The Ubiquitous Parker 51

[Runnin_Ute]

I have one (a 51 Special I got as a set with mp) and use it regularly, but isn't my favorite pen. That being said, it has been in continuous rotation (read inked) ever since it arrived in early July.

One of the few pens I post regularly, lining up clip with nib.....
My P45's get more use at this point, but that could evolve - one never knows.

Edited August 22, 2014 by Runnin_Ute

[loudkenny]

I have a few, and use them continously.

 

The Parker 51 is like a favorite pair of shoes... they always fit no matter what you do. It´s the perfect pen for when you don´t want to be noticed.

The only thing it doesn´t do is flex. Want a 51 style hooded pen that does flex? Try a contemporary Waterman Taperite.

 

ken

Edited August 21, 2014 by loudkenny

[JotterAddict62]

Okay. I don't have *nearly* that many -- 3 Aeros and a 51 Vac, plus a 51 Special and a currently non-working 21. And technically the black Aero with the EF nib got bought for my husband (I'm trying to indoctrinate him -- I let him use my EF nibbed Sheaffer Snorkel last week ), so even though I've had it for nearly a year I haven't inked it up yet.

Although if he leaves the cap off it I'm probably going to stage an intervention....

But at the moment both of the other two Aeros are in rotation (although the teal blue one may be low on ink).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

If he leaves the cap off would he leave the seat up on the toilet that would be cause for intervention.

Sorry I could not resist

[TSherbs]

I will likely look at some 51s at my first pen show in Boston in Sept. I like hooded nibs, and I like that sleek look, and I would like to try a few and see what the fuss is about. Especially if the nib has been meistered. But I have never spent over $70 for a pen before, so I might just be drooling at the windows.

[LamyOne]

It's kind of sad to hear about even semi-experienced pen users who would try just 1 51 that was (should be obvious) not writing correctly, assume All 51s are like that, and so Easily give up on such a great pen.

 

Especially since if an Aero, a pro wouldn't charge much to get it all sorted out.

 

ALL Finedium nib 51s I have have generous sweet spots. Post the cap in line with the nib and that'll be close enough. (To help keep the nib close Enough to being orientated correctly) Or will be If the nib is OK.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

 

Hello Bruce,

 

I understand what you're trying to say and I can see by your avatar that you're passionate about the 51; however, please permit me to make my side a little clearer in the hopes that you'll see my side of this.

 

Vintage pens have really shot up in price in the last few years, so to get a professionally restored 51, (by a true pro), your looking at about $150 for the pen. I can purchase a gold nibbed Lamy Studio Palladium Series or a Lamy 2000 for the same money. The Lamy pen is brand new, (with all new parts, etc.), it has the same gold nib, has a lifetime warranty and was HAND-MADE in Germany - and if anything ever goes wrong, I have the lifetime warranty backed by Lamy to fall back on. Few, if any, professional restorers offer lifetime warranties, (or anything even close to it that I'm aware of); furthermore, who is to say they'll still be around in 10 years; I'm pretty sure Lamy will be - and I simply do not have the time to learn fountain pen repair to do the job myself.

 

Furthermore, the Lamy is easy to clean and has a nib that I can easily see so I can angle the pen the way I like to. Also, if it gets lost or stolen, it is easy to replace; vintage pens are quite unique and much harder to replace if something goes wrong. I had a 51, I liked it, just not as much as I like a good Lamy.

 

I hope you understand.

 

Best regards,

 

Chris

[casualmerlinconstant]

Have three,

All three had oddly placed sweet spots. One was almost an oblique. Probably as a result of decades of use. But as a result I've never liked using them. 2 of them are with Tim Girdler for nib tuning in the hopes that I will like using them afterwards.

[pajaro]

Aficcionados? Si.

 

There are Parker 51s, and there are the others.

[Runnin_Ute]

I will likely look at some 51s at my first pen show in Boston in Sept. I like hooded nibs, and I like that sleek look, and I would like to try a few and see what the fuss is about. Especially if the nib has been meistered. But I have never spent over $70 for a pen before, so I might just be drooling at the windows.

