Is The Parker 51 The Most Boring Pen Ever Made?

[beak]

Since every third post here seems to mention the Parker 51 I thought I'd see what all the fuss was about.

 

Never having owned one, and not talking about it's writing qualities, this pen had my head thudding to the desk in boredom in about three nanoseconds. Am I alone in the world as seeing this outward design as the epitome of middle-class and middle-aged monotony?

 

Can anyone point me to a fountain pen with a more tedious appearance - that way I may be able to start appreciating the look of the 51?

[jar]

Some people have very short attention spans and are bored easily.

[Wyre]

Wow.... ummm.... I have to say that this is the most flammable post I have ever seen!

 

/me stands back to watch the fireworks.

[pen2paper]

..:blink: .. ..

 

..both posts... :ltcapd:

[beak]

Some people have very short attention spans and are bored easily.

 

And some get paid quite a lot to design stuff. Not looking for aggression here; it's just an opinion about a fountain pen, remember.

[tonybelding]

Am I alone in the world as seeing this outward design as the epitome of middle-class and middle-aged monotony?

 

Yes. Yes, you are.

 

 

Can anyone point me to a fountain pen with a more tedious appearance - that way I may be able to start appreciating the look of the 51?

 

I'd be happy to.

 

http://zobeid.zapto.org/image/pens/boring_pens.jpg

[Pensfan]

Most of the now vintage fountain pens were made to be normal daily writers. The P51 is a perfect example of this. It was a nice quality pen, designed to be used every day. Todays fountain pens are often made as a throwback to "classic pens" and as such are made more elaborate or designed to be beautiful pens.

 

Both have their place in collections and even in the hands of daily writers. One is not necessarily better than the other, just different.

 

I LOVE my P51 because it writes perfectly every time. I touch the paper and the buttery smooth nib glides across the paper effortlessly. The weight of the pen writes itself. It's design is classic, iconic, and not in the least bit ostentatious. It is a quality pen with clean lines that works perfectly every time I touch it.

 

That is why I love my P51.

[kcunvong]

You are right. It is a boring pen. If you'd like, you can mail it to me, as I will take it off your hands. =) Do you have photos of your pen?

[Wyre]

Most of the now vintage fountain pens were made to be normal daily writers. The P51 is a perfect example of this. It was a nice quality pen, designed to be used every day. Todays fountain pens are often made as a throwback to "classic pens" and as such are made more elaborate or designed to be beautiful pens.

 

Both have their place in collections and even in the hands of daily writers. One is not necessarily better than the other, just different.

 

I LOVE my P51 because it writes perfectly every time. I touch the paper and the buttery smooth nib glides across the paper effortlessly. The weight of the pen writes itself. It's design is classic, iconic, and not in the least bit ostentatious. It is a quality pen with clean lines that works perfectly every time I touch it.

 

That is why I love my P51.

 

+1 I love this forum! I was fully expecting this to become a flame war.

[jar]

Some people have very short attention spans and are bored easily.

 

And some get paid quite a lot to design stuff. Not looking for aggression here; it's just an opinion about a fountain pen, remember.

 

The wonderful thing about today is that there are so many options out there. If you find the "51" boring that's fine. There are thousands of other choices available for you to select from.

 

The "51" was a wonder when introduced, perhaps almost as big a change as the Sheaffer Balance had been slightly over a decade earlier.

 

The big thing about the "51" is that it is an example of a complete, holistic design, the pen, the feed and collector, the ink itself, to address a problem that had been around since the first dip pens I imagine.

 

Writing with a fountain pen traditionally had been a two step process; you wrote, and then carefully blotted away the excess ink. Inks of the day either took a long time to dry but also stayed wet enough in the pen to allow it to start writing immediately, or were fast drying but then the pen suffered by being hard starting.

 

The "51" solved that problem by creating a fast drying ink that reacted with the paper, and by creating the hooded nib, combined with a larger feed and collector system nade of materials that were impervious to the new ink but also kept a ready supply of ink that did not dry out on the nib or have hard starting problems.

 

It was an engineering and design tour de force.

 

But it is not for everyone. Many folk, particularly now about 70 years after its introduction, may well find the design boring, and of course, that's fine.

 

As I said, fortunately today we have the largest selection that has even been available, all the great old pens as well as so many new designs.

Edited December 27, 2010 by jar

[pelman]

Since every third post here seems to mention the Parker 51 I thought I'd see what all the fuss was about.

 

Never having owned one, and not talking about it's writing qualities, this pen had my head thudding to the desk in boredom in about three nanoseconds. Am I alone in the world as seeing this outward design as the epitome of middle-class and middle-aged monotony?

 

Can anyone point me to a fountain pen with a more tedious appearance - that way I may be able to start appreciating the look of the 51?

 

Yes, it is boring. I didn't know what the hub bub was about. I wrote with and now can see the simplicity and beauty of the pen. Now I have two. :ltcapd:

 

Sometimes boring is beautiful.

Edited December 27, 2010 by pelman

[beak]

Most of the now vintage fountain pens were made to be normal daily writers. The P51 is a perfect example of this. It was a nice quality pen, designed to be used every day. Todays fountain pens are often made as a throwback to "classic pens" and as such are made more elaborate or designed to be beautiful pens.

 

Both have their place in collections and even in the hands of daily writers. One is not necessarily better than the other, just different.

