Parker Jotter Fountain Pen Review UPDATE!!!

[lisa]

QUOTE (antigone @ Mar 7 2007, 08:22 PM)

Yes, most schools require FPs for first graders here too, though not everywhere anymore. They say the kids'd make a mess and should use pencils for learning how to write... (I guess I should thank heavens I never choked on an ink cartridge in grade 1). Anyway, you can buy FPs in several shops in Germany, but not in bookstores. Now that you mentioned it I think that fountain pens would go really good with books... and we're selling quite a few kinds of pencils and ballpoint pens. Do dutch bookstores have a whole stationery aisle or is it just a board with pens next to the school books?

Depends on the bookstore, some have a separate stationary section, other less so.

I believe overhere the kids learn with pencil until they can properly hold a pen.

 

 

QUOTE

Yay, I have a new home! I already moved in if you don't mind

I've put some cottonwool in my pencase so you can sleep comfortable tonight.

[FrankB]

The first fountain I ever bought with my own money was a Pelikan M-400 that I got in (then) West Berlin while I was stationed there. I have remembered all these years that I got it in a bookstore. Maybe it was a stationery shop. The store had a display window with Pelikan pens, stationery and books. I definitely recall the books. Do stationery shops in Germany sell books?

 

"Middle age don't have nothin' to do with a bad memory It's havin' all that stupid stuff to remember that causes a bad memory!"

[antigone]

QUOTE (FrankB @ Mar 7 2007, 10:44 PM)

The first fountain I ever bought with my own money was a Pelikan M-400 that I got in (then) West Berlin while I was stationed there. I have remembered all these years that I got it in a bookstore. Maybe it was a stationery shop. The store had a display window with Pelikan pens, stationery and books. I definitely recall the books. Do stationery shops in Germany sell books?

Uhh... its like everyone sells books in Germany, so I cant tell if you were in a stationery store that sold books or in a bookstore that sold stationery. Maybe its only recently that bookstores don't sell FPs anymore (I have to admit I'm too young to remember a 'West'-Berlin properly). I think it has been a while since US troops were stationed in Berlin, but I may be wrong there, other US bases stayed until, like, last year.

 

I revise my statement - there are no german bookstores I haver ever seen or heard of that sell fountain pens. Maybe it has become too unprofitable to sell consultation-intensive products when less and less people use them and you can't balance expenses by raising book prices? I don't know, I'll ask my coworker on saturday.

[lefty928]

So, are most Kultur fine points scratchier than the Phileas F's? I was just about to buy one, as I like my Phileas a lot.

[lisa]

QUOTE (lefty928 @ Mar 8 2007, 04:33 PM)

So, are most Kultur fine points scratchier than the Phileas F's? I was just about to buy one, as I like my Phileas a lot.

Oh yes. Or at least mine is A LOT scratchier than my Phileas F. I like my Phileas F a lot, one of my favorite writers. The Kultur F is a finer F, which doesn't matter much, but the scratchyness annoys me when I use it on lesser quality paper, catching the fibers and such. And the tines are aligned as far as I can tell.

From what I've read from other people with the Kultur F I got the feeling their pen doesn't differ much from mine.

[Bernie0104]

My first fountain pen, when I rediscovered fountain pens about a year ago, was a Parker Jotter with a brushed stainless steel barrel and cap (a "flighter" I suppose). From the sound of your review you aren't terribly impressed but I think mine is just great. When it was my main pen for a week or two recently I found myself really enjoying it.

 

The steel cap blends beautifully with the steel body and the fit is spot on. It closes with a neat "snick". Definitely it needs to be posted because it is quite small, but it posts very well. The M nib in mine is smooth and the line is quite even with a hint of flex. I hardly use the pen these days but occasionally pick it up to address large coarse envelopes and such. It always writes first time. Mine would be a great starter pen for a child or anyone with smaller hands. It would also be a useful pen for a filofax or something similar. It sounds to me like the stainless steel barrel is the way to go with this pen.

 

Yes, I totally agree here!

 

I own a Jotter FP (Flighter version), and find that it is a great little fountain pen! Mine is honestly a more reliable writer than either of my Parker Sonnets, one of which is an 18K gold nibbed version (which has already had two nib replacements and still ain't right).

 

Funnily enough, I had absent-mindedly left mine in a pen pot at work for around three months, unused, but loaded with a Quink blue cartridge. A workmate was looking to borrow a pen the other day and picked up the Jotter. "Ah, a good old fountain pen" he said and proceeded to write with the thing. To my surprise, it wrote first time - even after all that time in the pen pot, unloved and unused! Yeah, they're good pens - cheap and cheerful, but reliable as hell. Mine writes VERY smoothly, on the broad side of medium. I'd say go for the flighter though... it's much nicer than the plastic barrelled versions.

