Parker Sonnet 18K Nib Review

[faf]

This is a review of the older Parker sonnet 18k medium nib (1994).

 

 

To begin, I need to say that this pen, even if it is almost 20 years old, works perfectly! I am not the first owner of the pen but I can imagine that this pen is very durable and consistant through the years. The nib and feed unscrews very easily for cleaning which is very gret. One more thing before I begin : IT IS VERY WELL MADE.... I mean, all the parts very precisely fits in place, we can feel a certain quality.

 

 

The look : To be honest, I really like this pen, it is very classy, very beautiful, although it is simple. The finish is pretty shiny and according to me, the dimensions of this pen are just perfect : does not look too slim, too big, to short etc.

 

 

The nib : This is my favorite part of this pen. 18 k solid gold nib : quite flexible, sprigny and gives a good feedback. Not scratchy at all as you could expect from a pen like this one. In addition to this, it is beautiful with the small engravings and enough details. VERY pleasant to write with.

 

 

The ink flow: My Sonnet is pretty wet I would say, not too wet but just how I like a pen to be. The flow keeps up very well. On the other side, there is one thing I really need to mention : when the nib flex, the ink flow, sometimes does not keep up, so it tends to RAILROAD which can be a litte bit disappointing sometimes.

 

 

Weight and balance : The Sonnet, which weights about 27 g, is perfectly balanced and is very comfortable for long time writing. I personally like to use it posted. You don't have to worry about this aspect of the pen !

 

 

Finally, I would recommend this pen for everyone ! In my opinion, it is a very good pen that suits all my daily needs in terms of writing. Then it always depends of how much you pay for it... But if you can get it for cheap ( like me ) get it! I'm not saying that it is a bad thing to buy it at full price (the new version which is a little bit different) but in this category there is a lot of great pens too... But I hope this review will help to make a choice !

 

Sincerely, FAF

 

***** Please know that english is not my first lenguage and I am quite new to the fountain pen world... I don't know everything. But I am very open to all yours comments !

[Montblanc owner and lover]

Very glad to be the first to say that it is a nice review,nicely done,of a nice pen,and....it's nice

[Fountainer]

No need to apologize, you are totally welcome. One Sonnet user here too. I have the flagship model, silver fougere with 18 K medium nib. I am more critical, but i should be because my pen didn't work perfectly from the box and still even though it works well after my tinkering, there is not full trust in my mind. I think it's because of the railroading you mentioned. Or what ever it's called. It skips at high speed unlike my cheaper pens such as Parker Frontier. I think the nib may just be too thin, the amount of ink traveling between tines can't be vast. They probably wanted to make the nib quite flexible, that's why it's thin.

 

I kind of like small pens, they go well between my calendar and are somewhat handy and pretty like a jewel. But i have big hands and i'm a male so i can't avoid a thought of getting some another good pen which would be bigger. Not to replace Sonnet completely but more like as a partner for it. Having things that my Sonnet doesn't have: threaded cap, piston filler and coloured body, such as green marble. I often think that this silver Sonnet is a bit too feminine for me. If i had a wife i'd give it to her and get a bigger pen for me with stronger clip and everything bold but yes Sonnet is pretty well designed with it's cap action, nib removal, post capping option and all. I guess i'm satisfied.

[welch]

Faf: your English is far better than my French!

 

I had not written regularly with a fountain pen since about 1970, but I could not hold a ballpoint after too many years using a mouse and keyboard. Tried a (NOS) Sonnet Mark I -- same vintage as yours -- and found that I could write again. I bought a couple of extra nibs -- a medium steel from the great Art Brown's International Penshop, and a gold from the wonderful Jean-Michel Lewertowski.

 

The original poster is right: good balance, whether posted or not. Smooth nib, and handy that the nibs can be changed so easily.

 

I became fanatic about the Parker 51, but my original Sonnet is always near, in the coffee-mug of pens I tend to use often. One advantage of having too many fountain pens is that I can fill with different inks and switch shades to mark a different topic or notes from a different meeting.

 

However, if you have a pen that suits you, that feels just right, don't go looking for another. ("Do as I say...not as I did".).

Edited November 16, 2013 by welch

[faf]

Very glad to be the first to say that it is a nice review,nicely done,of a nice pen,and....it's nice

thanks a lot for your comments !!

 

No need to apologize, you are totally welcome. One Sonnet user here too. I have the flagship model, silver fougere with 18 K medium nib. I am more critical, but i should be because my pen didn't work perfectly from the box and still even though it works well after my tinkering, there is not full trust in my mind. I think it's because of the railroading you mentioned. Or what ever it's called. It skips at high speed unlike my cheaper pens such as Parker Frontier. I think the nib may just be too thin, the amount of ink traveling between tines can't be vast. They probably wanted to make the nib quite flexible, that's why it's thin.

