Parker 51 Vs Parker Sonnet

[muneezamuzaffer]

I need advise and opinion on which one is a better choise- Parker 51. Or Parker sonnet- Thank You

[welch]

Parker 51. No comparison. Prepare to pay Sonnet-like prices to a trusted renovation specialist, but an aerometric with a good nib is in the FP Hall of Fame.

[rochester21]

Oh, since you asked, buy a sonnet. I mean, someone has to... i`il handle those old P51`s on sale.

 

PS. The "renovation" process on a aerometric P51 usually implies flushing them , but that`s not a must. I usually just fill them with water and use the old ink still inside

Edited November 2, 2013 by rochester21

[pajaro]

I agree with rochester21. The Parker 51 will likely work perfectly and write so perfectly that the more adventurous will no doubt find it boring, post that 51s are boring and take the pen apart in search of excitement, at which point they might actually do some damage, failing to appreciate that if they simply flush the pen it will serve their needs indefinitely. It will however be boring in its unfussy service and bore you to death with its easy to use filling system.

 

If pen excitement is down your alley, and if you love solving technical issues, by all means buy a Sonnet. It is possible you might find a good pen, with almost the boring qualities of the 51, but more likely you will chance to fish up one of those Sonnets with a section coming apart to challenge your repair intelligence, or one with a nib needing sorting out. These possibilities will occupy you for a bit and keep the pen from being boring. You might even be so fortunate as to come across a Sonnet where the inner and outer barrel are separating. Even more interesting, the pen might not write at all, really not boring at all, as you exhaust your extensive knowledge of ink feed to solve this gem. You might wonder why the Sonnet dries out overnight all the time, untill you do some interesting research and discover that the process used to rivet the clip broke some inner caps, causing undue air exposure. This last doesn't bother every Sonnet, though, only enough to keep you guessing.

 

Then, there are the Chinese fake Sonnets to challenge your abilities of assessment. It's hard to say whether you might not be more fortunate to get a fake, though, as they are reputed to work better than the real thing.

 

The 51 is one of the finest pens of its time. Many of us here have samples of aerometric filling 51s that have worked since 1948 or 1949 and show no sign of ever failing. As long as you leave them alone and don't try to fix what's not broken. The vacumatic ones need redoing by someone who knows how to put in a new diaphragm every thirty years or so.

 

The Sonnets do offer more variety in color. Some are really pretty, some are exquisitely gaudy. You might learn a good bit about pens from trying a couple of dozen. You might even find five or six of the lot that you really like.

 

 

Some samples from the ridiculous to the mundane. These actually work.

[Florida Blue]

It really depends on your own personal preferences. I own both a 51 (8 at last count) and a Sonnet. I think both are great pens.

 

The nib might be the biggest deciding factor between the two. The 51 has a hooded nib, which some people don't like, while the Sonnet has a traditional open nib, which in my experience is soft and springy.

 

There is also filling systems. The 51 came in Vacumatic or Aerometric and Sonnet in cartridge/converter. Vacs hold a little more ink than Aeros and both hold more than a converter, but I think a long Parker cartridge holds the most out of the four.

 

Also, remember pajaro's advice on fake Chinese Sonnets as they seem plentiful and it can be hard to tell the difference between a fake and a real one.

 

However, I believe the Sonnet "refresh" pens from 2007-present don't have the cap drying issues of the older Sonnets. I bought my Sonnet new in 2011 from Paradise Pens and I've never had any trouble with it. It has always been a reliable writer, but I'm also a pretty big fan of the 51. I do agree with the sentiments of others that it is one of the all time greats and they are incredibly well-made and when functioning properly always reliable.

[jaqcp]

Bling or history. THAT is what draws us to one or the other.

 

My 51's have not been up to par, but I am sure they are rarities that could (and will) be fixed with proper restoration.

 

My Sonnets have been pretty nice writers (when they are wet).

 

IOW, your mileage will vary with the individual pen so try two of each and collect the one that you enjoy more.

[crowapproach]

I have both the 51 and the Sonnet. Both great, but they have different personalities.

The 51 is more conservative with its hooded nib and nail-like writing. Very smooth and won't draw too much attention. I'll use that for paperwork, school, and the like.

The Sonnet on the other hand (mine was new-old stock with 18k nib, no dry out problems yet) gives much more expression with some decent softness to the nib, so I find myself using it for journaling, letters, drafting. The Sonnet is much, much easier to maintain and clean than the 51, so it'll be up to what your preferences for a pen are. Both are great.

