Looking For An Unfashionable Good Writer - Parker 45? 21?

[Chouffleur]

I asked a similar question to this in the Waterman forum but since a Parker is in my long-range plans let me ask it here. It occurred to me that I'd be interested in a good writer by Parker but I don't want to be competing at the top of the food chain in an environment I have no understanding of. So what's an undervalued asset in Parker terms? The Sheaffer Fat Touchdown of Parkers? I'm looking for the not-as-good-as-the-legendary-Parker-51-equivalent pen that is still a good pen when not being compared to its big brother.

A good writer. Streamlined in a '40s, '50s, or '60s kind of way. Not fancied.

Your suggestions?

[T1Love]

Parker 45 or Parker 75

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

The Parker 45 remains one of the best value-for-money 'modern classic' pens.

 

Duofolds from Parker Newhaven (England) are not to be missed. Very understated, with excellent nibs and aero fillers make them a shoo-in for a daily writer.

 

I've also become quite partial to my Parker 65; and a Parker 75 remains on my Wish List.

 

I should stop here...

 

__ Edit to add: If you're looking for cheap and cheerful, the so-ugly-its-cute Parker 25 may be up your street.

 

OK, I will indeed stop here.

 

Bye,

S1

Edited August 26, 2015 by Sandy1

[pajaro]

45: a value pen that starts poorly.

 

21: somewhat better.

 

Super 21: a value pen with the Octanium from the 51 Specials. This is a good pen. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than a 45.

 

75: expensive.

[Jerome Tarshis]

Here the quoting software hasn't done the right thing, but:

 

I strongly endorse the two sentiments below. My only 45 writes smoothly and starts promptly, but is just too inferior to a 51 to get excited about. I've never written with the original, crack-prone 21, but I don't want to look at it. No triumph of Parker design. The Super 21 fills the bill here. And the 75, a meritorious pen, costs more than 51s and is fashionable, so it doesn't fill the bill.

 

Super 21: a value pen with the Octanium from the 51 Specials. This is a good pen.

 

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than a 45.

 

75: expensive.

[carlos.q]

45: a value pen that starts poorly.

 

21: somewhat better.

 

Super 21: a value pen with the Octanium from the 51 Specials. This is a good pen. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than a 45.

 

75: expensive.

What pajaro and Jerome said... Edited August 26, 2015 by carlos.q

[Nihontochicken]

Can't comment on a 21 or Super 21, never had either. But I can add a vote for the 45, which I consider to be the most cost-effective Parker to be found in the woods at market prices. It's not a 51 or 75, but looks okay (the Flighters rather nice, IMO) and writes very well in my experience. FWIW, YMMV.

[oneopentrail]

45 is quite understated, but works great as a daily.

 

75s are nice, but stupidly priced although I did miss a good looking working one go for $30

[BCastle]

Parker 45 (I've not had one that was a poor starter) - cheap as chips (even with gold nibs), good range of colours and came with a wide choice of interchangeable nib styles. Also, to echo the above, the 50s made in England Duofold/Victory/Slimfold pens, they are robust, stylish and ever reliable

[Mike 59]

Hi, The '45' does look as if it was from the '60's or '70's, it was actually made from early '60's into the '90's.

But for me it's such a comfortable pen to write with, always starts at the first try, and completely servicable.

Edited August 26, 2015 by Mike 59

[Romagno]

I used a 45 from grammar school through high school, college, medical school and residency. Yes, the same pen.

 

They are practically indestructible. And all my 45's have been great writers.

 

Plus, they are inexpensive, so if you lose it, it's no big deal.

[tmenyc]

45: a value pen that starts poorly.

 

21: somewhat better.

 

Super 21: a value pen with the Octanium from the 51 Specials. This is a good pen. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than a 45.

 

75: expensive.

 

I'm with Pajaro on all four counts. I've never liked the 45s, but some people love them. My 21 lasted forever and wrote well. The Super 21 is also a great bargain.

75s are magnificent pens but their prices are already high and higher every time I see one listed. Mine is among my 10 favorite pens, but don't make me decide which are the ten.

 

I would still shoot for a 51. You can find good ones for well less than $75, they are incredible writers, a fill lasts a long time, they're relatively easy to repair, there are millions of spare parts, better all around than any 21.

 

Tim

[tmenyc]

 

forgive the duplicate post; don't know how it happened.

Edited August 26, 2015 by tmenyc

[inkstainedruth]

I think you would do well with a 45 (although as a slimmer pen you may or may not find it as comfortable to hold for long writing sessions). I have a 21 (probably not a Super 21) that didn't have the cracking problem, but it's developed a leak. No experence with 75s, but a lot of people seem to like them. But tmenyc is right: you may just want to spring for a 51 and be done with it (get one of the common colors like black or burgundy and you won't hit the nosebleed prices that some go for).