 

I kind of like small pens, they go well between my calendar and are somewhat handy and pretty like a jewel. But i have big hands and i'm a male so i can't avoid a thought of getting some another good pen which would be bigger. Not to replace Sonnet completely but more like as a partner for it. Having things that my Sonnet doesn't have: threaded cap, piston filler and coloured body, such as green marble. I often think that this silver Sonnet is a bit too feminine for me. If i had a wife i'd give it to her and get a bigger pen for me with stronger clip and everything bold but yes Sonnet is pretty well designed with it's cap action, nib removal, post capping option and all. I guess i'm satisfied.

 

Yes, good point ! you must be right about the cause of the flow issues ! It totally makes sense to me because the nib is very thin... It makes it flexible but that's not really a good thing since the ink flow does not keep up.... I would prefer a less flexible nib with a better ink flow ! But I use my sonnet almost everyday anyway so it does not bother me that much .

Faf: your English is far better than my French!

 

I had not written regularly with a fountain pen since about 1970, but I could not hold a ballpoint after too many years using a mouse and keyboard. Tried a (NOS) Sonnet Mark I -- same vintage as yours -- and found that I could write again. I bought a couple of extra nibs -- a medium steel from the great Art Brown's International Penshop, and a gold from the wonderful Jean-Michel Lewertowski.

 

The original poster is right: good balance, whether posted or not. Smooth nib, and handy that the nibs can be changed so easily.

 

I became fanatic about the Parker 51, but my original Sonnet is always near, in the coffee-mug of pens I tend to use often. One advantage of having too many fountain pens is that I can fill with different inks and switch shades to mark a different topic or notes from a different meeting.

 

However, if you have a pen that suits you, that feels just right, don't go looking for another. ("Do as I say...not as I did".).

Thanks a lot for your comment ! and i consider buying a steel OB nib for my sonnet ? have you tried it ?

 

And thanks for your advice, but I think that I am already falling into the "collection" part of the fountain pens.... haha I guess there's nothing I can do about it... I like it too much

[breaker]

nice review and pics!

thanks!

[faf]

nice review and pics!

thanks!

thanks !

[Dr_P]

Faf thank you for the report.

 

I also have a Sonnet (since 2010) in chocolate/brown color with gold clip and nib. My wife gave it to me as a birthday present. However, it never occurred to me to disassemble it to clean it (though it could be a good idea).

 

Can you give me some hints on how to disassemble it, please?

 

Thank you

[faf]

Faf thank you for the report.

 

I also have a Sonnet (since 2010) in chocolate/brown color with gold clip and nib. My wife gave it to me as a birthday present. However, it never occurred to me to disassemble it to clean it (though it could be a good idea).

 

Can you give me some hints on how to disassemble it, please?

 

Thank you

 

Hi Dr_P,

 

To dissemble the nib you need to unscrew it ( with the feed ). It is very easy : take the ink and the converter out, and turn the nib counterclockwise very gently ! It is supposed to unscrew very easily.

 

I hope it is helpful !

please let me know if it worked !

[Fountainer]

 

Can you give me some hints on how to disassemble it, please?

 

Thank you

The nib is attached to the feed from it's sides. Fear not to take it apart too if you want to make sure there are no clogs in the ink channel or want to make adjustments to the nib. You need to bend up the attached point with a small flat screwdriver maybe. The gold is flexible and behaves well in this operation.

Edited November 18, 2013 by Fountainer

[faf]

But is there anybody who have an idea of a way to get rid of the railroading ??? Maybe it is very hard in that case but it would be nice to have the opinion of others !

[Dr_P]

 

 

To dissemble the nib you need to unscrew it ( with the feed ). It is very easy : take the ink and the converter out, and turn the nib counterclockwise very gently ! It is supposed to unscrew very easily.

 

I hope it is helpful !

please let me know if it worked !

 

Merci beaucoup! Il me reste seulement trouver le courage pour le faire

[Dr_P]

... Fear not to take it apart too if you want to make sure there are no clogs in the ink channel ...

 

Thank you Fountainer and Faf for your guidance. So far the pen is working well, but I know that eventually it would be good to disassemble it and clean it. Your instructions were very clear and helpful.

 

Thank you again.

[faf]

 

Merci beaucoup! Il me reste seulement trouver le courage pour le faire

 

Haha ! Tant qu'il n'y a pas de véritable problème n'y touche pas ! mais quand ça sera le temps tu sera comment faire

[faf]

Does anybody have an idea of how to get rid of the railroading ? Because I'm not sure it would be a great idea to touch to the feed since the pen is pretty wet already ?

[jameswatts]

I have a similar model -- I was shopping for a Parker 75 and the salesman said the Sonnet was replacing the 75. It was my daily user for years, and has never given me a moment's trouble. I never had any problems with railroading, but then I've always written with a very light hand -- and my Sonnet has such an excellent ink flow that it responded well.

 

In fact I may need to get it out of "retirement".....