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After trying a vintage 51, and two vintage Sonnets, I want to try a new out of the box Parker pen with a gold nib. I really liked the way the 51 wrote, and one of the Sonnets, they felt nearly frictionless and the way I write that's helpful. They were all Medium nibs. The options for that, at the best price I can find here in Canada at the moment, are: Parker 51 re-issue"next-generation" in Plum, "Deluxe" model with Fine 18k nib. OR Parker Sonnet Classic series Black lacquer, palladium trim, Fine 18k nib (rhodium finish). The 51 is slightly more expensive, but for the purposes of this let's say they're both about $160 USD. And they're both only available at these prices in the Fine nib, so there's that. Thank you for your votes and wisdom, and scolding, and whatever else you have in store for me.

Hello everyone! I have always seen/heard of Parker Sonnets with 18K nibs, and these usually also have some flex. However, I was wondering whether any Sonnet, be it a Sterling Silver or otherwise, could have a 14K nib... Any clarity on the issue would be genuinely appreciated! Regards, SS

Hi folks, I am thinking of buying myself a present (ok, I'll be honest - I mean that I wants a new Shiny Thing I does, oh yes!), and I would like some advice from you before I Succumb to the Temptation to blow what is actually rather lot of money for me. I am trying to choose between a current production (2019-2020) Parker Sonnet, and a Waterman Carène. I am (as long as the Mods are happy to let me) putting this thread in to both the Parker forum and the Waterman forum, so that I can get as many well-informed replies as possible. The Carène that I fancy the look of is (happily for me) the cheapest one available, and so it is ‘only’ the same price as a Sonnet with a gold nib. The retailer from whom I am thinking of buying my new toy sells both pens, and in every nib width too They also stock spare nibs, so I could buy any colour of Sonnet and also buy a gold nib to put in to it. Background I already own some Parker Frontiers, so I know that the size and shape of the Sonnet suits my hand (although I don't yet know about the weight). I also like that their nib units can be unscrewed if necessary, because I like to use Rohrer & Klingner's iron-gall inks „Salix” and „Scabiosa”. The ease of removing the Sonnet's nib & feed for cleaning reassures me that I would have less to fear in terms of the consequences of letting any ink dry out in a Sonnet. [i did once let some „Salix” dry-out in a Parker "51", and that was a massive PITA to put right. It took about six weeks! OK, so it has so far only happened on the one occasion, when my mother had to be rushed in to hopsital with acute neurological side-effects from a new heart medication, and was in there for a month. Happily, it hasn't happened since, but since then ease of cleaning is something that I do consider whenever I contemplate a new pen purchase.] Regardless of my penchant for ‘planning for failure’, I am concerned that I have seen many complaints about Sonnets drying-out whilst capped, and complaints of them ‘writing dry’. Neither of those things sounds like anything I want - especially as I like pens that ‘write wet’. So, have you found modern Sonnets to have a drying-out problem? Do you think that there is any point in my buying a Sonnet with a gold nib, or are the steel nibs just as good? Is the gold nib more ‘springy’ than the steel? Are both nibs ‘nails’? With respect to the Carène, I like the look of the beast, and have read many complimetary things about it on here. I have read the advice on how to avoid the problems that can occur when filling it, and how to adjust the rotation angle of the barrel so that the ‘stern’ end of the pen is oriented correctly when the barrel is screwed back on. I have not yet held an example of the pen, so intend to try one out so that I can check its girth, heft, and balance before I buy it. My potential worry with it would be its large and inaccessible feed - if I were to let an ink (but especially an iron-gall ink) dry out in that I expect that it would be a nightmare to clean out. Possibly even worse than the "51"! What are your thoughts, oh Fount of All Wisdom that is FPN? Which of these two pens would you advise me to buy? Do you think that the Carène is the better pen, and that I should buy the Carène and just leave the iron-gall inks for my Frontiers? Or that each pen is as good as the other? Or that the Sonnet is better, and that I should buy one with a gold-nib? Or that I ought to buy a steel-nibbed Sonnet & also some nice inks with the rest of the money? Are there any other ‘problems’ with either pen? Have you found either to have any ‘idiosyncrasies’ that have irked you? My thanks to you all in advance for your answers. Cheers, M.

