Parker Premier discontinued?

[GarangB]

 

Parker Premier disappeared from the collection list on the Parker UK official page.

 

I think it is replaced by the new 51.

[TheRedBeard]

As far as I remember, Premier was discontinued in 1994...

Or have I missed something?

[gmax]

The Premier range still shows up on the main Parker website...

 

https://www.parkerpen.com/premier-collection

 

The Premier fountain pen is a great writer.

[TheRedBeard]

6 minutes ago, gmax said:

The Premier range still shows up on the main Parker website...

 

https://www.parkerpen.com/premier-collection

 

The Premier fountain pen is a great writer.

Oh, thank you, good to know...

I do hope it is still made in France?

[GarangB]

2 hours ago, TheRedBeard said:

As far as I remember, Premier was discontinued in 1994...

Or have I missed something?

 

Premier which I mentioned on this topic is New Premier.

It was released in 2009.

Of course, it is made in France.

[GarangB]

39 minutes ago, gmax said:

The Premier range still shows up on the main Parker website...

 

https://www.parkerpen.com/premier-collection

 

The Premier fountain pen is a great writer.

 

Oh, it still remains on the US website.

I checked it on the UK (=international) website.

 

https://www.parkerpen.com/en-GB/collections

[TheRedBeard]

7 minutes ago, GarangB said:

 

Premier which I mentioned on this topic is New Premier.

It was released in 2009.

Of course, it is made in France.

Thanks, clear now :) because I got a bit confused :)

[Heinkle]

I didnt realise they'd changed the cap to a screw-on - I got a black monochrome in late 2014 that has a snap cap (very satisfying click). Agreed it is a great writer.

[vicpen123]

On 1/30/2021 at 5:16 AM, Heinkle said:

I didnt realise they'd changed the cap to a screw-on - I got a black monochrome in late 2014 that has a snap cap (very satisfying click). Agreed it is a great writer.

Same as mine - a black monochrome acquired in 2014 with a snap cap and a satisfying click.  Fine nib is a great writer. Overall a very well executed fountain pen.

 

When closed it looks a bit like a P75 on steroids. A screw on cap would spoil the smooth transition between barrel and section that often, on other pens, interferes with my writing position. I prefer to let the section nestle in my hand and not be throttled by a tight grip near the nib.

 

 

[encremental]

When Parker did their big cap refresh a few years ago which included curing the notorious Sonnet drying out issues, getting rid of that pointless hole in the Duofold that make the first sentence one wrote darker than the rest, making the arrow clip shallower and more streamlined & unified across the range etc., I seem to remember that there were wobbly cap and clip issues with the Premier which were sorted out by the newer screw cap and higher clip. I do get confused between the models I have and pull when I should turn ...

 

Sadly, I do think it is is on its way out; at first I thought that Brexit was preventing UK stores from restocking fully, but looking at vendors across the world you are starting to see just the rollerballs and ballpoints offered for sale, and fewer fountain pens.

 

I find the nibs sublime, some of Parker's best ever and if the new '51 is as good I shall be well pleased. They are actually a gold version of the Waterman Perspective, with which it also shares a feed and  designer - she was responsible for the Waterman Elegance as well - and is essentially a Waterman metal pen with Parker-y touches. I have collected nine of them so far, and reckon there are about another eight or so to go. Parkercollector doesn't have a page on them yet, which would be a help.

 

John

[Heinkle]

Do you know where the date code is on Premiers?

[Heinkle]

1 hour ago, encremental said:

 

I find the nibs sublime, some of Parker's best ever and if the new '51 is as good I shall be well pleased. They are actually a gold version of the Waterman Perspective, with which it also shares a feed and  designer - she was responsible for the Waterman Elegance as well - and is essentially a Waterman metal pen with Parker-y touches. I have collected nine of them so far, and reckon there are about another eight or so to go. Parkercollector doesn't have a page on them yet, which would be a help.

 

 

 

Very impressive knowledge! And yes, I also wondered why Parker Collector has two pages dedicated to pens called Parker Premiers, but not the one in question! 

[encremental]

13 hours ago, Heinkle said:

Do you know where the date code is on Premiers?

I don't think there is one - I think it's only Duofolds and Sonnets now, which is a shame as it is a real point of interest for collectors. I don't think Waterman has ever gone in for them either.

[ParkerBeta]

On 2/3/2021 at 12:45 PM, encremental said:

I find the nibs sublime, some of Parker's best ever and if the new '51 is as good I shall be well pleased. They are actually a gold version of the Waterman Perspective, with which it also shares a feed and  designer - she was responsible for the Waterman Elegance as well - and is essentially a Waterman metal pen with Parker-y touches.

 

John

Thanks for this bit of information -- I own a Parker Premier (the original snap-cap, in "Stealth") and two Waterman Perspective pens, and I had failed to make the connection, although I was sure I had seen the nib on the Parker on some Waterman pen(s).  The giveaway is the lack of a breather hole.  

[PEK99]

On 2/3/2021 at 12:45 PM, encremental said:

When Parker did their big cap refresh a few years ago which included curing the notorious Sonnet drying out issues, getting rid of that pointless hole in the Duofold that make the first sentence one wrote darker than the rest, making the arrow clip shallower and more streamlined & unified across the range etc., I seem to remember that there were wobbly cap and clip issues with the Premier which were sorted out by the newer screw cap and higher clip. I do get confused between the models I have and pull when I should turn ...

 

Sadly, I do think it is is on its way out; at first I thought that Brexit was preventing UK stores from restocking fully, but looking at vendors across the world you are starting to see just the rollerballs and ballpoints offered for sale, and fewer fountain pens.

 

I find the nibs sublime, some of Parker's best ever and if the new '51 is as good I shall be well pleased. They are actually a gold version of the Waterman Perspective, with which it also shares a feed and  designer - she was responsible for the Waterman Elegance as well - and is essentially a Waterman metal pen with Parker-y touches. I have collected nine of them so far, and reckon there are about another eight or so to go. Parkercollector doesn't have a page on them yet, which would be a help.

 

John

I agree, that the new Parker Premier nibs are sublime. I think they are the best ever - better than the my Duofold Centennial. I hear so much about the Pilot Custom 823, which I haven't tried (yet), but I can't imagine a smoother, more perfect writer than the Premier. 

 

The cap issues with the pre-2016 Premiers had to do with wearing out of the plastic snap ring inside the cap, so they became loose with use - there were numerous complaints which I saw online. I personally like the screw-cap, which has an absolutely exquisite solid, perfect-fitting feel -- I just can't say enough about the build quality of the Premier. I have both the fountain pen and rollerball (Luxury edition). 

 

It does look like they are 'replacing' it in their lineup with the new 51, which, from the reviews I've seen, is a significant step down from the Premier. 

[kcwookie]

On 1/22/2021 at 10:11 AM, GarangB said:

 

Parker Premier disappeared from the collection list on the Parker UK official page.

 

I think it is replaced by the new 51.

I just visited Parkerpen.com and the Premier is gone and replaced by the Sonnet and the Sonnet space is the Parker 51 redo.