Parker 51 VS Parker 45

[leicamaster]

Ok im in a budget and I bet you guys have seen my recent topics on 51's. I found a nice 45 flighter for alot less than a 51. So which one is better?

[hatherton_wood]

For me, and I have a few of each, the 45 is the better pen and has the following advantages over the 51

 

1. It is cheaper!

2. It can be totally dismantled quickly for cleaning or repair

3. Because of 2. nib changing is quick and needs no specialist tools

4. It takes cartridges or converter.

 

 

I have had far less trouble with getting 45's to work well than 51's. The 51 has a somewhat better build quality but I have a 45 I have used very day from 1972 and has never been without ink. Both are fine pens but I have a preference for the 45 myself.

 

[OldGriz]

There is no comparison.... The 51 was the flagship pen of Parker for many years and is still one of the pens that all others are compared to ... and a lot fall short..

The 45 was developed as an inexpensive cartridge/converter pen at a time when fountain pens were being overshadowed by ball points..

 

Give me a 51 any day of the week...

[J English Smith]

Hatherton puts the benefits of the 45 well. They are great and overlooked pens.

 

51s have these advantages, to work the other side of the case:

 

• A "top tier" classic pen - most collectors covet 51s
• Smoother and more subtle nibs - 45s are nice but have more tooth and feedback
• Better plastics overall - 45s are prone to section shrinkage because of the cap mechanism
• Some people disdain the c/c filler - I'm not among them - but they prefer the "permanent" 51 filler styles
• There's just something very nice about the heft and balance and timelessness of the 51

 

If they'd managed to put the kind of nibs on the 45 that the 51 has, you'd have a pretty much unbeatable pen.

 

IMO - both are great and I use both pretty much daily. It's too hard to chose one over the other; so have at least one of both!

Edited September 3, 2009 by J English Smith

[Ernst Bitterman]

45 is thinner-- whether this is good or bad is up to you.

45 has interchangible points, which makes it a little easier to swap out a bad point... if you get a bad point, and can find a replacement.

51 has a more ink capacity, but demand a bottle.

45 takes cartridges (handy, but more disposable junk) and converters (further reduced capacity).

51 is slightly less likely to shrink itself into a loose cap (I have several 45s, only one has this problem).

 

I find the 45 is slightly more sensitive to rotation than the 51, but you're more aware of the pen's rotation relative to the paper because the point is more exposed. They're both good, and the flighter 45 is a pretty creature. Let your tastes and budget guide you, really-- if you wait long enough, I'm sure you'll get equal numbers of supporters of either pen.

 

[argonavis]

I seem to keep posting on the topics you start.

Maybe because you start so many involving the P51. Thanks.

 

Anyway, the 45 was never meant to be the 51.

Not even by the most imaginative of Parker salesmen.

 

Nevertheless the 45 holds water, or rather ink. Even the

(I think quickly disappearing) new ones still obtainable.

These can be had for a whistle and are worth a very good song.

They are very lightweight, so you have to like that.

The "retro" design of a modern day P45 Flighter probably scares people off now.

But I love it. Probably because I started this passion with a P75 Flighter that

my father gave me a long time ago in a galaxy far away.

 

I never met a 45 that could face down a good 51. But that doesn't mean

they aren't fine pens that are a pleasure to use.

 

I fully agree with the important observation by Ernst Bitterman in the previous

post about sensitivity to rotation. The 45 is great when held steady, and can get

temperamental otherwise.

 

On the other hand, buying an old pen like a 51 is always a risk. Buying an old 45

perhaps equally so. Buying a new 45 may seem less glorious, but at least

its a safe deal.

 

Of course if the P51 is a good one, the risk paid off.

Edited September 5, 2009 by argonavis

[Glenn-SC]

The "51" without a doubt.

 

I have never had a 45 write as well as a "51".

[PAKMAN]

Both are fine pens. The 51 is a classic and classy vintage pen. They are good writers with clean simple lines. The 45 are not as classic and many aren't really what you would call vintage. The flighter 45 is a really sweet way to go with this pen.

