I 100% agree with this overall opinion of Parker 51 pens esp the build quality. I bought a 51 ballpoint from Amazon for 170 bucks. The second I unscrewed it and heard that squeak it went right back. Just a terrible pen at 30 down right slanderous at near 200
This is why I have largely stuck to Pilot and Lamy fountain pens, and have eschewed getting any modern Parker pens. Within the 50-100£ range, mediocre nibs and cheap bodies just don’t cut it anymore.
The Parker Black Flame IM Vibrant Rings (about 60 € without converter -7-8 €) here in Europe) is a metal fountain pen with a rather short black steel nib. This one writes excellently and softly. 🙂
i have jotters with the F nib, but I have so many pens that i still have not used them. the Ms have been quite decent ...i agree the 51 is a joke pen, though ...for 5 dollars you can get the jinhao copy (which is probably manufactured in the same chinese factory)
@@twms7654 It's a nice pen. Metal, 13.7 cm long, weight (filled with converter) 29 gr. Diameter of grip section: 9-9.5 cm. A short black steel nib, but writes very softly. Have fun with it!
Great video. Agree with everything said. Wanted one because I am a huge vintage P51 fan and got it as a gift. It wrote terribly out of the box. Hard starting, scratchy, nibbling dry. Had to prime if it wasn’t used for a day and a half. I got it writing with some nib adjusting and smoothing. I can’t find a way to disassemble the nib to work on it further. I like the overall look, feel and balance but what good is it when it doesn’t perform. Then a year later I was gifted the deluxe version. The gold nib did write smoother and better but the flow issue only slightly better. I would not spend my money on one. Huge disappointment. If you know how to disassemble the nib or know of anyone who did please share.
Hi, I'm sorry you had the same problem. It really is a shoddy pen. As far as I know, the feed is glued in and removes from the back of the section. Soak it in hot water for 24 hours and try to gently wriggle it back.
i haven't owned a parker for 20 years but always enjoyed them when i did. sad to see they've gone downhill. what's a modern pen brand at a reasonable price putting out a quality product, guys? do they exist at all anymore?
Oh they still exist, luckily. I would suggest Lamy, Kaweco, Twisbi and more. Search "beginner fountain pens" or "fountain pens between £50 and £100" and you'll find myriad results, both on youtube and the interweb.
I 100% agree with this overall opinion of Parker 51 pens esp the build quality. I bought a 51 ballpoint from Amazon for 170 bucks. The second I unscrewed it and heard that squeak it went right back. Just a terrible pen at 30 down right slanderous at near 200
$170? You did right to send it back. These modern "heritage" companies have no innovation nor care anymore.
This is why I have largely stuck to Pilot and Lamy fountain pens, and have eschewed getting any modern Parker pens. Within the 50-100£ range, mediocre nibs and cheap bodies just don’t cut it anymore.
Agreed, may aswell buy a Jinhao for a 10th of the price.
The Parker Black Flame IM Vibrant Rings (about 60 € without converter -7-8 €) here in Europe) is a metal fountain pen with a rather short black steel nib. This one writes excellently and softly. 🙂
you are on point give old 51 and vacumatics a try from 40s & 50s..... in modern given your prefacer you can try lamy 2000 as well
I love my Lamy 2000, and I've given a go on some of the old vacumatics and they're lovely!
Great advice
I'm not that big fan of Parker (I have a few, mostly from the 70s) but most of them are okay-ish IMO.
Keep up the good work 👍🏼
Thanks, man, that means a lot. Don't forget to fomment what you'd like to see too!
I honestly love my Parker 51s and Jotters, of course I have the ballpoint versions. The Parker fountain pens are awful. Great video!
Thank you very much! And, yes the Parker jotter ballpoints are great, I have at least one in all of my bags, coats, jackets etc
i have jotters with the F nib, but I have so many pens that i still have not used them. the Ms have been quite decent ...i agree the 51 is a joke pen, though ...for 5 dollars you can get the jinhao copy (which is probably manufactured in the same chinese factory)
Agreed, and when you're losing out to chinese copy-cats, then it's a major red flag.
Did they really put a jotter nib on a "51"? The original 51 didn't have a regular nib like a modern jotter has.
Because it's lazy and a quick money grab.
I agree about the 51, it is a disaster. I have two Parker Black Flame IM Vibrant Rings; excellent pens!
Ooh, the Black Flam does look very cool!
@@twms7654 It's a nice pen. Metal, 13.7 cm long, weight (filled with converter) 29 gr. Diameter of grip section: 9-9.5 cm. A short black steel nib, but writes very softly. Have fun with it!
Great video. Agree with everything said. Wanted one because I am a huge vintage P51 fan and got it as a gift. It wrote terribly out of the box. Hard starting, scratchy, nibbling dry. Had to prime if it wasn’t used for a day and a half. I got it writing with some nib adjusting and smoothing. I can’t find a way to disassemble the nib to work on it further. I like the overall look, feel and balance but what good is it when it doesn’t perform. Then a year later I was gifted the deluxe version. The gold nib did write smoother and better but the flow issue only slightly better. I would not spend my money on one. Huge disappointment. If you know how to disassemble the nib or know of anyone who did please share.
Hi, I'm sorry you had the same problem. It really is a shoddy pen. As far as I know, the feed is glued in and removes from the back of the section. Soak it in hot water for 24 hours and try to gently wriggle it back.
@@twms7654 Thank you for the info and reply. Much appreciated.
No worries, reach out if you have anymore questions: )
i haven't owned a parker for 20 years but always enjoyed them when i did. sad to see they've gone downhill. what's a modern pen brand at a reasonable price putting out a quality product, guys? do they exist at all anymore?
Oh they still exist, luckily. I would suggest Lamy, Kaweco, Twisbi and more. Search "beginner fountain pens" or "fountain pens between £50 and £100" and you'll find myriad results, both on youtube and the interweb.
don't buy twsbi, they crack over time & are built as cheap as they can get to be
Awsome
Thanks, man, much appreciated: )
The steel nib version is pretty bad from what I have seen. The 14k version is much better.
I'm sure it is, but Parker have put me off their modern line up.