Comparison Review: Parker Sonnet and 75

[Rob G]

I have a 75 which was sold by the eBay seller as a "Sonnet 750", and for which I paid $19.99. It is matte black with gold trim, made in France. If anyone knows where I might get a replacement nib (medium, broad, or stub), let me know. What's this about a nib adjustment? And is there a way to date these?

 

 

 

[CharlieB]

I owned a Sonnet and I had no love for it. Parker 75s on the other hand, I have grown to love, I own four now and would like to own more.

 

I've owned one of each, and like Bill, I did not like the Sonnet, but I loved the 75.

[CharlieB]

Nice comparative review there, TMann. I have to say that the solid nature of the ol' 75 pulls me in every time. I really like the Cisele pattern, too. The only thing is that I find the 75 a little thin for me... Pilot has a Custom variation in a sterling silver Cisele pattern that's a little thicker. I'll try to put together a comparative review of the two at some point, for reference.

 

Is Pilot still making the Custom with the silver Cisele pattern? I haven't seen them for sale in the last few years.

[456123]

I dare say vintage Parkers are of higher quality than the moderns. That Parker 75 Cisele of your's is a real looker. Nice review.

 

"Parker 75s come in a host of trim lines, from the classic "Ciselé," the silver cross-hatched version that's what most collectors probably picture when they hear the words "Parker 75," all the way to rare prototypes or limited editions that contain things like silver recovered from a Spanish galleon or even moon dust" - http://parker75.com/

Edited September 25, 2008 by 456123

[fatehbajwa]

What's this about a nib adjustment? And is there a way to date these?

[pato]

I owned a Sonnet and I had no love for it. Parker 75s on the other hand, I have grown to love, I own four now and would like to own more.

 

I've owned one of each, and like Bill, I did not like the Sonnet, but I loved the 75.

 

I've used a Parker 75 Cisele since the seventies and owned a Sonnet Cisele a few years ago with.

I also didn't like the Sonnet (ink flow is very bad) and still use the 75, it 's great.

 

[Robert Hughes]

I've seen 5 Sonnets in the past year, still have three. All but one have worked perfectly for me, the one just needed a washing out and a nib tweak to wet it, then it worked great. Sonnets can tend to be a little "tight", but that can be easily remedied.

 

The only unpleasant problem I've noticed that I haven't figured out yet is that one of the Sonnets tends to slowly leak into onto the section/feed interface if left in a horizontal storage over several days.

Edited January 7, 2009 by Robert Hughes

[alastair smith]

After losing my mother's Conway Stewart at grammar school (stolen) and my dove-grey P51 on a coach, I bought my first 75 Cisele with first a fine nib and now a medium italic in 1965, with the original flat end tassies and short-arrow clip (these can be aids to dating). It has ben my daily user since then. I love the triangular grip as it helps me get the nib on the paper at just the right angle; I readjust it now and again, as it can become slightly loose in the section if pushed hard. In the following two years or so the Cisele ball-point and pencil were issued and they travel together in their pouch in my Billingham shoulder bag. Although my hands are getting shaky it still manages to produce a fine script on a good day.

 

I like the 75 so much that I have recently bought two more Ciseles of later dates, a gold plated Insignia (never inked) and a green laque pen & pencil set. I have realised lately that the range is enormous and am hoping that I have not got the 'bug' as now on reduced income.

 

I was given an early Sonnet by my daughter sometime in the late 1980's I think: it is the one with the very narrow gold cap band. It is a mottled green, very handsome pen of robust constrction but I find it slightly heavy for everyday use. I made a mistake in having a broad italic nib fitted later, which is now too broad for my liking and should change it but they are expensive in the UK. I have just looked at the Sonnet again, the nib is marked 'S' which I suspect means 'Stub'; it produces an broad, undifferentated line which I find rather unpleasant....don't know why I changed it. It now just stays in the pen drawer, what a waste.

Edited January 8, 2009 by alastair smith

[Robert Hughes]

Love that avatar! Those are the coolest microscopes ever made. Are they yours?

 

Another view:

 

http://web.uvic.ca/ail/techniques/zeiss_universal.jpg

Edited January 9, 2009 by Robert Hughes

[alastair smith]

Love that avatar! Those are the coolest microscopes ever made. Are they yours?

