Parker 51 and 21

[Robert Ellis]

Just what differences are there between these two? Is there a current market for the 21s or have Heroes taken that price point? Construction differences aside do the 21s share the lasting build and great writing experience with the 51s?

[Apollo]

Despite the similarity in appearance, they are quite different from each other. The Parker 51 being the higher quality model, while the 21 was a less costly version. Here are a few "must read" links for fans of the 51 and 21. The last link shows differences between the two.

 

http://www.richardspens.com/?page=ref_info/51_profile.htm

 

http://www.richardspens.com/?page=ref_info/21_profile.htm

 

http://www.richardspens.com/?page=ref_info/51_vs_21.htm

 

The 51 is an icon as far as fountain pens go. I don't think any decent pen collection is complete without at least one Parker 51, but then again, I've got a soft spot for hooded nibs. Personally, I find the 21 to be an equally excellent writer as the 51. I've got 3 Parker 21's (2 Mark II's and one "Super 21"). The main weakness of the 21 was the cheaper-grade plastic which made them prone to breakage. Still, you can find 21's in excellent shape and they make great everday writers.

 

Incidentally, the Hero 616 is the basic "clone" of the Parker 21, but no where near the quality of the original (The Hero 616 is a $10 pen after all). If you want to try a 51 "pastiche" from Hero, I would suggest going with the Hero 100. Still not the quality of the real 51, but not a bad pen for the money.

Edited February 7, 2006 by Apollo

[Robert Ellis]

Hey thanks. I didn't realize that the nibs were totally different.

[Richard]

Incidentally, the Hero 616 is the basic "clone" of the Parker 21... If you want to try a 51 "pastiche" from Hero, I would suggest going with the Hero 100.

Not necessarily, as Maggie DuBois was wont to say.

 

The Hero 616 is a virtual duplicate, structurally, of an aerometric "51". Which is which?

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/ref_info/fakes/zoomed/616.jpg

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/collection/zoomed/51_burg.jpg

 

The 616 has a small cylindrical steel nib and a molded white plastic collector, and a feed with a long translucent plastic breather tube going up into the filler's clear sac. The most prominent differences, externally, are the metal cap "jewel" and visulated clutch ring on the 616.

 

The Hero 100 is actually built quite differently inside. It has an aerometric filler that is secured by a screwed-in metal connector ferrule like that on a Parker 61, and its 14K nib and feed are keyed into the collector like those in the 61, not the "51". Its "clutch" ring is the same as the ring on a Mark II 61, and the cap clutches with fingers, not a spring ring like the one in a "51" cap. I also disagree about quality; for the most part, I think the 100 is very nearly the equal of the 61. I have three 100s, of which I like the Flighter best -- but I think the Chrome is the coolest looking:

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/collection/zoomed/hero100posted.jpg

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/collection/zoomed/hero100chrome.jpg

[Guest JohanO]

Your knowledge keeps astonishing me Richard! Nice pics, as usual!

[Slush99]

I think 21's have a different plastic. Mine has a shrunken hood.