What Do You Think Of Parker's Current Lineup?

[JotterAddict62]

I'll stick to the ones made by the Parker Pen Company made before 1980. Still enough Parker pens & Quink to be dug up out of the homes of former Parker employees.

 

If I happen to pick up any of the modern Parker brand models I'll check them over.

[Eccles]

Not interested in modern Parkers nor do these inspire me.

 

I'm with you. I love my older Parkers, esp. the 75s & Sonnets, but in the last year or so the designs seem to have lost the plot... ugly patterns & tacky bling at the expense of elegance/style, with no interesting nibs adding insult to injury.

If that's what the market wants, I'm not in the market!

Glenn.

[surprise123]

I feel as if their designing and marketing has really dried up. They should know that the bestsellers, like the Japanese pens, all have large, interesting nibs and tip selections. They should know that the Parker 51 design is STILL known by many people who would love to buy a new one nowadays. Alas, the higher one flies, the harder they fall, when they fall.

 

 

But seriously. The Urban was FUGLY and the new clip designs are straight up disgusting. Their nib quality control is subpar to many cheaper Japanese and Bock nibs, and the whole lineup reeks of management overthink.

 

 

[pajaro]

I feel as if their designing and marketing has really dried up. They should know that the bestsellers, like the Japanese pens, all have large, interesting nibs and tip selections. They should know that the Parker 51 design is STILL known by many people who would love to buy a new one nowadays. Alas, the higher one flies, the harder they fall, when they fall.

 

 

But seriously. The Urban was FUGLY and the new clip designs are straight up disgusting. Their nib quality control is subpar to many cheaper Japanese and Bock nibs, and the whole lineup reeks of management overthink.

 

Interesting opinions. I tend to agree, but I really don't care much about modern Parker after the 51 discontinuation, except for Sonnet. I like the look of the Sonnets that aren't too much precious metal. Blue Ice was as much on that line as I could take. The nibs often seem to be made so thin and flimsy that they bend and crease too easily. Cheapskate mentality except when rewarding themselves.

[mitto]

I just keep the Sonnets to just look at them. These are beautiful pens. I don't use them and yet, I am not ready to part ways with them. On the contrary, I recently bought two more. The first generation Fugare finish Sterling silver with the twotone nib and double section rings and a Moonbeam. Sorry if I may have misspelled the finishes' names.

Edited September 21, 2018 by mitto

[WaskiSquirrel]

I recently had my interest in Parker reignited. Their finishes are not particularly eye catching, though I like one of the expensive Duofold finishes. I saw a Duofold from the 1990s with a gorgeous acrylic, and I wish there was something like that.

 

However, I would say that the designs are quite timeless. I have a Duofold with the red body, two Sonnets, and I like the new Jotter. I also find the Premier in all black to be quite a fetching look. The Urban has a strange shape, so I can't get into it.

As for nibs, Parker has a wide variety of nibs, but not in the US. I have found their nibs to be a bit on the broad side, but write well and reliably.

[Glenn-SC]

I really like the current Duofolds, specially the Centennial size.
They are wonderful writers. They work as well if not better than any Pelikans I own.
But they are not inexpensive.

[alexwi]

As for nibs, Parker has a wide variety of nibs, but not in the US. I have found their nibs to be a bit on the broad side, but write well and reliably.

 

I just checked Parker's UK, France, and international web sites and found no mention of anything but F and M nibs. The three sites are as much of a PITA to navigate as the one from the US.

 

They also list a new Special Edition Sonnet (quite beautiful) that's not in the US site.

 

alex

[ardene]

Liking the looks of the modern Parkers is a bit of an acquired habit. But then this is true of many other pens of other brands. Overall I have found the modern Parkers to be consistently reliable, made for abuse and economy in ink consumption. What I like in them is that they write best on cheap paper, and that is true of an old Duofold I have. You can see the conscious effort in the design to make them have a look that will still be classic in years to come, but also trendy -in various different ways, like sporty, glitzy, etc.- in the present.

 

I have a 2011 Urban which writes like a dream, a 2015 IM which after some determined use delivers more than I want from it, an older Vector which also writes very well, and a Rialto I gave as a gift to my partner, which also does what it's supposed to very well.

 

All in all, I like the modern Parkers because they are pens which are made to be used constantly.

[WaskiSquirrel]

 

I just checked Parker's UK, France, and international web sites and found no mention of anything but F and M nibs. The three sites are as much of a PITA to navigate as the one from the US.

 

They also list a new Special Edition Sonnet (quite beautiful) that's not in the US site.

