Parker Sonnet Metal And Pearl: New Lease Of Life To A Classic Design

[columela]

First Impressions (6/10)
This is the first step of a quest to exchange my Chinese clones of some very famous fountain pens with the originals. I own a Baoer 388 and a Kaigelu 356, both of them clearly modelled on the Parker Sonnet. So, when I found this particular model pearl and metal I was very tempted; so following the advice of Oscar Wilde I fell for it. The fact that the nib is a 18K gold was also a very strong factor to incline me for this particular model.
Going back to the item itself, it came in a standard Parker box, with a large blue Quink cartridge , some generic instructions and certificate of warranty. and a large converter. The box was not terribly pretty, but none of my recent purchases had a particularly remarkable box. So once the pen was uncovered I will move on

Appearance (8/10)
The pen in itself is very light, and graceful. It is not a surprise that this model has been so widely copied in the Far East. This particular version is very stylish, witha very sleek and Art-Deco like cap in chrome, with a rose gold band where the name Parker Sonnet France is written . The body is of a very well achieved pearl like colour. It is of course plastic but it seems very good quality. In all, the design of the pen is stunning and the appearance is quite striking. I found out later that this model was targeted at the female public. If this is the case, I certainly am very much in synch with the female side of my personality.

Design/Size/Weight (8/10)
146 mm posted
maximum diameter 12 mm
124 mm uncapped
25 g weight
The pen is well balanced, although once the pen is capped there is a very slight tendency that I need to correct after a few lines. Nothing serious though. It is a short pen, which suits me well as I do not have very large hands.

Nib (7/10)
The nib is 18 K gold, rhodium plated and marked as such. It is a small nib, as it should be in a pen of this size. The feeding mechanism is marked F to indicate that this is a fine nib. The section, where the fingers hold the pen is black plastic, so nothing special there. It is comfortable enough to keep going without notice for the 30 minutes that I used it.
However, the performance of the nib is slightly disappointing. It wrote well right out of the box, as it should be, but if I paused my writing for 30 seconds looking for something it would not start unless I applied some extra pressure. I found this annoying but, hey it is my first day with it.
Otherwise the nib has little flexibility and the line variation is minimal. The ink flow, leaving the aforementioned issues aside is good. It writes a medium-fine line rather than a fine line to me , but it is fine enough for my small handwriting.

Filling System (7/10)
It comes with a conventional Parker converter, that I tested and worked fine. I used the cartridge provided as I tend to forget them once they go back to the box and otherwise they might remain there for years. Nothing exciting as I am much more partial to the piston filling mechanism, but it is easy to clean and convenient.

Cost and Value (7/10)
I paid 80 UK pounds for this item and got it very quickly. I have seen that the retail price of this item can go much higher in the UK, reaching 175 UK pounds. So I think that I did a good transaction in terms of value

Conclusion (7/10)
In summary, I got a very nice looking little pen. It has a 18K gold nib and the pen seems solid and well made. I hope that the nib issues would be corrected with use and further cleaning. However, I cannot deny that the Chinese clones that I own were not worse writers than this one. I think that I will use this pen quite often but it is far from perfect, so the quest for the Holy Grail of Pens continues...

[The Blue Knight]

A good review that I enjoyed reading I too own a Sonnet, of the 2010 releases the Dark Grey gold trim model with the 18k nib. It's a stunning looking pen however the nib isn't very exiting and can occasionally have start up issues. It's a nice pen however I agree with you conclusions

 

I think that I will use this pen quite often but it is far from perfect, so the quest for the Holy Grail of Pens continues...

 

For me this quest continues as well.

[RMN]

Thank you for this review, too.

 

I have several Sonnets, two bought separately, and two in a sumgai package-deal and some are better than the other.. In that deal I had one with a gold nib, and one with a steel nib, and the steel one is the better writer. Indeed the gold had starting problems as well.

 

Compared to old models like the 45 and the 25 I find the modern Parkers mediocre.

 

 

D.ick

[columela]

I forgot to add a wrting sample, here it is

 

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[sansenri]

I find your rationale interesting.

I also own a Baoer 388 and a Kaigelu 356 and find them to be rather reliable pens (vs other chinese offers which more often than not suffer especially from nib dry out problems).

Besides the particularly attractive finish of the metal&pearl, how do you judge the Sonnet vs it's chinese clones?

[kcwookie]

My experience with this pen was blah. I liked the styling and was able to purchase it for a song. The problem I had to deal with was the medium nib. It was too generous with the ink and I could never find my sweet spot. I don't like medium nibs. I'm a lefty and write smallish. 

 

All that changed. I was getting ready to drop more money on a newer version with a fine nib. Then I found Herbin's Cacao Du Brésil ink. The color of the ink is lovely and my pen is now in the range I like. It's more of a fat fine rather than a paint brush. The pen and ink act like they are soulmates. The pen now writes perfectly. 

 

I have no hard starts and now this pen won't languish in my Sonnet collection. It's absolutely delightful.