Parker Sonnet - A Gamble That Paid Off (With Video)

[Honeybadgers]

 

I don't know why the big modern name-brands just don't tickle me right with the new offerings. Parker, Waterman, Cross. All seem to charge a lot more money than their competitors for similar products. But I have just heard so much about the sonnet that I decided to look around.

 

Damn they are expensive. usually $200-300 USD. A quick search on amazon found the cheapest 18k sonnet - black with brushed stainless section and a rhodium plated 18k nib. in M.

 

I normally hate M.

 

But it's $118. That's actually reasonable for an 18k nib. I don't love Rhodium but I do like the section a lot.

 

F nib is $50 more.

 

Oh well.

 

I placed my order. Shipment was being sent from Poland. Did someone spoof me and send me a fake? Did a lot of googling.

 

Package came quickly, packaged well. The box looks quite new and nice and is very, very well made, so someone spent some serious money faking it or it's legit.

 

Pen came out, quick disassembly to clean and check it out, i see a tiny spot where the nib meets the section deep on the nib has worn the rhodium thin and I see gold. Sweet. I think I'm safe. All the imprints are crystal clear and the pen screws together perfectly. I think I'm safe.

 

Look up what this model retails for from parker themselves

 

$278

 

 

 

So now that I'm no longer terrified I got a fake, I inked it up with my go-to for testing pens, pilot blue black.

 

Okay, I'm convinced. this pen is incredible.

 

 

The fit and finish is insane. the black lacquer is flawlessly smooth and a bit of a fingerprint magnet, the brushed section is long and wonderfully grippy, the clip is perfectly tensioned, the cap snaps on with a satisfying bump and posts deeply and securely. The section is very long too, letting me hold it far back enough to enjoy a variety of grips, and the step to the section is tiny and not sharp.

 

It's heavy but relatively thin and balanced, posted or not. Reminds me a lot in the hand of the sailor 1911S, but made from metal.

 

The C/C is standard parker fare, parker converters are solid and well made, mine came with the screw type.

 

The writing experience was the star of the show, however. So, so nice. I don't love medium nibs, and this is on the finer side of a western medium, but the smoothness is tempered with just the barest hint of tactile drag from the paper, you can readily tell if you're writing on fabriano, tomoe, or clairefontaine. I found no hard starts (any in the video were caused by awkward overrotation of my hand trying to write under a camera) and no skips. The flow is spot on for everyday use - you'll see some shading and sheen on good paper, but it's not going to blow a hole through a check of envelope. Would I still have preferred an F? probably. But I won't be having this one ground down and it will see a lot of time in my rotation, which speaks miles towards how good of a medium nib this is.

 

I'd call this a medium-small pen. Very similar to the sailor 1911S (shown with 21k Zoom nib). it is on the smallish size capped but is perfectly adequate either posted or not, and the hefty weight keeps it balanced either way.

 

I really think this is one of the best "premium" fountain pens to give to someone as a gift that isn't really sure whether or not they'd like a fountain pen. it has the convenience of a snap cap, a soft but not complex to use 18k nib, superb fit and finish, a classy name and history, comes with a converter and two cartridges in a premium box. It's got all the convenience you'd want without losing the elegance. Would I prefer it if it had a piston filler? Absolutely. I'd probably have two by now. But for the $120 I found it for, I was willing to sacrifice it for an 18k nib.

 

I definitely don't think it's worth the MSRP, though. $280 will get you a pilot custom 823 or a Justus 95 or a sailor 1911 realo. If you can find it for under $170, it becomes a LOT more competitive, because the lack of features is made up for by the fit and finish in that price range.

 

Pictured are the Parker, 1911S, Moonman M100, Platinum 3776, Pilot custom 832, Mont Blanc 149.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TSherbs]

I am attracted to the classic look of the Sonnet, but the pen is too thin for me. Glad yours worked out for you.

[senzen]

Congratulations, looks nice. Do us a favor and leave it on your desk for a few days so you can tell us if they finally fixed the evaporation issues. I have two from the 90's, they evaporate like crazy.

[langere]

I love my Sonnets. Got two of them. 'Nuff said. I am glad you do too.

 

Erick

[WJM]

When I was just getting into this hobby Parker Sonnet for a while was my grail pen, and I very much liked one when I finally got it - black-gold finish with 18k gold nib. Later I also got second-handed "Ocean Blue" one with rhodium plated 18k nib - very beautiful finish, but the nib was quite troublesome.

 

Both are from the era (pre-2007 I believe) when a gold nib was a standard in Sonnet line. Nowadays from what I've read most of them have steel nibs, only the more expensive, higher finishes have gold nibs.