Hi folks, I am thinking of buying myself a present (ok, I'll be honest - I mean that I wants a new Shiny Thing I does, oh yes!), and I would like some advice from you before I Succumb to the Temptation to blow what is actually rather lot of money for me. I am trying to choose between a current production (2019-2020) Parker Sonnet, and a Waterman Carène. I am (as long as the Mods are happy to let me) putting this thread in to both the Parker forum and the Waterman forum, so that I can get as many well-informed replies as possible. The Carène that I fancy the look of is (happily for me) the cheapest one available, and so it is ‘only’ the same price as a Sonnet with a gold nib. The retailer from whom I am thinking of buying my new toy sells both pens, and in every nib width too They also stock spare nibs, so I could buy any colour of Sonnet and also buy a gold nib to put in to it. Background I already own some Parker Frontiers, so I know that the size and shape of the Sonnet suits my hand (although I don't yet know about the weight). I also like that their nib units can be unscrewed if necessary, because I like to use Rohrer & Klingner's iron-gall inks „Salix” and „Scabiosa”. The ease of removing the Sonnet's nib & feed for cleaning reassures me that I would have less to fear in terms of the consequences of letting any ink dry out in a Sonnet. [i did once let some „Salix” dry-out in a Parker "51", and that was a massive PITA to put right. It took about six weeks! OK, so it has so far only happened on the one occasion, when my mother had to be rushed in to hopsital with acute neurological side-effects from a new heart medication, and was in there for a month. Happily, it hasn't happened since, but since then ease of cleaning is something that I do consider whenever I contemplate a new pen purchase.] Regardless of my penchant for ‘planning for failure’, I am concerned that I have seen many complaints about Sonnets drying-out whilst capped, and complaints of them ‘writing dry’. Neither of those things sounds like anything I want - especially as I like pens that ‘write wet’. So, have you found modern Sonnets to have a drying-out problem? Do you think that there is any point in my buying a Sonnet with a gold nib, or are the steel nibs just as good? Is the gold nib more ‘springy’ than the steel? Are both nibs ‘nails’? With respect to the Carène, I like the look of the beast, and have read many complimetary things about it on here. I have read the advice on how to avoid the problems that can occur when filling it, and how to adjust the rotation angle of the barrel so that the ‘stern’ end of the pen is oriented correctly when the barrel is screwed back on. I have not yet held an example of the pen, so intend to try one out so that I can check its girth, heft, and balance before I buy it. My potential worry with it would be its large and inaccessible feed - if I were to let an ink (but especially an iron-gall ink) dry out in that I expect that it would be a nightmare to clean out. Possibly even worse than the "51"! What are your thoughts, oh Fount of All Wisdom that is FPN? Which of these two pens would you advise me to buy? Do you think that the Carène is the better pen, and that I should buy the Carène and just leave the iron-gall inks for my Frontiers? Or that each pen is as good as the other? Or that the Sonnet is better, and that I should buy one with a gold-nib? Or that I ought to buy a steel-nibbed Sonnet & also some nice inks with the rest of the money? Are there any other ‘problems’ with either pen? Have you found either to have any ‘idiosyncrasies’ that have irked you? My thanks to you all in advance for your answers. Cheers, M.

Many of the Parker fans in love with the vintage pens, yet it's not easy to find a good one in the market. I have few pens but no Parker and I recently come across some Sonnets in a shop and the pens look fine. [1] Having read some threads here that saying Sonnets have the hard start and skipping problem, is that also true for the current Sonnet? [2] Any performance differences on 18k and steel nib in Sonnet? I intend to get a medium Italic. Please help sharing your experience. Thanks, pal.

Hi there. I have created a new blog, listing some of my favorite pens, and there is a section on how to achieve better penmanship. I would love to get some comments from the readers of the Fountain Pen Network about the pens. I would also like to have your ideas on how to achieve clearer, nicer-looking writing. You may be the first person to reply to my blog! Thank you. Bruce Leeds

Hello again, Grateful if anyone can provide more info on this. Its part of a fairly large collection of pens that were gifts in my family - i am sorting through them keeping the ones i like the feel / writing style of and moving on with the rest of them. This one is fairly heavy, not sure what carat plating it is - theres no hallmarks aside 11T and sonnet. the dusty texture in the pics is literally just a little dust from the casing's fabric . any pointers appreciated . i think it should be from the mid 80s not sure it makes sense. thanks in advance for your time bests orville

Sometimes in spite of researching the hell out of things on the web small details escape; in this case I hadn't realized the Sailor Pro Gear Standard was smaller than even my shortest M400... No complaints though, luckily it's still big enough for my large hands, the section is nice and thick and the nib is a dream... So in case this helps someone out there...

