Parker Rollerball

[tonydent84]

Impressed by most of the Parker fountain pens I have (mostly low-end, but one Sonnet), and impressed by Parker's ballpoint pens, I decided to try out a Parker rollerball. So I bought a Vector and bought extra refills at my nearby Staples. I didn't want to go to high end with my first Parker rollerball, so that's why I chose the Vector as my first choice.

 

But it seems that the Parker rollerball refills have very inconsistent flows. When I finally get it started, the pen flows very nice (very bold for a fine point, and even bolder for a medium point). But then, I cap the pen, attend to other things, etc. and when I come back to the pen, it gives me a hard time starting again. And when it does start, it starts with an incosistent flow for a while and then gets consistent after shaking or quickly making small circles on the paper.

 

Does anyone else have similar problems with Parker rollerball pens? I'm afraid of buying a pricier model like the Sonnet because my Vector is giving me such a bad experience. But I'm also thinking that maybe the cap on the Vector might play a role. I don't know, I'm just very disappointed that such expensive refills do no better than many of the very cheap rollerball pens I used.

[Mike 59]

I bought a Parker rollerball a couple of years ago, didn't expect too much, but the medium refill wrote very EF, and not to give up easily I kept writing. After about three pages of A4 it started to work better than on the first page. But more than anything it seems very fussy on the type of paper used, not too bad at all on inkjet printer paper, but very fine line on "Reporters notebook" type of coated paper.

Looking at the refill, it appears to be well made, must cost much more than the ballpoint refills to make, so it's surprising it isn't more consistant. Don't believe it would be any different in a Vector, or a Sonnet barrel.

I now think given the 'right' paper, (not coated) a rollerball can be a reasonable writer, but seems to be something missing about the whole system, and I don't like the glassy feel of the rollerball on the page.

Edited January 25, 2012 by Mike 59

[tonydent84]

I bought a Parker rollerball a couple of years ago, didn't expect too much, but the medium refill wrote very EF, and not to give up easily I kept writing. After about three pages of A4 it started to work better than on the first page. But more than anything it seems very fussy on the type of paper used, not too bad at all on inkjet printer paper, but very fine line on "Reporters notebook" type of coated paper.

Looking at the refill, it appears to be well made, must cost much more than the ballpoint refills to make, so it's surprising it isn't more consistant. Don't believe it would be any different in a Vector, or a Sonnet barrel.

I now think given the 'right' paper, (not coated) a rollerball can be a reasonable writer, but seems to be something missing about the whole system, and I don't like the glassy feel of the rollerball on the page.

 

With me I got my pen in the mail and the fine point wasn't writing, so I went to Staples and bought some more refills thinking that would be the cure (mediums). They too had a very hard time starting. Finally when they started, the medium was very broad, very similar to a fountain pen medium. But whenever I capped the pen, it would dry up again.

 

It's probably the worse rollerball refill I've come across yet. And I thought Waterman was bad. But it's a good thing Waterman roller ball pens can use standard refills. I'm stuck now with a crappy Parker roller pen and no decent refills to fit it.

 

it wouldn't be a bad idea though if they made gel ink refill sto fit the rollerball. Their gel ink refills for ballpoints are pretty nice (not as good as Cross, but that's another discussion lol).

[hazcat]

That is so weird. I have trouble with maybe one in five rollerball refills. I'd return the duds, but I'm still using a batch of 50 I bought on eBay in 1999 or so.

 

I adore the Vector rollerballs. That is the pen that turned me on to higher quality writing tools.

[tonydent84]

I have to say that the pen that got me turned on to higher quality rollerballs was the Cross Century II Selectip rolling ball I bought about a year or so ago. Absolutely loved the way it wrote. So then I bought some Watermans. Wasn't crazy about Waterman refills (they tend to be picky what kind of paper they work well with), so I replaced Waterman rollers with G2 refills or Vball refills (depending on the model, other refills work too). So the other day, I wanted a little change and see how Parker does. Decided to start off with their cheapest model to see how it writes, and this has been my experience. I hate that this happened to me too because the Parker Vector actually looks pretty nice with their new chiseled caps.

 

 

So you bought a batch in 1999 and they still work? That's pretty impressive.