 

alex

I don't know. I found this:

 

http://www.parkerpen.com/en-GB/nib-exchange-pgm

[gistar]

It appears that the more interesting nibs are indeed available and may not also be from Parker France but also in local distributors if there is interest. My last Duofold (Big Red) came with a nice italic and I have asked that my next also come with a stub. It seems that at least in Greece the distributor can do it and I find this an obvious big plus for Parker though the only models I really like are the Duofold.

[inkstainedruth]

I don't know. I found this:

 

http://www.parkerpen.com/en-GB/nib-exchange-pgm

 

Looks interesting. But I couldn't find anything in the way of local to Pittsburgh retailers. (I double-checked the info at the bottom and it *did* have a copyright date of 2018).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[vicpen123]

There has been a lot of comment over time about the Sonnet.

 

I have four Sonnets all purchased new since 2008. Currently using SS with chrome trims and m nib.

 

All four have written smoothly and, if anything, a little on the wet side. Even the f nibs. Never a moment's concern with flow, skipping or drying on all sorts of cheap paper. But then I use only Parker Quink black.

 

As for their appearance, to my eye they are a classical, elegant, well proportioned and under stated design.

 

Also have modern Duofolds and Premier and vintage "51's aeros, 45s, 75s, Duofolds and a Vacumatic.

 

New or vintage - mine have all performed as expected and I am delighted to have them all.

 

They are, after all, Parker pens.

[europen]

What a great name in pens was Parker. But nothing since the Sonnet has seemed to capture market appeal, that special something that makes pen purchasing a magical act. And even the Sonnet has simply loads of issues. Mine never, absolutely never, start up -- if they've been sitting even three days without use -- without re-cleaning and re-inking. Once writing however they are marvelous. But I won't buy any Parkers, having five is enough, though the brand used to be, in its heyday, the OMAS of American pens. They ceased being that decades ago. Now neither brand exists, done under by their own success.

[mitto]

+1

[kestrel]

What a great name in pens was Parker. But nothing since the Sonnet has seemed to capture market appeal, that special something that makes pen purchasing a magical act. And even the Sonnet has simply loads of issues. Mine never, absolutely never, start up -- if they've been sitting even three days without use -- without re-cleaning and re-inking. Once writing however they are marvelous. But I won't buy any Parkers, having five is enough, though the brand used to be, in its heyday, the OMAS of American pens. They ceased being that decades ago. Now neither brand exists, done under by their own success.

I have several pens that do this including a Sonnet. Rather than the re-clean and re-ink ordeal (I want to write NOW, dadgummit!!) I either touch a drop of water to the underside of the nib at the pointed end of the feed using a small dropper kept on the desk for such events or dip the nib into whatever no-sugar content beverage is at hand up to the pointed end of the feed. I also confess to touching the nib to the tip of tongue when in extremis and the previous two techniques are impractical. Baystate Blue doesn't taste good but it did earn me the name "Smurftongue" from a coworker.

[senzen]

So the consensus seems to be most prefer older Parkers; in all honesty we need to remember it's a miracle these companies survived the ballpoint armageddon at all, although nowadays they could thrive by adapting their business model, i.e. gather customers first and then produce them, as opposed to waiting for inventory to maybe sell.

 

Now that my Sonnets work and are a known quantity, I wouldn't mind more of them, but in the meantime my 75 experiment paid off: luckily it's not too thin for my hands, even if it's borderline.

 

[Olya]

So the consensus seems to be most prefer older Parkers; in all honesty we need to remember it's a miracle these companies survived the ballpoint armageddon at all, although nowadays they could thrive by adapting their business model, i.e. gather customers first and then produce them, as opposed to waiting for inventory to maybe sell.

 

Now that my Sonnets work and are a known quantity, I wouldn't mind more of them, but in the meantime my 75 experiment paid off: luckily it's not too thin for my hands, even if it's borderline.

 

 

Such a good comparison pic! I always imagined the 75 to be even smaller/ thinner!

[senzen]

 

Such a good comparison pic! I always imagined the 75 to be even smaller/ thinner!

 

Glad to be of service! Because the section tapers off it does feel smaller, but it's also comfortable. As far as I understand there's a subsequent version of the 75 with a round section, you can tell them apart by the metal bit (flange??) close to the nib, in the latter model it's a thin band of metal.

[Glenn-SC]

 

As far as I understand there's a subsequent version of the 75 with a round section, you can tell them apart by the metal bit (flange??) close to the nib, in the latter model it's a thin band of metal.

There was the later Premier model. The cap and barrel were larger but it used the same nib/section/converter as the 75.

 

http://parker75.com/Reference/Parker75_Ref.htm