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Parker Vector, Rialto And 88 Nibs


Freedomcoach

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Hi Everyone,

 

I'm a collector of parker pens and in particular the Vector, 88 and Rialto Models. These pens are often considered insignificant, but I enjoy them. I love their innocence, simplicity, understated elegance, low cost and unobtrusiveness in social and business situations.

 

If you've been involved with these pens and their history, you may be aware that the the nib unit for the 88 is compatible with the earlier Vector but NOT compatible with the later Rialto. Many sellers on ebay confuse them and advertise a pen or nib as a Rialto when in fact it is really a nib unit for the 88.

 

I'm now looking for a fine nib for the Rialto model. They seem pretty difficult to find even though there are a fair number of Rialtos, 88s and Vectors being sold on eBay. Most seem to come from India nowadays. Apparently, parker has licensed a company to produce them as an inexpensive product.

 

If you've been involved with these pens and/or have some knowledge of them, please post a comment or email me at howard@lifecraftingprogram.com so we can chat. Thanks!

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The Baoer 801 is almost identical to the Vector. I first thought Parker had sold the tooling to the company. There are very slight design differences. The two tone nib is a traditional shape, and the stainless steel version although identical to the Vector, there are differences which appear to be the gold colored rings on the section and barrel along with a "Parker" style clip. I bought one to compare it with the Vector and the size and style is comparable. For around $9 with free shipping I found it a well constructed pen and a reliable writer. A converter was included.

 

Like you I do like the Vectors minimalist design which gives it an elegant appearance. You are right it looks as though these pens are now made in India.

They came as a boon, and a blessing to men,
The Pickwick, the Owl and the Waverley pen

Sincerely yours,

Pickwick

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The Baoer 801 is almost identical to the Vector. I first thought Parker had sold the tooling to the company. There are very slight design differences. The two tone nib is a traditional shape, and the stainless steel version although identical to the Vector, there are differences which appear to be the gold colored rings on the section and barrel along with a "Parker" style clip. I bought one to compare it with the Vector and the size and style is comparable. For around $9 with free shipping I found it a well constructed pen and a reliable writer. A converter was included.

 

Like you I do like the Vectors minimalist design which gives it an elegant appearance. You are right it looks as though these pens are now made in India.

They came as a boon, and a blessing to men,
The Pickwick, the Owl and the Waverley pen

Sincerely yours,

Pickwick

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I've just taken a look at the Parker 88 and realize the Baoer 801 is closer in resemblance than the Vector. In fact, I would say almost identical.

They came as a boon, and a blessing to men,
The Pickwick, the Owl and the Waverley pen

Sincerely yours,

Pickwick

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Hi Pickwick, is the Baoer 801 actually vector compatible? Are the parts interchangeable? That would be pretty amazing if they were.I never heard of the Baoer 801 until now. If they're not licensed by parker i wonder how they got to be so similar.

 

Sincerely,
Howard
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Just took a look at the Baoer 801 pens on eBay. Unbelievable. Virtually identical to the parker 88 with matte black finish and much nicer rib for $2.98 and free shipping! Are you kidding me? parker knockoff but looks good.

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Hi Pickwick, is the Baoer 801 actually vector compatible? Are the parts interchangeable? That would be pretty amazing if they were.I never heard of the Baoer 801 until now. If they're not licensed by parker i wonder how they got to be so similar.

 

Sincerely,
Howard

 

 

It looks suspiciously like it. I must confess I gave my Vector to a friend and never replaced it, but it looks as though it might be compatible. Incidentally, A few years ago I came across a Hero 892 which looked as though it had a Parker 45 section. I found that all Parker 45 nibs and feeds were interchangeable with it. I came to the conclusion that Parker may have sold the Parker 45 tooling to Hero. The pen was being made in the 90s. The differences to the 45 is the barrel and cap are black with fragments of Mother-of pearl and abalone shells embedded in the black barrel and cap making it a very attractive looking pen.