 

Another view:

 

http://web.uvic.ca/ail/techniques/zeiss_universal.jpg

 

Dear Robert,

 

Thanks for the welcome. Yes, they are my Ultraphots, in fact, there is another just out of shot: the far one is set up for reflected, polarised light with a single epi-illumination nosepiece. The nearer is for transmitted/reflected polarised light with a five-hole nosepiece, fitted with Nikon/Zeiss (West) objectives; I have since added a 35mm Olympus PM6 camera to the camera port. The third has the fluorescent Mk4 head, as on your Universal and a Phase/DIC condenser and four Neofluor objectives; sadly, I cannot afford the DIC analysers which I see advertised. This one is also fitted for polarising light. I also have two Photoscope I's in various stages of repair, as I tend to swap things around. As you can guess from the specs, most of the things I look at are small-particles but I'm trying to explore my way into things biological, now that I'm retired and have more time.

 

Best wishes, Alastair

[Ondina]

Mr. Smith, I've just PM'd you concerning the possibility of exchanging your Sonnet nib for my NIB M. I can ship it and you can test it t your pleasure if you like.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I had this Silver parker pen and pencil set sitting around in my Wife's jewelry box for 30 years...I am gad to find out it's a Parker 75.

 

Does any one know what the dial is for?

 

I live in Germany.

I'd inherited 8 other pens, one an Grey J Easterbrook(at the time I started looking at the pens, the only one I recognized), two pre lamy- black Artus, a black Osmia,..an Osmia AW Farber-Castell and a couple of pretty no names, one with a 14 K nib and the other a gold plated nib.

 

Now my problem is I will have to learn to write...hen scratch don't count. I ran out and bought some Royal Blue Pelican Ink. When I was a child in the 50/60's. Pelican ink and Pelican pens were cheap because of the high dollar. Now---I find out they were very good pens....and I did not buy any.

 

One lives and one learns...but why so often, and so often too late?

Edited April 12, 2009 by Bo Bo Olson

[minhhich]

I love the way your sonnet writes. Well done.

[drmom777]

Thanks for the nice review. I also have both a Sonnet and a 75. My 75 is a cisele, and the Sonnet is also sterling but it has a different pattern- I think they called it the barley pattern or something. Both have XF nibs. My sonnet has always behaved admirably, the 75 has been to Parker in Janesville more than any other pen I own. Unlike yours, the ring on the section on mine is not silver but gold plated brass, and the plating will not stay on it. I used to send it in every six months to get a new ring, but they just kept putting on a new copy of the same thing and it happened again.

 

Finally I gave up, so now the pen writes great, the nib is smooth and gives a nice crisp XF line, but it sure is ugly with that chipping gold ring right next to it. And noiw it seems that Parker has turned their back on that lifetime warranty anyway, so there isn't much to do about it.

[fabrimedeiros]

Cisele pattern is one the most beautiful I've ever seen on a FP. I want to purchase a Sonnet Cisele Sterling Silver, but what make me think twice is its bad rap about dry flow. I'm used to

write with my Pelikans, which have a nice wet flow and I love it.

[georges zaslavsky]

very nice comparison thanks for sharing

[flodoc]

I have a 75 which was sold by the eBay seller as a "Sonnet 750", and for which I paid $19.99. It is matte black with gold trim, made in France. If anyone knows where I might get a replacement nib (medium, broad, or stub), let me know. What's this about a nib adjustment? And is there a way to date these?

 

The Parker 75 nib is designed to rotate within the section to allow the writer to adjust the nib's relationship to the gripping serrations on the section of both the early triangular section and the later round section. Early 75s had a nib adjusting tool to facilitate this adjustment without getting inky fingers when the pen was inked. Most of these tools end up getting lost. I have a dish tassie cisele that is NOS with outer sleeve, inner box, manual, price tag, original cartridge and nib adjustment tool. It is one of the few pens I own that I have not inked (I have 60 other 75s so not inking one is no big deal).

 

As far as dating 75s, there is a date code on the cap ring of most 75s. Go to www.parker75.com to find the codes and corresponding year and quarter of manufacture.

[flodoc]

Yes! I remember the 75!... I also remember abandoning it because silver tarnish stains the shirt!

 

There is a myriad of 75s in lacquered brass from lapis blue to mottled red to brown to green, some with gold caps, some with cabochons, plus gold and silver plated pens in many patterns. Go to www.parker75.com to see the great variety.

[pecidan]

Parker Sonnet silver plated was my very first fountain pen.

A great pen, stil love it very much.

[ac12]

How is the balance of the Sonnet with the cap posted?

I've tried some FP with largish caps and they become too end heavy when you post the cap.