The Parker “51” (2018)

[gattilorenz]

Slightly off topic, but I want to share this.

I've recently started using fountain pens again, after a... long break (secondary school, I think).

The way they glide on the paper and the pleasure of holding such a beautiful (well, arguably, but I love both how nibs look and how they work) device made me improve my handwriting, and I started to take more notes just to use the pens.

I highly recommend the experience, if you're not familiar with them. Some good modern ones are also pretty cheap.

Like with vinyl records, there is a certain satisfaction in taking care of the pen, cleaning it when switching to ink or a different color, and so on; and it's a mechanical object that helps me detach from the digital world. Unlike vinyl, it is actually a practical thing to use everyday :)

[beizhia]

You can get a Pilot Varsity or a Platinum Preppy for just a couple bucks, and they write pretty dang good. It's a great entry point in to fountain pens.

Having nice pens makes me want to use them more, and writing more has helped me organize my thoughts better, especially when writing code. I'd highly recommend it to everyone.

[dcl]

They glide on the paper?

I have a Lamy 2000, Pilot Vanishing Point and some other highly recommended pen (can't remember the name, it was a few years ago) and they are all scratchy as hell. Absolutely not as nice as even a cheap ball point...

[naravara]

>Like with vinyl records, there is a certain satisfaction in taking care of the pen, cleaning it when switching to ink or a different color, and so on; and it's a mechanical object that helps me detach from the digital world. Unlike vinyl, it is actually a practical thing to use everyday :)

Not to mention that carrying around piles of splotchy papers and notebooks and having perpetually ink-stained hands really helps to sell the "eccentric professor" aesthetic I have going. Which is key to making my lack of charisma seem charming and idiosyncratic rather than lame and boring.

[billfruit]

And some of the Chinese manufacturers like Boaer and Jin Hao has been turning out solidly build fountain pens at a fraction of the price of western prestige brands.

[diablerouge]

Crazy to see Richard Binder here. He's one of the big fish in the fountain pen community (though now mostly retired as a restoration expert.)

For anyone who is interested in seeing what these are like, I can heartily recommend the Wing Sung 601 - it's a very respectable $15 Chinese homage to the P51. You'll need some bottled ink as well. I use Parker Quink plain black (<$10 on Amazon).

eBay link: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Wing-Sung-601-Steel-Cap-Vacumatic-F...

[ecspike]

My favorite P51 homage is the Jinhao 51A. I love all the colors/finishes they come in and have demonstrator versions, hooded and unhooded. They are like $2-5 a pop.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Jinhao-51A-Acrylic-Wood-Fountain-Pe...

[themodelplumber]

Thanks for the recommendation. I don't have that Wing Sung model yet, but as a beginner in the hobby I have had a blast buying Chinese fountain pens over the last year. To the degree that I'm annoyed that my local big box office supply store has such a sub-par (for the price) selection. About all I buy there is Quink, which has been really great writing and drawing ink.

[Aloha]

Thanks for the recommendation - ordered one, will see how it works out!

I recommend trying the noodlers inks, I'm quite fond of them.

[a012]

Went to school in 90s, we used the Chinese version of Parker 51 exclusively, it was too big and tiresome for me. Nowaday, I use and like the Lamy safari pen much more, because it fits and is so convenient to holding and writing.

[jstanley]

I used to enjoy using fountain pens, but now use almost exclusively "Uniball Eye" pens, they look like this: http://i.ebayimg.com/images/i/251258168346-0-1/s-l1000.jpg

They write just as smoothly as any fountain pen I've used, and are much more robust.

They're not refillable, but a pack of 12 costs less than £10 and lasts (me) for years.

[osullivj]

I'm something of a pen fetishist, and swear by the Mitsubishi Uni-ball. I've tried Pilot and other brands, but nothing beats the Mitsu. Other pen obsessives might want to check this site: https://www.penaddict.com/top-5-pens

[billfruit]

I personally find the Pentel EnerGels to be great value, write smooth as the Uniballs, and the Pilot V5/V7s but dries a lot faster, and is much cheaper too.

[Abishek_Muthian]

The 'Hero' fountain pen was extremely popular in India during the 90's, it is a copy of Parker51 by Shanghai Hero Pen Company[1].

I was using those for few grades, I have some hand deformities so writing was hard & I didn't like the pen much.

Then by 10th grade my sister gifted me a Parker. It was a new experience, smooth & helped me write much better. 10th grade has board (public) exams in India, I spent a year before the exams in bed rest due to surgeries. So, writing the crucial board exams with the Parker pen was a remarkable experience; I scored good.

[1]:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_Hero_Pen_Company

[puranjay]

I remember how coveted these were. They were all called "Chinese pens".

This was before ball pens, and eventually, gel pens became the norm.

[braindouche]

Hero still makes these pens, they're such an outstanding value that these knockoffs have generated knockoffs of their own.