 

Bernie.

 

[brutalbassman]

Ah, my first ever FP. I think reliable is an understatement. I'd put it in a drawer and forgotten about it for years, with a blue quink cartridge in it. Rediscovered it when I came to grad school, and it worked on the first try! I hardly use it, but it's excellent for what it is... a very cheap FP.

 

oh the days when office depot would carry them

[lisa]

I must admit I've warmed up to it. It still feels and looks cheap but it's a reliable writer.

[GirchyGirchy]

I currently own three of these pens, and don't think they're that bad. They certainly don't really feel like a quality pen, but hey, they're cheap. I have two plastic examples in white and black, both with fine nibs, and a Flighter with a medium that I got from DWL. The latter is the nicest of the trio, with a buttery nib, but the other two aren't bad either. They lay down a nice line without being scratchy or to either end of the wet/dry scale. Just a decent, cheap pen.

[kissing]

I just got myself a stainless flighter Jotter. Very happy with it, though I shall make two points that will make some of the contraversy in this topic make sense

 

 

1. The nib is exactly none other than a VECTOR NIB . Pull out a Jotter nib, and shove it in a Vector with no nib, and vice versa. They're the same thing (note Vector nib = Reflex nib = Jotter nib)

 

2. I have owned so far three Vectors, and now this Parker Jotter. All of them are skippy and not at their best with Parker Quink (esp. the blues!). Try different ink, such as Waterman or even Noodlers You'll see a dramatic improvement.

 

 

Nevertheless, where I am in Australia, the Jotter Flighters are a great purchase (here, Frontiers cost WAY more than Jotters, so the difference in quality is more apparent compared to cost )

 

The pen that got me interested in fountain pens was the Jotter flighter rollerball - so purchasing a Jotter flighter fountain pen is quite a sentimental and nostalgic experience for me

 

They seem to be Parker's answer to inexpensive, mass produced fountain pens for people who are not necessarily big spenders on pens. My Jotter flighter is currently my special "take with me everywhere" pen. I love its sleekness and compactness, as a Jotter should be.

[extrafine]

One of my first FPs was a jotter. Used it in elementary school, and am still fond of it. So fond of it that I'd taken to leaving it safely at home.

 

I eventually located another one via eBay. Also a great writer. I've seen $100 pens that write way worse. My only issue with it is that I've outgrown it: my fingers have gotten bigger since elementary school, and now it's painful to write with it for a long period of time. I found a very cheap Frontier on eBay and bought it out of curiosity. I find it rather nice: a bit like a "grown-up" Jotter. The Frontier is now (fortunately in fine point - the medium seems to be HUGE) the pen I use if I'm afraid of loss for whatever reason: I figure I can easily afford another one, but it's still a very decent pen. The worst I could say about it is that it occasionally skips in a very minor way on extremely smooth papers (like Clairefontaine). It does a very nice job on horrible papers like what comes out of the copier. It's the kind of pen that puts some of the "higher-end" products to shame, I think.

 

On a tangent, another favourite is the Rotring ArtPen EF. Cost me approximately $20. That took me through most of university and is still often in use. I cut off the long tail (and melted the plastic shut, then smoothed it round) so that the cap would post - otherwise, it was at risk of rolling off the desk all the time. Makes a fine writing pen if you ask me.

[ecarag]

Unexpectately I got a parker Jotter FP today. I had a spare parker converter lying around, so I thought I might as well try it out and write a review about it.

I've done the ritual cleaning of flushing it with soapy water and rinsing it first just to make sure I got the optimal performance out of it. I filled it with Parker Quink washable blue ink.

 

Looks and feel

It has a red plastic barrel and a black plastic section, a stainless steel nib and cap.

It feels very light and very cheap. Uncapped it also looks cheap. Capped it's still very light. I don't like posting my pens, even the lightweight ones, but this one feels better posted.

 

http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/4117/dsc00037mi4.jpg

 

The pen is very slim and sometimes uncomfortable to hold because of that, even with my small hands.

 

 

The nib

As said, stainless steel, mine says it's an F on the feed. But it writes closer to an M, very close to an M. It was scratchy when I got it but I adjusted the tines a bit because I had the feeling they were misaligned. It's better now. No longer scratchy but toothy allright! It has problems starting up and with downstrokes. Maby it needs some break in. But remember I already flushed with soapy water.

 

UPDATE

When the person that gave me the pen heard about the troublesome nib she offered to go back to the shop for me. They just had a shipment of new Jotters in and she tried some and brought me a new, this time black, Jotter. This one has a smoother nib, not anything amazing but definitely better than the previous one and doesn't seem to have the starter or downstroke problems. It does make a strange clicking noise sometimes. I think the feed might be a bit loose in the section or something like that. But it writes pretty decent.

