What Makes Parker 51 So Great?

[WhoCares1537]

They did, sorta, it was the 100....It was expansive and didn't sell well, plus the nib construction was such that it couldn't be taken apart, so your only recourse was to send it back to Parker.....although Richard Binder eventually figured out a way to disassemble them.

Oh, well then that's just a little sad.

[inkstainedruth]

I think that the Parker 51 phenomenon occurs because the people that projected it didn't want to make something that was flashy and unusable. They wanted to make a pen that worked perfectly every time, with an understated elegance that important and serious people (like executives and other rich people, their main target at principle), who needed to ensure their reputation, would love. In short, this pen had (and has) a highly spread hype, and earned it by its beauty and quality. Still, i don't believe that it is the best pen in the world, far from that. The best pen in the world is the one that you feel you could write with forever, the one you feel is your twin soul. Ok, i admit that i exaggerated a little bit, but i think you got my train of thought. If you buy or test one (assuming that you pretend to do that), and think that it is your ideal pen, then congratulations. But if you think is just one more pen, you don't need to think that you are wrong, because it is your taste that matters for you, and nothing else.

 

PS: Sorry for my little monologue. I tend to speak as minimum as possible, but when somebody starts an topic about one of my interests, i lose control of my word filter .

Hah! For me "the best pen in the world", the one that 's my "twin soul" as you put it, might very well be one of my 51s (the other 51s are just really, really good writing instruments).

Why are 51s so iconic? They were designed to be functional. The streamlined look doesn't scream "I'm a vintage fountain pen" yet is classy and timeless. It's not flashy -- it's understated. But that hooded design is also there to solve a problem that the Parker Company saw -- it's not merely a cool looking pen, it serves a purpose.

Yes they were expensive pens in their day, when you could buy a low-end brand like Arnold for 89¢ US, and an Easterbrook for a buck and a quarter. But in today's money that is, as I understand it, the equivalent of buying a pen for $140-$150 or so. So, pricy but not exorbitant. And honestly, I didn't pay anything like that for any of mine. Half of them were in the mid-$50 range; the Plum Aero demi was around $72 with shipping, and then I sumgai'd a couple in the wild last fall (I still need to get a cap for the burgundy Aero, but having a cap for a Parker Frontier meant I paid $15 for the pen; even with a correct cap and repairs on the Cedar Blue 51 Vac made that one priced in line with the four I already had -- including the Plummer). Were they minty condition? No. Are they worth every dime I paid? I certainly think so.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Cryptos]

There were plenty of understated pre-war fountain pens. Plenty. I think what made the Parker 51 line so popular back in the day was the brilliance of the marketing behind it. It may be reasonable to guess that most people who buy one today do so for its historical connection and not its streamlined or understated nature. In my uneducated opinion I think they look primitive in terms of style, but that's because they are of their time. Today an understated potential icon could be something like the Conid bulkfiller. Understated but made with future technology and materials.

 

So making a 51 today, if made in the exact same way and dimensions as it was back then, would produce a pen with all the functionality and none of the inherited presence.

 

That's just what I think. I expect I am way off the mark, so please ignore if it offends.

[Joe in Seattle]

I tried one, didn't care for it and sold it. I have 2 P75's though and love 'em to bits!

 

As always a matter of taste.

[SockAddict]

There were plenty of understated pre-war fountain pens. Plenty. I think what made the Parker 51 line so popular back in the day was the brilliance of the marketing behind it. It may be reasonable to guess that most people who buy one today do so for its historical connection and not its streamlined or understated nature. In my uneducated opinion I think they look primitive in terms of style, but that's because they are of their time. Today an understated potential icon could be something like the Conid bulkfiller. Understated but made with future technology and materials.

 

So making a 51 today, if made in the exact same way and dimensions as it was back then, would produce a pen with all the functionality and none of the inherited presence.

 

That's just what I think. I expect I am way off the mark, so please ignore if it offends.

 

I agree. I don't think streamlined when I look at the 51, I think "round and puffy." But, as you said, it was a product of it's time. It was very streamlined in its day. I do think it holds an important part in Parker's development. I didn't want one until recently, when I laid my various Parkers out and saw that it was the link between the older rounded celluloids and the 60s+ era longer, sleeker metal plus plastic looks.

