheaffer touchdown with a traditional or triumph nib. Their look really appeals to me, but from a functional standpoint, my current "collection" is more than adequate.

Last November I wrote the following:



I have continued to use the pen since last November, but had a problem with the breather tube corroding through. I replaced it and have had no other problems with the pen. It is still very competent, and it has grown on me. I was very surprised at just how much I missed it when it was out of action.

I still prefer my P61's but want to prevent them from getting damaged - so I use the P51. It's taken everything I've thrown at it and still looks new. I've polished my P61's, and had them go dull and tired in the last 4 months, during which time the P51 still looks new despite not being polished. The P51 is as tough as old boots - and I rather like it now.

Regards

Richard.

Richard, I bet you'd love my 51. It's a vac-filler, but the best part is that it has a modified P61 nib installed. The best of both worlds, indeed. I get the smooth XF experience I've come to expect from my 61, with the higher ink capacity and tougher plastic of the 51.

The only trouble is I'm never sure what to call it when I'm writing cards or letters to FPN'ers. Most times, I don't feel like explaining the whole ordeal, so half the time I call it a 51, the other half a 61...

I haven't been overwhelmed by one either- I tend to prefer the old Flat-Top Duofold in terms of Parker offerings.

You know I'd never thought of that.
What a clever idea.

What a very clever idea indeed.

I have a silver capped P51 I bought in a fit of madness, which turned out to have a fine nib that I've been trying to find a replacement for since just after Christmas. And I have a P61 nib going spare.. I shall have to try it. Thanks for the suggestion.

Regards

Richard.

I'm a big 51 fan. It was my first fp and was my only pen for ages.
Since using pens with exposed nibs, I do find that the only disadvantage of the 51 is not being able to put the nib
squarely on the sweet spot every time, because the nib is mostly hidden. It's not a prob when I'm writing
continuously with an established position, but when I'm stopping and starting, the problem becomes more evident.
Not a biggy though. Along with a MB 149 or 146 there's usually an aerometric 51 in my shirt pocket.