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Parker Vector - Fake Or Real?


Petnold

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Hello everyone!

I am really happy to write my first post in this forum!

 

I an curious about one thing and want to ask You, the more experienced "foutainpeners" about it.

I found a Parker Vector in one Internet shop and it is really cheap, even cheaper than usual. It costs about 1/3 of standard price. But I am not sure about it's originality. Can You tell from this pictures if it is real or fake? I got suspicious after I saw that all other Vectors I found are in another, cuboid box.

 

Thank you very much for all answers!

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Looks to be a Chinese copy.

 

I never imagined that a pen as cheap as the Vector would be knocked off.

 

What would be the tell-tale signs of this one being a copy? My only suspicion came from the fact that the cartridge isn't branded, but I just opened a brand new package, purchased at a Parker dealer, and mine aren't branded either. Please tell!

 

Thanks!

 

alex

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We use our phones more than our pens.....

and the world is a worse place for it. - markh

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Is it from India? Parker India seems to produce their pens for super cheap, and they're officially licensed for local consumption (which is great in that country that prioritizes fountain pens). So it seems that people in India sell them on evilBay, also for cheap :lol: I have a Parker Frontier coming from India, bought on evilBay, that I look forward to examining in person.

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Does it say Luxor on it anywhere? One of the big online stores was passing those off as real in the last two years. I returned mine and bought the genuine article directly from Parker. They start at $16 a pen.

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As far as I am aware the fakes usually have a converter thrown in, as do the Luxor Vectors. Luxor and fakes usually (in my experience) have F nibs (IIRC the Luxor nibs seem to be stubbish, but the fit of the pen in general is not as good as a UK equivalent).

 

Also, you do not say what the price was, the price of legit Vectors can easily vary by a factor of 2-3. The worst offender for ironic pricing as far as I'm aware is Smiths in the UK. A fake vector would normally go for between £0.6-0.8 up to about £3 online (and not come in fake packaging).

Edited by GeneralSynopsis

--“Truth does not change because it is, or is not, believed by a majority of the people.”
Giordano Bruno

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@ alexwi -- Agreed. But then I have what is probably a fake Hero 616 (a guy in my local pen club bought a 10-pack off eBay a few years ago and was passing them out to all interested parties at a meeting (I'd have said it was a $2 pen that writes like one, except for the fact that I paid $2 in September at an estate sale for a Parker 51...). And there have been reports of fake Lamy Safaris.

@ Retro-user -- The Luxor-made Vectors from India generally say so on the packaging. My understanding is that they were made under license from Parker, so in some sense they are real Parkers. What the quality of them is like is a completely different issue (most of mine are UK-made, except for a NOS US-made one -- still in the original blister pack when I bought it -- and a re-issued French-made one.

@ GeneralSynopsis -- I have not seen any Vectors (real or fake) that are still in the original packaging that do not come with cartridges. Trying to remember if I've seen any for sale with a converter (and if I have, they tend to be the slide converters).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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@ alexwi -- Agreed. But then I have what is probably a fake Hero 616 (a guy in my local pen club bought a 10-pack off eBay a few years ago and was passing them out to all interested parties at a meeting (I'd have said it was a $2 pen that writes like one, except for the fact that I paid $2 in September at an estate sale for a Parker 51...). And there have been reports of fake Lamy Safaris.

 

Hi Ruth,

 

For some reason, I can't fathom faking a vector, but if Hero is knocked off, I guess everything's game in China.

 

I see you still can't get over that $2 trophy ;-) I'm glad you're enjoying it so much!

 

Alex

---------------------------------------------------------

We use our phones more than our pens.....

and the world is a worse place for it. - markh

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I see you still can't get over that $2 trophy ;-) I'm glad you're enjoying it so much!

 

Alex

 

It's not my favorite color, and I'm not wild about EF nibs. But it's the best I've ever done price-wise on a 51.

But if I can find deals like this, other people surely can as well. It's just a matter of keeping one's eye out for deals. Every week I check the listings for estate sales in the local Pennysaver (which comes in the mail), and then go online to see if there are listings for other areas over the weekend, and if there are photos, or if pens are listed. I also check back in at area antiques store every now and then, although some of my best sumgai purchases have been in places a little farther afield (every now and then I'll get the urge to go for a drive, and if I spot a place -- or if I've looked ahead online for what places might be in the area -- I'll check the place out; I don't get lucky more often than I do, but you never know...).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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Petnold, don't worry about the blister pack - genuine Vectors are sold in both blister packs and boxes, with appropriate price differences. Prices of Vectors can also sometimes be all over the map too. However, even if we could categorically state that the pen in the pictures is genuine, it doesn't mean the pen you're sent will be genuine. So if you have doubts, and don't wish to risk a potential 5.80 Euro loss, I should look elsewhere.

