Parker Sonnet Or Parker 25?

[RaidenHUN]

Could you share Your opinions on this items if you have any experience, please? Which one would you use? I am looking for a pen for long-term use.

 

Thank you.

[Ron Z]

Prelude.

 

The Parker 25 is an OK pen. I never quite caught onto them, and I've had a couple. Not really repairable if the nib is damaged. The Sonnet is OK, but I don't like the nibs, and the inner cap has had problems with cracking on many of them, so the nib tends to dry out.

[dapprman]

Prelude.

 

The Parker 25 is an OK pen. Not really repairable if the nib is damaged.

Back in the old days (1980s) they used to sell nib units - I should know as I had to buy a few while at school. Still got several 25s and may also have a spare nib, not sure. The nibs themselves can be removed from the unit, but it's a bit of a PITA.

[dojocho]

Definitely the P25, I still have mine from highschool (80's, yes). I also have a Sonnet and I agree with Ron about the nib given that I don't like it for its flexibility.

[RaidenHUN]

Prelude.

 

The Parker 25 is an OK pen. I never quite caught onto them, and I've had a couple. Not really repairable if the nib is damaged. The Sonnet is OK, but I don't like the nibs, and the inner cap has had problems with cracking on many of them, so the nib tends to dry out.

Thank you very much. That's kind of disappointing about the nib quality. I thought in this price I could choose a decent pen among Parker's items, or at least with minimal compromises.

What about the quality of Lamy's Studio? I really like the shape and I heard good things about the nib quality.

[dogpoet]

I've got a Parker 25 with a sonnet (or more likely Chinese Sonnet imitation) nib in it, as a matter of fact. While Ron's right that finding a replacement 25 nib is tricky, they're friction fit into the section and can be prised out (I used one of the fat, blunt curved dental hygienist's tooth scrapers, but this did mark the original feed: not an issue in my case as the nib was bent and useless, but it'd be an idea to extract it more carefully if you have any plans to replace the original nib at some point). I'm sure there's a thread on here where somebody's talking about modding their own P25 like this, which is where I got the idea to restore the one I found in a charity shop with a knackered nib.

[Sandy1]

Hi,

My first pen was a Parker Sonnet, which remains my daily writer at the office, so I have a bias.

Current production Sonnets have received inconsistent Reviews/comments, which leads me to believe that the QA/QC is not what it used to be. (It was intended to supersede the immensely popular model 75, so had to match that pen's reputation when released, but now the marketplace is quite different.) That said, it seems that Parker service is really quite good, especially as the pen is in current production.

The Parker 25 is quite another kettle of fish. (I have more than a few, which sport various nibs.) The short conical nib is quite rigid, which suits those with a heavy hand, but if out of alignment is a job of work to tune. The pen is designed to be posted, so that’s handy to keep track of the cap. The girth is less than the Sonnet; and fits into pen slots of satchels and garments with ease. Unfortunately, it has become somewhat of a cult object, so can command prices greater than value as a writing instrument. Being discontinued some years ago, nib selection is limited/pricey, as are spare parts.

Another Parker to consider is the 45.

As for the Sheaffer Prelude, I have a few and a range of nibs. The stateside produced pens and nibs are admirable. Yet for me, that oddly-shaped section bars it from becoming a long-haul writer.

Perhaps the esteemed Mr Zorn can be tempted by way of chocolate and a kilo of Kona to do something about that section. (?)

Kindly avail yourself of Topics in the Pen Review Forum, and if curious there's this http://parkerpens.net

Bye,

S1

Edited November 7, 2016 by Sandy1

[4lex]

They are very different pens. Parker 25 is comparable to Parker Vector. I think that production of 25 and Sonnet overlapped for couple of years in the early 90s. You could get 3 or 4 Parker 25s for the price of a Sonnet at the time. I have both.

 

Sonnet is one of the greatest pens ever made. As long as you don't use inks that are very dry. I recommend stainless steel "flighter" version with steel nib. Just don't pay more than £50 for it. It's a very reliable user pen, very practical. It is not valued in the FP collecting community because it is very "common", but the fact that it is one of the few pens besides Montblanc that gets copied tells you something. Be careful of cheap Chinese Sonnet fakes on EBay and Amazon.

 

​Parker 25 is a great pen for what it is, a cheap pen designed to compete with ballpoint pens in the 70s. It is a good daily writer, just don't pay more than £10 for it, it is not worth it, unless you are a collector, and you look out for orange and green ones.

[dogpoet]

They are very different pens. Parker 25 is comparable to Parker Vector.

 

That's a bit harsh: the 25 is comfortable in the hand and can be used for extended periods without the edge of the barrel cutting into your thumb.

[sandy101]

Sandy's recommendation of a Parker 45 is a good one. I've got a few from the 60's and they still write. Easy to clean as well.

