Parker Sonnet vs. Sheaffer Prelude

[mhosea]

I know this is an old thread but just wanted to ask (having never handled wither pen) which of the two is thinner between the fingers when writing? As I favour smaller rather than thicker grips. Any guidance appreciated on this (my first post).

 

I've not had a Sonnet. I have a Sheaffer Prelude and some Chinese (Baoer) Sonnet clones. Images of the Sonnet online confirm to me that its grip section is much like that of the clones I have, and so the Sheaffer Prelude must have the smaller grip. The Sheaffer's grip also has a couple of slightly flattened areas on either side that are clearly meant to make it comfortable in a tripod grip. Another advantage to the Prelude seems at first a disadvantage in that the grip section is all plastic, including the ridge at the end that snaps in to hold the cap on. The Sonnet has a metal ring there. The metal ring looks more refined, but if it breaks off, and some occasionally do, your grip section is essentially irreparable. I don't anticipate that anything like that would ever happen with a Prelude.

 

If you like thin, I would also suggest you have a look at the Pilot Cavalier, bearing in mind that the Japanese fine nib (apparently the most popular nib with the Cavalier and the only one I have) is decidedly extra-fine when comparing to most western nibs.

[kpyeoman]

Welcome to FPN!

[stuartk]

I have a 2003 Sonnet with an 18K nib, and a recent (purchased new last year) Chinese Prelude with Chinese and US-made nibs. (I bought some extra parts for it from Speerbob.)

 

They're both nice pens, but I like the Sonnet a bit better. It's always been very reliable and writes nicely, so maybe I just got one of the good ones?

 

I also have a Hero 5020 and it's actually a pretty decent pen too.

 

I would definitely give a lot of weight to Ron and Richard's comments if I were doing this all over again now. As I said, I may have just gotten lucky with my Sonnet.

[tonydent84]

I have both pens as well, and while I also like the Sonnet because of the balance, the build, the style, and the softness of the nib, to be honest, the quality in performance seems to be lacking in mine (as well as others who have reviewed the same pen).

 

But every single experience I've had with a Prelude was a delightful one. It's one of my favorite go-to pens, and never gives me any problems. It might be a LITTLE top heavy but not as much as other pens out there, especially like the Sheaffer 300. The triangular grip kind of annoyed me, so I removed the nib and feed, flipped them around, and now have a rounded grip section on all except one of my Preludes.

 

Here's a neat little thing I personally never knew till I read it somewhere on here: The Prelude can take international ink cartridges in addition to the Sheaffer proprietary cartridges. This might be the case for all Sheaffer pens, IDK I haven't tried, but it's a neat bonus to have that ability to do.

 

Based on my experience, I'd give you the same advice I'd give a close friend of mine who was looking for a good quality, reliable pen that won't disappoint: Go with the Prelude.

 

NB: The fine nib comes out almost like an Xfine, and the medium comes out like a true medium. But the Fine is exceptionally smooth for a point so thin. And it looks like you were writing with a Pilot G2 IMO.

[max dog]

I have 3 Sonnets and all have been dissapointments with ink flow issues (skipping). Just haven't had the time nor desire to send them in. The 3 Preludes I have wrote perfectly out of the box, smooth and reliable writers. Interesting to note that the creator of the Sonnet left Parker and went to Sheaffer and introduced the Prelude. So the similarities between the Sonnet and Prelude are not coincidence.

[La Stilografica Milano]

Personally i prefer Parker Sonnet, i think is one the best product around this price.

 

Cristian

[AuroraLeona]

I have both and it's hard to choose. The Prelude has smoother writing, but the Sonnet has the smaller grip. The Sonnet nib is also a tiny bit scratchy, and I like that in a pen. Not sure why. I think I prefer the Sonnet just because it's a little jittery, whereas the Prelude doesn't really feel any different from writing with any other form of pen. I'm also a left-handed underwriter, so the grips on the Prelude occasionally slip on me because of the way I hold it.

[aawhite]

Go for the Prelude. The Sonets have a tendency to dry up.

[Lyander0012]

Here's my .02:

 

The Prelude was my very first fountain pen, which I got just over a year and a half ago (give or take), so I may be a bit biased. I'll try not to be.

 

Anyway, my very first one wrote like a freaking dream out of the box, and the moulded grip section helped me learn how to hold a fountain pen properly. After eight months of constant (I mean that quite literally) use, the flared out bits at the end of the grip that hold the cap in place broke, as well. I could tell because the lip was damaged in three areas, and looking inside the cap showed three flanges. Also, it was quite evident when rotating the cap in place (bumpy ride).

 

Take note, though, that this was after nearly a year of heavy usage, with a lot of capping, uncapping, and the occasional tumble.

 

My second one was a bit dry OOTB, but a bit of flexing fixed that, snappish

 

Hope that helped!

 

 

Cheers!

 

Kevin

[whoelse]

Does the Prelude have user replaceable nib that can screw out like the Sonnet?

