After first being exposed to fountain pens by my mentor during a design studio I did some research on a good starter pen to use daily. My exploration led me to a forum with multiple threads on the subject which did offer a ton of great insight and information. I landed on an Parker 51 due to its design, reliability, and ink capacity. It did not disappoint.
Brand: Parker Pen Co.
Model: 51 Special
Year: 1960's
Nib: Fine steel (Octanium)
Colour: Black w/ Chrome
Appearance & Design
The Parker 51 looks like a fountain pen re-imagined, the body is free of threads and is one sleek design gesture from tip to tip. The modern look is well executed considering the features and innovation housed under the hood.
Construction & Quality
Though the pen body is made of plastic, it doesn't feel like the plastic I've come to expect in today's market this plastic. This plastic has some substance, some weight to it and the chrome cap reflects that same value. The clip feels solid with a nice ball of material at its tip. Not the standard fold over.
Weight and Dimensions
The diameter of the 51 was larger than the Pilot Fineliners that I had been used to, it felt light in the hand but when posted it suited my hand perfectly. The balance and flexibilty of grip position enabled me to use the pen for hours without much effort. I am sure it would work well for hands of all shapes and sizes.
Nib & Performance
The nib is stainless steel, Parker called their stainless steel Octanium because of the 8 metals used in the alloy recipe. The nib is exceptional smooth and wet, plus the hooded design allowed the pen to sit on my desk uncapped for a period of time between thoughts (not coffees) without any start-up trouble.
Filling System & Maintenance
The filling system Parker calls aeromatic, I would call it a squeeze filler. A sac is pressed by a bar to draw ink into the pen through the base of the section. The section opening is small and positioned in such a way that makes filling with ink easy when ink levels are low in the bottle. The ink capacity is moderate to high, averaging around 1 mL. The pen takes quite an effort to disassemble and should only be done when servicing not cleaning. Having said that it does take time to flush out ink when changing them.
Cost & Value
I found the pen through the Ontario local classifieds and the seller was in my region. For the this quality of pen I feel that it was a steal for the price and would buy it over and again. I highly recommend this pen to anyone
Although I have met a few people that do not find the styling of the Parker 51 pen attractive, what this pen does is marries together many great features in one subtle design gesture. It was obviously well though out and you have to appreciate good design.
Brand: Parker Pen Co.Model: 51 Special
Year: 1960's
Nib: Fine steel (Octanium)
Colour: Black w/ Chrome
Appearance & Design
The Parker 51 looks like a fountain pen re-imagined, the body is free of threads and is one sleek design gesture from tip to tip. The modern look is well executed considering the features and innovation housed under the hood.
Construction & Quality
Though the pen body is made of plastic, it doesn't feel like the plastic I've come to expect in today's market this plastic. This plastic has some substance, some weight to it and the chrome cap reflects that same value. The clip feels solid with a nice ball of material at its tip. Not the standard fold over.
Weight and DimensionsThe diameter of the 51 was larger than the Pilot Fineliners that I had been used to, it felt light in the hand but when posted it suited my hand perfectly. The balance and flexibilty of grip position enabled me to use the pen for hours without much effort. I am sure it would work well for hands of all shapes and sizes.
Nib & Performance
The nib is stainless steel, Parker called their stainless steel Octanium because of the 8 metals used in the alloy recipe. The nib is exceptional smooth and wet, plus the hooded design allowed the pen to sit on my desk uncapped for a period of time between thoughts (not coffees) without any start-up trouble.
The filling system Parker calls aeromatic, I would call it a squeeze filler. A sac is pressed by a bar to draw ink into the pen through the base of the section. The section opening is small and positioned in such a way that makes filling with ink easy when ink levels are low in the bottle. The ink capacity is moderate to high, averaging around 1 mL. The pen takes quite an effort to disassemble and should only be done when servicing not cleaning. Having said that it does take time to flush out ink when changing them.
Cost & Value
I found the pen through the Ontario local classifieds and the seller was in my region. For the this quality of pen I feel that it was a steal for the price and would buy it over and again. I highly recommend this pen to anyone
Although I have met a few people that do not find the styling of the Parker 51 pen attractive, what this pen does is marries together many great features in one subtle design gesture. It was obviously well though out and you have to appreciate good design.
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