Edited January 21, 2015 by SockAddict

[carlos.q]

Like many FP related themes it's a matter of personal taste.

In my opinion it's a very well made pen for everyday writing. That said, I dislike that the nib is a nail and that flushing it to change inks is a PITA.

[Maxbliss888]

The Parker 51 is a good pen, easy to use and maintain and smooth to write!

[richardandtracy]

I have a few P51's. Fewer of them than my P61's, but I do have a few.

 

When I got my first - a black with custom cap - I thought that it wasn't really a big deal. The nib was worse than my P61's and it felt a bit fat. Anyway, after a month of trying it, I put it to one side.

And missed it a lot.

It isn't a pen that is flashy, or inspiring. But it is a pen that is the epitome of competence. It just works. Every time, without fuss or bother. That level of reliability is rare. And the P51 has it. Is it.

 

That's what makes the P51 so great.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

 

PS

I still think the P61 nibs were an improvement. My best P51 is one where I modified a P61 nib to fit.

[welch]

In addition to several explanations -- i agree with Richardandtracy, Pajaro, and several others:

 

- the P-51 was a design that set a standard for most other pen-makers as long as fountain pens were the main personal writing instrument. Nearly every big company made some type of hooded pen. The stream-lined style was that desirable. Note the Parker advertisement in Ocala Bruce's avatar: Parker compares the shape of its 51 to the P-51 Mustang. Down to the early '60s, Mont Blanc and Lamy were making hooded-nibbed pens.

 

- It was not just the shape. The hood covers an ink collector -- a buffer in computer terms -- that put ink on a page as soon as the nib touched down. It let the user pause for 30 minutes or more and continue writing without fiddling or shaking the pen. A shocking innovation in 1940.

 

- Parker simplified the filling system. The P-51 aerometric is like a cartridge / converter with a larger capacity. The filler says "press the rib bar five times" because each press drew more ink into the ink sac and the collector.

 

- The balance the perfect -- both in the earlier 51 Vacumatics and the aerometrics.

 

- The materials are tougher than whatever is used in most pens today, except, of course, for brass pens. Further, a design goal in the 51: any fountain pen should be light enough that its user could write for hours. Today, we might use a pen more like a jotter...we write a bit, we type a bit on a word processor...back and forth. A heavy pen is not considered a design flaw, but it was in the "golden age" of fountain pens. The Parker 51 is tough and light.

 

- By some fluke, the "pli-glass" sac made for the aerometric 51s does not seem to wear out. The sac might be sliced or punctured, but it is rare (maybe unknown?) for an aerometric sac to fail from normal use. A modern plastic converter usually has a rubberized end that fits a plastic nipple in the section. Pull the converter often, and the rubber will give way. Jam in the wrong format cartridge or converter? Good chance you will crack the nipple or the section. A Parker 51 might be 60 or 65 years old, but it is likely to work.

 

- A note on nibs: there is nothing magic about a 51 nib. If previous owners used the pen as a dart, or dropped it point-down, or wrote on bricks, the nib might well be destroyed. There is also a chance that the nib might have gradually conformed itself to the hand of its owner...develop a "foot". A ruined nib can be replaced, and an out-of-tune nib can be tuned. It took me a year of stumbling around Ebay to learn this, and to learn that "English" Parker 51 mediums feel perfect...to me, and assuming they've been tuned.

 

- Price? $100 (give or take $25) should get a working 51 with a tuned nib that you like. A few people on FPN make a habit of selling restored Parker 51s. Look for one of those, and you won't need many more fountain pens. These things last, as Pajaro said. I recently corresponded with someone selling a Parker 51 Special (the steel-nibbed "entry model"). He had bought the pen about 1953. They last.

 

- Style? If pens before the 51 were designed like a late-30s biplane (see Fairey Swordfish: http://www.fleetairarmarchive.net/aircraft/swordfish.htm), the Parker 51 was a P-51 Mustang (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_P-51_Mustang or a modern jet)

[inkstainedruth]

I have a few P51's. Fewer of them than my P61's, but I do have a few.

 

When I got my first - a black with custom cap - I thought that it wasn't really a big deal. The nib was worse than my P61's and it felt a bit fat. Anyway, after a month of trying it, I put it to one side.