[akavel]

In case you are, or want to become, a fountain pen addict... I mean, afficionado! — the fountain pens subreddit is a great community & time sink: https://reddit.com/r/fountainpens

[hartzell]

And, if you're feeling acquisitive, there's also the Pen Swap subreddit:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Pen_Swap/new/

[spectramax]

Completely tangent question: Does anyone know how a website such as this is created? It has that "old" vibe to it. Perhaps, I am guessing it was created using one of those software in a box that you buy a physical copy of it, and it allows a non-techy person to create a website. I am curious because I see this similar type of web-design in old websites.

[NeedMoreTea]

After 23,000 Bootstrap single page sites, it has a refreshing vibe to it. Reminds me when the web was useful rather than marketing. (Only partly tongue in cheek). :)

[tvon]

The "#bbinclude" in the source suggests it was made using BBEdit.

[mcguire]

Here's another link, if you're interested in how the "51" works: http://www.richardspens.com/ref/anatomy/51.htm

Richard for a while sold printed copies of his "Anatomy of a fountain pen" pages; I've got them framed. :-) He also has (what I believe to be) the best current book on pen repair and restoration.

The "51" is a loose successor to the most beautiful and pleasant to use pen ever made, the Parker Vacumatic. Unlike the Vacumatic (and the vacumatic-filler "51"s), the aerometric filler 51s (screw it) have latex (?) sacs, which last much longer than rubber sacs common in other pens; quite often an unrestored vintage 51 will work fine once cleaned. When Parker closed down their Chinese factory, which made 51s, they left the machinery in place---leading to the initial pens from Chinese pen companies to be 51 clones.

This concludes today's random pen facts.

[crispinb]

I had a 51 many years ago. Much as I liked mine, it never occurred to me that people would write articles about them.

I've always preferred writing with a fountain pen, but can't see myself having one again (or at least a good one). I have the same problem with them as I do with sunglasses: they always get lost or broken.

[braindouche]

Disposable fountain pens are a thing now, and shockingly good writers. You can have all of the writing with none of the guilt.

[cyberjunkie]

Quick guide - Really affordable stuff to start with - Jinhao 992, Jinhao X450, Jinhao X750, Platinum Preppy (all of them range between $5 - $8)

I've progressed to the slightly pricier Lamy Safari now. Excellent experience and good to see my handwriting improve, while being a soothing, gratifying experience.

[arkades]

My favorite cheap garbage pen is the moonman m2. It’s joined the lamy safari as my daily driver.

[rlue]

I wonder how much this post will drive up the price of Parker 51s on eBay (or spur the market for modern knock-offs, if one exists), and for how long.

[ecspike]

Likely not. There are so many modern Parker 51 inspired pens already.

The vintage P51s are priced all over the place from $60-7500 depending on the features of that pen....$7500 was a pen that Cartier commisioned to sell in their stores.

Their past popularity makes supplies of low to mid ranged models pretty plentiful.

P51 is "out of print." I find reliable P51-inspired writers for $2-4 a pen so I have no desire to try and buy a vintage one that might not work.

[themodelplumber]

Should have bought the fountain pen dip.

[kloh]

They were non trivially higher a little over a year ago, so I'd argue they could do with some propping up....

[dvh]

I bought 30 for $0.29 each, minor nib adjustment and they're good to go.

[pavel_lishin]

I was really hoping Matt Parker made another amusing-yet-educational mistake somewhere, like his famous square.

[mrbill]

I love my Parker 51s. All of them older than I am (of course) but the ones that still work (aren't cracked, etc) work wonderfully (filled with Noodler's inks).

[LyndsySimon]

I’m fond of my 61s as well, with their capillary reservoir, and being one of the first commercial uses of Teflon.

They’re a pain to clean thoroughly, though, so they’re best used as a pen for someone who doesn’t change inks very often. That person is not me :)

[nickdothutton]

I recently reviewed some of my old notebooks (Moleskin, graph) for information for a blog post. Noticed how bad my handwriting had become. Have since rediscovered fountain pens. Writing is now much improved, I put this down to the necessity to write more slowly or at least more smoothly with a proper pen.

[cogs]

I can see the appeal of these. Just holding one makes you feel you can soak in attention to detail and beautiful handwriting through your fingertips. But the reality is different. I don't have the patience to wait for the ink to dry when I want to turn the page, nor to muck about with blotting paper. Everything just ends up smudged.

But it seems I'm not alone here in being a pen geek, so maybe it's a good place to share a discovery that has been revolutionary for me: Erasable gel and ballpoint pens!

Bright colours, no sharpening, easy and effective erasing of my mistakes. Yayyy. I've tried quite a few, my favourite at the moment are Pilot Kleer.

Now I'm no longer afraid to write in a new moleskin!

[hartzell]

At the higher end there is also Ariel Kullock's "Fantasy" 51's [1]. I believe that he's no longer making them, but it's not uncommon to see his pen parts for sale (e.g. [2]).

[1]: http://www.penhero.com/PenGallery/Parker/Parker51FantasyPart...

[2]: https://www.ebay.com/str/arielkullockpens/Parker-51/_i.html?...