A Great Pen for $50-$90

[JimStrutton]

I have a Parker "51" and a Cross Century II on my desk today. So which one would I not part with? The "51"

 

Now don't get me wrong, the Cross is a great Pen, but the difference is between good and just stunning. Now comes the health warning or maybe that should be Wealth Warning. I bought the "51" knowing that it had 'issues', the cap was marked, the plastic body was dull from use/wear worse still is did not write well.

 

It took me many hours to take it apart, clean it and polish it, straighten and smooth the nib, to get it writing as it does now. However it is a testament to how the "51" was built that an amateur like me can get these pens back from the scrap heap almost to wonderful writing instruments. OK so the likes of the Pen Repair Gods who frequent these parts, would have done it better and in fewer hours than I took. Probably made a better job of it too But, hell I have had fun. I would sell that pen on in good faith, but it is staying in my personal collection, I get really attached to the ones I have worked on.

 

The Cross on the other hand has never missed a beat, wrote well from the time I received it and apart from a quick flush out has had nothing done to it.

 

You pays your money and takes your choice, the Cross is chrome with GP accents whilst the "51" is blue with a RG cap. Both look 'classy' whatever that is :blink:

 

Jim

[skipwilliams]

I'll put in my vote for the 51. Listen to Richard: Durable, classy, efficient ink delivery, superb writer, readily available. What more could you ask for? The 2002 Parker 51 SE (special edition), was an inferior pen in quality and technology.....and $350 MSRP IIRR!)

 

Post a WTB in the Marketplace here and on PenTrace.com's Green Board for a nice aerometric 51 and you'll get several replies. "Lex" was selling several very nice pens on the GB last week for $60-80. Some thoughts:

 

- Vacs are usually a little more expensive, being older with more deco-ish clips. (+$20-40)

- Double-jeweled vacs are much more (+$100-200) (DJ=metal tassie on the barrel)

- Gold-filled caps are more (+$20-40)

- "Un-dinged" caps or Un-brassed GF caps are more still.

- Colors? Black is usually cheapest, then Gray (gray vacs tend to stain)/Blue/Burgundy/Brown/Green ~equal, then Cocoa, then the rarer colors: Mustard/Buckskin Beige/Nassau Green (vac), and Plum (aero)

 

You should be able to get a very nice writing black aero-51 w/Lustraloy cap (satin stainless steel), for $40-80. FYI, the ink sacs on Aero pens rarely go bad, even after 50 years.

 

Skip

[Richard]

If it were me spending $50~90 on the ONLY fountain pen which I'll ever buy (note: This is physically impossible, so I'll just be hypothetical ), I'd probably get something modern, rather than vintage...

Reliability, durability, and product longevity are the three criteria for "my only fountain pen ever," and anything that uses a disposable filling system fails on the third even if it meets the other two. For this reason I wouldn't go for any pen that uses cartridges or a converter. If I did, I might end up stuck with something like the Waterman C/F, for which Waterman no longer makes carts or converters. (Yes, there are Lady converters around, but when they're gone they're gone.) The aerometric "51" has a Pli-Glass sac, and most of these are still in perfect condition (albeit stained) half a century or more after they were made.

 

Actually, for sheer product longevity no other fountain pen can beat an eyedropper filler -- but the aero "51" is second, I think, and it's more reliable and more durable than any ED.

 

Sunofagun, I'm right back where I started.

[pmormack]

Taste is always personal. That said, I think the 51 is not an attractive pen. It looks like a throwback to the aesthetics of the late 40s. If you like that look, then it's beautiful to you. It's hard for me to get excited about any Parker pen--just too plain or retro.

 

Frankly, I'd look for a pen that uses some interesting resin and also writes well. For your budget, I'd look seriously at the Bexley Simplicity. I own three of them and have given one as a gift. They are a good size, being slightly larger than a comparably priced Pelikan 200 series. They also come in four different resin patterns, all of them interesting in their own rights. The tortoise and cracked ice patterns are especially nice at their price point.

 

If you prefer a plain resin, I'd opt for something in the Pelikan 200 series. Many people here love Pelikans for a variety of reasons.

 

Richard Binder sells both Bexley and Pelikan and I would definitely buy from him.

 

If you like metal pens, definitely look at the LAMY Studio Palladium as someone else suggested. In the view of many here LAMY makes better pens than Cross. Again, depends on what aesthetic you prefer, but also LAMY may be a bit more reliable than Cross.

 

Some of this is opinion, but it's also based on experience owning various models of these brands.

 

Final comment: I'm not sure why Richard Binder dissed cartridge or converter pens. Some people on this board will tell you that a cartridge pen is more reliable because it has fewer parts to break. Most of them take converters that are easy to swap out and replace if they should break. Pistons and other filler systems are harder to fix. That said, I own a few piston pens and like them very much, as do many people on this board.

[ChickenGod]

Cool! Now I have lots of decisions to make.. I'm leaning for the Lamy Studio, Parker "51", and the Cross Century II. Can someone order them as to which one should be my priority to buy?

[goodguy]

Out of these three go for the Parker 51.Hands down its the best pen.