[Lyander0012]

Er, no. It's a friction-fit unit that you can disengage with a firm grip and a bit of force. Honestly, I had no idea about the screw out section of the Sonnet. Still, I'm a bit of a Sheaffer fan, so I'm still the tiniest bit biased

[Steven]

I like the Prelude over the Sonet. My Prelude nib (Fine) has perfect symmetry, writes vary smooth and lays down a good crisp line with the right amount of wetness. I found the Sonet to be a little dry and tended to skip a bit.

[e17]

I have a Prelude.

The reason I have it is that I had the opportunity to test a couple of FP in store, so I was about to have an idea of the weight, balance, ease of writing, different nibs, etc.

If you can try before buy, it's always a good idea to do so. These are personal feelings

 

So after 3-4 pen tries (including the Parker I'm pretty sure of that if in the same price range) I went with the Prelude, fine nib, Black Quink ink.

 

I used it every day until I've misplaced it at home, then found it again a week ago, and I still have the same feeling :

• comfortable triangle area where to place your fingers (no idea how to call that part), but odd to use in the begining,
• a "hard nib" with not a lot of flexibility (but I wasn't heading for that characteristic),
• an amazing speed of writing ! Strange feeling, but pleasant,
• very happy with my choice .

Interesting that some people mention about the ability to dry if left opened for a moment. I cannot tell, as I religiously close my pen after use, even if I need to reopen it 2 sec later. (call me OCD if you want )

Oh and... I don't place the cap on the pen either. I leave it on the table, or keep it in hand.

 

Hope this helps.

[jar]

Sonnet was the Beta, the Prelude the Release Edition.

[Jesuo]

I have just bought a coupled Parker Sonnet pen and ball pointed pen and I own a Sheaffer, but I wonder if there are different kinds of Sonnets... I bought this couple for €49 at eBay, and I own a Sheaffer Prelude I bought for €70 several years ago, and later an expert told me my Prelude should have cost me €120. Can someone explain to me where is the catch?

 

I tried to add some photos, but I don't still know how to. When I press on the "image" icon, it asks me for the url. I'll try to upload them somewhere and then let you know.

 

All the best,

[Jesuo]

Yes, well, I figured out how to. These are the photos:

 

http://www.obracompleta.com/pens/sonnet/sonnet1.jpg

http://www.obracompleta.com/pens/sonnet/sonnet2.jpg

http://www.obracompleta.com/pens/sonnet/sonnet3.jpg

http://www.obracompleta.com/pens/sonnet/sonnet4.jpg

http://www.obracompleta.com/pens/sonnet/sonnet5.jpg

 

Is it a fake?

 

I tried it and it is not a bright pen. I think my Sheaffer Prelude is better. What do you think?

 

Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

All the best.

[jar]

Yes, well, I figured out how to. These are the photos:

 

http://www.obracompleta.com/pens/sonnet/sonnet1.jpg

http://www.obracompleta.com/pens/sonnet/sonnet2.jpg

http://www.obracompleta.com/pens/sonnet/sonnet3.jpg

http://www.obracompleta.com/pens/sonnet/sonnet4.jpg

http://www.obracompleta.com/pens/sonnet/sonnet5.jpg

 

Is it a fake?

 

I tried it and it is not a bright pen. I think my Sheaffer Prelude is better. What do you think?

 

Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

All the best.

IIRC those are not Parker Sonnets but rather one of the other Parker models, likely one of the "88" variants; the Arrow or "95" or "88".

[Ron Z]

Is it a fake?

 

I tried it and it is not a bright pen. I think my Sheaffer Prelude is better. What do you think?

 

Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

All the best.

 

Jar is right. Those are not Sonnets, but are the Parker 88, Place Vendome'. Introduced late 80s early 90s. I had one, and it was nice, but was essentially a pimped out Parker Vector with a gold plated nib and trim, and lacquer finish. You could swap out nibs between a Vector and an 88. Not to say that they aren't nice reliable pens - they were. But the nib much smaller.

[Ron Z]

Sonnet was the Beta, the Prelude the Release Edition.

 

What Jar is getting at is that the engineers who designed the Sonnet left Parker after that project, and went to work for Sheaffer and designed the Prelude. Sheaffer got it right. (source: folks at the Sheaffer Service center when we visited in March 2008)

[pajaro]

 

What Jar is getting at is that the engineers who designed the Sonnet left Parker after that project, and went to work for Sheaffer and designed the Prelude. Sheaffer got it right. (source: folks at the Sheaffer Service center when we visited in March 2008)

 

At least they got the cap right at Sheaffer. My only Prelude, which somebody else converted from a rollerball, doesn't dry out as fast as a Sonnet. That puts this pen in a better class than most of the C/C pens made. I have concluded it's a little heavy, but it is near as good as my Montblanc 144 I bought in 1983 for more than five times as much. The 144 is my gold standard for C/C pens.