[nchov]

Both are excellent pens. They sit nicely on my fingers when writing. Though I like the heft of the 51.

 

I was also curious about the vac in the 51. I finally got one for $50. I got the 45 for $20. Both from this site.

 

Be patient, you might get a good price for them but do not expect mint condition for that price.

 

Good luck.

[hatherton_wood]

I have several 45's which write as well as the best of my 51's -its just a matter of getting a good nib. Bear in mind many of the bad 51's will be long gone by now. Don't think either have the silky smooth nibs of the UK Duofold's I have though

[orangeaurora]

These can be had for a whistle and are worth a very good song.

 

 

I love that line!

 

All I have experience with are the two 45 models in my collection. One is a NOS Flighter with an XF nib, and the other is my first fountain pen from sometime in the late 1970's. That one is still going strong -- an excellent writer with a medium nib. The Flighter is a gem. I wouldn't give either one of them up.

 

At the rate I'm going, no doubt a 51 will someday be part of my collection (and I realize I'm lost now . . . I just used "collection" in reference to my fountain pens). I do like the looks of the 45 pens better. To my eye, they have more style than the 51, but I realize it's not the style that does the writing.

 

Off to put the 51 on my list . . .

[gvl]

I agree with much of the sentiment that the Parker 51 is the better pen with the smoother nib.

 

However, one thing which many might regard as a plus point for the 45 is greater nib flexibility in some of the earlier models. More recent examples are, I believe, more rigid but I was pleasantly surprised by a 1970s flighter model I was using recently which seemed to have a semi-flex+ nib.

Edited September 28, 2009 by gvl

[fibreglass_works]

Boths are equally good pen from Parker. You need not feel that you are buying a cheaper pen....... One day you will try a P51 or built your collecting as you write on.......

[trent]

I used to use 45's in school as a step up from the leaky Sheaffer school pens of the 70's. I decided to try one recently, a Flighter, for old time's sake, and was surprised how rough the nib was, lacking subtlety of line, and how lightweight the overall pen felt. I remembered it as a much better, more substantial pen. It did the job, mind you, and there are far worse pens, but I would never choose it over a 51. I tried another 45, by the way, and had the same unremarkable results; I also found that the plastic nib section had swollen and become distorted, though that did not affect the writing.

[Bearcat]

There is no comparison.... The 51 was the flagship pen of Parker for many years and is still one of the pens that all others are compared to ... and a lot fall short..

The 45 was developed as an inexpensive cartridge/converter pen at a time when fountain pens were being overshadowed by ball points..

 

Give me a 51 any day of the week...

 

 

I will agree with Tom on this point for sure. No comparison, really.

[leicamaster]

Dont worry I already got 2 51s. One of them is a beauty which I bought from Tom. Much smoother than a Lamy 2000. Its amazing. P51 Teal Uk M Aeromatic

[skybird]

Dont worry I already got 2 51s. One of them is a beauty which I bought from Tom. Much smoother than a Lamy 2000. Its amazing. P51 Teal Uk M Aeromatic

OK so you are a budding pen collector.

The Flighter is a nice collectible so you will be happy with it (as a collector). Bear in mind it will not be of the quality that the 51 is, but as a Flighter, it is good to have.

If you want to use it, be gentle as the Lustraloy can get scratched and worn and it loses the original look quite quickly if not treated well.

[Beechwood]

Both are good pens, but the Parker 51 is a great pen and the benchmark for other pens, hence perhaps, the driver for the original question.

 

An easier delineator might be - you are offered both pens in the same condition at the same price, which do you pick?

[hatherton_wood]

An easier delineator might be - you are offered both pens in the same condition at the same price, which do you pick?

 

mmm... if I could not pick up both ..much as though I like the 51 (and I have several) if it was a flighter I would pick the 45. Brilliant design - take it to bits in no time, wash out quickly, change all the bits including the nib quickly yourself. Lasts and lasts. Choice of cartridges or convertor. Would not be without one - what more would you want.

[fpnnm]

Choice of cartridges or convertor.

 

Yes, especially if it comes with the cool converter that Parker intended for the pen.