[dkirchge]

I have several rollerballs that use the Parker refills and I have found that the medium refills leave a rather broad, wet line, at least on the papers I use. I switched to the fine point refills and they still leave a broader line than I would like. I have not experienced any issues with ink flow from either type of refill.

 

One thing I have noticed about the Parker refills is that they seem to like rougher, cheaper paper (like standard college-ruled notebook paper) better than smoother papers. Paper with a little bit of grab to it keeps the pen from skating across the page uncontrollably.

 

In general, though, I like the Parker rollerballs; they're almost as good as a fountain pen for my handwriting style. If only Parker made an extra-fine refill in purple, I'd be a happy camper <sigh>. I'll have to see if Monteverde or someone else makes the kind of refill I'm looking for.

[nxn96]

I was an early adopter of the Parker rollerballs back in the "Systemark" days. Compared to the "drag" of the ballpoint and the way felt-tip markers of the day (like the "Flair") would pretty much turn to mush after about two paragraphs, these were a vast improvement. While I still have a few Parker rollerballs (a Sonnet, an Insignia, and a 75), I seldom use one these days. While I think the Parker rollerballs perform better than the Cross variety, I also had many of the same performance issues the original poster noted. My own thought is that while the Parker rollerball was a great innovation when first introduced, Parker has done little since then to improve the overall performance of the refill. That was probably fine when your alternatives were ballpoints and Flairs, but I think the introduction of gelpens causes the Parker rollerball to feel a bit "wanting" by comparison.

[rowdy]

I use a Parker rollerball (IM - 20 bucks at Staples) for most of my work activities and have fond memories of the Systemark. I too find the refills kind of hit and miss in regard to performance. It appears the black ones have the odd refills with bad performance but the blue ones are just a plain waste of time for performance, but every once in a while I decide to buy one and end up disappointed. (for those familiar with Peanuts and Lucy holding the football for Charlie Brown to kick and gets him every time when she yanks the football out from under him:)). Overall the majority of black refills perform well I've found.

I've noticed the refills in both blue and black leak and not always when you are on an airplane flight (like many rollerballs) but just from carrying in your backpack or briefcase.

 

Anyways - my thoughts - but I'm still using them on a daily basis. I keep about 4-5 spare refills around at a time.

 

Rowdy

[tonydent84]

Just as an update:

 

 

After keeping the Parker rollerball pen and refills lying on their sides since I started this thread, I decided to give them another try last night and the night before. Turns out these pens do write beautifully. The ink is a little heavy on paper (showing up to a large extent on the other side), but the flow is worth it. I think perhaps the problem may have been that the pens were right side up for too long on the store shelf, and when I got to them and they didn't write, I put them pointing down in my pencil cup, perhaps clogging the entry way to the point. Either way, none of the refills wrote without drying out after a short time. Now that I've kept them on their sides, they write perfectly.

 

If you don't mind me asking, what is the Systemark you refer to? Was that the old rollerballs they used or something entirely different?

 

Also, do you guys happen to know if Parker made a rollerball years ago that was slim, small, and had a flat gold circle on the crown of its cap?

[nxn96]

"Systemark", as I recall, was a multi-choice refill concept that Parker marketed back in the 1970's. This is my recollection- so others are welcome to correct me- there was a rollerball, felt and stylus option Parker offered in the initial concept. The roller was pretty much the same refill that Parker sells today. The "felt" was essentially a Papermate Flair in a Parker refill. The "stylus" was the more hard-bodied felt tip that was sort of a "split the difference" between the roller and felt. I don't think it was an "official" option, but there was an adapter that would allow a Jotter ballpoint refill to retrofit into the Systemark concept. The Parker rollerball idea was (my opinion here) the best of the options and what Parker stuck with after the other Systemark options went away.

 

Hope this helps.

[nxn96]

Was there a "slim" rollerball style? I think there was in the 180 series. I think that's the pen you describe.

[m53al]

Does anyone possibly have any experience with or knowledge of the Monteverde roller ball refills for Parker?

 

Does Monteverde make any of their own refills or do they shop around and sub-job their various refills production out?

 

 

Cheers and thanks!

 

Ben M.

