Pen Pit Stop : Parker 25 Flighter MK I

[namrehsnoom]

Pen Pit Stop : Parker 25 Flighter MK I

 

Welcome to the Pen Pit Stop. Here you will find reviews of pens that already have some mileage on them. More specifically, these reviews are of pens that are in my personal collection, and that have been in use for at least a year. I thought it would be fun to do it this way – no new & shiny pens here, but battered vehicles that have been put to work for at least a year. Let’s find out how they have withstood the ravages of time.

 

The fountain pen that arrives at the pit stop today is the “Parker 25 Flighter” in blue finish. The Parker Pen Company is a manufacturer of luxury pens, founded in 1888 by George Safford Parker in Janesville, Wisconsin, United States. The 25 model was introduced in 1975. It was designed as a cheap but very functional entry-level pen. I won’t go into the history here – excellent discussions can be found at:
•    Parker Pens Penography: PARKER 25
•    Parker 25 Review – Collectablepens
•    Parker 25
I obtained my pen sometime during my pre-university years, so the only thing I’m sure of is that it dates from before summer 1979. I also clearly remember that it was part of a ballpoint / fountain pen combo set, and that I used the ballpoint most. A little bit of research confirms this: it clearly is a first-model MK I pen – with the breather hole and the “Made in England” inscription. These MK I pens were produced in the 1975-1978 timeframe. 

 

I didn’t even know I still owned this pen. It’s only after a summer cleanup of old stuff in the basement that I re-discovered it at the back of a drawer. Unfortunately, I was totally ignorant about fountain pens in my youth, so the pen disappeared in the drawer uncleaned with a half-full ink cartridge still in it. It was in pretty bad shape: a rusted nib, caked & dried ink in the feed. I did some extensive cleaning, even using sandpaper to remove rust from the nib. I also cleaned the feed as best as I could. With this crude cleaning job, the pen is presentable again, and writes really smooth. It's not 100% yet – I still experience a minor ink flow issue at times. So probably the feed needs more cleaning… might be a good excuse to finally get me that ultrasonic cleaner 😉

 

 

Pen Look & Feel
The Parker 25 Flighter is a bit of an odd-looking pen, with a body that tapers near the end. The cap posts securely onto the tapered end, with the inner plastic cap gripping the end-section of the barrel. The grip section and clip ornament are made of blue plastic, with some scratches on it, but fortunately undamaged. The body is built like a tank: it’s made from brushed stainless steel. This is a genius choice by the Parker engineers: the brush pattern is fairly irregular, and seems to absorb dents and scratches. These aging signs feel totally natural, and don’t feel like blemishes at all. It’s like the pen is specifically designed to age gracefully.

 

The pen has a push-cap mechanism, and can be used unposted or posted (and it posts securely). I typically use the pen posted – it’s well-balanced and looks more elegant with the cap hiding the tapered body-end. The pen is a cartridge-convertor that uses proprietary Parker ink cartridges. Not really an issue, because these cartridges can be found everywhere. The Parker 25 has a rounded nib with a distinctive look. I didn’t find a size designation on the nib, but since it was a regular item in a stationary shop, it’s probably an F or M. Anyway – after the extensive rescue operation, this nib has probably a unique size of its own.

 

 

 

The pictures above illustrate the size of the Parker 25 Flighter in comparison with a standard Lamy Safari. The pen is somewhat smaller in length, and a lot smaller in girth. Due to its steel construction, it’s also a bit heavier, but not too much so. The pen feels really well-balanced in the hand, and can be used for extensive writing sessions. 

