Parker entry-level fountain pens: the last 50
years
The Parker brand has always been
associated with quality; even when producing student or
entry level pens, their pens were reliable and durable.
Many such pens used less expensive materials, when
confronted with their luxury lines, but still retained
style and functionality.
In this article, we are reviewing
Parker entry level pens spanning a period of over fifty
years. In chronological order, we will be looking at the
following pens:
Parker 45:
introduced in the year 1960, discontinued in 2007
Parker Vector:
introduced in 1984 and still in production
Parker Frontier:
introduced in 1996 and discontinued in 2012
Parker Reflex:
introduced in the year 2000 and discontinued in 2007
Parker Urban:
introduced in 2007 and still in production
Parker Beta:
current production, made by Luxor in India
All the pens,
being Parkers, share some common features, but are also
different in many significant ways; we will be looking at
them individually and then compare their features and
their writing characteristics. For these tests, all pens
have been cleaned and flushed and they will use a standard
washable blue Quink
ink cartridge by Parker.
We will look at the appearance and
build quality of the pens first: we shall cover their
writing characteristics later in the article.
Let’s start with the oldest and
most venerable of the bunch: the Parker 45.
This pen was introduced in 1960 as
a second tier pen, to address market segments not covered
by the Parker 51. It was Parker’s first cartridge pen and
it was actually a derivative of an Eversharp project
(Eversharp 10000) that had been shelved when Parker bought
Eversharp in the late 1950s. Parker eventually released a
cheaper variant of the Parker 45 under the Eversharp
Brand: it was known as the Eversharp Challenger and it was
introduced in 1962.
The Parker 45 (named after the
famed Colt 45 Peacemaker) has a slim and tapered profile,
a design by Don Doman, the man who had also supervised the
design of the Parker 61 and Jotter. For a student or entry
level pen, the 45 is an elegant pen, especially in the
Flighter configuration. Early pens suffered from a
deformation of the section (known as “dimples”) caused by
the clutch ring of the cap and by the fact that the
section was made of a poor type of plastics. The same
problem, by the way, also plagued the top-of-the-line
Parker 61.
The cap is a slip cap, with an
internal clutch, not unlike the one found in the Parker
51.
The pen was given a final refresh
in 2001, adding a cabochon at the top of the cap and
finally adopting a more sturdy plastic material for the
section.
A feature worthy of note is the
fact that the nib and collector can be easily removed from
the section (they are threaded as a single unit). This
feature makes it very easy to clean and flush the pen and
enables the owner to quickly and easily switch nibs.
The pen balances nicely in the
hand when posted and has rightly assumed the status of
being a classic pen. The fact that it remained in
production for almost 50 years speaks volumes for its
value and quality.
The Vector is
another long lasting pen in the Parker lineup: it has been
in production, with almost no changes, for 30 years!
The Vector is a slim pen, with a
smooth tubular plastic body, with metal section and barrel
top. The cap is made of plastic and posts securely to the
barrel. Even though this is a low cost plastic pen, the
Vector feels like a solid, good quality writing
instrument. The pen barrel is narrow, but its length when
posted ensures good balance and a comfortable grip. The
cap clicks into place when the pen is capped and provides
feels fairly secure when in place.
The third pen on our list is the
Parker Frontier. The
Frontier was produced in many different configurations,
going from the very basic plastic model (the one we are
reviewing) to more sophisticated metal pens. It also shows
a strong family resemblance with the Sonnet, which came
out around the same time. The model in our review is an
early one (1996), new old stock, in translucent green,
with the standard brushed metal cap. The Frontier looks
like a classic Parker from the post WW2 era: it was, when
it came out, a retro design that appealed to lovers of the
classic Parker 51 that, in some way, it resembled.
The cap clicks solidly into
place and seems quite secure when the pen is capped.
After the Frontier, we have the
Parker Reflex: This is an all-plastic
pen. It feels quite cheap and does not convey a feeling of
quality like the other pens we have seen so far. The clip
is the only metal part that is in evidence, together with
a metal clutch ring at the top of the section. The section
is covered in soft, textured rubber.
The whole pen is very light and
free from any embellishment. When posting the cap, the
connection does not seem very secure. The cap does not
click into place, it relies on the clutch ring on the
barrel to ensure a viable friction fit. All in all, the
Reflex feels like a huge step backwards when compared with
the other low cost Parkers that preceded it.
Next on our list is the
Parker Urban. This is a more expensive pen:
depending on the finish, its price can put it into a more
upscale category. We are looking at the basic model, with
gold plated trim, as offered in the Parker Fountain Pen
starter kit that is available online at between 30 and 40
dollars.
The Urban is a metal pen, with a
curvy modern shape that is ergonomically very comfortable.
In my hand, the pen feels best when the cap is posted,
although the weight makes it a bit too heavy for long
writing sessions. The cap clicks securely into place and
the pen gives an impression of quality and style.
Last on or list is a recent
introduction: the Parker Beta. This is a
very low cost student pen made in India by Luxor.