[tonydent84]

Was there a "slim" rollerball style? I think there was in the 180 series. I think that's the pen you describe.

 

 

I think that is the one. Thank you so much. I'm looking at pics of it on Yahoo Images and it seems like the one I'm thinking about. Not 100% sure though. I'm going to have to look for it online.

[tonydent84]

"Systemark", as I recall, was a multi-choice refill concept that Parker marketed back in the 1970's. This is my recollection- so others are welcome to correct me- there was a rollerball, felt and stylus option Parker offered in the initial concept. The roller was pretty much the same refill that Parker sells today. The "felt" was essentially a Papermate Flair in a Parker refill. The "stylus" was the more hard-bodied felt tip that was sort of a "split the difference" between the roller and felt. I don't think it was an "official" option, but there was an adapter that would allow a Jotter ballpoint refill to retrofit into the Systemark concept. The Parker rollerball idea was (my opinion here) the best of the options and what Parker stuck with after the other Systemark options went away.

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

The Systemark sounds much like the Cross Selectip. With a Selectip you can make it into a roller, a ballpoint, a porous, or a highlighter.

[Shinwah]

I don't know if anyone else has noticed this but sometimes when I write a lot of notes quickly with my rollerball, it dries up giving me the impression that it's empty but when I get home and use them, they write normally again. Maybe it's some kind of problem where the ink can't travel in the refill fast enough,

[Bradley]

I found the Parker rollerball refills years ago to be rather scratchy and dry. Then, a couple years ago, I gave the rollerball refills another shot, as they were described as new and improved. I was, at first, very impressed. The refills were on the wet side, but not too wet, and wrote with the consistency of a good fountain pen. However, consecutive refills either leaked -- sometimes dramatically -- or the metal point would simply detach from the rest of the refill, making for a very big mess, and I'd have to toss the refill, having hardly had a chance to use it! After about three or four defective refills, I have pretty much given up on the Parker rollerballs, preferring the ball pens or fountain pens. I think Parker needs to concentrate on function a little more and ease up a bit on some of the newer, flashier jewelry-like forms.

[Stephen2020]

I have a Parker Skater edition Vector rollerball but I recently found a black Vector which I forgot I had. I couldn't be bothered about getting a new refill so I fitted one myself, adapted from a Paper Mate 2020 ballpoint refill. The one below is a Bic to show the type. I had to spin the 2020 refill tip in a drill while holding emery paper to slightly reduce the diameter.

[m53al]

Greetings,

I don't have a lot of time at this exact moment to dig up much past research on this subject, but I'll pass on some for now - (and for what its worth).

Parker ball pen refills: I'd suggest people look at the Itoya gell refills in black. (blue not so much at all -IMHO.)

For Waterman roller refills I have been very happy with the Schmidt Ceramic rollers 888, the black holds up well for water, Clorox and Acetone, the blue refills NOT so much, but I love the blue refills versus the damn waterman refills.

Parker style rollerball refills - I'll have to root around to recheck research, but I am pretty sure I, like many others, - am still waiting...

Cheers, Ben M.

[Melchott]

Does anyone possibly have any experience with or knowledge of the Monteverde roller ball refills for Parker?

 

Does Monteverde make any of their own refills or do they shop around and sub-job their various refills production out?

 

 

Cheers and thanks!

 

Ben M.

 

As I was curious about this blue black refill option that Monteverde has I decided to betray my dear Parker refills and purchase a couple of Monteverde refills. My first setback was that they only have a fine point option and I prefer the medium point, but nevertheless I purchased them. After being using one of them for a month, I only can say bad things about it, really unreliable, it is difficult to write a single word without passing twice over it. I have tried the other one and it seems that writes better, but I will need some more days to see how it works.

 

I can't tell where do they produce these refills, but I think that they were chinese.

 

I would love to know any other experience with them.

[Melchott]

I have been using Parker rollerball refills for more than ten years now, and as it is expected, I love how they work and write, but now I am using the first one produced in France instead of the UK (I had a large stock purchased from eBay) and it feels different to me. It has a more scratchy feeling, and it seems as the inks flows less smoothly.

 

Has anyone observed something like that with the French refills?

 

I look forward your answers (I am new in this site).

 

Best regards