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Got my hands on a rather nice looking Parker IM that I knew nothing about until today. I got this pen second hand, and, although the pen didn't really picked my interest at first, the cheap price and the fact that I don't own any "modern" Parker pens, got the best of me. The seller told me it was a Sonnet, but as soon as I got home and started to look for info over the pen's age, I quickly found out I was dealing with an IM pen and not the aforementioned Sonnet. Digging a little deeper, I found this version was, much to my surprise, the restyled edition that came out sometime in 2016-17, when Parker pen production seems to have moved back to France. So what it's like to use a modern Parker? The answer coming from the perspective of someone who has a nice stable of comparable pens (15, 25, 45, Vector) of the same brand, and before it was eaten alive by the Newell monster, is kind of a mixed bag. For starters, this pen feels notably heavier than all of the aforementioned pens, even when they came in with metal caps and barrels, it is also a tiny bit bigger than any of those and it feels rather substantial. The fit and finish seems quite nice and devoid of any notable cost-cutting corners. The pen's clip feels taut and durable (in contrast with some reviews I've read of the previous version). The cap posts securely and caps/ uncaps with a reassuring click, yet, when you cap the pen, you have to push it down with a little force; the cap apparently seals way before the cap reaches the end travel. A bit odd at first, but maybe this will result in a pen that keeps moist for a longer period of time. Time will tell. The minute you remove the cap and unscrew the barrel to fit a converter or a cartridge, you get a feel that in my case, is mostly replicated on my lacque Sheaffer Targa pens, except all the parts on this pen are heftier. The IM previously shared its nib with the Jotter, but this updated version uses another nib design that is quite appealing but that seems a bit tiny for such a large pen. To give you a visual example, it is a bit wider but shorter than the nib on my Kaweco Liliput! It is quite a smooth pen for a fine nib, and flows pretty well. By contrast, the F nibs on my Parker 25 stable, are a bit coarser and give more feedback, whereas the fine and extrafine nibs on my 45's seem a tiny bit smoother. The writing experience is pleasant, even if the section is a bit small and with a step up ring just before the barrel. Said step up is not really intrusive fortunately. The pen styling doesn't really speak to me as a Parker product, it kind of feels identity-less. Aside from the "arrow" Parker clip, there is no single design detail that could relate this pen to any of its forebears. Also, the fact that this pen is closely related to the Waterman Hemisphere, supports the notion that Parker is no longer a manufacturer; just another brand channel for selling writing products. Is it a bad pen? Definitely not. It's much better built, quite nicely finished and on par performer than most of its competitors, but it is not a pen that could stir passions, specially not in those younger generations buying TWSBIs, Pilot, Platinum, Sailors, Lamys and Kawecos by the ton. I got mine for less than half the price is goes for online, so I did scored a win here. But I would never even consider buying this pen brand new.

Hi, I was just looking through the Fountain Pen Reviews board, and noticed that there do not seem to be any reviews of the 2016 redesign/'refresh' of the Parker Urban yet (as of 2017-04-13). Or, indeed, any reviews of the redesigned version of the 'IM'. As these are both mid-range pens, I am slightly surprised that it seems that nobody on here has either of them. Even if no-one on here has gone out and bought one yet, I would have expected that they are the sort of pens that might often get gifted to people. So I am puzzled (plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose... ) Do any of you out there in FPN-land own either of these pens? If so, what do you think of them? I am particularly interested to read your opinions of their nibs, the appearance of which reminds me somewhat of the nibs on my Parker Frontiers. Are these nibs 'nails'? Do they have any 'spring' to them? The nib on my 2005 Frontier M seems to have just a teensy bit more 'character' than the nibs on my Vector, Jotter, and (old-shape) Urban. I was wondering whether the redesigned pens' nibs share that (illusory?) trait. Or can it really be that nobody on FPN has either of these pens? Have the redesigns of these pens provoked only a universal 'meh' from FPN-ers? If that is the case, I fear that Parker may be in big trouble indeed. Full disclosure: I have just ordered a NOS old-shape Urban with a Fine nib, to complement my existing old-shape Urban with its Medium nib. Why did I not order one in the new shape? Becuase the 'coke-bottle'/'Gina Lollobrigida' curves of the older one please me greatly, and it is those curves that been redesigned out of the new one Also, I know that its Fine nib/section will be interchangeable with the Medium of my existing pen.

My new Parker I.M. is skipping... enough i could say.... i have tried to flush it (with water and stuff) but it skips again! What can i do? Please help! (I use a parker converter and quink black ink)

Hi, I am planning on buying a new fountain pen, and i have narrowed it down to the Lamy Nexx M and the Parker IM. Since they are about the same price, I was wondering which one is better. Ty Bros