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Parker 45 Review


JonB55198

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Hi Group,

 

If you haven't my original post, please see here: One Red Fountain Pen Post. The premise is that I will be making a series of up-trades starting with a Red Wing Sung 322. My plan is to get to my current Grail Pen: the Pelikan M1000 Green Striated with Triple-Broad, Double-Broad or Cursive Italic Broad nib.

 

Well, I made my 3nd trade and Lex was kind enough to trade me two pens. I traded my Wearever Pennant and Stypen UP! for a Waterman Kultur and Parker 45. So, as promised in my original "deal" with the FPN, I'm going to review each pen that I receive in trade along the way. This review will be for the Parker 45.

 

Parker 45 Review (pictured on bottom in photos below):

Appearance & Design (8/10) – I give this pen a really high grade for design because it as classic Parker looks. The arrow clip, the hooded nib, etc. It's all beautiful if you like Parker pens. Although, I have seen modern parkers which add some gold trim to the mix to make it even better looking, so it doesn't quite achieve a perfect score.

 

Construction & Quality (7/10) – The cap clutch is great and helps it post securely and cap securely without any snap or twisting needed. The stainless steel cap seems pretty solid. The body of the pen feels cheap though.

 

Weight & Dimensions (8/10) – This pen is small, thin and lightweight. I'd consider carrying it around with me if it were more reliable. But it skips and hardstarts alot. Maybe a wetter ink would help...?

 

Nib & Performance (3/10) – I really hated the nib quite a bit. If you put this pen down for a moment, it would write dry upon picking it up. If it sat for a day, it would take quite a bit of coaxing to get it to write again. Once it got going tho, it was smoother than the Waterman Kultur that I mentioned recently in a review. But, for a fine nib, this width was close to a medium.

 

Filling System & Maintenance (8/10) - The squeeze filler is about as simple as they come and requires no maintenance other than the occasional flush. I never had mine leak at all.

 

Cost & Value (6/10) – These can be had new for $10. The value is a little above average because of the styling. But due to the nib performance, I'd rather go somewhere else with my money.

 

Conclusion (40/60 = 67%) - A great way to get that "parker look", but I'd rather put my $10 toward something that writes more reliably.

 

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6205/6048516176_fa28087120_b.jpg

 

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6075/6047963319_2612325c60_b.jpg

 

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6080/6047963753_42f31f2cbd_b.jpg

WTT: Conklin Nozac Cursive Italic & Edison Beaumont Broad for Pelikan M1000 or Something Cool (PM me to discuss. It's part of my One Red Fountain Pen trading post)

WTB: 1. Camlin SD

2. 1950s to early 1960s 1st Gen MB 149 with BB nib

3. Airmail 90T Teal Swirl

4. PenBBS 355-16SF Demonstrator

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LOL. i was just gonna say i saw this thread and posted when i realized it was for the Kultur.

 

your description of the nib doesn't fit the performance of any of mine -and i have 5 of them. they are all sweet writers from the very first time i inked them up. of course, i flushed them first.

 

but you are right about the F nib writing a lot wider than one expects.

 

regards,

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which ink did you use? I used Noodler's Heart of Darkness. Also, maybe I could have flushed it a bit better before using it....

WTT: Conklin Nozac Cursive Italic & Edison Beaumont Broad for Pelikan M1000 or Something Cool (PM me to discuss. It's part of my One Red Fountain Pen trading post)

WTB: 1. Camlin SD

2. 1950s to early 1960s 1st Gen MB 149 with BB nib

3. Airmail 90T Teal Swirl

4. PenBBS 355-16SF Demonstrator

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Nice review. My 45 has a stub nib but displayed the same kind of hard starting issues you mentionned when using inks such as Pelikan's or J.Herbin's. I'm currently using Noodler's Air Corps Blue-Black in it and that took care of the problem (it displays a bit of nib creep but that does not bother me at all). A very sweet writer now!

 

Best of luck with your up-trade experiement. I look forward to see how it progresses.

Edited by fotographik

François (Frank) P.

Currently inked: Parker 51/Quink Blue-Black; TWSBI 580 1.1mm/Noodler's Black Swan in Australian Roses.

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I'm a big fan of the 45. Nib performance does vary, and a really good flush of an older 45 pen is a good idea. The nib and feed are so easy to dis-assemble. For the money, they are hard to beat, particularly the 60s and 70s models. Their Achilles heel is the plastic used for the section, it tends to shrink a bit over time, or get indented because of the cap fingers (but rarely cracks). For that reason, I store all of mine cap on barrel when not in rotation.

<i>"Most people go through life using up half their energy trying to protect a dignity they never had."</i><br>-Marlowe, in <i>The Long Goodbye</i>

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Excellent review of an often ignored Parker pen

Intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.

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  • 4 months later...

I'd not expected or wished a P-45 a couple of weeks ago when I went to an indoor German Antique market.

I'd noticed the nib was not a nail, and better than regular flex by thumb nail test. It turned out to be between springy and semi-flex...and a wet writer.

That's ok here and there there are inks that need a wet writer to dance.

 

I had no interest normally in a P-45...I many well have had one stolen from me in school in the '50-mid 60's. (All my fountain pens were stolen, just like a Jotter.) It left no....got to have memories. I'd guess I had a prejudice against it. I never had the least bit of a wish for one.

 

I'd not looked at the Parker 45 twice had not another Parker sparked my interest.

An English pen, with box and papers for P-45,P-65 and P-75 in German...I ended up buying all the pens the guy had on his table...so got the P-45 too and cheaper it had a name engraved in it.