And missed it a lot.

It isn't a pen that is flashy, or inspiring. But it is a pen that is the epitome of competence. It just works. Every time, without fuss or bother. That level of reliability is rare. And the P51 has it. Is it.

 

That's what makes the P51 so great.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

 

PS

I still think the P61 nibs were an improvement. My best P51 is one where I modified a P61 nib to fit.

That's an interesting perspective. I have a couple of 61s now, and while I have not had a chance to see how well (or even if) the capillary fillers really work as touted, I must say that I've gotten a tremendous amount of writing out of the first one (a DCSS purchase) just from flushing it enough to get the ink rehydrated and then writing with it until it dried out. And you know how long that continued, till I finally got to the point that the ink was too light to be legible -- and I flushed the thing out once and for all? Something like four months....

I do still prefer the size of the 51s in my hand. But those 61s impress the heck out of me (as does the ink capacity of my Vacumatics, especially the Major).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[inkstainedruth]

- Style? If pens before the 51 were designed like a late-30s biplane (see Fairey Swordfish: http://www.fleetairarmarchive.net/aircraft/swordfish.htm), the Parker 51 was a P-51 Mustang (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_P-51_Mustang or a modern jet)

What a great analogy!

When I was out in Seattle a year and a half ago, I got to go to the Museum of Flight. And had my husband take my picture of me in front of the P51 Mustang they had in the WWII Gallery. Holding, of course, my Plummer.

Just wish he was a better photographer....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[alexander_k]

I guess the 51 ticks quite a lot of boxes: image (good advertising helps), quality, aesthetics, engineering... It's one of the success stories in fountain pen history. Few have negative comments on the 51 (mostly about the nib) and many have something positive to say about it. By comparison, the 61 is one of the smoothest pens I've used but it's rather slender by comparison (the 51 fits perfectly in my hand), it's demanding (the capillary filler version) and the plastics used to make it are inferior to those of the 51. Even in comparison to my beloved Aurora 88s (piston fillers) the 51 manages to score well.

[welch]

I guess the 51 ticks quite a lot of boxes: image (good advertising helps), quality, aesthetics, engineering... It's one of the success stories in fountain pen history. Few have negative comments on the 51 (mostly about the nib) and many have something positive to say about it. By comparison, the 61 is one of the smoothest pens I've used but it's rather slender by comparison (the 51 fits perfectly in my hand), it's demanding (the capillary filler version) and the plastics used to make it are inferior to those of the 51. Even in comparison to my beloved Aurora 88s (piston fillers) the 51 manages to score well.

 

I just found (= dug out from my desk's debris) my Aurora 88P. It's a fine nib, which is touchy for me, but it looks and handles like a P-51 that has had a slight re-styling from whoever Enzo Ferrari used (Pinan Farina??).

 

The P-61 capillary is almost a perfect pen...no moving parts, and, I think, no liquid ink. Just that little problem that it is hard to flush without special tools...I think Parker Service used something that looks like a metal salad-spinner. Some people now use ear gizmoes to force water through the capillary tube. I also find the 61 a shade too slender, but probably would have found it perfect about 50 years ago.

[Matlock]

I think I can echo what others have said. I started using a Parker (Victory) in 1955 and this was in constant use untill I started work. Although still used at home I could not take the pen to work (Fountain Pens and Steam Locomotives do not make good bed fellows). I was allways envious of the pen our Chief Clerk used, a grey Parker 51 with a broken clip. His writing was superb and I dreamed of the day I could get a pen like that. Later, when I became a manager, I bought a Parker 61 and never found it fully to my liking (a little too thin?). One day I got hold of a very tatty 51 and I was hooked. I now have several 51s (but not the tatty one, I lost that) and my 1941 Vacumatic and my 1954 Aerometric are in constant use.

[welch]

What a great analogy!

When I was out in Seattle a year and a half ago, I got to go to the Museum of Flight. And had my husband take my picture of me in front of the P51 Mustang they had in the WWII Gallery. Holding, of course, my Plummer.

Just wish he was a better photographer....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

I am reminded of the P 51 Mustang / Parker 51 analogy every time I read something Ocala Bruce posts...it's in his avatar!

