I've recently aquired a fab Parker 51 and can't stop using it. How did Parker get it sooo right.

It's perfectly balanced, smooth and easy to hold, posts well and has a an ease of use.

Did they experiment and make many varying torpedo shapes until they came up with this design ?.

I find I can hold it anywhere from low down on the collector to just slightly above the clutch ring, this would make it perfect for all size of hands IMHO.

I now know why it sold so well and that why some many people love 'em.

Gary

The Parker "51" is one of those pens that actually looks prettier when it's posted than when it's capped. The sleek, long profile from the nib up to the end of the cap is just...elegant.

I agree with you. It's a lovely design.

TMann

Yes -- posted it's timeless in its elegance. When it's capped, the end of the barrel just slightly shows its age. But the swoop of the collector is one of those perfect curves, like the bow of a Viking longship.

Best

Michael

I've owned more "51"s than any other model. They're all stowed presently,
because i got tired of how beautifully and reliably they all worked.
Needed to find more expensive, modern pens with QC issues
to occupy my time.
J

Now you mention it, posted the pen looks fabulous and it's perfectly ballanced.

Timeless beauty perhaps ?.

Gary

How about a triumph of form and function. It looks good and it works and does not deteriorate to any great degree, even the Vacs are pretty reliable once you get over servicing the filler mechanism.

I like what Jeen says, he has put his "51"s away to have more fun with QC issues

Just my .02 worth but I am totally biased anyway!

Jim

I never post the cap of my 51s and find them beautfully light and perfectly balanced unposted. Is it just me?

Ray

Indeed, the "51" is about as perfect as a pen can get, in my opinion. It's design was quite radical for it's time, but very functional. That's why it's such a classic. When I hear the phrase 'best fountain pen ever made' I instantly think of the Parker "51."

Ray, I don't post my "51"s either and I agree with you about them being light and perfectly balanced.

Another Non-Poster here, pen in right hand, cap in left is the normal writing state for a quick note, cap stood on end somewhere safe is the alternative, when I am writing War & Peace

Jim

A good friend brought to me a book called Parker "51" by David and Mark Shepherd. Wow! All you've ever wanted to know and more. Answers a lot of questions about different prototypes, design philosophies, etc.

Regarding posting the cap. I have gotten in the habit of not posting any of my caps for fear of marking the barrel. There are a couple of pens I use where I feel I have to, but def not a "51". Unposted it feels fine in my large hand.

I agree, the "51" is just about as good as it gets. It's just too bad the 51 SE is so inferior to it's predecessor. I really had high hopes for that pen.

Think we'll ever see something close to the P"51" from Parker again? Why didn't they put a hooded nib on the Sonnet? I wish the P100 weren't as big.

My procedure, too, Jim.

You're too late on that title, though, I already wrote it!

I guess I will forever be jaded. My first FP after reading tons of reviews was a Parker "51". An excellent condition Black Vacumatic. I then followed it up with 2 mint "51" aerometrics, one which had never been inked. These 3 are my daily writers. I guess I got the best pen to start out with, so I will forever be comparing anything I own to these 3 pens.

Black, Burgundy, and Forest Green, I still have a few more colors to collect..

Bob

The purpose of the "51" is to make sure you understand why the mint-condition Pen XYZ you bought really isn't as good a pen as it could be, which is the justification for going out and buying another pen in a never-ending quest to find the perfect pen to dethrone the "51". This, it should be understood, will not happen in your lifetime, but that's no reason you should give up buying pens.



That's my best "51" -- and, by extension, my best pen. But I have a couple or six others I like pretty well. 'Nother pretty cool one is the one Parker never put into production:



So many pens, so little time.

Richard,

I salute you!,

That is the best reason I have ever heard for buying more "51"s

Jim

Perfect for some. For others..not so much.


K

I have to say that the only 51 I own is a beautiful writing pen that works every time and feels great in my hand.. an absolutely dependable and comfortable pen.
BUT, my all time favorite every day pen is a Sheaffer Snorkel Valiant with a butter smooth gold Triumph nib... like the 51 it writes every time, but just feels better in my hand than the 51...
But then again, I am a Sheaffer kind of guy

Interesting comments from many. My 51 is the only pen I do post. go figure. The nib is broad ish, not buttery smooth, it has a little "tooth" if that is the correct terminology. A little drag on the paper which I really like, its not scratchy and I find it easier to form better characters than a butter smooth nib. I have one pen where the nib is soooo smooth and flexible it's like trying to write with an octopus arm.
I have some lovely vintage and modern pens, all of which have their own merrits but my 51 sits quietly and patiently, like a gentleman in a Saville Row suit. It doesn't have to say a thing.

