Is The Parker 51 The Most Boring Pen Ever Made?

[Aysedasi]

How about something more spectacular than a plain ol' boring P51 for you!?! :hmm1:

 

http://www.stylo.ca/Images/Produits/8489_LRG.jpg

 

 

 

That's not boring, it's simply hideous. A true case of the sublime to the ridiculous...... Where's the barf smiley gone when you need it.......

[Aysedasi]

Ahem...

 

http://www.stylophilesonline.com/archive/jan03/03rant5.jpg

:puddle:

 

I don't think the Torelli counts.

 

I'd beg to differ - IMO it's a twist on material, not on design.

 

But fair enough.

 

Any excuse to post a photo though :embarrassed_smile:

 

Back to the OP: If you asked me back when I became reacquainted with FPs about a year ago what I thought of the P51, I'd have completely echoed your opinion.

 

However, having amassed over 20 pens since then, amongst them two 51s I've changed my opinion.

 

I have to say that they have grown on me, and I believe they warrant the adoration they receive.

 

Parker were the Apple of fountain-pen industrial design: a reduction to first principles. It's as if the engineers developing it asked one simple question: what is a fountain pen for? and then went out to build it in its purest sense.

 

You may not love it, but by god do you have to respect it.

 

(Personally, I love the P51 but would like it with a little more flair. Hence the Torelli.)

 

I have an all-yellow Kullock P51 - that satisfies my desire for something a bit different from my P51s.....

Edited December 27, 2010 by Aysedasi

[randyholhut]

If you're talking about exciting pens from the era that the "51" was introduced, Waterman's Hundred Year Pen and Eversharp's Skyline and 5th Avenue come to mind.

 

Unfortunately, those three pens have not held up well to the ravages of time, compared to the "51" or the Sheaffer Triumph.

 

The "51" is boring in the same way a Toyota Corolla is boring. You buy one, and propertly maintained, it will run for years without having to think about it.

 

So, as to Beak's original question about boring pens -- pens with absolutely no Elvis in them -- how about the Esterbrook J? You don't get to be a standard issue pen for Ma Bell if you are wild and flamboyant.

 

The solid color Sheaffer Snorkels from the 1950s were pretty conservative too.

 

Sheaffer school pens are pretty dull too.

 

Any other suggestions?

[rwilsonedn]

I think Pensfan makes the key point. When the 51 was designed, most people bought a fountain pen because they needed a reliable pen, not because they were fascinated by a beautiful artifact. Aesthetically, I think, it was a time of transition as well. The last flowering of the idea that everyday items should be beautiful through ornamentation had expired with the beginning of the Great Depression. The style in industrial design was unornamented simplicity. We were supposed to be delighted that the thing worked, not by its beauty.

Those ideas--a pen is a necessary tool, and simple is beautiful--influenced not just the 51 but a whole generation of pens. For me, some of them achieve a utilitarian beauty. Some of them for me have about the same appeal as a clean sheet of copy paper. And some are just plain ugly. But tastes vary. For what it's worth, I like what the Parker designers came up more than I like most of the second-tier pens from the period. But taking the period as a whole, I don't like post-Depression pens nearly as much as I like most of the earlier designs.

ron

[Wyre]

If you're talking about exciting pens from the era that the "51" was introduced, Waterman's Hundred Year Pen and Eversharp's Skyline and 5th Avenue come to mind.

 

Unfortunately, those three pens have not held up well to the ravages of time, compared to the "51" or the Sheaffer Triumph.

 

The "51" is boring in the same way a Toyota Corolla is boring. You buy one, and propertly maintained, it will run for years without having to think about it.

 

So, as to Beak's original question about boring pens -- pens with absolutely no Elvis in them -- how about the Esterbrook J? You don't get to be a standard issue pen for Ma Bell if you are wild and flamboyant.

 

The solid color Sheaffer Snorkels from the 1950s were pretty conservative too.

 

Sheaffer school pens are pretty dull too.

 

Any other suggestions?

 

 

Muji aluminum pen

Varsity (I know it is disposable... that seems to me to be the EXACT opposite reason for owning a fountain pen!)

[kazoolaw]

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?