Hi All, Recently I've purchased a Parker Sonnet Matt Black CT Fountain Pen with M nib from a reputed pen boutique in Kolkata.The imprint near the cap lip is: PARKER SONNET FRANCE T. The pen is fitted with a piston type delux Parker converter which i'm quite sure made in France.But the sticker on the box says that the product is manufactured by Luxor.The seller told me actually this product has been assembled and packed by Luxor.I'd like to hear from you what the actual story is.Can anybody help me?Thanks. Samba

So I was checking out ebay today and found the following Parker Sonnet gold plated which at first glance looked interesting http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Parker-Sonnet-Gold-Plated-Fountain-Pen-W-Box-/162131401724? But now i wonder if it is not a fake .... This pen has been listed by this seller more than once and in my research on internet i have not been able to find anything from Parker that looks like it. The photos shown in the listing reflext the nib, etc... And i wonder if this just looks all too new to be real. Tks for feedback

Hey FP network! I'm currently a college student and got into fountain pens by turning pens on a lathe in my garage. I grew such a liking to making them that I decided to buy a few good pens to use everyday at work and school. I've acquired a Lamy Safari, Cross Bailey, Platinum Preppy, Parker Urban, Parker Sonnet, and a Waterman Hemisphere. Absolutely love using them and am now getting into all the hype about bottled inks instead of cartridges. My newest pen, the Parker Sonnet, is an absolutely beautiful pen but has been causing me frustration in terms of the nib. It seems to not be able to make up its mind in terms of wetness and line thickness. It is a medium but writes incredibly different than my Urban that has a medium nib. The lines are almost twice as thick and is much wetter. I've tried flushing it a couple of times, a converter vs a cartridge, and even different paper. I have only used Parker Quink with it however. Do you have any recommendations on ways to improve it? I would like to purchase a new nib for it (preferably a fine) but can only find it on international websites. I'm open to any input or advice with this. Thanks!

Hello! Sorry in advance for a noob question, but this is the first time I've encountered the problem... When I was cleaning my Parker Sonnet this weekend, I noticed that there was a bit of a leak in the section of my fountain pen. I've noticed that my Parker has been drying up faster than usual lately. Does it mean this is time to replace my converter? (I'm guessing yes, but when I refilled my pen, I made sure that my converter was securely put in place... I'll keep an eye on it and see if it leaks some more.) How often do you usually replace converters in your fountain pens?

I bought this Sonnet on eBay and it looks genuine to me. What I find confusing is that the 18K two tone nib and the grip section are same as on Fougere or Chinese Laque version but the cap and barrel are Stainless Steel GT which I think should have steel nib. The pen looks genuine under close examination and the nib is very nice, with surprising amount of flex although the feed can't keep up with the amount of flex the nib gives and starts railroading soon. It says parker Sonnet France I on the cap band, which I think is 1994 or 2004. All I can think is that is a fake but it does not look as fake under the loop. Was there a version of steel sonnet with this section and two tone 18K nib?

I Recently did a clean up at my rental house and found several fountain pens the tenants left behind (along with all sorts of rubbish). One of them is a Parker Sonnet. I've never owned one before and I know that there are a lot of fake ones around. So I took it apart, gave it a thorough wash, air dried it overnight. I tested it with Waterman Mysterious Blue and Private Reserve Daphne Blue, both worked great in the pen. I have followed instructions from various post trying to figure out whether it is fake or authentic but still can't come up with a conclusion. The nib has passed the magnetic test, but I've read from those posts on the forum that some fake/stainless steel ones can pass the test too. Here is some images I took. The quality is not ideal cos I don't have my DSLR at my office. Can I please get some advice from you? Thanks in advance. http://i59.tinypic.com/wh1f28.jpg http://i62.tinypic.com/2z9dxt3.jpg http://i60.tinypic.com/2vteb82.jpg http://i62.tinypic.com/1177m0h.jpg http://i61.tinypic.com/ngaeqe.jpg http://i57.tinypic.com/2w6iis6.jpg http://i60.tinypic.com/15edam9.jpg http://i57.tinypic.com/v5lvvc.jpg

Hi guys, I have a 1998 Parker Sonnet Premier Red Lacquer in Pristine Mint condition. I was wondering what the price of this would be, I've checked Ebay and Amazon but hey don't have this pen. On the cap it says Parker Sonnet France then the date code IIIE (1998) On the nib there is a F for Fine and on the nib is says Parker. The nib it self is 18 Karat Gold. Each square is half a inch. Pictures uploaded below. Can anyone give me a price estimate? Thanks!