 

Conclusion

I give it a 6 minus out of 10. And at least one point of that 6 minus is for the nice stainless steel cap. Can't see any faults in that.

 

UPDATE

I now give it a fat 6 out of 10, for the fact that it is a working pen. But it still feels cheap and my friend had to try out a few pens at the store before she found one that was satisfactory. The first pen she tried was writing way too wet. That makes QC for this pen poor.(BTW, read the update post below if you want to know what happens when a person who knows nothing about FPs, except that she can use them right, tries to exchange a faulty pen in a store where the nice sales people know nothing about FPs.)

 

 

Otherwise it's a rather cheap plastic, that's far too lighweight, pen with a nib that I wouldn't write home about. Maybe my impression of the pen will be more positive when I've used it some more. If that is the case I'll update this review.

see the updates above

 

If you're looking for a cheap everyday writer where looks don't matter, I suggest that you look in the direction of the ever so slightly but still very cheap Parker Frontier. Or Pelikan Pelikano or the Waterman Kultur (even though I normally wouldn't recomment the Kultur with a fine nib because it's rather scratchy, but at least it writes flawlessly! From what I've read, a Kultur M is smooth and that would make that pen a very, very nice cheapy!)

All the above mentioned pens feel much sturdier and are far more reliable, and hardly cost that much more.

 

I'd like to add that where the Jotter ballpoint excells the Jotter FP fails. The ballpoint is a cheap reliable sturdy pen that looks and feels like it will last you years and years even with regular mild abuse. I don't get that feeling with the FP version of the Jotter.

 

Note! The picture is made with a camaraphone that makes everything look greenish. So please don't think that Quink washable blue looks like that.

 

Note2! To the Dutch folk. I know there is a spelling error in my written text. I've written it fast and forgot a letter.

 

UPDATE Note3! I've added a pic of the black one in the box it came in.

 

 

This pen is the Parker 15 fountian pen my dad got me around 15 years ago. My cousin still has one but since it ain't ming... I actually bought one a few months ago since I lost my first. I'd say this pen writes better than the Vector (plastic or Flighter). It has always been better than the Vector. The newer "Jotter" version feels somewhat "cheaper" compared to the original 15's. But still, the nib feels the same. "It has problems starting up and with downstrokes," you said. I agree with you. But for "The pen is very slim and sometimes uncomfortable to hold because of that, even with my small hands," well it is better than the Vector at the same price point. Better than the I.M. Or the newer Esprit. Basically because of its more slanted grip. I might say that the "6" rating doesn't give this pen justice given that it is at a budget/school pen. It does give the Vector a run for its money. Though I might say that QC with the newer ones isn't that good.

[mr T.]

The newer "Jotter" version feels somewhat "cheaper" compared to the original 15's. But still, the nib feels the same. "It has problems starting up and with downstrokes," you said. I agree with you. But for "The pen is very slim and sometimes uncomfortable to hold because of that, even with my small hands," well it is better than the Vector at the same price point. Better than the I.M. Or the newer Esprit. Basically because of its more slanted grip

 

The 'original' 15 and the Jotter fp are the same. The Jotter, Vector and the I.M. have the same feeds and nibs fitted, so the differences may have only to do with grip. I noticed that recently produced pens (look at the cap for an indication when the pen was made) are not always made that well. I had lots of troubles with an I.M. that had problems with starting up and with downstrokes too (and other problems with ink flow). The solution for these problems was to take the nib and feed out and clean them with washing up liquid and water. Also noticed that there were some small irregulaties on the feed at places where the ink has to flow. Cleaned/repaired at with a small knife and don't have any problems anymore with the I.M. Maybe the recently produced Jotters and Vectors do have the same sort of quality problems. It seems as if quality control at Parker UK is not as good as it was.

[diplomat]

Parker school nib are just so different in quality! I was in London recently and purchased two vectors, a jotter, a profile (i.m.) and a frontier.

Three of them share the same kind of nib, but one is completely unusable, the other makes some spot in writing and the third is just ok. It's a pity. School guys will turn to ballpoint if they have bad luck with nibs!

 

I agree with the review. Jotters are so thin and plastic you are frightening it will break by using it. I would advise to turn - in the same price category - towards a Parker Profile (or I.M.). A far much more reliable writer.

[lisa]

I changed my opinion or at least want to add to my previous thoughts.

 

Having had and used this pen for a long period of time now I can say that I'm still not happy with the slim design BUT I think I was wrong about the sturdyness. Although it is simple and plastic and feels cheap it is sturdier than what I thought at first. The plastic seems to be thick where it needs to be.