 

As to the first, this thread points to "yes". I've not seen anyone agree that the design is linked to the middle-class, even though you never defined your meaning of the term. Though "middle-class" is pejorative in some circles, there are fine qualities associated with the term as well. Hard-working and understanding the value of working hard, honest, modest, confident, patient, with an attention span longer than a blog post.

 

You may be looking at fountain pens in a more romantic light, as something more than a tool designed to reliably apply ink to paper. In terms of design and function, the initial sales numbers and ongoing popularity of the 51 as a writing implement indicate that you'll never find an outward design as the epitome of blending form and function in pendom. When I want a pen to gaze at lovingly I go to Italian celluloid and engraved nibs. When I want a pen that will write every time, and loads in a second, I use a 51 Flighter.

 

With regard to the second, learning by studying an antithesis is a valuable method.

http://www.stylophilesonline.com/images/11-05/11brd3.jpg

Study this closely and you will discover what subtlety and understatement are not.

 

Which fountain pen is your epitome of style?

 

gary

[mathguy]

Corolla analogy nails it-you just want it to work-you're not going for looks and you're not going to race it (the car). It is boring, but how many simple tools are not?

[rikki]

http://www.hakuminurushi.com/lacquerware/pens/makie/parker-51-nashiji/

Now that is a take on the 51 that catches my eye. I think it's actually my favorite of Ernest's work. Gorgeous.

[Brian C]

Picture the 51 without the hood or ring. Doesn't it have similar slight taper to the Edison Mina? Hmm? The Mina is beautiful IMHO.

[nxn96]

Middle class and middle aged? Hey, I resemble that remark!

 

I think you have to put the "51"s design in the era in which it was introduced. The somewhat rounded, streamlined look was much more desirable and modern than what else was out there at the time. Also, you can't fight success- Although the later VS "borrowed" much of it's capped design from the "51", the open nib is usually given as a major reason for the pen's lack of popularity. Parker saw fit to continue the general look of the "51" for both the 21 and the 61 lines. Also, if you don't like the plain-ish look of the "51", it's great competitor from that era, the metal capped Snorkels, aren't likely to appeal much more.

 

Particularly in the basic Lustraloy capped Aerometric mode, you'd be hard pressed to find a "plainer" pen in the higher end price point, and the "51" was most certainly marketed to the middle/upper middle classes who wanted (and could afford) a relatively expensive pen that was recognized as such on sight. However, the true genius of the Parker "51" was its functional simplicity of design and near indestructible durability (particularly for a fountain pen) compared to about any other pen from that era.

 

Personally, I like the look of the pen. That you don't doesn't change my opinion; that I do shouldn't matter to you either. To me, the genius of the Parker "51" is strongly tied to what it did and continues to do- it works.

[Glenn-SC]

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.

Quite the contrary I think, "Most Boring Ever", "the epitome of middle-class and middle-aged monotony?" "a fountain pen with a more tedious appearance - that way I may be able to start appreciating the look of the 51"

 

Beauty and Boring are opinions.

I'll take all the "51"s you want to send my way.

 

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j95/glenn-sc/SevenStandardColors.jpg

 

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j95/glenn-sc/SevenSpecials.jpg

[firefinch]

MOST BORING PEN EVER!

 

 

http://www.jackiereeve.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/bic.jpg

 

Uh ... yes ... most definitely one of THE most boring of writing instruments!!!

 

I beg to differ! The BIC is worse than boring, it is revolting and an insult to writing.

 

As for the Parker 51, I'm not a huge fan of fountain pens with hooded nibs, but recently I had the opportunity to write with one. It has a good girth without being too wide, it is discrete and above all, it writes well. Now I'm waiting for two P51s to reach my hand via airmail.

 

As a writing tool, the P51 seems to have proved itself over its 60 years of existence.

 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Whoever finds the P51 boring, well...there are loads of fountain pens with different designs and sizes to choose from. In this context, I don't see the point of our friend complaining so loudly about the aesthetics of the P51, unless of course he had been forced to use it against his will.

 

just my 2c worth of grey matter.

[corniche]

Greetings all,

 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Attraction is a chemical reaction; either the chemistry is there or it isnt. If your tastes lean more towards the baroque, then avoid the streamlined 51; there are plenty of fine writing/performing pens in both styles- so why should any of us make a federal case over it.