Hi all. I'm rather taken with the idea of an entry-level Sonnet. I know the modern ones have their detractors, but I'm really enjoying my Parkers at the moment and want to add another contemporary pen to accompany my matte black IM Premium (again, a somewhat maligned pen, but one that works really nicely for me - a big, fat, wet, smooth line; I'm easily pleased). So this is my question - I love the flighter look and genuinely can't call it between the GT and the CT. It's a question of nibs - my 45 and IM have gold plated and unplated stainless steel nibs respectively and they're fairly comparable. If anything, the 45 is a little smoother. Is there any noticeable difference between the Sonnet nibs? If there isn't, I'll probably go for the CT. All opinions welcomed!

Could anyone throw light on whether a Sonnet Firedance would have "Made in France" imprinted anywhere...say, on the gold rim of the cap etc. As far as my knowledge goes, there is not any. A kind confirmation would be really appreciated...or am I incorrect in what I am stating? Good day! - SS

I just purchased a vintage gold Parker Sonnet ballpoint. The ink needed to be replaced, but when I tried to match up available refills from local stores, I noticed that there is a slight difference in the actual ink capsule. (see photo) It's just enough of a difference to prevent my pen from using the newer refill. Does anyone here know where I can find the original Parker refills? I even logged on to the French version of the Parker Pens website, but they seem to be selling these same, newer, refills. The refill on the top came with the pen. The one below is new, and just slightly too long (in the ink capsule) to fit in my Sonnet.

So a while back a fountain pen fell into my hands and it worked fantastically as far as I was concerned as having never used a fountain pen. Unfortunately one day I dropped it and the tip of the nib broke off. I have decided to scrap the idea of buying a new nib. I have a parker sonnet 10 or 7 (can't tell the difference), it cost around 100 dollars, and a replacement nib costs around $114-140. Bottom line, what is a good fountain pen to replace the sonnet? 4 requirements: Smooth and wet writing Sleek and simple body around $90-$150 Flex Oblique or stub nib

I just purchased a vintage gold Parker Sonnet ballpoint. The ink needed to be replaced, but when I tried to match up available refills from local stores, I noticed that there is a slight difference in the actual ink capsule. (see photo) It's just enough of a difference to prevent my pen from using the newer refill. Does anyone here know where I can find the original Parker refills? I even logged on to the French version of the Parker Pens website, but they seem to be selling these same, newer, refills. The refill on the top came with the pen. The one below is new, and just slightly too long (in the ink capsule) to fit in my Sonnet.

Feb 4 while visiting the National Bookstore in the Mall of Asia (off Manila Bay) I purchased a Dark Red Parker Sonnet fountain pen. From seeing the pen advertised in the at pen stores in the U.S. or selling on Ebay I expected the nib to be gold plated. I was surprised when I returned home and examined the nib to find that it had 785 18K inscribed on the nib. The price I paid ($133.04) was about the same as I would have paid here. Anyone know why pens sold overseas would have a genuine 18K gold nib and pens sold in the U.S. would be gold plated? The pens are manufactured by Parker in France.

Hi, This is my first actual forum post, so I apologize if I'm doing it wrong. I foolishly allowed someone to borrow my 2011 Parker Sonnet Ciselé with an 18k medium nib, and they dropped it. It landed on the nib and bent the tip towards the feed. I'm looking for advice on who to send it to for repair? Or if I should just replace it?

I like Parkers, mine are very reliable and well behaved, but I only have the cheapest ones as everyday carries. However, I've spotted a Parker Sonnet with a broken nib on ebay that I'm wondering about bidding on. One tine has snapped off just below the tipping but, other than that, the pen looks like new (perhaps someone bought it and broke it very quickly by trying to use it like a biro ). If I can get it cheaply, is it feasible, as a total novice (I've done the occasional bit of smoothing, but that's all) to snip off the end of the other tine and use abrasives to give the nib an untipped italic end that would last me a year or two? Or is this more complicated than I think? So far, the pen is up for 99p and has no bidders, with a day and a half to go, so if it still has no bidders by tomorrow morning, I'll probably see if I can get it cheaply. I could get a brand new Sonnet for very little more than I could get a new gold-plated nib for this one, so if regrinding this is something a ham-handed first-timer is likely to make a mess of, I'd be better passing it up. I suppose I could snip the tips off one or two of my ultra-cheap pens and try regrinding them first...? This could all be academic, if the pen gets a few bids in the next 24 hours, of course. I won't buy it if I have to pay more than about £10. More money than that would be better put towards getting a decent pen that works straight out of the box. For instance, when I priced new Sonnets and nibs I found a smart-looking stainless steel bodied Sonnet, brand new, for just over £40, so I don't see the point in spending more than about 25% of that on a broken one).