[welch]

I think I can echo what others have said. I started using a Parker (Victory) in 1955 and this was in constant use untill I started work. Although still used at home I could not take the pen to work (Fountain Pens and Steam Locomotives do not make good bed fellows). I was allways envious of the pen our Chief Clerk used, a grey Parker 51 with a broken clip. His writing was superb and I dreamed of the day I could get a pen like that. Later, when I became a manager, I bought a Parker 61 and never found it fully to my liking (a little too thin?). One day I got hold of a very tatty 51 and I was hooked. I now have several 51s (but not the tatty one, I lost that) and my 1941 Vacumatic and my 1954 Aerometric are in constant use.

 

Slow down, here! Steam locomotives??? I love writing with pens, but there is something special about trains, and steam locomotives...wow!

 

Tell us more!

[Matlock]

 

Slow down, here! Steam locomotives??? I love writing with pens, but there is something special about trains, and steam locomotives...wow!

 

Tell us more!

In 1960 I started work at Stratford Locomotive Depot (East London) which was then the largest Loco Depot in Europe. I worked my way up from Engine Cleaner, Fireman to Driver. In 1978 I became a Traction Inspector (Driver Manager) and retired in 2005. And, yes, I was a qualified Steam Locomotive Driver. Boring old life .

[plumista]

I know my reply won´t be popular, but nevertheless I must confess there is for me something odd with the 51, it causes mixed feelings to mind and heart.

 

For example:

1. if you do like writing with a fountain pen, then how can you enjoy a nib whose visible part is only 1,5mm long?

2. French managed to sell their perfume, wine or cheese (in films, in literature, in ads, &c.) as the best in the world, which is not necessarily so, but once you´ve got the fame...; just the same Americans have managed to make the world believe the 51 is the best pen ever made (!?)

3. for modern standards, this is in many ways too close to a nightmare: specialized tools for maintenance and tooooooo many pieces in its construction, small dimensioned pen (both width and length), not-threaded cap closure, prone to cracking parts...

 

In brief, it was good in those days, no doubt, but if you are the average user, probably not your first option as a daily pen nowadays.

 

I do own a 51 (and, so it seems, a high-end version in a rare sterling silver pattern), and it was a sad day when I had to admit my mistake: in the end, I could not find what makes the 51 such a great pen (that was your question in the first post, right?).

 

plumista

Edited January 21, 2015 by plumista

[adyf]

In 1960 I started work at Stratford Locomotive Depot (East London) which was then the largest Loco Depot in Europe. I worked my way up from Engine Cleaner, Fireman to Driver. In 1978 I became a Traction Inspector (Driver Manager) and retired in 2005. And, yes, I was a qualified Steam Locomotive Driver. Boring old life .

 

Wow. I started on the footplate in 1986, passed for driving in 1990. Drove freight trains for the next 14 years. I'm currently Driver Standards Manager for VolkerRail (previously GrantRail) for On Track Machines.

 

Apologies for going off topic.

[Matlock]

I know my reply won´t be popular, but nevertheless I must confess there is for me something odd with the 51, it causes mixed feelings to mind and heart.

 

For example:

1. if you do like writing with a fountain pen, then how can you enjoy a nib whose visible part is only 1,5mm long?

2. French managed to sell their perfume, wine or cheese (in films, in literature, in ads, &c.) as the best in the world, which is not necessarily so, but once you´ve got the fame...; just the same Americans have managed to make the world believe the 51 is the best pen ever made (!?)

3. for modern standards, this is in many ways too close to a nightmare: specialized tools for maintenance and tooooooo many pieces in its construction, small dimensioned pen (both width and length), not-threaded cap closure, prone to cracking parts...

 

In brief, it was good in those days, no doubt, but if you are the average user, probably not your first option as a daily pen nowadays.

 

I do own a 51 (and, so it seems, a high-end version in a rare sterling silver pattern), and it was a sad day when I had to admit my mistake: in the end, I could not find what makes the 51 such a great pen (that was your question in the first post, right?).

 

plumista

Thank you for posting the opposite view. Whilst I cannot agree with most of what you say (especialy the cracking parts) this thread was becoming a little too one sided.

Perhaps we can have a few more comments giving what is seen as the negative view.