Is it worth it? Parker 51 2021 Edition

[smitbret]

For some reason, I am big fan of modern Parker pens.  I think I may be the only fan of modern Parker pens.

 

I have been eyeballing the new Parker 51 in the Plum/Gold since they were released last February but the reviews have been so underwhelming that I just couldn't bring myself to drop the $200+ on one.  I thought about getting the steel version instead but, quite frankly, the JinHao 85 is such a great clone that I figured "why bother".

 

Anyway, I was able to pick one up secondhand for $130 a couple of weeks ago and I have been..... lukewarm.  It has a medium nib that is plenty smooth and there is a bit of pleasant feedback but it still feels uninspired compared to a Duofold, Sonnet or the Premier.  Heck, even my Urbans feel as good or better.  The converter does NOT bang around inside the body with normal use but you don't have to tap it very hard against something to get a little knock.  The styling is OK.  I thought the grip section was going to be black instead of the plum body color and I think it would have looked better if it was but otherwise the styling is fine.

 

I haven't tried the steel nib version but I can't imagine that it would actually feel any better than the JinHao 95 that pleasantly surprised me last spring.  The 51 is fine but it's just meh.

[Hbanger]

I was thinking of buying a new 51 I like the gold nib plum one, I read a bunch of reviews, there were more than plenty of negatives, enough that I decided against it. I picked up a vintage unrestored aerometric 51 with a gold nib for $90 it needed quite a bit of flushing, but it works great, the sacs on these seem indestructible. It is a super writer. Unless you want a new pen, I would suggest a vintage aerometric 51 also.

[davidtaylorjr]

3 hours ago, Hbanger said:

I was thinking of buying a new 51 I like the gold nib plum one, I read a bunch of reviews, there were more than plenty of negatives, enough that I decided against it. I picked up a vintage unrestored aerometric 51 with a gold nib for $90 it needed quite a bit of flushing, but it works great, the sacs on these seem indestructible. It is a super writer. Unless you want a new pen, I would suggest a vintage aerometric 51 also.

Yes, I am currently looking for a "51" Aero.

[Glenn-SC]

14 hours ago, TitoThePencilPimp said:

They are junk. Either go vintage, or buy the Wing Sung model.

What experience do you have with the Current 51?  I would like to know the basis of this statement. 
 

I have owned, tried, and used several Chinese knock-offs of the “51” and in my experience they have all been cheaply made and poor writers.  Definitely not worth the price. (I once found a box of them in an antique store in Tucson.  I was excited thinking I had found the “51” pot-o-gold until I realized what they were.)

[ZeroDukE]

I think that as a matter of fact the 51N should be considered as a Parker 21 New.   The manufacturer should be considering to change the name of this pen.

[inkstainedruth]

Interesting idea, zero duke.  But given that 21s were cheap student grade pens, I doubt that Newell-Rubbermaid's marketing people would allow that to happen.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Vladpu]

On 1/31/2022 at 10:55 AM, davidtaylorjr said:

Ok, So I have seen a lot of opinions about the new Parker 51. I want to hear from people who actually own one. Is it worth it? Does the Converter/Cartridge really rattle around in the barrel? Is the steel a good writer for the money? How does the Gold perform?

 

I'm looking to buy one of these and wondering if it is worth it to get an original or if the new ones are good as well. I am more interested in the LOOK but do not want one of the knock off brands.  I've never had a vintage pen before so getting an older one scares me a bit with the sacs and everything.