 

Incidentally I have the blue one filled right now, but overall I very rarely use those pens. While back I very much enjoyed them but right now I find the Sonnet just a boring model. There's nothing particulary wrong with it - it's a classic design, easy to use, good one for an EDC... but I just usually don't feel like using one.

Edited November 25, 2018 by WJM

[pajaro]

I have about two dozen Sonnets. They have standard EF, F, M, and B nibs and obliques and italics. The variety of nibs keeps them interesting. I have decided to just fill these before using them and not demand that they hold ink without drying out. Works out better.

[Honeybadgers]

It would help them a lot as well if they offered more nibs than F and M these days.

[grainweevil]

They offer Extra Fine through to Extra Broad via the nib exchange program as advertised on their website. Unless things have changed since 2016 (and they might) there's also Medium Oblique, Medium Reverse Oblique, and Medium and Broad Italics available.

[Honeybadgers]

Why don't they -sell- those nibs then?!

[pajaro]

Demand perhaps. I managed to find various nibs in used Sonnets, so, presumably, some sellers offered them. The easily found Sonnets had F and M nibs, and by searching I found italics, stubs, obliques. The used pens were much less expensive. If you have to have a new pen from your favorite vendor, price is high and selection might be limited to the nibs that turn over fast.

[grainweevil]

Why don't they -sell- those nibs then?!

 

You'd have to ask them, but I'm betting the answer would be because medium and fine are the ones most people want. We'll have to ignore the fact that most people don't know there's anything else... If I was feeling cynical, and I often am, I might think it's so they can eventually stop bothering to offer the others at all owing to "no demand". I have a vague recollection of reading that they were starting to only ship them out to retailers as standard with medium nibs, but perhaps it was medium and fine. In other words, it could be even worse.

 

Can't speak for North America, but my experience here in the UK with their nib exchange was really very good, and didn't even cost me a penny to get it to them. So I'd encourage any new Parker buyers who fancy a different nib to use the service, create demand for these nibs. It can only help their long term survival.

[beboy]

The 18k nibs on the Sonnets are a pure joy to use in my opinion, although they might need some adjustment (my two medium nibs had baby bottom and my fine nib was on the scratchy side), but they are great workhorse pens. My Parker Silver Ciselé pen with a medium nib is the only one I use everyday and the only one that really kept my interest in using fountain pens at work.

 

My only complaint about Parker Sonnet is that the section unscrew too easily from the barrel. For a pen in that price range and that « fame », I don't understand why they haven't put rubber O-ring on the section like the Waterman's Carene and LeMan (it's the same company at the end) or the Leman's inspired Pilot Grance.

[torstar]

Got burned by the "Lemon Batches" they put on the market, years ago.

 

Would have been better off with a fake for 1/10th the cost.

 

Great to see they have done right by purchases in the more recent years

 

Looked like a pen that would have been a dream if it worked for me.

[PenFan95]

Never used a modern Sonnet, they're quite overpriced for a rather conventional design that doesn't take any risks. Honestly, you can get much better pens for what new Sonnets retail for. But hey, $170 is pretty good for a gold nib and a pen carrying Parker's name!

 

I'd like to say this though, no modern fountain pen brand epitomizes 'overpriced' more than a Montblanc. So unless you got that pen for a discount, it seems rather hypocritical to call Parker and Waterman out on their prices.

Edited December 26, 2018 by PenFan95

[Honeybadgers]

well MB at least has some money in the gold on that huge nib. a MB 149 probably has $200 in raw gold in that nib. But it is still plastic. Though it does also have a high degree of fit, finish, machining quality, it's overpriced, but it sells itself on refinement.

 

I paid 500 for my 1990's 14k 149, and I think it was a reasonable deal for that.

[TheDutchGuy]

Parker, Sheaffer, MB... I go the vintage route with those. Based on this thread, if and when I can try a reasonably priced Sonnet, then I definitely will. But not at full retail, not when one can acquire a wonderful, fully serviced 51... Same with MB. I'm not paying 2.5k for a James Dean pen. I'm extremely happy with my two vintage MB's, which came fully serviced at reasonable prices, write like a dream and have stories to tell.

[Honeybadgers]

They seem to be popping up more and more under a hundred bucks on Amazon, and are legitimate.

[jameswatts]

I have 2 Sonnets -- one of the earliest models In Black from the late 1980s with a medium nib and a Cisele in a mid-1990s edition with a fine nib. Both are and have always been great pens. One or the other is always in my daily rotation. Enjoy!

[NT-Ned]

I'm glad you think these are ok Honeybadgers as I've just ordered one myself and its still in the mail, I went the Intense Red Lacquer

 

 

[bass1193]

I'm glad you think these are ok Honeybadgers as I've just ordered one myself and its still in the mail, I went the Intense Red Lacquer

Red and rose gold is a great combo! Good choice!