The Parker 51 is also a classic pen and an icon.

[ChickenGod]

I'm leaning towards Parker "51" as the top priority and then the Cross Century II after.

[Richard]

Final comment: I'm not sure why Richard Binder dissed cartridge or converter pens.

Okay, I'll tell you why. ChickenGod says this is going to be his one and only fountain pen for ever and ever. That's codswallop, as we all know but taken at face value it means that the pen is going to have to last half a century or more. Cartridge/converter pens are great, and I recommend them and sell them and even own them -- I have two Bexleys in my permanent collection, a Simplicity and a Grande on which David Broadwell replaced the furniture with Damascus steel. But there is no certainty that any manufacturer of carts or converters to fit ChickenGod's particular pen will be here half a century from now. (Although I will say that the disappearance of all current C/C manufacturers is highly unlikely, still what I'm looking at for the purposes of this thread is a "desert Island with no hope of rescue" pen.) The upshot is that there's no guarantee ChickenGod will be able to find carts or converters to fit his pen. A self-filling pen eliminates this problem, and the most reliable self-filling pen ever built is the aerometric "51". Q.E.D.

[DilettanteG]

I have a Parker 51. It's smooth, starts instantly no matter how long it's been sitting around, and writes on even my most finicky paper. At 5 1/2" it fits comfortably in my hand and is light enough to write with for long periods. The cedar blue/gold color scheme is attractive and the little blue deco diamond just looks cool.

 

And it's for sale.

 

No fault of the pen, I'm just not a firm, fine point kinda gal. I had the same problem with the one Lamy (Safari, I think) that I've tried: no spring, no give. The Pelikan M200 I have is a great little pen, but too small for my hand, and again for sale. The Cross Solo (my only Cross pen) is dependable, fits my hand, is lightweight, (and you guessed it) for sale. Great pen, smooth nib, but too stiff.

 

If I lived somewhere that I could try out pens without having to buy them, I would try every one not nailed down.

 

I would also pay close attention to what people here say about reliability, quality, etc., as there is some world class knowledge on this board.

[ChickenGod]

You are selling it? PM me for price? Oh, and Richard, what does "Q.E.D" mean? I am interesting in your pen. It sounds cool and pretty . PM MEEE =] thanks.. DilettanteG

[kissing]

I think Q.E.D. is what mathematicians put at the end of their long, worked out solution.

 

I think it's Latin....ah, found it on google - Quod erat demonstrandum

[ChickenGod]

And that means...?

[alvarez57]

I knoww... I hope I don't get sucked into Fountain Pens

[Nihontochicken]

There isn't any chance that I can get a Parker "51" unused is there?

 

Sure you can, for many hundreds of dollars at market price! Then you can ink it and lose half of what you paid. More seriously, of all the pens mentioned above, Cross, Lamy, Pelikan, Bexely, etc., you'd likely be happy with any of them, not a dog in the bunch. But you'll be perhaps happy longer with a Parker 51. If you want to score one cheap on Fleabay, you need to do some research on the various pen web pages to get a feeling for what the models and colors are, and their relative collectibility and worth, and then survey Fleabay auctions for a number of weeks to see what they go for there. On Fleabay, only consider a 51 Aerometric, unless a Vac has been certified by a reputable and knowledgeable seller to have been reconditioned, else you will be out an additional $40 or so to get it to fill properly (beware, Vacs that are said to "work" by non-pen types often take on only a few drops of ink). If this seems to be not worth the time and effort, then just buy a 51 from one of the reconditioners here (in fact what I recommend); an Aero should fit in your budget. 51 Aeros are near bulletproof. The major weakness may be that, with time, the plastic gets brittle as all plastic does, and the shell, or, more likely, the barrel may crack ( the barrel at the threaded end) - not terribly likely, but a possibility. However, if you get a common color, then you can replace the cracked part at not a great expense. Good fortune!

[alvarez57]

Lol! I'm starting to get confused now ... I guess I'll consider eBay again... the prices are just so darn low! What is the average price of a Parker "51"?

I've never had a bad experience with eBay, now, I do a lot of modern pen buying and I investigate the make of the pen before I buy. Now, for old pens, then HERE is the place to find out. Mr. Binder is an expert in pens because that's his livelihood.

 

These are the three 51's that I got throught the Internet. The "petroleum" blue has brassing and the jewel at the cap is sort of loose : this was not through a bidding but for a "cheaper" price; the cocoa one is the Lady version and it's almost like new, now the nib is like a dart but but has very nice strokes.

The other one is the Special Edition that sells for a ludicrous 300-400$ , but I payed 183$ sans shipping ($200 overall). <_<

Here they are so you can more or less compares sizes, looks and built.

[alvarez57]

[ChickenGod]

Is fleabay a good site?

[ChickenGod]

Aww, you make me jealous! lol... What is the password..

[alvarez57]

Cool! Now I have lots of decisions to make.. I'm leaning for the Lamy Studio, Parker "51", and the Cross Century II. Can someone order them as to which one should be my priority to buy?

Ha!

Something tells me you'll end up with the three of them!!!

[ChickenGod]

I hope I don't