[Ron Z]

I own or have owned both, and of course work on both. The Sonnet has been a disappointment, and nothing I've seen in the pens I've worked on has changed my mind. I do not like them. The 51 is a great pen, well made, reliable. I have a number of them. I gave my Sonnet away, and have not been tempted to get another one.

[Parker51]

Parker 51 to keep, Sonnet to leave at work, at ones desk, out in the open. The Sonnet is still better than a ballpoint, and if one disappears, you will not become too upset.

[OcalaFlGuy]

If you Absolutely Must get a Sonnet,

 

Don't.

 

Get a Sheaffer Prelude.

 

They aren't dissimilar looking as they were designed by the same group of guys who learned from their mistakes on the Sonnet and didn't repeat them on the Prelude.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[pajaro]

The Prelude is a nice pen. It is a bit larger in terms of circumference of the barrel and cap. The push on cap takes more effort to get off. The section is sort of triangular and comfortable to use. I have absolutely no nib issues with the one I have. It has red marbled lacquer that has a nice feel much like other lacquered pens.

 

There is kind of a current of saying that the Sonnet design team got it right with the Prelude. I suspect that it was Sheaffer who got it right by interpreting their design into the Sheaffer product line. If you look at the Prelude nib you wouldn't think Sonnet, but if you have known and posessed Sheaffer pens, you would recognize it as a Sheaffer product.

 

I feel that Parker botched the Sonnet production to the degree that we Parker users have issues with the Sonnet, and the Sheaffer production team interpreted the design very well into Sheaffer production. I usually take the Prelude to work in my green flannel plaid penwrap with three Sonnets. I go quickly through the Sonnets and end up using the Prelude for a few hours. The medium Prelude nib is not one of those gauche wet nibs like the worst of the wet Sonnets, but it is more controlled, reminiscient of a Sheaffer Imperial.

[ndw76]

I have a 51 and a Sonnet Fu special edition. I love both pens and although the write differently they are both great pens.

I am confident that if I bought another 51 it would be a great writer. While my Sonnet is a great pen I am not confident that the next would as reliable.

[pajaro]

Get the 51. It has a unique essence. You will experience this if you write with one of these. You might be well advised to have someone like Ron Zorn look it over and spruce it up, just to give yourself the assurance you are writing with one of these remarkable pens that is showing its true self to you.

 

I have 22 Sonnets. I have one Prelude. I won't need another Prelude to feel I have a good pen. I have at least a couple of dozen Parker 51s, because I like their subtle colors. I still use the one I bought new 43 years ago.

 

Edited November 4, 2013 by pajaro

[pajaro]

Tempted yet?

[pajaro]

If you decide you don't want the 51, and if you decide you want an open nib pen, certainly a valid choice, rather than a Parker Sonnet, a pen I have proven to myself that is as good as other pens about 20% of the time, buy something that will assuredly work wonderfully. If you can abide a cartridge / converter pen, I strongly recommend to you that you consider a used Montblanc 144. Colors are limited at the price range of about $100 to $140 to black and burgundy. I have several of these pens with fine, medium, broad and broad stub nibs. Mainly you will see fine and medium. These pens are perfect writers, and superior to the Sonnet and probably the Prelude also, and they are as good as a Parker 51. They are about Sonnet size barrels, resin, with 14K nibs.

 

If I didn't have a lot of curiousity about pens, I wouldn't have tackled the Sonnet. The newer Sonnets are better than the older ones, but they are still prone to drying out unless the nib is well-tuned. If I bought a new Sonnet, I would send the thing back to Newell-Rubbermaid endlessly and tirelessly until they tuned the nib so it would work. Frankly, those so-and-sos deserve it for all the crummy pens thay have shamelessly delivered to consumers through the retail network.

 

All the replacement nibs I have bought through Amazon from Lewartowski in Paris and the ones I bought from penpartsstore on ebay have written well. Otherwise, crapshoot, but some times you make out OK anyway, if the stars are aligned right.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I have a Sonnet loaner. 2003 -now, Flighter GT.

It works ...actually much better a pen than I expected.

It is not a 'springy' nib unless the writer is some one who grew up on a nail. MB's have springy nibs. (springy nibs don't spread 3X a light down stroke, like regular flex.)

It is a regular flex nib....nothing more.****

 

Of course I chase semi-vintage '90's and vintage pre'66 German pens where there is good regular flex with a touch of spring to the nib....ie normal for a good nib. Geha school pen or the Pelikan 120 type of nib.

 

My other regular flex Parker is an English P-45****.

My English Jr. Duofold is semi-flex.