 

It was not to I got home I found out it was a gold filled cap.

 

Now, I take all old pens and I buy mostly only old vintage pens to the brown paper bag, to smooth off some of the micro-corrosion on the 'iridium'.

Four 15 second sets of writing circles, left and right, squiggles up and down, left and right and figure 8's smoothed up the nib well so it was not dragging.

The brown paper bag is the least abrasive way I know of smoothing an old nib.

 

I am so happy with both the springy to semi-flex nib of my P-45 and the semi-flex to 'flexi' nib of the Parker Junior Duofold. :notworthy1:

 

I just now seen how easy it is to take the nib out. Mine is 14 K. So that's some where in the mid '60's or so.

Edited by Bo Bo Olson

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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Thanks,

It was a fun review to write. :)

-Jon

WTT: Conklin Nozac Cursive Italic & Edison Beaumont Broad for Pelikan M1000 or Something Cool (PM me to discuss. It's part of my One Red Fountain Pen trading post)

WTB: 1. Camlin SD

2. 1950s to early 1960s 1st Gen MB 149 with BB nib

3. Airmail 90T Teal Swirl

4. PenBBS 355-16SF Demonstrator

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thank you for your great review! i have a 45 on the way from a fellow FPNer, and I plan on soaking the nib/feed for a while. is it easy to take the nib and feed assembly apart? i haven't owned a fountain pen with a hooded nib before. thanks again!

"Hell Verde Conquered."- Percival Harrison Fawcett

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I am a huge fan of the 45, my favorite Parker of all they have made [i know it's blasphemy to 51 lovers]. Flush that puppy out with some Dawn dish detergent and I bet it will become a favorite.

Let courage rise with danger, and strength to strength oppose.

There is no snooze button on a cat wanting breakfast.

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I'm going to try cleaning mine out really really well. I just won a 45 flighter with 14k italic nib! I'm wondering if it is a broad italic or not?

WTT: Conklin Nozac Cursive Italic & Edison Beaumont Broad for Pelikan M1000 or Something Cool (PM me to discuss. It's part of my One Red Fountain Pen trading post)

WTB: 1. Camlin SD

2. 1950s to early 1960s 1st Gen MB 149 with BB nib

3. Airmail 90T Teal Swirl

4. PenBBS 355-16SF Demonstrator

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  • 4 years later...

I have a red / brushed steel 45 I bought new in 1970. It has a steel F nib which writes more on the FM side. Right now it has Omas Amerigo Vesppuci red/brown ink in it and I just picked it up this morning to write some notes and it started when I put it to paper with mo problem after sitting on the desk for the last two days since it was used last. A very contemporary looking pen as nice looking today as it was back in '70. It writes smoothly albeit firm but with a nice free flowing inks such as Omas and Waterman make, I've never had any problems with it. At the prices they sell for today I would recomend one to anyone! :lol:

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To carry on this restarted thread. I think the nib construction changed over time. Back in ~1981 I was given a Parker 45 Harlequin fountain and ball pen set. The fountain pen wrote super smooth with a medium nib. I loved it. About 25 years later it rolled off the table and landed on the nib - ruined. Since then I've had several replacement nibs, one from (and installed) by Parker themselves, the other bought from a reputable pen repairer and installed by me. Both have been scratchy, written as if extra-fine, and frankly been awful - I've checked the tines and alignment and all has been fine. It's as if some thing changed in the manufacture and what was once a great nib is now trash.

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My mom bought me an olive green at the beginning of 3rd grade (1978) so that I could learn to write with ink... almost 40 yrs later the pen is still with me. The nib has been changed a couple of times and the back of the body is indented but still writes as smoothly as I rememebr it. It is sort of a comfort blanket.

The design is fun, and the performance is excellent, I have tried Quink, Waterman, Pelikan, and other inks and it never fails. A good cleaning every 3-4 months and voila!

 

I have acquired several on eBay, and my daughters love theirs as well, always wanted a ciselle version!

Prices are a hit or miss latetly though :(

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  • 4 weeks later...

I like how a pen that Parker made millions of over a couple of decades still gets reviews and mostly positive ones at that. I have a couple that I bought used over the years and they are great value. Anyone in the market for a reasonably priced every day carry that performs well should look at these.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...

The original post was in 2011. Prices have gone up since. I have a couple of P45. Flea market find. Even then they still cost me around USD10 in local currency equivalent. Not my absolute favorite but do like the F and X that make excellent jotter/doodler. Not easy nib to work on though. My Kultur's F is smoother and more to my liking.

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The original post was in 2011. Prices have gone up since.

well, bout' a month ago a bought a P51 in working order, a Sheaffer Sentinel Snorkle -needs repairs, alas- a Scripto pencil and a Venus FP from the 60's in its original package (both, Scripto and Venus) in an Antique Store for $10!!!

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I purchased my first Parker 45 about a year ago from a seller in India ... unfortunately, it had a pretty damaged nib (which wasn't picture) ... I ended up finding a NOS 10K Med nib online. I later purchased a 14K medium and a steel Broad.

 

I find them all to be on the dryer side and, while not being scratchy, not being smooth either.

 

Then, last week low and behold, out of boredom, I was going through random pages on my favourite pen store's website and found that they were selling NOS 14K nibs. So I bought a broad.

 

I was thinking that, this being a true NOS nib (I trust them) that maybe the writting experience would be better --it isn't. It's just the same as the others.

 

Which I guess is OK, it's not a bad experience ... Maybe it just means that I'm not a Parker guy!

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