Parker Sonnet Running Dry

[Kublai Khan]

On the matter of evaporation: I just changed the ink from Diamine Asa Blue to a blue of a different brand. The Diamine Asa Blue used to evaporate very fast - a full converter emptied in a week with no writing done. The new ink seems to have hardly evaporated at all, in four days now. If any evaporation is happening, it is negligible.

 

A change of ink might just be something you might want to try before you tinker.

 

Cheers!

[langere]

Geez, people complaining. Yes, there must be many Sonnets that dry out quickly. However, i have two (not a big sample, I admit) and neither of them have this problem. One is a Sonnet Jazz, like Pajaro, and the other is a red one. Both purchased in the early 2000s.

 

Erick

[pajaro]

Geez, people complaining. Yes, there must be many Sonnets that dry out quickly. However, i have two (not a big sample, I admit) and neither of them have this problem. One is a Sonnet Jazz, like Pajaro, and the other is a red one. Both purchased in the early 2000s.

 

Erick

 

Supposedly Parker rectified the problem with the caps, where the inner cap was being broken often in the manufacturing process. So you must have been lucky enough to get pens with good inner caps. All the Sonnets can't be bad or they wouldn't sell. It does happen that I liked the early colors and patterns. I don't actually know if my pens have broken inner caps. It is also possible that my capricious usage patterns let them dry out.

[torstar]

Geez, people complaining. Yes, there must be many Sonnets that dry out quickly. However, i have two (not a big sample, I admit) and neither of them have this problem. One is a Sonnet Jazz, like Pajaro, and the other is a red one. Both purchased in the early 2000s.

 

Erick

 

 

If you paid $300 in the mid 1990s for a pen that a company like Parker has put out on the market, you would expect it was at least tested once in quality control.

 

They sent out a ton of total lemons in the Sonnet series, they wouldn't admit it and you snooze you lose.

[pajaro]

 

 

If you paid $300 in the mid 1990s for a pen that a company like Parker has put out on the market, you would expect it was at least tested once in quality control.

 

They sent out a ton of total lemons in the Sonnet series, they wouldn't admit it and you snooze you lose.

 

Yupper.

[dcwaites]

I paid about $60 for my Sonnet in the 1990s.

[parban]

I had purchased a gold plated barley finish Sonnet with 18K nib in 1994. I never faced any flow problem and the nib was smooth, but I could never love the pen, dont know why.75 was much much better. I think it was Parker's fault to replace the 75s by the Sonnets.

[torstar]

I paid about $60 for my Sonnet in the 1990s.

 

Why do people do this?

 

Where's the guy who got them free, no wait, he was PAID by Parket to use it. Into perpetuity.... $1,000,000 a year...

 

Yeah, that's the ticket.

[pajaro]

I paid $30 to $50 for most of my used Sonnets. Up to $100 for a used silverplate barrel Blue Ice. These pens can be used successfully if you use them every day. I don't use pens that way, though, so the Sonnets sit in a tray, and the 51s and MB 144s get used, occasionally accompanied by a Conway Stewart 87, that looks like a 51 until you uncap it and see the open nib. I can live with my Sonnets as collectibles, but their writing performance is not as good as a 51. The only Parker FP I like is the 51.

[torstar]

$400 CDN today on Amazon for a Sonnet Cisele FP.

 

not sure where people believe they were getting this pen for $3 or $60 at any point in history.

Edited August 31, 2016 by torstar

[mitto]

$400 CDN today on Amazon for a Sonnet Cisele FP.

 

not sure where people believe they were getting this pen for $3 or $60 at any point in history.

 

I got mine (Sonnet Ciselė) used for $100 and new for $260.

[torstar]

nope, no brand new one for $60 today...

 

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR1.TRC0.A0.H0.Xsonnet+cisele+paker.TRS0&_nkw=sonnet+cisele+paker&_sacat=0

[pajaro]

There are lots of sellers asking all outdoors for pens. From time to time a used pen comes up for sale and the bidding doesn't run very high. I have had no better luck with new or NOS Sonnets than with used ones, so why pay all outdoors?

[mitto]

I bought 6-7 Sonnets new. But then found out that one can buy these in used condition for as little as $10-30 depending on version, condition and nib material (excepet ofcourse the Ciselė version). I have now around 50 Sonnets mostly with 18k nibs (including two Ciselė).

 

Lately, I have been lucky to find used lacque Ruby Red, laqcue black and Firedance (all three with 18k gold nibs) each for below $30. And there are a number of plated steel nibbed ones that I bought for around $10-20. All the used one were found in the wild.

Edited September 2, 2016 by mitto

[pajaro]

I bought 6-7 Sonnets new. But then found out that one can buy these in used condition for as little as $10-30 depending on version, condition and nib material (excepet ofcourse the Cislė version). I have now around 50 Sonnets mostly with 18k nibs (including two Cislė).

 

Lately, I have been lucky to find used lacque Ruby Red, laqcue black and Firedance (all three with 18k gold nibs) each for below $30. And there are a number of plated steel nibbed ones that I bought for around $10-20. All the used one were found in the wild.

 

Your experience with used Sonnets is somewhat like mine of a few years ago. I haven't bought or sought one in quite a while, but the last ones I bought were about what you paid. For what I paid for the pens, I don't feel any need to sell them, even though I don't have great experiences with them. The pens look pretty in a tray, though.

[Monbla]

I have black Sonnet with the 18k M nib that I bought back in 1994. I've honestly had NO problems with this pen. I have used Aurora Black & Blue ink in it since I bought it and it;s worked flawlessly from the first !

[pajaro]

I have black Sonnet with the 18k M nib that I bought back in 1994. I've honestly had NO problems with this pen. I have used Aurora Black & Blue ink in it since I bought it and it;s worked flawlessly from the first !

 

I suspect you were lucky. Some work better than others, Murphy having been active. I found that I liked the Sonnet looks better than the writing. I like the 51 better. Still using mine from 1970. That 51 has been trouble free and stays moist..

[mitto]

I suspect you were lucky. Some work better than others, Murphy having been active. I found that I liked the Sonnet looks better than the writing. I like the 51 better. Still using mine from 1970. That 51 has been trouble free and stays moist..

 

 

Yes, they look good and that is all. I dont expect any of my Sonnets to write GOOD. And yet I am not ready to part ways with them. Good looking pens.

[Kenlowe]

Yes, they look good and that is all. I dont expect any of my Sonnets to write GOOD. And yet I am not ready to part ways with them. Good looking pens.

 

 

Mitto has hit the nail on the head, attractive pens but the worst performing pens from Parker since the 50s Parkette.

 

How Parker can make some good pens at a much lower price than the Sonnet is beyond me, I would rather have a Frontier at less than £10 than a Sonnet at £100+.

[pajaro]

 

 

Mitto has hit the nail on the head, attractive pens but the worst performing pens from Parker since the 50s Parkette.

 

How Parker can make some good pens at a much lower price than the Sonnet is beyond me, I would rather have a Frontier at less than £10 than a Sonnet at £100+.

 

I have a few Frontiers, and the performance is much the same as Sonnet. At the lower price, it is easier to tolerate. I was reading Nib Noise in my email, from Richard Binder. His article about "New Pens" makes sense. http://www.richardspens.com/?ttp=newpens