Is is a very light plastic pen,
with no pretense at quality and free of any frills. It is
built to last in the hands of young students and it sports
a metal clip. The cap clicks into place securely, the
section is slim and comfortable even for long use, thanks
also to its multi-faceted, textured construction. The cap
posts to the top of the barrel with a slightly scratchy
feel… but once posted, it stays solidly in place. There
are a few different finishes, all priced under 10 US
dollars and available online.
OK: these are the pens…but how do
they write?
In order to evaluate the pens
for their writing qualities, we have used new pens. When
necessary, we cleaned and flushed them as required. We
used original
Parker washable blue ink
cartridges and we did not, in any way, attempt any
tweaking or adjusting of nibs and feeds.
These are the results of our test:
1.
Parker 45 – M nib (gold plated)
Ink flow: normal to dry
Nib width: a western Medium (no
surprises)
Smoothness: not very good, the nib
has a noticeable tooth that is made worse by the fairly
dry ink flow. I checked the tine alignment and it was OK,
but the iridium tip is slightly offset and not ideally
shaped.
Overall rating: 6 out of
10
2.
Parker Vector – M nib (steel)
Ink flow: abundant. This Vector is
a wet writer, but not to the point of creating problems or
ink blots.
Nib width: M tending to B
Smoothness: this pen is a very
smooth writer. Ink flow keeps up even with very rapid
writing and shows no hesitation even when sketching with
very long lines. The nib is very stiff, but the iridium
tip is almost perfectly shaped and the writing is smooth
and effortless. A good everyday pen.
Overall rating: 8 out of
10
3.
Parker
Frontier
– M nib
Ink flow: normal to generous. The
pen writes with a wet trace, but not overly so. I would
rate the ink flow as near perfect.
Nib width: M tending to B
Smoothness: very smooth, with only
a slight hint of tooth. The nib glides over the paper and
seems to be quite tolerant of non-ideal paper quality. The
very slight tooth would, in my opinion, disappear after a
few weeks of normal use. Tine alignment was perfect out of
the box and the iridium pellet is perfectly shaped. An
excellent writer.
Overall rating: 8 ˝ out of
10
4.
Parker
Reflex
– M nib (steel)
Ink flow: normal. The pen writes
without hesitation, even when writing fast and when
sketching. The ink flow is a little less than what I would
consider ideal, but it is OK for normal use.
Nib width: M tending to F
Smoothness: this pen is a smooth
writer as long as no pressure is used. The nib has an
iridium pellet that is smaller and less rounded than the
other nibs tried so far. The line therefore is thinner,
but smooth nevertheless. The fact that no pressure should
be used to avoid feeling some scratchiness, makes the
writing line even thinner than otherwise expected.
Overall rating: 7 out of
10
5.
Parker
Urban – M nib (steel)
Ink flow: out of the box, this pen
refused to write. Ink flow was almost nonexistent, when it
wrote it did so for only a few words, then stopped
writing. Out of frustration, I did adjust the nib (no
smoothing, only tine adjustments) and the pen now writes
OK. Ink flow is normal: not overly wet, but sufficiently
so not to have any hesitation at normal writing speed.
Nib width: typical western M.
Smoothness: as I mentioned, at the
beginning the ink flow was scarce and uneven and this made
the nib feel quite scratchy. After nib adjustment, the nib
writes well, but still has bit of tooth. The iridium
pellet is properly shaped, but on the small side for an M
nib. I believe the nib will get smoother with use. This
pen seems rather sensitive to the type of ink used. After
these tests, I filled it with fresh Quink Black and it
clogged the feed!
Still, considering that this pen
is included in the Parker starter kit that is supposed to
convert new users into fountain pen enthusiasts, this pen
disappoints. After all, before I adjusted, it literally
refused to write.
Overall rating: 3 out of 10
6.
Parker
Beta – F nib (steel)
Ink flow: normal to slightly dry.
Nib width: F tending to M. (I
would describe this nib as an M tending to F)
Smoothness: the nib has a
considerable amount of tooth. It requires a very light
touch in order to move smoothly over the paper. The
iridium pellet is shaped flatter than on the other pens in
this review, making the sweet spot of this nib
considerably different from the others. Tine alignment was
very good, out of the box. The pen feels like a good,
inexpensive school pen, which it is.
Overall rating: 6 ˝ out of 10
That’s it! An interesting
comparison, with a few surprises. I was disappointed by
the Parker 45, although I am sure that I could tweak it to
near perfection. I have used other 45s that were much
smoother, so perhaps the pen I tested is a bad example of
the breed! The Parker Frontier is the only pen of the
bunch with a traditional exposed nib and it turned out to
be the outstanding performer of the lot. A really nice pen
that I would not hesitate to use as an everyday pen even
for long handwritten reports. The most expensive pen of
the lot, the new Parker Urban was the greatest
disappointment: it did not work. I had to tweak it to make
it write and it was not an easy job: I feel the Parker
Urban is let down by a very marginal feed.
So are these good starter pens?
Some are and would make a good introduction to fountain
pens for new users, others are sure to have the opposite
effect. Pricewise, they have to compete with many
inexpensive pens from China and India: pens whose quality
is improving at a very fast rate. I am curious to see what
the next entry level pen from Parker is going to be! In
the meantime, enjoy your pens!
2014 Giovanni Abrate - all
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