 

Another plus point that you only notice with long term use is that it writes without trouble even when you haven't used it for quite a while. The cap seems to seal off the nib pretty good. And with the pen being small with small nib there is no noticible drying out over longer times. Although the ink does get darker, but you can't expect miracles.

 

I needed a small pen and decided to give the Jotter another shot. So this time I got the flighter version. Again from a local shop so if there is something the matter with it I can easily exchange. Got an F nib again that writes twice as broad and quite wet. I like the nib on the other one better but this one is OK too.

 

So I'm still not too happy about the QC though. This pen works straight out of the box but you could have fooled me that they were both supposed to have an F nib. Also because half of the plastic Jotters they had in the store didn't have a chrome ring in between the section and barrel. I got a ring from another pen on my stainless steel one even though I don't think it belongs there, but the guy in the store was happy to switch them with another pen. The ring fits pretty tight so I don't think it fell off half of the pens in the store.

Once at home I put the ring on my old plastic Jotter taht didn't have one before and it looks a lot better now.

 

But the upside is that I believe that once you've got a decent one you do get a pen that will last you just as long as any other budget pen. And writes even after you haven't used it for a week or two (I haven't counted, could even be longer)

 

So if it wasn't for QC I would give this little pen a 7 (maybe 7.5) out of 10 for the prize.

 

I'd still recommend a Pelikano over a Jotter any day. But if you need a small pen, the Jotter flighter isn't such a bad choice afterall.

Edited October 29, 2007 by lisa

[lisa]

I TAKE IT BACK!!!

 

Well not about the durability, but this one skips too and is just as bad as the first one I got. After half a page it's horrible to write with. It seems more like this is standars instead of a quality controll issue. :hmm1: So if you happen to get a good one great but don't risk it unless you've got a good shop that lets you exchange it when you're not satified.

[Dima]

Thank you for the review. I want to try this pen too. I liked its small size and small size, which make it the pen that can be taken everywhere without being afraid to break it or to lose. I have the Flighter version, but I don't like it, maybe because of metal it is made of. I want to get a black plastic one, but I didn't find any place which sells this pen. If I'll not find it in local stores, I'll order one on eBay.

 

I have Vector and Frontier. Frontier was the first pen non old Soviet pen I used. I didn't like fat writing of medium nib (when I bought it I didn't know anything about nib sizes), but I used it two years during the studies and almost two years during army service. It suffered much from my experiments on it, but is still in usable condition. Vector was bought only for collection. I don't like holding its metal nib section while writing.

Edited January 18, 2008 by Dima

[Kabe]

My first pen, has a tendency to leak tiny amounts of ink, especially in hot climate.

[N1TR0X]

<!--coloro:#000000--><span style="color:#000000"><!--/coloro--><b><!--sizeo:4--><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo-->I TAKE IT BACK!!!<!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec--></b><!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->

 

Well not about the durability, but this one skips too and is just as bad as the first one I got. After half a page it's horrible to write with. It seems more like this is standars instead of a quality controll issue. <img src="https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/hmm1.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":hmm1:" border="0" alt="hmm1.gif" /> So if you happen to get a good one great but don't risk it unless you've got a good shop that lets you exchange it when you're not satified.

try it out with florida blue waterman ink it will write very wet

[frolland]

Nice review, Lisa. Thanks.

 

I have not tried one of these pens, and now I won't bother. I do like to experiment with inexpensive pens because some of them can be quite nice. But if I must recommend a "cheapy" to someone, I will invariably turn to the Pelikano and the Pelikano Junior. After the Parker 45, I have yet to find an inexpensive Parker that I like.

JOTTER DISASSEMBLY:

I totally agree with you Frank.. But the Parker Jotter writes very nicely and I found its very easy to clean, and I did not find anywhere how you would disassemble a Jotter for cleaning. Actually it is quite easy , because the nib is inserted by friction into the section as many other Parker pens (Vector, Sonnet). So it is very easy to take apart the feed and the nib from the section to clean the pen thoroughly after use. Just use felted pliers and pull with care. The nib and feed will come out together from the section. I wrote this because i did not find any disassembly instructions in all the posts in regards to this pen. Please see the picture of a St.Steel Jotter disassembled below:

 

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7455/12674996784_f6a0351f4f_c.jpg

 

So, the Jotter can be disassembled just like the Parker 45( a little more difficult) for cleaning and nib changing. (Although it is a cheap pen and you can simply buy another pen if you need to change the nib). I found, like other members, that this pen writes quite smoothly!

FER

Edited February 21, 2014 by frolland