 

You should be able to get a second hand one for less than £20. Easy to clean and write with and you can replace the areometric filler with Parker's current range should it be damaged.

[torstar]

The Sonnet Guilloche (if that is the model you intend) was the biggest lemon I ever purchased for a decent amount of $$$.

 

There are several of us on here with this view, but some also say it's the greatest pen of their life.

 

Not sure if we are always on the same page about the exact Sonnet model....

[AL01]

I'd recommend the Sonnet...

 

Both pens will last a long time, but I think the Sonnet may be a better pen in therms of writing and versatility.

 

If you like a pen that has design improvements over the Sonnet, (the team who engineered the Sonnet engineered this pen and improved some flaws from the Sonnet), then get a Sheaffer Prelude.

If you decide to buy a Prelude, then don't be worried about the country of origin - it is one of the rare Sheaffer pens that has not affected by the new production lines in China.

 

If you choose a Sonnet, then be careful! There are fakes out there....

[AL01]

Thank you very much. That's kind of disappointing about the nib quality. I thought in this price I could choose a decent pen among Parker's items, or at least with minimal compromises.

What about the quality of Lamy's Studio? I really like the shape and I heard good things about the nib quality.

 

Lamy Studios have either the same nib as a Safari, or has a gold-nibbed version of the same nib. Studios are good pens in their own regards, but they do have some cap/finish issues too. How common are these issues though, is something that I don't know about.

[lovemy51]

i never liked either, but i think i'd choose the 25. the Sonnet is the worst Parker i own, close second comes the 25!

[sandy101]

You can get good discounts on Sonnets from online stores such as amazon. There's a lot of different trims, mine is one of the cheaper ones, and it functions quite well. It dries out quite quickly though, and often needs a tweak to get the ink flowing when using a convertor. It's not a terrible pen, but it's not much more than average. In my experience, the Faber Castell range is much better - the nib on the Loom is much better, and the feed is much more reliable.

 

The advantage of buying a new Sonnet over a Parker 25 is that you get a 2 year guarantee and can exchange the nib within the first few weeks of ownership if you want to.

[richardandtracy]

I have both, and have never really been enthused by either.

Of the two, I think the Sonnet is the better pen, especially as you can swap nibs without changing the whole section.

 

The P25 is a nail, hard & not really responsive. The gold nibbed versions of the Sonnet are pricy but likely to be a bit softer. The stainless nib on my Sonnet wouldn't write on all the paper I had when I got it, and needed to be ground a little. This was something I didn't appreciate one little bit. The Broad Italic spare nib I got worked perfectly straight away.

 

I am always surprised at how small the Sonnet is, and usually use it posted.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[View from the Loft]

P25 or Sonnet? Which one would I choose? The one that feels most comfortable for extended writing periods.

 

I had a P25 that took me through school and college. Yes, the nib is a nail - but if like me you never use any downward pressure on the pen, you don't notice this. Sturdy pens, but no longer in production and therefore very rarely available as NOS (new old stock).

 

Sonnet. Hmm, I have one that is a really nice writer, but the flaw in the cap design that meant that the cap became loose and this could not be fixed was a killer for me. That pen is now an ornament.

[adamselene]

I have a sonnet Cisele with brilliant stub nib that is a great writer.

Edited November 7, 2016 by adamselene

[Ron Z]

i never liked either, but i think i'd choose the 25. the Sonnet is the worst Parker i own, close second comes the 25!

 

Put the Parker 61 in that list. I've never cared for most of the nibs I've encountered, and the capillary filler was not one of their best ideas.

 

Parker has had a lot of great pens. The Pre-WWII pens were great, the 51 is great, as is the VP and 65. I find the 45 to be fine, 75 and Premier are great pens, the modern Duofolds are too (at least the earlier editions). But they've also had some real duds, more in the last 15 years or so.

[pajaro]

As bad as most people think the Sonnet is, it is merely a troublesome pen that can write beautifully and well if you keep on top of it. If you have a collection of numerous pens and you flit from one pen to another, as I often do, the Sonnet might very well dry out on you. I have avoided this by putting the Sonnet in a Parker 51 or Parker 21 desk pen base. In this way a Sonnet can be kept moist and ready to write while I flit from pen to pen.

 

 

I also have other Sonnets I like.

 

 

I had great hopes for Sonnets some time ago, but there are some issues. That said, the Parker 25 just doesn't come up to the same level. I got a couple of the 25s in an ebay lot. They seem like school pens, but the 1960s school pens from Sheaffer that sold for one dollar or for two dollars and ninety-five cents are better pens, and I use a few even now. I even found converters for them. The 25 is just one of those recent jazzy pens. Not a pen on the level of the Sonnet, no matter how awful you think the Sonnet is.

Edited November 7, 2016 by pajaro