You will see plenty of opinions, like the one just now from Tito ....  But I will differ.  I have several of the older vac models and the aerometric models, and they are very nice pens.  AND you can still get them at a reasonable price.  BUT the 2021 model has its virtues too.  First, pretty much all of Parker's newest version converters rattle a bit, even in the Duofold pens.  I have had a 2021 model for about a year now, and I like it.  First, I don't feel like I need to coddle it because (to me) it is not an expensive pen, and not an antique that I would hate to hurt or lose.  It's replaceable.  Second, it writes very nicely, and it looks good too.  I have heard the complaints about the plastic being too soft.  I don't see any scratching on mine this beyond expectation after a year of not being coddled, and with the cap posted.  There is one line that goes that a metal screw thread in the cap on a plastic screw thread in the barrel will wear too fast or lord help you if you cross thread it.  Well, there are plenty of pens that have endured for years with metal on plastic threads on one part or another.  I don't see any significant wear on mine after a year.  And if you cross thread plastic on plastic or metal on metal, it is equally destructive and equally preventable - just don't force anything ever.  Also, yes you can remove and tweak the nib easily (though I guess you's have to buy a whole new pen to actually exchange the nib.)

So vintage purists notwithstanding, I like mine a lot.  (It is the "Deluxe" with gold cap and nib - I can't comment on the steel variety.)  I would much rather take it out to lunch than one I love but worry about losing or damaging, 'cause I can't simply buy a new one.  

[Mike B]

11 minutes ago, Doctox57 said:

...  First, pretty much all of Parker's newest version converters rattle a bit, even in the Duofold pens.

That might explain why I haven't had any rattling: I used a convertor from one of my old 45s instead of a newer Parker convertor. Possibly the old one is a little longer and might prevent the problem.

[ZeroDukE]

16 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

Interesting idea, zero duke.  But given that 21s were cheap student grade pens, I doubt that Newell-Rubbermaid's marketing people would allow that to happen.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

Isn't it  a cheap student grade pen?   Well, quite expensive for students, really.

[TitoThePencilPimp]

23 hours ago, Glenn-SC said:

What experience do you have with the Current 51?  I would like to know the basis of this statement. 
 

I have owned, tried, and used several Chinese knock-offs of the “51” and in my experience they have all been cheaply made and poor writers.  Definitely not worth the price. (I once found a box of them in an antique store in Tucson.  I was excited thinking I had found the “51” pot-o-gold until I realized what they were.)

That is my point. The new 51 is cheaply made and a poor writer...

[Glenn-SC]

1 hour ago, TitoThePencilPimp said:

That is my point. The new 51 is cheaply made and a poor writer...

Please tell of your experience using the current production 51.  When did you get yours?  What broke (if anything)?  Which nib did you try?  What issues did you have with the ink flow?

 

The knock-offs that I had were hard starting and skipped constantly. If not used each day the nibs dried out and had to be flooded or dipped to restart.  The plastic barrels were made of thin plastic and one cracked in the threads. 

[Vladpu]

Perhaps I got an oddball, but mine (gold nib, medium) writes very nicely.  It is smooth as butter with a good but well controlled flow.  My biggest complaint is the cheap paper box.  

[Mercian]

1 hour ago, Doctox57 said:

My biggest complaint is the cheap paper box.

I suspect (but do not know) that the ‘cheap’ box is - like the lack of brochures/guarantee booklets included with the pens in first production-run of the new 51 - possibly attributable to the Covid pandemic.

 

The pens are dated ‘Q.III’ -the first quarter of 2020.
That was when the first restrictions had to be imposed in Europe. Staffing levels in businesses were affected.

It may not have been possible for Parker to obtain better boxes/leaflets for the 51, or perhaps to have enough staff present at the factory in Nantes to package everything up?

There would of course also have been commercial pressure to get the pens out of the factory and in to the stock of their retailers as soon as possible.

 

Now that restrictions have eased slightly, I would hope that Parker would include leaflets & guarantee cards in the next production run of pens.

[Vladpu]

23 minutes ago, Mercian said:

I suspect (but do not know) that the ‘cheap’ box is - like the lack of brochures/guarantee booklets included with the pens in first production-run of the new 51 - possibly attributable to the Covid pandemic.

 

The pens are dated ‘Q.III’ -the first quarter of 2020.
That was when the first restrictions had to be imposed in Europe. Staffing levels in businesses were affected.

