Parker 45 Harlequin

[watch_art]

Rarer than hens teeth.

 

And I know not the easiest review to read. But all the details are there. Using Parker Quink Turquoise (the old stuff with solv-x)...

 

And now my pain meds kick in....

do do do doooo.... :roflmho:

 

 

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004 by snennewton, on Flickr

 

 

 

 

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5260/5474033737_51a489d883.jpg

006 by snennewton, on Flickr

 

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001 by snennewton, on Flickr

 

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003 by snennewton, on Flickr

 

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005 by snennewton, on Flickr

[AlanE]

Nice Ink, Managed to get a bunch of bottles recently from a guy in Greece (E-Bay) You probably know this already but the harlequin 45's are quite sought after, particularly in Europe, they go for some crazy prices, I'd have a look see before you trade it for something else

 

Good Luck

 

Alan

[jaqcp]

Since these are so collectible and your main problems are with the section and nib, I would buy a couple of more 45s and mix/match sections/nibs until I found a combination that worked. I have about 8 regular 45s and some of the nibs are SWEEEET and 14k to boot. I would definitely try another combination before ditching such a collectible pen. Of course, I would not be honest without offering you any 5 of my present 45s in trade for your Harley.

[AlanE]

Yes its a shame that when they made these they had switched the nibs to steel. I have a gold nib 45 from the 60's and it puts a lot of my higher end pens to shame

 

Alan

[watch_art]

Well, it's not my Harley, it belongs to a member of the Little Rock Pen Club. He's got my Pilot C 742 right now. I won't miss the Pilot, but I don't really want the 45. I'm not so worried about collecting a pen b/c it's rare or anything like that, I want good user pens that I'll enjoy using. This one is nice looking, but I just know it would get left behind and never used. And that's not what I want. By the way, what do these things sell for?

[AlanE]

Ive seen then go for £60 ($96)

[impossiblebird]

I've seen the Harlequin priced around $100-120 equiv, so if you don't get on with it, and you can get a good trade, then why on earth wouldn't you? I love the Parker 45 (have one in my pocket right now), though personally I don't like the Harlequin engraved ones; I prefer the simplicity of the plain pen.

 

I've used one since I was a kid, and never really had a problem hanging on to it, though I know some people can't be doing with the tapered section. That said, I get on with all sorts of sections; the only ones that I find too slippery are the shiny metal ones. The section threads, I think, aren't so vulnerable as you might think, and, depending on model, the corresponding barrel threads can be brass, steel, or plastic (some of the flighters have plastic barrel threads). The plastic of the section can get a bit 'wavey' with age, and I've seen one that cracked open lengthways. I've never seen any deformation of plastic 45 barrels, though it's the same plastic. The nib/feed system is super, as long as you remember to put the plug in the sink before rinsing! and the interchangability of all parts of all 45s over a 50-year period is a handy feature. It's a school pen, basically, and a good quality one, IMO.

 

I have a 45 with a terrific oblique nib, and I think all 45 nibs improve on longer acquaintance; in general I'd probably agree that the sweet spot could be bigger, but the only 45 nibs I've not got along with were the GP ones. The plating tends to cover the iridium, and I've found removing that bit of plating improved performance no end. I can't see whether this one is 14K or GP...

 

Edited to say: ooops! sloppy reading; it's not yours... your Pilot C 742 might give better trade...

Edited February 24, 2011 by impossiblebird

[Raiden]

Nice looking pen!

[hunter186]

Yes its a shame that when they made these they had switched the nibs to steel. I have a gold nib 45 from the 60's and it puts a lot of my higher end pens to shame

 

Alan

 

I've always wondered about that switch. Does anyone know the year they changed to steel?

 

I've owned 5 or 6 different 45s. Most had steel nibs with sort of a bulbous tipping, and were mediocre writers with finicky sweet spots. One had a gold extra-fine nib, with a completely different tipping shape.

 

It's the smoothest-writing extra-fine I've ever used, and all of the other 45s have gone on to new homes.

 

*edited for typo

Edited February 26, 2011 by hunter186

[watch_art]

If it was mine I'd work the nib to make it write as good as it looks. I still wouldn't really want it though b/c it's not a pen I'd want to bang around and take to school. It just doesn't speak to me, ya know.

[impossiblebird]

Yes its a shame that when they made these they had switched the nibs to steel. I have a gold nib 45 from the 60's and it puts a lot of my higher end pens to shame

 

Alan

 

I've always wondered about that switch. Does anyone know the year they changed to steel?

 

I've owned 5 or 6 different 45s. Most had steel nibs with sort of a bulbous tipping, and were mediocre writers with finicky sweet spots. One had a gold extra-fine nib, with a completely different tipping shape.

 

It's the smoothest-writing extra-fine I've ever used, and all of the other 45s have gone on to new homes.

 

I'm not sure they swapped them all out at once. The 45 was introduced in 1960 with the 14K nib; the cheaper (production-wise, at least), plastic-capped 45 Arrow in 1964 (or maybe 1962); I had thought the Arrow came with a plain steel nib, but I may be wrong. The flighter bought for me in 1972 had a 14k nib; so did the one I bought new in the mid 80s, but this was possibly NOS, as I think that by then, new pens were leaving the factory fitted with GP steel nibs. Clearly, the 14K nib is the one to go for; I've certainly had a 45 Arrow with a perfectly nice plain steel nib; the gold-plated ones have all had inferior tipping and required attention to get the best out of them.

 

The size and shape of it might suggest a limited appeal, but it's proved very popular; I'm sure Parker never expected they'd be making it for 46 years. I often carry one, alongside a bigger, weightier pen.

[M@rtin]

Very good looking pen!!!

[tawanda]

There were two Harlequin designs, the one reviewed here is called the Harlequin Circle, I have it's brother the Harlequin Shield.

 

I love P45's and have five at present. I don't really use the Harlequin much because I find it heavy being all-metal. I think it is suited to larger hands than mine, but the 14k nib in it is buttery smooth...I've held on to it for three years now because a dealer told me he expected them to rise in value in short order, and indeed they have. I got mine for £20 and inthree years it has trebled in value. I'd hold on to that for a couple of years and see what you can trade it for then!

[mizcutiepielivzi]

Cool. Why do you not want to keep it, seriously? It looks a nice pen... I dunno what they've done with the poor nib though! :ltcapd:

[watch_art]

It's a nice pen! It's just not... me. If that makes any sense. I'm gonna see it's owner this Saturday so hopefully we can work out some sort of trade.