It may not be the condition of some of the pens you might see at a pen show, but I got my 51 Special fp/mp set with box for under $50 shipped on ebay. And it works very well.

[inkstainedruth]

If he leaves the cap off would he leave the seat up on the toilet that would be cause for intervention.

Sorry I could not resist

Yeah, well, he's a guy, isn't he? Mostly, though, he's good about that; it's the strewing of clothing all over the house and not putting it in the hamper that tends to irritate me (that and and wet towels being draped random places that *aren't* the shower curtain rod or a towel rack in the bathroom).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[inkstainedruth]

 

Hello Bruce,

 

I understand what you're trying to say and I can see by your avatar that you're passionate about the 51; however, please permit me to make my side a little clearer in the hopes that you'll see my side of this.

 

Vintage pens have really shot up in price in the last few years, so to get a professionally restored 51, (by a true pro), your looking at about $150 for the pen. I can purchase a gold nibbed Lamy Studio Palladium Series or a Lamy 2000 for the same money. The Lamy pen is brand new, (with all new parts, etc.), it has the same gold nib, has a lifetime warranty and was HAND-MADE in Germany - and if anything ever goes wrong, I have the lifetime warranty backed by Lamy to fall back on. Few, if any, professional restorers offer lifetime warranties, (or anything even close to it that I'm aware of); furthermore, who is to say they'll still be around in 10 years; I'm pretty sure Lamy will be - and I simply do not have the time to learn fountain pen repair to do the job myself.

 

Furthermore, the Lamy is easy to clean and has a nib that I can easily see so I can angle the pen the way I like to. Also, if it gets lost or stolen, it is easy to replace; vintage pens are quite unique and much harder to replace if something goes wrong. I had a 51, I liked it, just not as much as I like a good Lamy.

 

I hope you understand.

 

Best regards,

 

Chris

I know you were mostly responding to Bruce, but I have to chime in. Two of the Aeros I have did not cost anything like what you're suggesting: with repairs, the teal one (gold filled cap, what I think is an F nib) cost about half that amount; the black one, which I purchased at the Ohio Pen Show in November from Pendleton Brown, has a very smooth EF nib, and cost the same as the base price of the teal one but didn't need the additional $20 for repairs that the teal one did.

I think it's ironic that you claim that Lamy has a lifetime warranty. Partly because I've understood that such things are not really recognized in Europe (home to Lamy) and partly because Parker was the company that the US courts ruled couldn't use that terminology.

If you prefer a Lamy 2000, that's fine. But my experience with "new" pens has more or less convinced me that vintage pens are often built better. I'm not familiar with 2000s, so I will trust your judgement. But tell me -- do you think it will still be in complete working condition after 65 years? Because that's the age of my Plum 51 (1st quarter 1949). My Vacs are even older.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[cellmatrix]

Vintage pens have really shot up in price in the last few years, so to get a professionally restored 51, (by a true pro), your looking at about $150 for the pen.

I think you are paying too much. Look in the classifieds under recent sales of p51s by penfisher or farmer mums - as professional a restoration as you will get, and prices are much lower than your figure. For example I bought an excellent restored parker 51 from farmer mums earlier this year for half the price you are quoting.

[OcalaFlGuy]

Hello Bruce,

 

Vintage pens have really shot up in price in the last few years, so to get a professionally restored 51, (by a true pro), your looking at about $150 for the pen.

 

Best regards,

 

Chris

Chris, that is Absolutely Not the case.

.

Go to our classifieds here (and past classifieds) and search for ads by FPNers Farmersmums and Penfisher. I am sure you'll be pleasantly surprised. It is perfectly possible to get a nice, fully restored P-51 from them for $80-90 shipped. Perhaps $75-80 shipped if you'll settle for a fully restored more user grade pen with maybe some minor dings in the cap or other minor aesthetic issue that won't affect it's writing.

