Parker Ellipse?

[beboy]

Hello,

 

I am fascinated with Parker Ellipse. It's design is so... strange and uncommon, yet very interesting. I read one or two review about it but I was wondering what enthusiast Parker users were thinking about that pen. Is it a reliable and pleasant writer or just a curiosity to own?

 

 

[Eccles]

I too like the design and have a FP in all 3 colours; in the blue, my favourite, I've managed to collect the RB, MP & BP as well, to give the full set.

They're not as great to use as the P75 or P51, but they're OK... an 'adequate' writing instrument, similar to the Sonnet, with firm modern style nib... certainly more than a 'curiosity.'

Overall, they're not all that popular, it seems, hence their short production life.

They used to go for fairly reasonable prices circa US$100, but the few I've seen of late have been optimistically in the upper US$200s to mid-US$300s. I don't think they sell at that level.

I hope you find one and enjoy it.

Glenn.

[beboy]

I too like the design and have a FP in all 3 colours; in the blue, my favourite, I've managed to collect the RB, MP & BP as well, to give the full set.

They're not as great to use as the P75 or P51, but they're OK... an 'adequate' writing instrument, similar to the Sonnet, with firm modern style nib... certainly more than a 'curiosity.'

Overall, they're not all that popular, it seems, hence their short production life.

They used to go for fairly reasonable prices circa US$100, but the few I've seen of late have been optimistically in the upper US$200s to mid-US$300s. I don't think they sell at that level.

I hope you find one and enjoy it.

Glenn.

Well, at $300 I may wait if it's only an adequate writer, unless I find a bargain...

[Eccles]

No arguments there! Looks are only part of the equation.

 

They sometimes come up in the Classifieds here at sensible prices; try a search for more info. Last one I saw had a series of price reductions to a point at which, had I a colour/nib gap to fill, I would have been tempted; I seriously thought it should sell, but I don't know the outcome.

 

I guess that's an indication of their lower popularity in the collector population; nevertheless, http://www.parkerpens.net/ellipse.html considers it 'collectable' and comments on it being hard to find. It is probably that rarity which encourages some sellers to ask inflated prices.

 

Happy hunting.

Glenn.

[FLZapped]

It is a fairly large heavy pen. The nib design gives feedback that you can feel. The cap is a click-lock design.

 

Mine wants to skip on certain strokes. Haven't figured out why yet.

 

-Bruce

[icardoth]

I have one in blue. I've bought it NOS. It's a big, heavy pen. Out of the box it was scratchy and dry, but after some nib tuning it's now one of my best writers. Smooth as silk, fine-to-medium nib and not dry nor wet. A pleasure to write with.

[TheRedBeard]

After reading some feedbacks and useful advices here at FPN, I've eventually bought Parker Ellipse FP Dark Blue Lacquer in NOS condition.

It is a marvellous pen, and I like it a lot.

Of course, it has a rather unusual look for Parker, but it is great.

And very nicely heavy and well-balanced, too...

[thx1138]

Another great Parker.

Taken in direct sunlight to bring out the colours. 

[TheRedBeard]

8 hours ago, thx1138 said:

Another great Parker.

Taken in direct sunlight to bring out the colours. 

 

Oh, you have got a "Full set" of Ellipse - great collection

And the photo is very good, too. Normally, blue one looks like blue-green.

The red Ellipse is just gorgeous! 

[TheRedBeard]

8 hours ago, thx1138 said:

Another great Parker.

Taken in direct sunlight to bring out the colours. 

... ah, and your Parker 105s in bark finish are great , too

I'm still trying to find P105 in that finish in perfect condition... 

 

[thx1138]

4 hours ago, TheRedBeard said:

... ah, and your Parker 105s in bark finish are great , too

I'm still trying to find P105 in that finish in perfect condition... 

 

 

They are available but come with a large price tag. Two of the gold are FP and two are BP. Both flighters are FP. All of the FP wrote perfectly on arrival.

[TheRedBeard]

12 minutes ago, thx1138 said:

 

They are available but come with a large price tag. Two of the gold are FP and two are BP. Both flighters are FP. All of the FP wrote perfectly on arrival.

Yes, I know... but even at high price its availability, say, on eBay is pretty scarce... 

 

However, this year, hopefully, we will have two LPS and there should be a chance to find something nice.   

[TheRedBeard]

I have eventually managed to find and buy Parker Ellipse FP in Red finish - it looks soooo great  

[TheRedBeard]

Well... It seems now I have a possible clue why Ellipse was discontinued so quickly...

 

I bought my first one (blue-green, NOS, uninked)about half-a-year ago, and I liked its look and feel very much.

I still like the look of this pen, but after testing it for a few days recently, I found it the most disappointing Parker pen I ever used or tried...

 

First and biggest drawback I found is a "strange" feeder's part below the nib, which is too think and "bloated" . 

If you normally prefer to hold a pen at a very acute angle towards paper (say, at 30 degrees) the Ellipse will fail to write because that strange feeder's part will become an obstacle and the nib will not touch paper surface. 

I find it as a serious design flaw.

 

Second, while the pen is quite long (marginally longer than P51) it has a longer section and a shorter that makes it very inconvenient writing instrument if  you use it unposted and hold quite high, close to the clutch ring. 

 

One may not find the above issues to be a problem if he/she holds the pen lower on the section at a less acute angle (45 Degrees+) and uses it posted. 

 

The third issue is a nib - I find it very dry and occasionally skipping. Though I should admit that I might be just unlucky to have a "bad" nib...

 

Drawbacks 1 and 2  I mentioned above made me thinking that Ellipse was developed not by in-house Parker designers but someone else commissioned to develop something exciting with a brand new and unusual look. 

 

And I have no doubts that both those drawbacks caused significant number of pen returns  from disappointed customers.

 

So, I will no longer use Ellipse for writing  but nevertheless will keep it in my Parker collection...