Hello, I have been eying Parker 100's (and resisting) for some time. I got the bug and bought one off of ebay last week. It arrived yesterday. This supposedly new pen gave off blue ink when I rinsed it out, and has blue ink dried around the nib. I guess this kinda lays to rest the claim that I bought a "New Parker 100". Other than being heavy, I notice the cap does not attach firmly in place, but wiggles a bit, not a real problem, but a surprise. When the pen sets unused for a few moments it will only start if the nib is in (stationary) contact with the paper briefly before starting a writing movement. Another thing is that the pen needs to be fairly upright, not vertical, but at a steep angle. the pen will not write at a shallow angle. Does this sound more or less like the Parker 100 everyone knows, or are these minor issues specific to this particular pen.
Are there known issues with this pen? I tried a search here without results.
Thanks for any comments.
Ken.

Hello, I have been eying Parker 100's (and resisting) for some time. I got the bug and bought one off of ebay last week. It arrived yesterday. This supposedly new pen gave off blue ink when I rinsed it out, and has blue ink dried around the nib. I guess this kinda lays to rest the claim that I bought a "New Parker 100". Other than being heavy, I notice the cap does not attach firmly in place, but wiggles a bit, not a real problem, but a surprise. When the pen sets unused for a few moments it will only start if the nib is in (stationary) contact with the paper briefly before starting a writing movement. Another thing is that the pen needs to be fairly upright, not vertical, but at a steep angle. the pen will not write at a shallow angle. Does this sound more or less like the Parker 100 everyone knows, or are these minor issues specific to this particular pen.
Are there known issues with this pen? I tried a search here without results.
Thanks for any comments.
Ken.

Out of 50 better fountain pens that I own-this pen is the absolute worst. I had the same problem with the cap as well as a scratchy nib. I also complained that the barrel scratced easily .When I sent it to Parker for repair they informed me that all of the problems that I cited were not covered by the warranty. I would never purchase a Parker again because there is nothing standing behind the pen. They actually sent me an estimate of in excess of $ 145 to repair the pen. I called Parker and I informed them that I can buy a new 100 for the same or less and the "customer service" person was absolutely indifirent to my concerns. The pen was sent to France (is this possible by Parker) and returned to me when I refused to pay the ridiculosu repair fee. I will never purchase another Parker again even if I could purchase them at 80% off MSRP.

Ken, I had the same issues with my Parker "100". At first, I was rather upset. But I agree with the gentleman above, David -- flush and dry the pen a few times, then ink it up and write a bit each day with it. With time and use, my Parker "100" is one of my favorite writers, now, but I find that one must also "get a feel" for how the pen writes. When I first use the pen, I do rest the nib on the paper for a second or two before I begin to write. This just seems to be how it works.

I like the pen, but I would never spend that much money for a pen again. To me, the Parker Frontier writes like a dream from the get-go with no breaking-in period required.

I've made a few posts about the Parker "100", for what it's worth, but I do find searching this site rather discouraging, I must say.

Hello, I have been eying Parker 100's (and resisting) for some time. I got the bug and bought one off of ebay last week. It arrived yesterday. This supposedly new pen gave off blue ink when I rinsed it out, and has blue ink dried around the nib. I guess this kinda lays to rest the claim that I bought a "New Parker 100". Other than being heavy, I notice the cap does not attach firmly in place, but wiggles a bit, not a real problem, but a surprise. When the pen sets unused for a few moments it will only start if the nib is in (stationary) contact with the paper briefly before starting a writing movement. Another thing is that the pen needs to be fairly upright, not vertical, but at a steep angle. the pen will not write at a shallow angle. Does this sound more or less like the Parker 100 everyone knows, or are these minor issues specific to this particular pen.
Are there known issues with this pen? I tried a search here without results.
Thanks for any comments.
Ken.

...If you are not happy with it let a pen tech tune it to your specs.