Another pen that no-body has mentioned yet is a Parker 61. I have a couple with the original capillary fillers, and as long as you're not changing ink color a lot they're good writers. In fact, on both of mine, I flushed them with distilled water just enough to get the dried ink flowing, and literally wrote with them (re-flushing them as needed) for several months! There was that much ink still in the capillary filler. Right now I've got one in rotation, filled with J Herbin Eclat de Saphir and have been impressed with just *how* good a pen it is (haven't tried refilling the turquoise one yet, which I'd like to get a replacement section arrow for if possible -- but that missing arrow, which is mostly just decorative as far as I'm concerned, made for a good price on Ebay when I bought it last year.

I have a tendency to get additional pens of the same model (in different colors and/or with different nibs) if I like the first one. This is how I ended up with six Parker 51s (plus a 51 Special) -- simply because I liked the 21 I got for cheap). And how I now have three 45s, two 61s, five Vacumatics, and something like seven Vectors....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[tmenyc]

ISR --

I agree and don't agree. 61's are really nice pens, and to the extent that my experience of owning 4 over time is at all representative, I'd say the capillary ones are just too finicky with ink and require too much maintenance. As you note, they are wonderful if you stay with the same ink, but for me that's too much to ask, so I keep selling them off (may keep the one I have, a Legacy, for awhile, though). 51s suffer the same issue to a much lesser degree -- they are hard to empty completely and a job to flush, but it takes a few minutes rather than the forever it seems to take to flush a 61. Finally, you can have a 51 go dry and put it away, then use it again easily. Capillary 61's need to be rehydrated first, then flushed of the water, then filled. Aerometric 61's are a great answer, for sure, and eliminate the maintenance issues. I've never had one of those, though.

Also, all four of my 61's have been dry writers. Two only ran on Eel ink, and the other two needed Waterman's or Aurora, nothing even a little thick or dry. This is not a disqualifier for me, but it adds to the finicky-ness quotient.

 

 

Tim

[ac12]

45

 

I used a pair of 45s through undergrad and grad school. Very reliable writer. And this was before I knew how to tweak or maintain a fountain pen.

 

After the 45, maybe 21, but preferably the Super 21. With the 21 (except for the Super 21) you need to watch for cracking in the plastic, which that pen seems to be noted for. I have heard of repair guys who will NOT repair a 21, cuz the plastic is very likely to crack when they disassemble the pen. I have a couple 21 with cracked hoods and barrels. A cracked hood will LEAK ink onto your hand, guess how I know that one.

 

If you go for a 51, get the 51 aerometric or 51 Special. The pli-glass sac seems to last forever, even though it is stained so you can't see the ink.

If you get a vac, add the cost of replacing the diaphram to the cost of the pen. This raises the price of the 51 vac.

 

As for the 75, that is an EXPENSIVE pen, many going higher $ than a 51.

Edited August 26, 2015 by ac12

[BCastle]

The Parker 65 is also worth a look. Their 14k open nibs are invariably a delight.

[Sasha Royale]

I have carried a Parker 45 since college in the 1960's. I still carry it. It is not "fashionable", but it works. Neither is the Parker 51 fashionable. If you can afford one, get it. It will fulfill every one of your criteria. The Parker 21 is a "budget" version of the P51. It used different materials with the same production means. The P21 plastic is thinner than the P51, and tends to become brittle after four decades. Model 51: $100 . Model 45: $30.

[SockAddict]

I really love the 45 as a budget classic pen. It is old enough that it looks like an "old" pen, but modern enough that it doesn't have most of the finicky bits that vintage pens often have. I have four of them, and use them all the time. None of my (limited) sample are hard starters. I paid less than $30 each for three of them (the fourth is actually a Kullock model -- same innards, but you can't compare the prices fairly). These are my "user vintage" pens. I carry them around and don't worry about losing them (well, not much, anyway) because they're not price enough to be worried about. Are they as nice as the 51? Not really, but they're workhorses. My budget is not large enough to stretch to 3-4 51s and then also worry about replacement costs, so the 45s are my "buy 'em, love 'em, use 'em" pens.

Edited August 26, 2015 by SockAddict

[Redleg05]

I have a couple of 41s I picked up cheap. I'm new to the game, but to me they write very well. Both were less than $30 USD each. I haven't seen them mentioned yet, so I could be out-to-lunch.

 

My understanding is that the "Super 21" took its place, but I could be wrong. I think I also read that the 51 Special was a step down from the 41.