My P-75 is a stiff regular flex, My P-51 and '38 BB factory Stub Vac are nails.

 

**** It is a relitively good nib. It beat the P-45...has that touch more spring.

OK I gave it a fair test of three or four words vs a '90's M400 and a Pelikan Celebery with a hard semi-flex nib. It held it's own. .

 

 

 

Since coming back to fountain pens some 4-1/2 , five years ago.....the anti-Sonnet stories have rivaled BSB.

The stories were about a pen where you can't say buy a ten pack, if three work, fine.

 

It could be they finally fixed it. I don't know.

I have no need for a Sonnet, there are many regular flex pens, with out the bad reputation.

How ever this one works.....nib's not too bad......So far, nothing's flaked off.

Not as heavy as I expected.

 

Got to read more of how they fall apart and how often. It does have that sort of reputaion. The Corvair under pens.

There are some very pretty Sonnets.

Some very pretty Sonnets.

 

""""""that is as good as other pens about 20% of the time, """"" Ow cubed.

Edited November 10, 2013 by Bo Bo Olson

[pajaro]

The problem is hit-or-miss manufacture. I recently bought, from an ebay seller in Sweden, a Refresh black with chrome trim and an 18K extra fine rhodium plated nib. This pen works perfectly. Some of my other ones also work perfectly. I have sorted out some others, mainly mediums, and made them work. I have bought some new nibs, making other pens work. I shouldn't have had to this, but I like fooling with pens, and it was entertaining. The Sonnet, the pen for those who like to fix stuff.

 

These are not advertised as flex, as far as I know. This is one of the Sonnet's better attributes. I have tried flexy nibs, found the flex writing too much work, and accept the flex nibs I have as decent fines. This is not to knock those who like flex. For those who think flex is the only thing, I think we need a flex forum. Sort all that info into a consistent location so it's not hard to find for those interested. For admission to such a forum, the moderators might check if the hopefuls can walk and chew gum at the same time.

[Jerome Tarshis]

I am a relatively simple person, and I don't know what it can mean to say that a Parker 51 is more difficult to clean and maintain than some other pen. But I may not have the same conception of cleaning and maintaining that some other people do. So far as I can tell, the Aero 51 requires practically no work to clean and maintain.

 

I've written with one or another Aero 51 since 1949. The first one lasted me until 1985, which is 36 years. Wherupon I lost it, but there have been other 51s. I don't do much in the way of cleaning or maintaining. I fill the pen with ink when it runs out of ink. If the two inks aren't exactly the same, so much the worse, but nothing to brood about. I can see some point in filling the pen with water once in a while and letting the water soak up some accumulated ink. Not terribly urgent, though. For me the pens just write. Which is less true of other pens I've used.

 

In recent decades there has grown up a culture of expressing one's personality by choosing vivid colors of ink and changing them frequently. I care about choosing the words more than about choosing the inks, but I can see that the ink-oriented among us might develop ideas of purity that I don't have.

 

So, yes, if the color is and ought to be exciting I can see, with respect, that cleaning the pen might also seem to be exciting. But I live in a fairly theatrical, not to say exhibitionistic city and allow my neighbors to work at generating excitement.

Edited November 11, 2013 by Jerome Tarshis

[richardandtracy]

I grew up with the P61 and feel a strong affinity to the P51. The P51 is not a bling pen, or immediately inspiring. But you're certain to miss its sheer competence if you put it to one side after using it as your only pen for a month.

 

My Sonnet is out of use at the moment in favour of a Chinese copy of the Sonnet. Mostly because the Chinese pen is more reliable.

One of my P51's is in regular use.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[pajaro]

Jerome's method of using the 51 is the same method I have used. Unworried about color purity, I might change inks without totally purging the old ink. I never thought about such absolute flushing, and I usually used blue-black sometimes filling with black, sometimes with blue. It never made that much difference.

 

I grew up occasionally using my dad's 51, eventually buying one myself. I am still using mine. The 51 and 61 are pleasant, plain, streamlined pens with the styling of their era. They just work and work. The Sonnet is a pen for fussy people who like to fuss with their pens, and they have to fuss with them in many cases. I have to fuss with several of my Sonnets to get them to start. The bling is there in the Sonnet, in contrast to the 51. The difference between the 51 and the Sonnet is that the 51 works more consistently well and without fuss. If I had started writing with fountain pens with some of the Sonnets I have bought, I would be using ballpoints. It takes too much effort to sort out some Sonnets.

 

If you like modern bling, buy a Kaigelu 356 or a Sheaffer Prelude. These pens work.