Parker 51 — what is the appeal?

[Checklist]

13 hours ago, kcwookie said:

I see the 51 the way I see Montblancs, as a pen to be seen with, not a pen to write with.

 

As a former 51 skeptic, I disagree.  Montblancs, while more understated than some pens, have their gold trim and distinctive caps to be seen.  Even those who pay little attention to pens will notice.  The 51 does not have that ornamentation and, thanks to its hooded nib, can slip under the radar with the general public.  That, and my rather plain 51 is a much better writer (in my opinion) than my MB 144.

[gyasko]

14 hours ago, kcwookie said:

I'm not a big fan, I have a couple of them, but they are not really on my shopping list. I see the 51 the way I see Montblancs, as a pen to be seen with, not a pen to write with. I know there will be a bunch of people that disagree, but that's my opinion. For me, the absolutely best pen Parker ever made was the Parker 75, especially the early ones with the "0" mark. That pen can be configured to my hand more so than any other. It is the most comfortable pen to write with, but it's a matter of taste. If you like 51s, enjoy them. For me I'd rather have a 21, it's a better pen to me. I'm also a HUGE fan of the Sonnet. I now have about 31 or 32 of them. I've lost count. 

 

To each their own, I just wanted to be a little contrary, nothing in life is unanimous. 

 

Have you ever written with a Montblanc?   Many fountain pen aficionados seek vintage Montblancs for the same reason they seek vintage Watermans or Wahls or Soenneckens or whatever: for their writing qualities.  Only my family sees me using my vintage MBs  because i don’t want to risk losing one of my favorite writers.  

 

I’ll give you that many LE and Great This and That MBs are made more for collectors who may never break the shrink wrap.  However, MB also makes the 149 Calligraphy, a pen people buy for its writing qualities.   

 

As for  the  51, the feel is not for everyone.  It can be harsh if you’re used to cushy vintage nibs, and though they are of good quality, finding a 51 nib in widths other than F or EF is difficult.  Nevertheless,  once you find a nib you like, it’s a pen that allows you to forget about it.  The 51 facilitates writing with its unsurpassed reliability and excellent ergonomics.  In that sense it is an extremely practical pen.

 

The 21 is simply a 51 to which Parker applied a number of cost saving measures.  What’s good about the 21 is what it shares with the 51.  What’s worse with the  21 is where it’s different, especially the cheap cracky plastic.  As you say, you’re being contrarian here.

 

The 75 is a nice pen for sure.  I enjoy mine.  However, if we are talking about pens that were made to be seen, the 75 is surely an example.  It is structurally nearly identical to the 45.  The difference is in the larger, showier nib and the upscale metal “skins”.   The 75 was a very expensive  pen for its time.  Parker advertised it extensively in upscale magazines,  often the same ones where Montblanc pitched its pens.

 

 

[kcwookie]

10 hours ago, gyasko said:

Have you ever written with a Montblanc?  

As a matter of fact I have. I have written with all of them I've come across at pen meeting or meet ups. I think the Cross Peerless writes circles around it. I'm heart sick that cross put more effort into the nib than the pen. My NYC is in pieces waiting for someone who can figure out a repair. The threads in the cap broke and the pen is non repairable. 

 

10 hours ago, gyasko said:

What’s good about the 21 is what it shares with the 51.

Not all of it, I prefer the trough clip to the arrow clip and the steel nib with the right ink is better than the gold nib. I do own some of both pens. I have my opinions as do you. 

10 hours ago, gyasko said:

 It is structurally nearly identical to the 45.

I'll give you credit for the nib being similar, but that is where it stops. The ability to adjust the angle of the nib is gold. I can write for hours with that pen. I'm not a fan of the 45 and am looking to dump most of my collection. That feature is why I believe it is the best Parker has made. Sheaffer used that triangle section on their Preludes. I can't write with them as they arrive. I've pulled the nibs on my collection and adjusted the angle similar to my 75 and they are a dream to write with.

[kcwookie]

11 hours ago, Checklist said:

As a former 51 skeptic, I disagree.

It's good to disagree. I used to have a Peerless 125 NYC and loved that pen. I got to write with it when I got to test some MBs. My Peerless was the better pen in my opinion. That's why I don't own any MBs. Unfortunately, my NYC is in pieces because of a design flaw, a big one, that made it unrepairable. I now have a black one that write to its equal, but I miss the feel of my NYC. 

[kcwookie]

21 hours ago, FlighterGuy said:

The one with metal threads is in the collection. 🙂

 

I don't have a metal threads one, but my flat top is usually inked and ready to go. 

[TheRedBeard]

On 5/22/2021 at 11:22 PM, kcwookie said:

I'm not a big fan, I have a couple of them, but they are not really on my shopping list. I see the 51 the way I see Montblancs, as a pen to be seen with, not a pen to write with. I know there will be a bunch of people that disagree, but that's my opinion. For me, the absolutely best pen Parker ever made was the Parker 75, especially the early ones with the "0" mark. That pen can be configured to my hand more so than any other. It is the most comfortable pen to write with, but it's a matter of taste. If you like 51s, enjoy them. For me I'd rather have a 21, it's a better pen to me. I'm also a HUGE fan of the Sonnet. I now have about 31 or 32 of them. I've lost count. 

 

To each their own, I just wanted to be a little contrary, nothing in life is unanimous. 

 

P51 and P75 are my two daily pens and I do really like them though I would love P51 to be a bit heavier and P75 to be a bit thicker  

So... it seems I will eventually switch to P100 as my main pen, which is both thicker and heavier and, at the same time, is a brilliant writer    

[Bodian]

I bought a nice-looking burgundy fine-nibbed P51 around 8 years ago - the chap in my local vintage pen-shop recommended it to me.  But I never really got on with it for one reason or another.  Maybe I expected too much, I don't know.  And I gave it a good go.

 

However, last month I took notes at a four-day public inquiry.  I usually use propelling pencils for this, but the lead kept breaking this time.  So, I picked up the P51 with Aurora Black Ink.  What a revelation - I just don't know why I have struggled with it before.  Wonderful.

 

I have now bought a Teal one with a slightly broader nib for more sort of jotting type notes than speed tiny note taking.

[inkstainedruth]

You've learned the appeal of 51s (at least vintage ones), Bodian.  They are just superb writing instruments.  

I had to have a little nib work done to the two that have EF nibs, and the earlier 51 Vac models have often needed a replacement diaphragm.  But the 51 Aeros?  99% of the time they just need to be flushed out well, and then they just write.  They aren't designed to be bling-y pens.  They're designed to be tools.  And for a pen that was designed roughly 75 years ago?  They're surprisingly "modern" looking at that.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[amk]

I'm thinking about the pens I have multiples of. Pelikan 200-400-600, Edison Colliers, Platinum 3776s, Kaweco Sport, Lamy 2000.... and Parker 51s.

 

Every single one of my P51s has its own character. Even the two black gold-cap ones (one has a fine, the other a wider nib). I don't 'collect' them really, but somehow I've ended up with a good few... and they're just solid, great pens.  I think I may have underestimated them.

[Hbanger]

22 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

But the 51 Aeros?  99% of the time they just need to be flushed out well, and then they just write.

Yes they do, sometimes it just takes a bit of flushing, my Forrest green that I thought was black, was flushed three times a day for over a month setting it nib up then nib down every other time then once every day for another month and I finally get clear water, the first batch of dried ink was a reddish orange then that gave way to a deep purple with lots of staying power

[inkstainedruth]

Yikes!  I almost never use just water for flushing.  I might to start the process with distilled water but then switch over to a roughly 9:1 ratio of distilled water and clear household ammonia (or distilled water and white vinegar, if I think that the previous owner used an iron gall ink in a pen) with a drop of Dawn dish detergent (the original formula, the blue stuff).  I'll run the stuff through a few times, and then soak, nib down for a while.  Then rinse with just distilled water (I don't use tap water because the water where I live is very hard, with a high mineral content; the UK equivalent to Dawn is a brand called Fairy -- not sure what an equivalent in other parts of the world would be).  
When I do the soaking part, I fill the pen with the solution (whichever kind) which gets mixed up in a votive candle holder with thick straight sides -- more stable, IMO, than a shot glass).  I don't have an ultrasonic cleaner.  I will soak the pen deep enough to largely immerse the nib, and will let it soak for an hour or two on the bathroom counter for an hour or two -- and do other stuff in the meantime.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[FarmBoy]

Almost always just water.  I am not a fan of ammonia solutions. If you need to get after stubborn ink use Rapidio Ease, it contains a chelating amine and will not readily attack gold alloys. With the collector sonucation is really a must do and if the collector is so impacted with bad ink that potions are needed just take the hood off and clean away. 
 

About 40% of the silver breather tubes are found to be failed or damaged and need to be replaced. 
 

I probably see a few more 51s than the average Farmboy and I don’t have great luck finding new old stock pens.  
 

51s are more or less bullet proof so don’t fret it. 

[Lennart Wennberg]

After years of use at work suddenly, just the other day, a patient asked me:

 

"Is that a real Parker 51?"

 

I told him that it was indeed, and he said that he bought one himself about 1960 when he worked in the US. A pen that he still keeps.

I showed him my two framed objects in my Doctor´s office relating to P51. First the photo from when I personally met Nobel Laurate Sir Kazuo Ishiguro and presented him a Parker 51 Aero with gold rolled cap. The second object is an original advertisment from an English magazine 1948 showing the P51 with the new filling mechanism...

"It goes almost without saying that people with a reputation for good taste should write with a new Parker 51..."

"Given and used by famous people"

 

Yes, it has a special appeal, not least the smell of the feed...

 

Lennart

[es9]

On 11/23/2021 at 7:37 PM, FarmBoy said:

I am not a fan of ammonia solutions.

Is that because you find they do not work well or something more problematic? 

[Edrehasivar]

I didn't appreciate it at at first. it's not an instant "bang" for me, like with some more flashy pens. Is seemed rater dull and unattractive to me. But it grew on me once I put it ro regular use and now I do love it. It's smart, somewhat intriguing but understated. i enjoy big pens - I'd love a bigger, girthier version of the 51 but the moderate size probably contributes to its versatility. A very comfortable, reliable writer. 
 

[Encre Noire]

Greetings and Salutations,PenPeople!

   I just became intertested in Fountain pens post-pandemic,when I was going through some long-forgotten "stuff". I came upon a Sheaffer's "snorkel" that my late Father-in-law left me. Sent it to "Pentiques" in Arizona for new sac etc. The nib still needs some work;that's next on the list. A cherished item.

   That old Sheaffer's got me interested in fountain pens and I got the usual "starter" pens. I love snooping around antique stores;one day I chanced upon a stack of old fountain pens at a local antique/second-hand shop; and,it was there I "captured" a Parker 51 in the wild as they say. I really wanted only the Sheaffer's with the inlaid nib;and I didn't know much about the plain-looking Parker 51 but the price(after some haggling) was $50 for the Sheaffer's(Imperial with touchdown filler?) and the P51(I had no idea what model it was).

   Luckily for me,after I soaked/washed x 4-5(the Pli-glass sac is stained still) the Parker just took off writing like a champ! Sorta feel like I should send it in to be refurbished; but,there is really nothing wrong with it at all.

   My apologies for long post. Just wanted to say "I get it!" I love my one and only Parker 51. It says "Special" on the Aerometric Filler but the cap is lustralloy and the cap-jewel is pearl-grey,not black so I think it may be a "Standard" with a gold nib? 

   Anyway,the 51 is my favorite pen. It looks almost new. The cap is perfect and only micro-scratches on the barrel. Lovely pen with which to write.(sorry for the bad photography).

   

   

[pajaro]

The appeal of the 51 to me was the beauty of my father's 51.  In 1970 I bought a new one just kike his.  Almost 52 years of use.  I am selling off my other pens.  Not this 51.

 

[Carguy]

21 hours ago, Encre Noire said:

Greetings and Salutations,PenPeople!

   I just became intertested in Fountain pens post-pandemic,when I was going through some long-forgotten "stuff". I came upon a Sheaffer's "snorkel" that my late Father-in-law left me. Sent it to "Pentiques" in Arizona for new sac etc. The nib still needs some work;that's next on the list. A cherished item.

   That old Sheaffer's got me interested in fountain pens and I got the usual "starter" pens. I love snooping around antique stores;one day I chanced upon a stack of old fountain pens at a local antique/second-hand shop; and,it was there I "captured" a Parker 51 in the wild as they say. I really wanted only the Sheaffer's with the inlaid nib;and I didn't know much about the plain-looking Parker 51 but the price(after some haggling) was $50 for the Sheaffer's(Imperial with touchdown filler?) and the P51(I had no idea what model it was).

   Luckily for me,after I soaked/washed x 4-5(the Pli-glass sac is stained still) the Parker just took off writing like a champ! Sorta feel like I should send it in to be refurbished; but,there is really nothing wrong with it at all.

   My apologies for long post. Just wanted to say "I get it!" I love my one and only Parker 51. It says "Special" on the Aerometric Filler but the cap is lustralloy and the cap-jewel is pearl-grey,not black so I think it may be a "Standard" with a gold nib? 

   Anyway,the 51 is my favorite pen. It looks almost new. The cap is perfect and only micro-scratches on the barrel. Lovely pen with which to write.(sorry for the bad photography).

   

   

Nice 51 and congrats on your find “in the wild”. It’s been quite a while since I’ve been that lucky.

[inkstainedruth]

Me too, but at this point I've gotten pretty much all the colors I want and/or can afford.  

Would I like to get a full size Plummer someday?  Absolutely -- but since I've got the Plum Demi I'm not really looking all that hard (and that M nib is just lovely to write with ).

Would I like to get a 51 Vac in Yellowstone?  Sure, but not at nosebleed prices....  Because the odds are good that I'd THEN have to get the pen restored (the advantage of the Aerometrics is that 95% of the time all they need is a good flushing out; although the advantage of the 51 Vacs, especially my Cedar Blue one with the nicely tuned EF nib, is that if I need to research and do a LOT of writing/notetaking, that's the pen I'm going to reach for...).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[es9]

Does anyone happen to know whether Parker explores trying to use an ink window on the vac 51? Given how much they marketed the ability to see ink level on the vacumatic, I figured they would’ve tried to do something on the 51 as well. Perhaps lucite/acrylic manufacturing methods at the time didn’t allow this, at least in a way that wouldn’t be cost prohibitive?