Parker 41

[Moppeh]

Hey, so I just got my first ever parker pen off ebay (I know, risky, but it was only 14$!). I thought it was either a parker 21 or 21 super, but it arrived today and turned out to be a parker 41. This pen is in very nice shape, no cracks, dents, etc. It is black.

 

Anyway, after doing a bit of research I discovered that this pen is rarer than 21's but has some of the same problems--mainly brittle plastic. I bought this pen intending to use it for college, but I'm now wondering if I should, since it's more prone to breakage than 51's and less common than 21's.

 

So how durable are these pens? And what precautions should I take? Or should I leave it at home and keep hunting for a 21/51?

 

Thanks

Maia

[John Danza]

Hi Maia,

 

While the 41 is somewhat hard to come by, you have very little invested so I say "Use it". You should be pretty carefully about dropping it and about over-tightening the barrel when replacing it after a fill, as the plastic is pretty thin. They're nice pens though. Here's the one I have, which I wanted for a long time.

 

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb83/borderboss/Parker%2041/Parker41closed.jpg

[algabatz]

Keep it, use it, but be careful (or sell it to me ;-)

 

http://parkercollector.com/parker41.html

 

 

/Tony

[nxn96]

You got a great buy on that 41 that you thought was a 21, but that doesn't mean your 41 has to substitute for a 21. The earlier series 21's were also prone to cracking, so my advice would be to go back to Ebay for a nice Super 21, which were pretty much bulletproof, and keep your 41 at home. If you're budget constrained, you'll probably get a pretty nice profit if you decide to sell your 41.

[Moppeh]

Thanks everyone! I think that I'll keep looking for a super 21, and hopefully I'll find one before school starts. But if not, I'll just be nice and careful with this pen.

[Jerome Tarshis]

So far as durability is concerned, there shouldn't be any difference at all between a 41 and a Super 21. Many early Super 21s *were* made of parts originally intended for the 41. The Super 21 didn't come with fishscale caps or some of the pastel colors, but with respect to the hood and the barrel they are pretty much the same pen.

 

And, granted, the Super 21's plastic isn't as tough as the 51's. But that can be said of many, many pens people took to school or office routinely. So, yes, except for the rarity value of the cap, a 41 is an everyday user.

[MSA]

41's are extremely hard to come by. You might want to hold it.

 

Good Luck.