 

I'm glad that so far, nobody has.

 

Best regards,

 

Sean

Edited December 27, 2010 by S. P. Colfer

[watch_art]

How about something more spectacular than a plain ol' boring P51 for you!?! :hmm1:

 

http://www.stylo.ca/Images/Produits/8489_LRG.jpg

 

it's pee wee herman's pen!!

[markc]

Ok, I'll take a stab at this.

 

I've got 6 P51s currently in my collection.. I often bring one out, put it in my jacket pocket and use it that day.. Alongside my MB 149, Shaeffer Legacy, and Conway Stewart Wellington.

 

I don't think the looks of a pen dictate anything other than ... The look of the pen! I like having variation in many aspects of writing. The P51 fills the *Grab a decent pen and write something down* need.. I don't care what the person opposite of me thinks of my pen, unless they are a pen fan(atic) like myself, and then I will happily show off the 10 pens I usually keep in my bag.

 

If you want something more flashy, there are plenty of manufacturers out there that make flashy pens.. Krone, Montegrappa, Monteverde, Pelikan, MB, Visconti, etc.. If you want to spend the money on a flashy pen, by all means do so! If you want a decent writer from a day when most people were using fountain pens daily there are plenty of vintage pens out there, including P51s.

 

I think many on the forums have been using fountain pens long enough to have used the P51 back in its day and appreciated it then as much as they appreciate it today. To me that is the test of time and the reason to use that pen. Like the classics, it stands the test of time.

[Paddler]

I'm with you, Beak. The P51's design reminds me of the long, lacquered fingernails that women used to(?) think were stylish. I never thought those were attractive either.

 

I too read all the hyperbole about the 51 that was bandied about here and on other pen fora. When I saw one for $3 at a flea market, I stifled my yawns and bought the thing, just to see if it deserved all the hype. After restoring the yawnsome thing to working order and using it for several months, I can truthfully opine that it doesn't. You can make nearly any fountain pen from the first tier, down into the third tier write as smoothly and as reliably with modern and with vintage inks.

 

I have a pen that may just be even more boring than the P51. It is a Wearever with a shroud that mostly covers the standard Wearever nib. I only keep it for use at Halloween. It will put a stone troll to sleep even faster than the P51.

 

Paddler

[Aysedasi]

 

 

The solid color Sheaffer Snorkels from the 1950s were pretty conservative too.

 

Sheaffer school pens are pretty dull too.

 

Any other suggestions?

 

I think we're running the risk of confusing 'boring' with 'conservative' - they're not the same thing at all. The fact that it doesn't exude gaudy tastelessness like some of the Italian offerings we see advertised for prices I wouldn't be daft enough to pay, doesn't make the P51 boring. And in my opinion, it writes nothing like any other pen - not any other pen I've ever used. The fact that some consider it dull is, as many have already said, a matter of taste. But don't assume that because this pen seems dull (to some) that it's performance is dull too. If I fell upon hard times and had to sell all but one of my pens, the only question would be which one of my P51s to save. I wouldn't have a moment's hesitation in taking my burgundy vac over my MB149, that's for sure....

Edited December 27, 2010 by Aysedasi

[LedZepGirl]

I'll admit that the Parker '51' is not much in the looks department especially when compared to other vintage fountain pens, but what it lacks in looks it makes up for in functionality. It's probably one of the most function fountain pens ever designed and produced.

[PAKMAN]

I have 4 P51s and love them all ! Three have gold caps and the fourth, well who couldn't love this...

 

 

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5166/5297136675_fd7bd0fd00.jpg

[koa]

I am afraid that once again I cannot make sense of the

OP, and so really have no choice but to misrepresent what is being meant. It is like the words of Laozi, who said "My words are very easy to understand," to which everyone throughout history replied, "Huh?"

 

But maybe we have hit on the fundamental fault-line between users and those of the "C" word persuasion: entertainment. And I have to admit, just having acquired a '51', that they are not very entertaining. No stories to tell with images or symbols, no stupid pen tricks; in fact, about the only things my '51' does is lie around or hang out in my pocket and write wonderfully. :roflmho: