Parker 51 — what is the appeal?

[corgicoupe]

I have a blue one that is beautiful. And it has a gold filled cap that sets off the blue. It's dated 1947.

[mitto]

It has a very powerful magnetism that catches its other brothers and sisters from far far away. 

[shostakovich]

On 1/29/2021 at 7:42 PM, TheRedBeard said:

I don't think you could find all that under one  hood in any other pen..

Oh, there are other pens that are as good and better. The P51 is good and writes well, and I have one and like it, partly for sentimental reasons. But I have other pens I like even more. It's a matter of opinion and personal taste.

[Aysedasi]

As it always will be.  Amen to that.  

[TheRedBeard]

1 hour ago, shostakovich said:

Oh, there are other pens that are as good and better. The P51 is good and writes well, and I have one and like it, partly for sentimental reasons. But I have other pens I like even more. It's a matter of opinion and personal taste.

It seems you missed the entire topic of this thread

From the very beginning OP stated that P51 had no appeal to him and asked for reasons why it was so appealing to others, that was it.

And all others gave him their opinions :)

 

It is obvious that everyone's opinion as well as taste are different, and he/she defines what is the best pen for him/her.

 

In order to be completely fair, while I find P51 one of the best and most successful pens ever designed and manufactured, I should admit that my favourite is Parker 75 :)

 

 

[Barry Gabay]

The Parker 51 is totally reliable, comfortable, and beautiful. Whether vacumatic, aerometric, or the very rare cartridge version, it is a fountain pen which stands in a class by itself, despite its numerous imitators.  Having given away more than a dozen in the past year or two to young writers and collectors just beginning their exploration of fountain pens, I now have fewer than 100 Parker 51s for the first time in years. 

[es9]

Total tangent, but I figured I might as well avoid starting a whole new topic.  Has anyone tried one of the brass converters Pentooling offers that turn your 51 Aero into a C/C?  I'm thinking about this for a 51 Special that is a fantastic writer, but otherwise is nothing special.  The sac is stained pitch black, but I do not want to try to change it because the nipple feels soft.  I guess my biggest question is whether using a C/C changes how the pen actually writes.  I probably should leave it alone.  Just curious. 

[corniche]

Hi all,

 

I have absolutely NO sentimental feelings about 51s; all I can say about them, is they are the only pens I've ever used that,  when properly restored, never give me any grief and always write reliably. 

 

The runner-up being Pelikan M600s - and probably the Estie.

 

It's always a thrill to me when you dont have to dance the mambo to get your pen to write - I've never had to mambo with a 51. 

 

- Sean 

[Carguy]

3 hours ago, es9 said:

Total tangent, but I figured I might as well avoid starting a whole new topic.  Has anyone tried one of the brass converters Pentooling offers that turn your 51 Aero into a C/C?  I'm thinking about this for a 51 Special that is a fantastic writer, but otherwise is nothing special.  The sac is stained pitch black, but I do not want to try to change it because the nipple feels soft.  I guess my biggest question is whether using a C/C changes how the pen actually writes.  I probably should leave it alone.  Just curious. 

I haven’t been pleased with this. It works, but without the normal collector, it doesn’t seem as smooth. I’ve removed it as a novelty.

[como]

@EmverThank you for sharing your story and thoughts. I enjoyed reading them.

[corgicoupe]

5 hours ago, corniche said:

Hi all,

 

The runner-up being Pelikan M600s - and probably the Estie.

 

It's always a thrill to me when you dont have to dance the mambo to get your pen to write - I've never had to mambo with a 51. 

 

- Sean 

The new Estie or the original Esterbrook?

[es9]

6 hours ago, Carguy said:

I haven’t been pleased with this. It works, but without the normal collector, it doesn’t seem as smooth. I’ve removed it as a novelty.

Interesting. I thought the clear collector just got stuck into the brass section. Is that wrong? 

[Carguy]

I don’t think it fits in the collector, just sits against it, so it seemed to leak around the seam and didn’t seem to function as a collector normally would. Don’t necessarily take my experience with it as I tried it once or twice then put it up.

 

just didn’t work well for me.

 

MD

[corniche]

On 2/16/2021 at 8:48 PM, corgicoupe said:

The new Estie or the original Esterbrook?

 

Hi CorgiCoupe,

 

Upon reflection; I'd have to say BOTH. I love the Model J when I find one that's tight and in excellent condition - and I love the new Estie - it's the only modern pen I own where out of 8 pens; I had only 1 that didn't write perfectly straight out of the box. (Not even my Pelikans can share that boast).

 

- Sean  

[shostakovich]

On 1/29/2021 at 4:24 PM, Turquoise88 said:

I know the Parker 51 is a wildly popular and beloved pen.  But I just don’t understand the appeal. To me it just looks like a nondescript pen with a metal cap (don’t shoot me — just personal opinion!) 

 

I’d enjoy hearing from 51 devotees regarding what makes this pen so special.  Was it historically innovative? Was the design new and different? Does it perform substantially better than other pens of the period? How does it compare with other Parker models? 

In fact the appeal has really gone as far as I'm concerned. My 1956 pen has started to skip badly so I've got really fed up with it. It probably does not like the permanent document inks I'm using in it. (De Atramentis permanent inks). So I've cleaned it thoroughly and its going away for good.            

I think the 51's are rather overrated and some modern pens are better, in my opinion. 

[Aysedasi]

Surely if it has started to skip badly (when presumably it didn't before), that's just a maintenance issue?  I get fed up with pens, but that's normally because I never liked them all that much in the first place.  

[shostakovich]

1 hour ago, Aysedasi said:

Surely if it has started to skip badly (when presumably it didn't before), that's just a maintenance issue?  I get fed up with pens, but that's normally because I never liked them all that much in the first place.  

It has been little used and always maintained well. I think it does not like the permanent archival document ink, and it started to skip after about 3-4 days of using the ink, and on the third fill. Since I only ever use this ink, and none of my other pens have a problem after several months, I think it's best to forget the P51. And since I do not want to go back to non permanent inks, it means it is an unsuitable pen for me. So it is no great hardship. I like the nib, but as the rest does not work well, it is a write off as far as I'm concerned.

[gyasko]

2 hours ago, shostakovich said:

In fact the appeal has really gone as far as I'm concerned. My 1956 pen has started to skip badly so I've got really fed up with it. It probably does not like the permanent document inks I'm using in it. (De Atramentis permanent inks). So I've cleaned it thoroughly and its going away for good.            

I think the 51's are rather overrated and some modern pens are better, in my opinion. 

 

 

Sure, if you use ink with particles (nano whatever, carbon, iron gall, glitter, etc)  in it, some of those particles are going to  remain behind in the fine fins of the collector.  Eventually, your pen will skip.  It’s not the pen’s fault it’s being used outside its design specs.

[es9]

13 minutes ago, gyasko said:

Sure, if you use ink with particles (nano whatever, carbon, iron gall, glitter, etc)  in it, some of those particles are going to  remain behind in the fine fins of the collector.  Eventually, your pen will skip.  It’s not the pen’s fault it’s being used outside its design specs.

 

I get the particles, etc.  But wouldn't a 51 vac with a gold nib be great for IG (assuming appropriate maintenance).  I mean, I thought they were designed to withstand Super Chrome... 

 

[gyasko]

Just now, es9 said:

 

I get the particles, etc.  But wouldn't a 51 vac with a gold nib be great for IG (assuming appropriate maintenance).  I mean, I thought they were designed to withstand Super Chrome... 

 

 

No, because the iron can and will fall out of suspension and clog the collector.  

 

There are plenty of pens that work great with IG ink.  Piston fillers, eyedroppers, BCHR lever fillers...  Why use one that doesn’t?