Has Parker Always Been The Premier Pen Manufacturer In America?

[Hanoi]

I am referring to the period when these pens were still made in USA. Which brand came second and third in prestige then?

[Glenn-SC]

In the "golden age" of fountain pen manufacturing in the United States there were three main/primary/top tier companies, Parker, Sheaffer's and Waterman.

 

I don't think anyone can prove or justify that any one was "the best",

 

And selling the most donesn't mean selling the best.

[Hanoi]

The business model of many manufacturers at that time was also built on reputation rather than exclusiveness. I notice they make pens for all pockets. That said, having seen the top pens from the more famous makers, I still have to say that Parker´s flagships were really something quite remarkable.

[mitto]

While I love Parker 51s I also feel great respect for Sheaffer PFMs.

[Ron Z]

There was a time when Waterman was at the top of the heap. But when Parker and Sheaffer introduced colors, and then celluloid, Waterman didn't follow very quickly, lost ground and never quite regained it. They stayed with black hard rubber, and then mottled hard rubber for a little too long. Sheaffer in particular was quite an innovative company and forced a number of changes in the industry, not only with use of color and materials, but lever fillers, and the Balance design. Everybody else had to follow or die.

[tvradio]

And selling the most donesn't mean selling the best.

Wait, are you saying McDonalds doesn't make the best burger on the planet?

[peterg]

Are they be described as burgers?

[Runnin_Ute]

I think we can all agree that Parker, Sheaffer and Waterman were the "Big 3" of American pen makers, but does it really matter how they ranked?

 

Besides it could be argued that at one time or another that they were all innovative companies with a great product. And sales is only one measure.

[mitto]

+1 for what Brad said above.

[Arstook]

My parents grew up in South Korea in the 1950s and 1960s. After decolonization from the Japanese and the Korean War, most Koreans were extremely poor by developed standards. Even in those circumstances, the big three American pen companies were still common knowledge there. My dad told me that when he was a kid, Parker was considered number one, Sheaffer two, and Waterman three. Of course owning any one of those pens there back in those days was almost unheard of because of their price and their difficulty to obtain. So he grew up coveting.

[Arstook]

Crazy to think what was unobtainable to people like my parents back in the old country can now be had for $80-150 usd and show up at your door like room service in a few days.

[Hanoi]

Having seen some Eversharps in person, I would say they are very high quality as well, but their nibs are a bit boring. Parker paid a lot of attention to nearly all aspects of the pen while Sheaffer pushed for technologically sophisticated filling mechanisms.

[Hanoi]

Well, if you start out poor, life only gets better. If you start out rich, it´s kind of hard to stay rich forever. Vietnam is a poor country but many Vietnamese people feel optimistic about the future because at least they don´t starve anymore.

 

Crazy to think what was unobtainable to people like my parents back in the old country can now be had for $80-150 usd and show up at your door like room service in a few days.

[vicpen123]

Lucky curve, Duofold, Vacuumatic, "51" aero, 45 c/c, 75 rotating nib.

 

Each one a breakthrough and influential in fountain pen design and construction and durable. Nibs and performance as good as any.

 

Seems to be a good definition of premier.

[Tweel]

One way in which Parker reigned supreme was in the sheer volume of Boomerang Modern trademarked names generated by their marketing department for each piece and material in their pens. E.g. "Pli-Glas Foto-Flo Aerometric" (i.e. squeeze) filler.

Edited April 5, 2018 by Tweel

[mitto]

Lucky curve, Duofold, Vacuumatic, "51" aero, 45 c/c, 75 rotating nib.

 

Each one a breakthrough and influential in fountain pen design and construction and durable. Nibs and performance as good as any.

 

Seems to be a good definition of premier.

Why would you forget the capillary filler 61?

[Arstook]

I'm not sure how long it took to happen but sometime in the 70s and 80s, Cross Pen Company became the juggernaut of the gift pen/luxury pen market. According to this news article dated to 1987: "...The three pen-making giants--Parker, Sheaffer and Cross--hold nearly 90% of the entire market of upscale pens (pens valued at more than $10 each), according to industry estimates. Cross holds an estimated 60% of that market, with Parker and Sheaffer placing a distant second with 15% each." (http://articles.latimes.com/1987-12-18/business/fi-19880_1_parker-pens)

 

By the 1980s, Parker lost heavy ground to Cross and Montblanc, the latter two becoming status items for the finance/Wall Street crowd. The dates roughly parallel when Parker fell out of use for signing White House documents. Reagan started using Cross pens to mark up documents and it's been the presidential pen ever since. According to a source, the White House adoption of Cross began sometime in the 1980s when, "President Ronald Reagan invited several US CEOs to the White House to hear about his plans for the economy. The Cross CEO took along another pen and pencil set.

Subsequent administrations used Cross pens off and on." https://www.tigerpens.co.uk/blog/obamas-presidential-pens-part-ii/

Edited April 5, 2018 by Arstook

[max dog]

Parker, Sheaffer, and Cross were the big three household name pen brands I always remember. Never knew about Waterman until I got into fountain pens and this forum.

[Arstook]

Parker, Sheaffer, and Cross were the big three household name pen brands I always remember. Never knew about Waterman until I got into fountain pens and this forum.

 

Interesting story about Waterman. It started as an American pen company and dominated the market up through the 1930s when it stagnated. It became Frenchified, acquired by BIC in 1958, which then used Waterman's American infrastructure and brand familiarity to distribute its Cristal pens stateside. The unloading of the disposable ballpoint pens into the marketplace is what caused fountain pen-based companies like Parker to start dwindling.

 

Even though BIC kept its identity separate from Waterman, I believe it banked on the name recognition of Waterman in the US to nudge its way into the American market. Some of the early packaging for the Cristal is sub-branded with Waterman.

Edited April 6, 2018 by Arstook

[vicpen123]

To Mitto.

 

I did not forget the 61, I just don't have one yet. The others I have and can admire and enjoy.

 

According to Richard Binder, the capillary filling 61 was a remarkable pen but ultimately unsuccessful when compared with the others.