It may not have been possible for Parker to obtain better boxes/leaflets for the 51, or perhaps to have enough staff present at the factory in Nantes to package everything up?

There would of course also have been commercial pressure to get the pens out of the factory and in to the stock of their retailers as soon as possible.

 

Now that restrictions have eased slightly, I would hope that Parker would include leaflets & guarantee cards in the next production run of pens.

I guess we shall see about post 2020-21 restrictions, though I am not going to buy a new pen to find out.  

But no, it's not just that.  Even the > 1000 USD 100 year Duofold I got came in a cheap paper box.  I think the new Parker owners do not understand their market and project their own contempt for their product and their customers.

That said, the 100 year Duofold is a very nice pen.  

[Mercian]

26 minutes ago, Doctox57 said:

Even the > 1000 USD 100 year Duofold I got came in a cheap paper box.  I think the new Parker owners do not understand their market and project their own contempt for their product and their customers.

[Glenn-SC]

2 hours ago, Doctox57 said:

But no, it's not just that.  Even the > 1000 USD 100 year Duofold I got came in a cheap paper box.  I think the new Parker owners do not understand their market and project their own contempt for their product and their customers.

That said, the 100 year Duofold is a very nice pen.  

Are you paying for the box and packaging or for the pen?   I would rather pay less for a good pen and get a cheap box.  

[fullfederhalter]

20 hours ago, Doctox57 said:

I guess we shall see about post 2020-21 restrictions, though I am not going to buy a new pen to find out.  

But no, it's not just that.  Even the > 1000 USD 100 year Duofold I got came in a cheap paper box.  I think the new Parker owners do not understand their market and project their own contempt for their product and their customers.

That said, the 100 year Duofold is a very nice pen.  

I didn't know about the LE Duofold until mentioned in this thread and Googled it.  Beautiful pen!  

[Vladpu]

20 hours ago, Glenn-SC said:

Are you paying for the box and packaging or for the pen?   I would rather pay less for a good pen and get a cheap box.  

It is seldom a choice like that.  I, personally, think packaging is an important part of the overall presentation and "worth" one attributes to the item.  Just like a nice presentation on a plate of a fine meal, or wrapping Christmas or birthday presents in nice paper.  And the pen, in many cases, is not cheaper.  My Pilot Custom 823, for $ 200 and change, came in a nice box with papers and even a bottle of ink.  When you buy or sell a vintage pen, the price increases significantly when you have to original box.  So for 1100 bucks, they could have projected more care and worth.  

But the pen is very nice, and writes very well.  So at least the crfstpeople are better than the marketeers.

[Mercian]

20 hours ago, Glenn-SC said:

I would rather pay less for a good pen and get a cheap box.  

So would I, but the ‘100 Year’ Duofolds are a ‘special edition’ that cost almost double the price of the ‘regular’ Duofold (which is, in any case, Parker’s offering in the ‘luxury’ market segment).

Montblanc Meisterstücks - pens whose prices are often regarded as ‘nosebleed’-level and/or ‘exploitative’ - are less expensive than the ‘100 Year’ Duofolds, and are shipped in ‘fancy’ boxes. Their ‘special editions’ ship in even-more-fancy boxes.

Even Lamy’s ‘special edition’ versions of the 2000, which were widely criticised for the ‘price hike’ over that of the ‘regular’ 2000, came in ‘fancy’ packaging that included lots of ‘value add’ in order to make the purchaser feel that s/he has made a discerning choice and obtained something that is ‘special’.

 

If Parker’s owners are allowing their over-$1000 ‘special edition’ editions of their ‘luxury’ pens to go out of the factory in the same packaging as their $40 pens, I agree with @Doctox57 that this is not only a ‘careless’ failure to honour/‘curate’ the brand - and thus a self-defeating failure to maintain the value of their own I.P. - but is actually evidence of their contempt for the brand, and for the people who buy its products.

[davidtaylorjr]

So I found an original "51" on Ebay from the Pen Shop in Memphis, TN. Got, what I think is..." a good deal on it for $75