Fake Parker Sonnet

[corgicoupe]

Let me start by saying I know nothing about the Sonnet. My friend bought two for less than $10 each, which obviously screams fake, but both say Made In France and both nibs say 18K 750. Neither strongly attracts a magnet. How do they accomplish that? I know some stainless steels are non magnetic, or weakly magnetic. Is that the answer? For $10 they don't look bad.

[Beechwood]

There is a recent flood of fake Sonnets, Urbans, Im and others. It is a problem. The Chinese have made the nib out of something that isnt steel.

 

Am I correct in thinking these fake Parkers don't take Parker cartridges?

 

I would be interested in hearing whether these pens actually function as a pen.

 

12 years ago I was lambasted for suggesting that Chinese pen makers should be considered as an alternative for those who wanted good design but couldnt afford sky high prices, I was specifically talking about the Hero 616 as compared to the the Parker 51.

 

Look how that turned out!

[andyk]

Didn't realise they were still faking these, I have an FP/BP set that is fake ant it actually writes quite well. The finish wasn't quite the quality you expect and the gold plating looks shinier than the real thing.

[richardandtracy]

Austenitic stainless steel is not magnetic when in the annealed condition. As it work hardens the crystal structure gets strained and it can start to show weak magnetic properties. The amount of work hardening for that to occur is pretty extreme - such as deep drawing the barrel. Bending a nib from a flat sheet into a curve isn't enough to cause magnetism.

 

So, the nib is probably a 300 series stainless steel. Likely to be a 321 type or a 316 type. These are quite silvery, while the 304 type looks yellow tinted if compared with a known sample of 316 stainless.

 

If the stainless steel is heat treatable to make it harder, it will be magnetic, and probably less stainless/rust resistant. I have a stainless steel kitchen knife that is apparently all the same, but the blade is magnetic, while the handle is non-magnetic. The blade, which needs to be hard is heat-treated, but the handle doesn't need to be hard, so a more stainless alloy can be used.

Magnetic and heat treatable stainless steels are usually in the 400 series.

 

The numbers I have been using are the US designations for the steels and were adoped by the UK in the 1970's. The UK then abandoned the US designations in the mid noughties and adopted the German Werkstof numbers when going over to the EuroNorm standards (and didn't adopt the permitted alternative French designation that was something like Cr18Ni8Fe - memorable stuff), despite the fact that almost no-one in industry has the faintest idea what either alternative means. A 304 type steel has Werkstof number 1.4301 .Joy. I think 316 stainless is 1.4044. Instead or having family properties grouped together with similar numbers, we have to remember discreet numbers. Not impressed.

 

Regards

 

Richard.

[Writehand]

A foolproof way of identifying a fake Sonnet is to compare the imprint on the rim of the cap. The capital S is slightly mis-aligned, The other imprinted characters are not as precise as the original. If you don't have an original for comparison there many available images online you can access via your mobile phone at the point of sale. Two for $10 should immediately ring the alarm bells.

[corgicoupe]

Austenitic stainless steel is not magnetic when in the annealed condition. As it work hardens the crystal structure gets strained and it can start to show weak magnetic properties. The amount of work hardening for that to occur is pretty extreme - such as deep drawing the barrel. Bending a nib from a flat sheet into a curve isn't enough to cause magnetism.

 

So, the nib is probably a 300 series stainless steel. Likely to be a 321 type or a 316 type. These are quite silvery, while the 304 type looks yellow tinted if compared with a known sample of 316 stainless.

 

If the stainless steel is heat treatable to make it harder, it will be magnetic, and probably less stainless/rust resistant. I have a stainless steel kitchen knife that is apparently all the same, but the blade is magnetic, while the handle is non-magnetic. The blade, which needs to be hard is heat-treated, but the handle doesn't need to be hard, so a more stainless alloy can be used.

Magnetic and heat treatable stainless steels are usually in the 400 series.

 

The numbers I have been using are the US designations for the steels and were adoped by the UK in the 1970's. The UK then abandoned the US designations in the mid noughties and adopted the German Werkstof numbers when going over to the EuroNorm standards (and didn't adopt the permitted alternative French designation that was something like Cr18Ni8Fe - memorable stuff), despite the fact that almost no-one in industry has the faintest idea what either alternative means. A 304 type steel has Werkstof number 1.4301 .Joy. I think 316 stainless is 1.4044. Instead or having family properties grouped together with similar numbers, we have to remember discreet numbers. Not impressed.

 

Regards

 

Richard.

Spoken like a fellow metallurgist.

[Beechwood]

There is a recent flood of fake Sonnets, Urbans, Im and others. It is a problem. The Chinese have made the nib out of something that isnt steel.

 

 

 

I am not sure that this flood of fake sonnets was real, just a con trick.

 

The seller produced many ebay advertisements and the tended to be selling Parker pens between $5-10. The seller provided a tracking number and gave a delivery date around 2 months from the date of sale, despite saying that he would send the pen by airmail.

 

I think the seller is relying upon many people simply forgetting that they have bought the pen and therefore not claiming a refund on the basis that the pen has not arrived, the reality is that the pen was not sent.

 

One of these sellers has been kicked off Ebay, others will step up and take his place.

 

Ebay will not provide a refund until the arrive by date has passed.

[thx1138]

I bought a couple of fake sonnet FP from Ebay. the photo in the listing was of a genuine last generation sonnet but the pens delivered were obviously fakes.

 

When challenged, the seller immediately refunded half the price. This made the pens about $10 each delivered. the lacquer on the pens was surprisingly good but the nibs not very smooth. They also dry up faster than a genuine sonnet.

[nsalvut]

I bought a couple of fake sonnet FP from Ebay. the photo in the listing was of a genuine last generation sonnet but the pens delivered were obviously fakes.

 

When challenged, the seller immediately refunded half the price. This made the pens about $10 each delivered. the lacquer on the pens was surprisingly good but the nibs not very smooth. They also dry up faster than a genuine sonnet.

That's pretty impressive considering most report that they dry up within 2-3 days. Must be a new feature only found in the fakes. "Dries so fast, you'll never worry about leaks again"

[ardene]

That's pretty impressive considering most report that they dry up within 2-3 days. Must be a new feature only found in the fakes. "Dries so fast, you'll never worry about leaks again"

My Sonnet doesn't dry out. It is a new flighter one with a steel nib.

[thx1138]

That's pretty impressive considering most report that they dry up within 2-3 days. Must be a new feature only found in the fakes. "Dries so fast, you'll never worry about leaks again"

 

Very funny. I hope Parker executives read this and start to think about QA QC and usability of their products . I have been reasonably lucky on the genuine sonnet drying out issue so the fakes dry out faster - usually in 1-2 days.

[corgicoupe]

I took my neighbor's pen to a recent meeting and several knowledgeable folks thought it was genuine, but I was able to hang a small magnet( designed to remove hearing aid batteries) from the "18 K" nib. The hole in the Parker labeled converter also seems to be larger than a genuine converter.

 

I also noticed that the cap jewel is a tad too small for the depression and is set off center in the depression.

 

The neighbor thinks the nib is scratchy, so its being a fake is not a problem for him.

Edited August 6, 2019 by corgicoupe

[pajaro]

You could put a genuine steel or gold plated nib in it at low cost.

[corgicoupe]

He's a lefty overwriter and hold the pen almost vertically, so I think most fine nibs will feel scratchy to him.