Which Pen to Get

[MoonJuice777]

I’m relatively new to fountain pens, so my budget isn’t that big yet. That being said, I have bought a Waterman Allure, Lamy Safari and Wordsworth and Black Primori. They’re all very nice to use, smooth ink flow, not much scratch etc., but I’m looking to expand my collection. The pens I’m considering right now are the Parker Jotter, Vector and Urban, as they’re all quite cheap and in my price range. What are your opinions on these pens? Which one should I get? (For reference, my budget is around $50 AUD)

[jchch1950]

Parker Vector XL are pens that write smoothly and have nice colours.They only have two nib sizes:medium and fine. 

[OCArt]

In that price range I'd encourage you to look at some of the pens from China. You'll find plenty of discussions in our Far East Asia section  The Jinhao 80 and the Wing Sung 699 are particular favorites of mine, but there are other really good pens coming out of China now. 

[Checklist]

If vintage pens are an option, I think Parker 45s run about that price and are generally well-regarded.  They use the same converters and cartridges as modern Parkers, so that's one less thing to worry about.  There are many different colors and patterns, too, so you should find one you like without too much trouble.

 

Please note that I have not tried the pen myself but would like one someday.

[A Smug Dill]

Welcome to FPN!

 

20 hours ago, MoonJuice777 said:

The pens I’m considering right now are the Parker Jotter, Vector and Urban, as they’re all quite cheap and in my price range. What are your opinions on these pens?

 

They're all Parker pens, and so my opinion of all of them is very low, irrespective of whether I have first-hand experience of the specific model. (I have owned, used, and binned a Parker IM fountain pen; and I still have a Duofold Classic and two gold Sonnet pens here that I simply don't use any more.)

 

20 hours ago, MoonJuice777 said:

I’m looking to expand my collection. …‹snip›… (For reference, my budget is around $50 AUD)

 

I'd suggest buying:

• a Pilot Kaküno with a F nib — $11.48 on Amazon AU
    and
• a MUJI aluminium fountain pen with a (Schmidt made) German F nib — $19.99 on Amazon AU

and use the remainder of your budget to buy a Pilot converter and an ‘international standard’ converter (from wherever is convenient and/or economical); and ink if there is any money left after that.

 

That's assuming you don't want to venture too far afield in how you source your fountain pens and paraphernalia, such as ordering from Amazon JP or AliExpress, or delving into all the Chinese brands that's taking a big chunk of the market, just yet.

 

[Glenn-SC]

Sorry that no one here seems to have experience with the pens in which you are interested.  
I would recommend that you pursue the pens that interest YOU and NOT those that others like. That is the fun of this hobby, finding the pens that interest and work for you.  

[thx1138]

Jotter and Vector are usually made in France and the nibs are of good quality. The jotter FPs I have are not particularly wet writers but reasonably smooth for the price.

Both are fairly narrow pens.

Most of my vectors are older US or UK made pens, again very reasonable nibs for the price. Build quality is it good. I havevread some complaints about vectors cracking. I have not experienced this myself.

I think the Vector XL is made in China.

 

The Parker Urban (and IM) is made in China. Nibs are normally reasonable but I have had a couple which needed minor tuning to get to write acceptably. 

Build quality is normally reasonable, often laquer over brass.

More weighty and thicker than the other two. For some people thin pens can be uncomfortable. 

 

If older pens are of interest to you the Parker 45 is a great pen, often with a 14k nib. If you can get a UK made pen the gold nibs tend to be buttery smooth. The US made pens are similar but the nib grades are almost a full size smaller. So a US broad would be a UK medium.

Edited November 29, 2022 by thx1138
Edited to remove hundreds of carriage returns that appeared to be Inserted as ads were popping up on the bottom of my phone screen

[OCArt]

@thx1138 no photos appear unless these are the new high clarity demonstrator pens I've heard about

[thx1138]

7 minutes ago, OCArt said:

@thx1138 no photos appear unless these are the new high clarity demonstrator pens I've heard about

Sorry, something went horribly wrong while I was writing the post on my phone.

Every time a pop up ad appeared at the bottom of the screen a hundred or so new lines would be Inserted. I had to grab my tablet to edit it.

[OCArt]

No problems computer glitches happen. @MoonJuice777 have you seen this review of a "fake" Parker Sonnet. The reviewer really liked it at under $10 too.

[Penguincollector]

I have a French Jotter and I really like it. It’s smooth and no fuss. I use cartridges or an old school squeeze converter with it. I misplaced my piston converter and don’t really use the Parker slide ones so I’m not sure how it does with those yet. Parker cartridges are rather sturdy and easy to syringe fill if you’re into inks and don’t have any converters available.