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I don't know prices of it in your countries. In mine usual price is equal to about 17.50 euros. This is like 5.80, so really cheap.

Retail plastic vectors have been seen at £6-£7 up to ~£12. Flighters typically £10-£20. But that is in B&M stores.

 

The packaging of yours looks right to my eye.

--“Truth does not change because it is, or is not, believed by a majority of the people.”
Giordano Bruno

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I think I'm going to buy them. I can pick them up in person, because, altrough they are from the Internet, the shop is in my city. Thank you for advice friends. I will post soon about quality of recieved pen.

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  • 2 months later...

They had some in the local Tesco packaged the same, they really aren't an expensive pen, I agree with the consensus that the Vector is a bit cheap to be faked

It's not a 'Frankenpen'.....it is a bespoke design  :D 

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  • 2 months later...

Last year I bought several Vectors at a ridiculously low price--and got what I paid for. They were all from India. They all came in professional packaging just like above or similar. I compared them to several old Vectors I had and the difference in quality was obvious.

 

I also bought a Frontier from an Indian source and was amazed at the poor quality. It looks and feels cheaper than any bargain pen I have ever gotten from China. The opening of the cap is so rough, I was afraid I was going to cut my hand.

 

When buying a pen on eBay I now check the location it is being shipped from. If it is India, I pass no matter what the price is.

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I do find this amusing.

The Baoer 801 is very similar to the Vector, but is branded Baoer and uses international cartridges, coming with a c/c of its own. Its durability is considerably better than the plastic Vectors and the finish of the 'Aurora' version is spectacular. And the price? £2 delivered if you get a pricey one, and £1.51 if you expend an extra 15 seconds effort to look for a cheap one.

I have worn out plastic Vectors in 6 months - the cap doesn't click closed and the barrel cracks at about 6 months when I use them. This has happened on 6 Vectors, so I have a fair bit of experience with them. On my 1 Baoer 801, it has lasted 9 months with the same use that kills Vectors in 6 months, and looks as new. The nib is similar to the Vector: i.e. un-inspiring, but no worse.

 

Why buy expensive tat from Parker when the cheap Chinese tat is actually better?

 

Regards,

 

Richard

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Gosh, Richard, I'm surprised to hear that. I've got an old Vector that I've had for many years and it's still in very good condition - that said, it doesn't get much use!

 

Over the last few years I've purchased a few (various) Chinese pens - some of which cost pennies. Some were slightly more expensive, but still very cheap compared to most pens I have. I'm pleasantly surprised, on the whole. Some (eg Wing Sung 616) are actually very good, reliable pens.

 

Looks to be a Chinese copy.

 

How can you tell this?

I'm no expert, but it looked convincing to me. I'd be pleased to know what to look for.

 

Thanks.

Edited by CS388
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Gosh, Richard, I'm surprised to hear that. I've got an old Vector that I've had for many years and it's still in very good condition - that said, it doesn't get much use!

 

Over the last few years I've purchased a few (various) Chinese pens - some of which cost pennies. Some were slightly more expensive, but still very cheap compared to most pens I have. I'm pleasantly surprised, on the whole. Some (eg Wing Sung 616) are actually very good, reliable pens.

 

 

How can you tell this?

I'm no expert, but it looked convincing to me. I'd be pleased to know what to look for.

 

Thanks.

 

I think the Wing Sung 601 must take the prize as you get a pen that is almost a 51 Vacumatic for around £12. As far as the Vector is concerned, although it is not my chosen pen, I do have a couple and they are excellent and very well made providing they are UK or French made. The ones made, under licence, in India are another matter altogether.

Peter

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I seem to be pretty hard on my pens, so they do wear out relatively quickly. The plastic Vectors wear out the cap click in a consistent 6 months. My Rialto lasted a bit better, 7 months before getting sloppy and I stopped using it (and, also, because I lost it in the washing machine door seal for 6 weeks, which is probably what saved it :blush: ). I do find myself unconsciously opening & closing the cap as I think, which really doesn't help the cap click longevity.

The barrels also crack, maybe I fiddle with them too much. Shame really. I quite like them, but definitely not wildly inspiring.

I agree about the WS 601. I feel it's a P51 Vac I can leave the house with, and not worry about losing it.

Regards,

Richard.

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