 

I LOVE my P51 because it writes perfectly every time. I touch the paper and the buttery smooth nib glides across the paper effortlessly. The weight of the pen writes itself. It's design is classic, iconic, and not in the least bit ostentatious. It is a quality pen with clean lines that works perfectly every time I touch it.

 

That is why I love my P51.

 

Thanks - the first stab at an answer. But if 'Most of the now vintage fountain pens were made to be normal daily writers...' and 'Todays fountain pens are often made as a throwback to "classic pens" ' I'm stuck on the flat contradiction. I guessed they must be good writers from all the recommendations, thanks for confirming that.

 

PS

sorry about all the smiley faces, but I want to be clear that I'm not being mean or nasty here - it's a serious question. beak.

[jniforat]

you've clearly never written w/ one before. one can only hope you're blessed enough to see a 51 DJ one day.

 

 

oh well, one less competitor on ebay for me

[Pensfan]

haha, yeah rereading it, the post wasn't as clear online as it was in my head. Three kids have a movie blaring in the living room and I am still finishing my coffee... haha

 

The vintage pens were largely daily writers. The new pens are not only trying to capture the vintage feel, but they are also trying to be visually different as well.

 

The P51 is definitely a wonderful writer. I personally like the classic sleek design. It is not flashy like my Pelikan 400NN. I like both for different reasons.

 

Edited December 27, 2010 by Pensfan

[beak]

Some people have very short attention spans and are bored easily.

 

And some get paid quite a lot to design stuff. Not looking for aggression here; it's just an opinion about a fountain pen, remember.

 

The wonderful thing about today is that there are so many options out there. If you find the "51" boring that's fine. There are thousands of other choices available for you to select from.

 

The "51" was a wonder when introduced, perhaps almost as big a change as the Sheaffer Balance had been slightly over a decade earlier.

 

The big thing about the "51" is that it is an example of a complete, holistic design, the pen, the feed and collector, the ink itself, to address a problem that had been around since the first dip pens I imagine.

 

Writing with a fountain pen traditionally had been a two step process; you wrote, and then carefully blotted away the excess ink. Inks of the day either took a long time to dry but also stayed wet enough in the pen to allow it to start writing immediately, or were fast drying but then the pen suffered by being hard starting.

 

The "51" solved that problem by creating a fast drying ink that reacted with the paper, and by creating the hooded nib, combined with a larger feed and collector system nade of materials that were impervious to the new ink but also kept a ready supply of ink that did not dry out on the nib or have hard starting problems.

 

It was an engineering and design tour de force.

 

But it is not for everyone. Many folk, particularly now about 70 years after its introduction, may well find the design boring, and of course, that's fine.

 

As I said, fortunately today we have the largest selection that has even been available, all the great old pens as well as so many new designs.

 

Phew - the answers are coming so fast that we're leapfrogging. Yup, not talking about how it writes or about its innards, and assumed it was fine not to like it. Thanks.

Edited December 27, 2010 by beak

[Joane]

I have a 51 and a 51 demi. They both work really well. The demi has a left oblique nib and is a stunning writer. From what I have read--and I'm not in any way expert in the internal workings of pens--the 51 was the epitome of pen technology and has never been equalled in that respect. Designwise, I find it streamlined and ergonomic but it's not my favourite pen design because I love the look of a big gold open nib and the lack of seeing a nib wears on my aesthetic sense after a while. Also, with one or two exceptions, I tend to reach for flat-top-type models in general rather than cigar-shaped models. I wouldn't consider the 51 boring but it's not my favourite pen design look.

 

A pen I specifically did not buy because I found the design totally boring is the Namiki Falcon. Loved the flex falcon nib, found the body so uninspired I couldn't bring myself to buy the pen.

[beak]

It's late down here and I'm turning in - not ignoring you all. Guess I've got a long days placating in front of me tomorrow. 'night. beak.

[Wyre]

I will take a stab at remaining pointed about answering this question.

 

For me there are two kinds of pens.

 

1. Vintage

2. New

 

I prefer the classic designs of vintage cars. I own a 1st year model 1970 Datsun 240Z.

I prefer classic designs in cloths, I dont wear outrageous cloths that are neon.

I listen to classic (or classically styled) music.

 

The build quality and design of a pen that is getting onwards of 70 to 80 years old and still works like new makes a point.

 

I love my TWSBI Diamond 530. Where will they be in 70 years? Will they still work as well as they do now?

 

This is the entire point behind the Parker 51. The design is absolutely the epitome of design for its time. There is nothing to fault... maybe to you and some others it is boring... Could that be because it is a design that has been emulated by so many manufactures since its introduction?

 

Maybe they could have made a jewel encrusted monstrosity... but, that would have pulled away from its design and aesthetic.

 

Truly a perfectly balanced writing instrument that will outlive us all.

[Brian C]

I never cared for the looks until I received one as an additional pen in a multi pen trade. For me it is the ultimate example of function defines form. And yes I can point out a more boring pen, the Lamy 2000. Yup completely boring girl next door plainjane looks. I will never be without these two great pens.

[hawkgnat]

I was going to suggest the 149 as a more boring looking pen, but Tony beat me to it.

 

I'm not a huge '51 fan either, but I don't particularly see the point in trying to convert people away from it.