 

I'm wondering whether Baoer may also be making Vectors for the Indian market. Now I recall I only paid the price you quoted, it was some months ago since I bought it.

They came as a boon, and a blessing to men,
The Pickwick, the Owl and the Waverley pen

Sincerely yours,

Pickwick

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I purchased a Baoer 801 in Matte Black for $2.98 and free shipping. Looks just like the 88. I agree that Parker has probably sold some licenses to Chinese companies so they can use the Parker arrow clip, overall design, etc.

 

On one level it does cheapen the parker brand but on the other hand serious collectors don't pay much attention to the low end scale of pens. Will let you know what the pen is like when it arrives.

 

Sincerely,
Howard
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I purchased a Baoer 801 in Matte Black for $2.98 and free shipping. Looks just like the 88. I agree that Parker has probably sold some licenses to Chinese companies so they can use the Parker arrow clip, overall design, etc.

 

On one level it does cheapen the parker brand but on the other hand serious collectors don't pay much attention to the low end scale of pens. Will let you know what the pen is like when it arrives.

 

Sincerely,
Howard

 

 

I believe Parker and Waterman were or are still owned by Newell Rubbermaid where their own products are manufactured in China. At one time Waterman pens were made in France. It's highly likely Parker pens are made in China. Some months ago I bought a Parker Urban ballpoint pen which is clearly marked made in China. I have to say it's a well made solid pen, and likely to last several lifetimes.

 

Other members may well have a better knowledge as to which countries the Major pen names are actually being made. Also who the present owners are, they seem to change hands fairly frequently. To think at one time these pen companies in their heyday offered lifetime guaranties, and stood by their names. Now under new ownerships we're fortunate if we get a two year limited warranty.

Edited by Pickwick

They came as a boon, and a blessing to men,
The Pickwick, the Owl and the Waverley pen

Sincerely yours,

Pickwick

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I can't say for certain where all Parker pens are made now, but I've bought the Jotter ballpoint and the Vector fountain pen in the last year, new from a high street Parker dealer in the UK, both were marked on the pen, France.

I have bought the Urban fountain pen also which was unmarked as to country of manufacture.

I believe the higher end pens are made in France too.

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I can't say for certain where all Parker pens are made now, but I've bought the Jotter ballpoint and the Vector fountain pen in the last year, new from a high street Parker dealer in the UK, both were marked on the pen, France.

I have bought the Urban fountain pen also which was unmarked as to country of manufacture.

I believe the higher end pens are made in France too.

 

Must come from two sources because my Parker Urban ballpoint is definitely marked made in China. The vast amount of products coming into the USA is made in China.

They came as a boon, and a blessing to men,
The Pickwick, the Owl and the Waverley pen

Sincerely yours,

Pickwick

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Hi Pickwick, I have a couple Parker pens that are unmarked, so I take it that they are made in China.

But all my Jotters are marked UK or France, my Vectors the same, my one Sonnet, France.

There are the new model I.M. and Urban which are just appearing in our shops, (Dec 16) and I would imagine they come from China.

The Vector range doesn't appear at all on the Parker website, so I would think that means they are now not being produced by Parker in France, although they do show up on the Luxor site being made under license.

http://www.luxor.in/brands/Parker?category=14

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Hi Pickwick, I have a couple Parker pens that are unmarked, so I take it that they are made in China.

But all my Jotters are marked UK or France, my Vectors the same, my one Sonnet, France.

There are the new model I.M. and Urban which are just appearing in our shops, (Dec 16) and I would imagine they come from China.

The Vector range doesn't appear at all on the Parker website, so I would think that means they are now not being produced by Parker in France, although they do show up on the Luxor site being made under license.

http://www.luxor.in/brands/Parker?category=14

 

Do your Parkers actually say they are made in the UK or France?. If that is the case then the company selling under the Parker name is doing so at a considerable loss.

