Modern Parker 45

[safetyfast]

Disappointing purchase. Purchased a new Parker 45 on Ebay. Black with brushed steel cap marked "Made in UK." Plastic of the pen body felt thin and cheap. Gold accents on the cap look cheap. Pen looked about on par with my Parker 15 quality wise. However, the 15 writes much smoother. The nib on this pen feels dry and scratchy. It's certainly made to resemble a Parker 51, but it's an embarrassment to Parker. The Vector is a way better pen. Having read so many good things about the vintage 45, I had hoped that the modern one would be similar. Unfortunately, I was anxious and stuck a cartridge in it, having never disliked a Parker pen. Live and learn.

[Steven]

Thanks for the review. Too bad you had a bad experience with a new 45. I have a few and they all write smooth. One of my EF Parker 45's is loaded with Noodlers Bay State Blue and manges this shockingly blue ink well and because the of fineness of the nib it helps keep this ink under control. The pen is reasonably priced and has never clogged on me. I find these pens to be very good work horses and the stainless steel bodied ones have a little weight to them. The all plastic ones are very light when not posted. In my experience I give them a 4.5 out of 5. However they are nothing like the Parker 51.

[lovemy51]

man! don't know what to say. IMO the new 45's are not as nice as the 10k or 14k (?) nibs on the vintage ones, but it's not that bad.

 

i do not think it resembles the "51" (the nib on the 45 is semi-hooded, the 51 is fully under the hood), nor it comes close to it in performance (that's is not just MO, anyways ).

 

i'm sorry you are disappointed with your pen!!! thanx for letting us know how you feel.

 

regards,

[safetyfast]

man! don't know what to say. IMO the new 45's are not as nice as the 10k or 14k (?) nibs on the vintage ones, but it's not that bad.

 

i do not think it resembles the "51" (the nib on the 45 is semi-hooded, the 51 is fully under the hood), nor it comes close to it in performance (that's is not just MO, anyways ).

 

i'm sorry you are disappointed with your pen!!! thanx for letting us know how you feel.

 

regards,

 

Perhaps I should pull it back out and give it another try. It's at least narrow enough to pit in the loop of my journal. Your right about it being very different from a 51. I just meant that it appears designed to have that general look to it with the metal two-tone cap/plastic body. It's definitely not similar to any great extent. I probably wouldn't have been quite as disappointed had I not paid more than I did for the Vector I used to carry as a knock around pen. Further, Vector was a cardboar/shrink plastic display, and this was in a decent case, so I expected the pen to be better than the Vector, not worse. I'm going to have to dig that Vector out of the back of my desk.

[Gran]

Safetyfast, I'm sorry your new 45 isn't what you'd hoped. I don't think the later 45s are as nice as the older ones. The 45 and the 51 are very different. Don't know why some folks expect the 45 to be like the 51. The 45 was never touted as a fancy pen, just a good, solid, smooth writer. If yours doesn't write smoothly and handle well, then something is wrong with that particular pen. I have a 45 that is newer than the one I had in college. The gold-colored clip and band do look a bit gaudy, rather than elegant. But, the shape and size of the pen, its weight and the smooth writing, make up for the less-than-ideal, cosmetic factor of the "gold". My original 45, from the early 70s, had a chrome cap and chrome trip, probably brushed chrome. It looked like what it was: a good, plain pen.

 

Hope you can get yours squared away to write nicely. It ought to be a very nice writer.

Edited March 17, 2009 by Gran

[lovemy51]

man! don't know what to say. IMO the new 45's are not as nice as the 10k or 14k (?) nibs on the vintage ones, but it's not that bad.

 

i do not think it resembles the "51" (the nib on the 45 is semi-hooded, the 51 is fully under the hood), nor it comes close to it in performance (that's is not just MO, anyways ).

 

i'm sorry you are disappointed with your pen!!! thanx for letting us know how you feel.

 

regards,

 

Perhaps I should pull it back out and give it another try. It's at least narrow enough to pit in the loop of my journal. Your right about it being very different from a 51. I just meant that it appears designed to have that general look to it with the metal two-tone cap/plastic body. It's definitely not similar to any great extent. I probably wouldn't have been quite as disappointed had I not paid more than I did for the Vector I used to carry as a knock around pen. Further, Vector was a cardboar/shrink plastic display, and this was in a decent case, so I expected the pen to be better than the Vector, not worse. I'm going to have to dig that Vector out of the back of my desk.

 

if the vector is better, let me know... i'll have to get me one!!

[hari317]

Having read so many good things about the vintage 45, I had hoped that the modern one would be similar. Unfortunately, I was anxious and stuck a cartridge in it, having never disliked a Parker pen. Live and learn.

 

I am sorry the Modern 45 did not work out for you. I own several 45s both vintage and modern. I somehow prefer the quality of the modern clip. The main difference lies in their nibs and the converter. I prefer the vintage ones for their nibs and converters. The modern nibs are too wide and ground very diffrently from their vintage counterparts. Also the shape of the nib tines is slightly different making the modern ones very stiff.

 

Best,

Hari

 

[tawanda]

I don't like the modern 45's much but I will defend the vintage (pre 1985) ones to the death! I think they are far better than either of the two P51's I've had my hands on in the past. I love the versatility, the ease of maintenance and nib swapping, and mine have always worked like a trojan for me.

 

I have ten and wouldn't swap them for anything (well maybe I'd swap one for a Pilot Decimo if forced )

 

My advice is to grab a couple of oldies of flea bay and give em another chance...

[welch]

My own experience with one of the current 45s is that it's pretty good, but not as heavy and solid as my long-lost 1960 model. ave it to my daughter as her first fountain pen. She loves it.

 

The new piston is not nearly as good as the old squeeze converter. l always get ink on my fingers when I slide the slider down. e used to hold our old 45's by the tail, meaning the metal converter. he dip into the convenient trough that Parker put at the top inside of a Quink bottle. Never get near the ink.

 

Still, same basic design -- plain, simple, and the hood still looks great. not bad after more than 45 years!

[TallDarkStranger]

I too bought two new 45s and both of them had serious starting and skipping problems. In fact I haven't had too much good luck with any of the modern "Made in UK" Parkers. They all seem to have starting problems (this includes two 45s, two Frontiers, two Jotters, and a Reflex), possibly due to the extra large vent holes. My 1990 Parker Vector (Made in USA) writes flawlessly, as do the 51s.

[tonysameh]

I got one and it was very smooth and wet.

Only the nib is a little flexible (and it makes a sound when i press it).

I wrote this in another post in parker forum..

but when i write with no pressure, it is very very wet and smooth.