Pen Characteristics

• Build Quality :  this pen is built like a tank. After over 45 years and ending up rusted and caked-up with dried ink, it was still possible to revive it without any training or experience with pen restoration. The brushed steel body absorbs dents and scratches, and the pen still looks really good for its age. Given its history, I would say that the pen has aged gracefully.
• Weight & Dimensions : a bit smaller and much more slender than a Lamy Safari. The pen also has some heft to it, due to the steel body. It feels well-balanced in the hand, both uncapped and posted. 
• Filling System : this is a cartridge convertor pen, that uses Parker proprietary cartridges. Parker sells convertors, but I never use them. I find it much more convenient to just syringe-fill Parker Quink cartridges. 
• Nib & Performance : a rounded steel nib of unknown size (and with all the polishing it needed during restoration, it now has a nib size of its own – somewhere in the neighbourhood of a western F). The nib now writes really smooth, but the feed needs more cleaning to improve ink flow. 
• Price : I didn’t buy the pen myself but got it as a gift from my parents. But it was an entry-level student pen, so not at all expensive. A similar entry-level pen today should probably be comparable in price to a Lamy CP1 or Kaweco AL Sport – so in the 30-40 EUR range.

 

Conclusion
My Parker 25 Flighter now has a special place in my collection. It certainly is my oldest pen, with a lot of personal history. And I was totally amazed to get it working again, given the mess I found it in when I rediscovered it. Kudos to Parker for building this pen like a tank! 

[OCArt]

@namrehsnoomThanks for posting this review. Great pictures.

[jchch1950]

The Parker 25 was a useful writing tool for many students. I bought mine in London, don't remember the date. It was a bad writer, and a friend tried to "use" it for some time to achieve a wetter ink flow, but the toddler son had a different idea and the nib was destroyed. Some years after Fahrney's pen store in Washington, DC, had a special sale of the pen, I bought one that I still have today. It brings up memories, but I have not used it in a long time.

[jthole]

Very nice! I think that many who were students in the 1980s had this pen, or wanted to have it.

[pensuponpens]

I bought two of these in the '70's while at college.  One on its own, one with a pencil and ballpen.  I still have them, but just have never been able to get a consistent ink flow from them.

[Mercian]

On 8/19/2025 at 6:52 PM, namrehsnoom said:

I obtained my pen sometime during my pre-university years, so the only thing I’m sure of is that it dates from before summer 1979. I also clearly remember that it was part of a ballpoint / fountain pen combo set, and that I used the ballpoint most. A little bit of research confirms this: it clearly is a first-model MK I pen – with the breather hole and the “Made in England” inscription. These MK I pens were produced in the 1975-1978 timeframe. 

 

Your 25 has a 'breather hole'/'crack-stop' hole in its nib.
That detail identifies it as one of the first-year Parker 25s, made in 1975, and not after 1976.

 

This ↓ website...

https://www.moreengineering.co.uk/Parker25

 

...contains lots of information about 25s.
Its creator used to be a Precision Toolmaker at Parker's factory in Newhaven, England.

During my own school days, the 25 was the 'fancy' metal-bodied Parker fountain pen for adults, and 25s were owned by the slightly-better-off kids - as opposed to the plastic FP1s and Vectors that were used by the 'ordinary' folk.
Back then, I found them to be weird-looking, but I as I grew older I developed a nostalgic interest in them.

I now have two 25s - one with blue trim, and one with black trim.
Both of mine have 'M' nibs. Both of mine date to the period 1976-1979, although the grip-section on my black-trimmed pen seems to be a replacement one from the 1980s or 1990s.

I (showing my age?) find that I like their boxy, no-nonsense '1970s-Futuristic' design, especially the way that that weird-looking shape of the steel barrel means that the cap posts really well on it, and then makes the pen look like a single cylinder of steel.

I agree with you that they are built like tanks  

OK, so they don't have 'fancy' flexy nibs, and they were never available with any gold trim, or with gold nibs. But then they weren't intended to be 'fancy' pens for senior Executives, or to be 'luxury' items.
What they are is a 'good, honest, robust pen', and they were well-made too. These days, some people might describe them as being 'a good EDC pen'.

And, in keeping with the era of their production, their nibs were available in a variety of widths/grinds.

IMO they are an example of really good Industrial design, and of good manufacturing techniques too.