 

Now these 2 gentlemen sell mainly here on FPN, ie; no flashy websites to maintain and pay for, but I assure you, they are professional Enough that if I didn't do my own 51s, they'd be who I'd go to first.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl-Certified Corner Crack Pen enabler

[LamyOne]

Hello Everyone,

 

I hope you didn't think that I was implying that those selling their pens for less than the price I assumed was the going rate for 51's were no-talent hacks; that was never my intention. Enjoy your 51's; let me enjoy my Lamys.

 

Best regards,

 

Chris

Edited August 22, 2014 by LamyOne

[ajcoleman]

I have two 51 aeros, a vac, and a special, each with a matching pencil. They make great sets for daily use. Both the pen and pencil are excellent.

[kestrel]

Chris, that is Absolutely Not the case.

.

Go to our classifieds here (and past classifieds) and search for ads by FPNers Farmersmums and Penfisher. I am sure you'll be pleasantly surprised. It is perfectly possible to get a nice, fully restored P-51 from them for $80-90 shipped. Perhaps $75-80 shipped if you'll settle for a fully restored more user grade pen with maybe some minor dings in the cap or other minor aesthetic issue that won't affect it's writing.

 

Now these 2 gentlemen sell mainly here on FPN, ie; no flashy websites to maintain and pay for, but I assure you, they are professional Enough that if I didn't do my own 51s, they'd be who I'd go to first.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl-Certified Corner Crack Pen enabler

Or you could check antique stores and get lucky. I bought my last two "51" vacs for $9.00 each US and spent another $75 each to have Tim Girdler do a full restoration on them. I could have gotten away with a lot less on the restorations but I had Tim do some cosmetic repair work on them as well as the functional necessaries.

[jinzo1988]

I have 32 (about), including 3 desk sets - one of which is an early "press 6 times" version with a rather broad gold nib - writes smooth as warm butter spreads on toast. I carry one of my 51 aeros in my pocket at all times, and use that great desk pen daily.

[OcalaFlGuy]

Hello Everyone,

 

Enjoy your 51's; let me enjoy my Lamys.

 

Best regards,

 

Chris

No one is disparaging your Lamys.

 

An Honest 51 fan will even admit there are some minor reasons one might not want a 51.

 

We'd just prefer you cite a Legitimate one of those if you're going to cite one

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[LamyOne]

........An Honest 51 fan will even admit there are some minor reasons one might not want a 51.

 

We'd just prefer you cite a Legitimate one of those if you're going to cite one

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

 

Hello Bruce,

 

You evidently did not read my original post too carefully. I cited TWO valid reasons, (valid to me at any rate), why I didn't care for the 51. I said I didn't like writing with a totally hidden nib and I didn't like the extra effort involved in properly flushing and cleaning one. If those are not valid reasons for not liking a 51 here at FPN; let me know and I'll go someplace else.

 

Best regards,

 

Chris

Edited August 22, 2014 by LamyOne

[kidde]

I don't like hidded nibs and "51"s are a pain to clean. The collector holds more ink than most pens and I prefer screw on caps. Sadly, I found 5 vacs with 6 other pens for sale and couldn't pass them up. Two worked well, one was completely apart with a tine missing, one still needs a diaphragm and Hooker56 helped me replace the other.

I WAS WRONG!!! They right write, or is it write right? To bad mouth a pen I had never used only proved my ignorance. While not my grail, I can't forsee having a "51" absent in my rotation. I'm not a "me too" person, but I'm also not dumb enough to think Parker made millions of pens that no one liked.

 

Paul

[OcalaFlGuy]

Hello Bruce,

 

You evidently did not read my original post too carefully. I cited TWO valid reasons, (valid to me at any rate), why I didn't care for the 51.

 

Best regards,

 

Chris

Actually you did no such thing and my reading skills are just fine Thanks.

 

Your "valid reason" citing was only by implication while you were busy beating your Lamy drum.

 

You said exactly SQUAT Directly about the 51.

 

And your last snarky line? Pahleese.

 

Chris, I was just trying to Help, lighten up how 'bout it?

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

Edited August 22, 2014 by OcalaFlGuy