Is there a Parker 51 in the Gugenheim ?.

Gary

Come on people, the "51" needs your support against the upstart.

http://www.penhero.com/PenSurveys/2006TourneyRound5.htm

Jim

I've written with my original Parker "51" (Richard has now trained me to put it in quotes) for over 20 years. I bought two Waterman pens during that period, but I found I kept going back to my "51" for everyday writing. Since I've found this forum and realized how reasonably you can pick up a vintage "51", I've bought a few more. I am also buying other FPs to try, but the "51" is still my favorite.

Jim, you can name your book, _War and Peace, the Sequel_. And then go on Ophrah.

Ron

Do you know what Ron, I reckon I have already written War and Peace and the sequel with a "51", if you take the number of pages I have written since Xmas 1962 when I got my first and original "51".

I have written about 6 A4 pages with a medium nib Vac "51" just today, about 5 of those have ended up in the recycle bin, but that is a whole other story.

Jim

Ron, I agree with you. I have quite a number of fountaain pens from different makers: Signum, Pelikan, Lamy, Sailor, Waterman which I consider to be favourites (I even like the Sheaffer Snorkel and Eversharp Skyline), but I find myself always going back to my "51"s.

This "can't put down my 51" is catching. Again I have many pens, all of which I like using but today I find again my 51 aero on my desk.

Gary

Well, I don't have much new to say, but that's never been a good enough reason to keep quiet.

I have the same feelings about the "51" that just about everyone else before does. It's simply the best pen ever made, and I adore my Midnight Blue Aero with a super smooth medium nib. I take all of my class notes with it, and it never lets me down. The "51" is the perfect school pen because it simply refuses to dry out if I leave it uncapped during lectures and discussions. No other pen seems so resilient.

For a while, I got into collecting some of the fancier versions (vacs with cool caps, sterling caps and the like), but I've returned to the basic Lustraloy Aerometric. There's just something about how functional the basic Aero is - makes it even more beautiful. I also agree that it looks best when posted - something about the matching Lustraloy cap and clutch ring...sweet!

Won't be long until my other blue Aero comes back from Richard with a stub grind That is a pen I've been looking forward to for a long time.

I have to admit having similar feelings about the Pelikan m200. Like the "51", the m200 seems like a great benchmark for reliability and functionality, and it's also an attractive pen in its own right.

Right now, my pen case has three pens inked: Pelikan m200, Pelikan m215, and of course my "51" Aero. Between those, my Tortoise 400 NN and my Mikado, I sometimes wonder why I have other pens.

I have a Sheaffer Snorkel, Pelikan 605 and a Sheaffer Lifetime Balance coming in the mail which I am interested in comparing to my "51"'s. I also like my Parker Vacumatics, but they still are not as loved as my Parker "51"s.

Ryan, I would love to hear about the stub grind nib from Richard when you get it. Was this a medium broad originally?

Ron

My very first "51" arrived in the post today - a vacumatic one. I've just filled with Waterman Violet ink and am enjoying it already

Fafnir, a word of warning. Those "51"s are addictive and soon you'll find that you can't just own one. Congrats on your "51" vac.

Apollo,

Would you be willing to tell us what pens you have of the "51"s?

Ron

Apollo, I'm a bit worried about that! I've already got a "51" demi in cocoa on the way... and there is a (vac) set in black with lustalloy caps that has my initials engraved on it that I have my eye on.... my husband is thinking of getting that for me for our Anniversary (1 May)... even though he cannot, even in the slightest, understand my love of FPs. He said the other day 'you must have 20 by now' ... he's not that far off in his guess (though I haven't yet got 20).

OT
Fafnir, May 1 is also our anniversary... the 24th for us this year

Bill

Bill, that's really spooky!

This year is our 24th as well!

Obviously, it was an auspicious day

I didn't realize until we had set our date that May 1 was my bride's parents' anniversary, too. They were pretty tickled by our choice

Bill