They came as a boon, and a blessing to men,
The Pickwick, the Owl and the Waverley pen

Sincerely yours,

Pickwick

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Do your Parkers actually say they are made in the UK or France?. If that is the case then the company selling under the Parker name is doing so at a considerable loss. If the major pen manufacturers were still making pens here in the USA we would be paying a whole lot more if those companies wanted to make a profit because of high labor costs.

They came as a boon, and a blessing to men,
The Pickwick, the Owl and the Waverley pen

Sincerely yours,

Pickwick

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Do your Parkers actually say they are made in the UK or France?. If that is the case then the company selling under the Parker name is doing so at a considerable loss.

I'm not at all sure that is the case. According to the most recent figures I could find labor costs in the US and UK were lower than many areas known for producing low cost high quality products like Germany and Japan. Japan was the closest to US & UK hourly labor costs and almost all countries listed saw hourly compensation rising far faster than the US.

 

My Website

 

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I'm not at all sure that is the case. According to the most recent figures I could find labor costs in the US and UK were lower than many areas known for producing low cost high quality products like Germany and Japan. Japan was the closest to US & UK hourly labor costs and almost all countries listed saw hourly compensation rising far faster than the US.

 

Searching the web I haven't been able to find out where these pens are actually being made. The Parker Urban I bought was made in China and it is a high quality made pen without a doubt, and the country is capable of producing well made products. After all we have to face the fact that Parker along with other famous brand name makers of pens are no longer companies in their own right it is only their name that lingers on.

They came as a boon, and a blessing to men,
The Pickwick, the Owl and the Waverley pen

Sincerely yours,

Pickwick

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I just took this close-up photo of the 'new style' Jotter ballpoint that I bought this year, when it was first seen in our shops.

This was supplied in the new flat grey box, and this colour is called 'Kensington red' as shown on the current Parker website.

It is made from stainless steel, with the barrel part coated in a laquer of some type.

As far as I know the last Parker pens made in the UK and marked as such was 2010, or even 2011, in the Newhaven factory, I do have a Frontier ballpoint with a 2009 datecode, and UK marking.

I'm also fairly sure the UK factory was demolished last year, as photos were supplied on this forum by an ex-employee.

Edited by Mike 59
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I just took this close-up photo of the 'new style' Jotter ballpoint that I bought this year, when it was first seen in our shops.

This was supplied in the new flat grey box, and this colour is called 'Kensington red' as shown on the current Parker website.

It is made from stainless steel, with the barrel part coated in a laquer of some type.

As far as I know the last Parker pens made in the UK and marked as such was 2010, or even 2011, in the Newhaven factory, I do have a Frontier ballpoint with a 2009 datecode, and UK marking.

I'm also fairly sure the UK factory was demolished last year, as photos were supplied on this forum by an ex-employee.

 

I searched the web again and found out your pen is being made in Saint Herblain France, which makes sense as Rubbermaid also owns Waterman which is made in the same place.

They came as a boon, and a blessing to men,
The Pickwick, the Owl and the Waverley pen

Sincerely yours,

Pickwick

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Also I have just (Dec 2016) bought a blue Vector fountain pen, as I intend to send it in to have the nib changed from the default medium to a fine, as I don't own any like that.

I'm not going to open the package, but I can see that the cap is marked 'IIY' which is the datecode for 2nd quarter of 2016.

My photo is of the back of the packaging, hope this helps.

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Also I have just (Dec 2016) bought a blue Vector fountain pen, as I intend to send it in to have the nib changed from the default medium to a fine, as I don't own any like that.

I'm not going to open the package, but I can see that the cap is marked 'IIY' which is the datecode for 2nd quarter of 2016.

My photo is of the back of the packaging, hope this helps.

 

It also looks as though Rubbermaid is having Parker Urban pens made in China, because I didn't get mine from eBay it was from a local Office Max store early this year.

They came as a boon, and a blessing to men,
The Pickwick, the Owl and the Waverley pen

Sincerely yours,

Pickwick

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