Parker Beta

[jay23]

Click here for the website on which I found this pen I was surfing on the web and came across a pen called the Parker Beta. I've never heard of one nor seen one ever. It has a clip identical to the Vector and the body is similar to a Reflex. I'am posting the link on which I found them. Theres also some Parker Vectors, also fake?

 

P.S

 

Anyone have any clue who that guy on the packaging of every single pen is? Never seen him either.

[Michael Wright]

Well, Chennai is the City Formerly Known As Madras. So we've got major city in India, which is a huge enough market for FPs to support local manufacturers. There's also a name, "Luxor," on one of the bubble packs (the fancy Beta), which looks as though it's the name of a local maker of the pens under licence to Parker.

 

So it's possible that the Beta is an Indian-market only pen, quite authentic, though not made in a Sanford-owned plant. This is all speculation -- but if they are fakes, it's a pretty egregious site, and AFAIK India isn't a hotbed of fakery.

 

I guess fairly soon some Indian members of the aficion will be able to tell us more.

 

Best

 

Michael

 

doing the best he can with zero knowledge

 

EDIT

 

and who should have Googled before he spoke:

 

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2002/1...21102190600.htm

 

http://www.rediff.com/money/2003/aug/16spec3.htm

Edited November 2, 2006 by Michael Wright

[Michael Wright]

Reading the following article further suggests something about Sanford's plans:

 

http://www.rediff.com/money/2003/aug/16spec3.htm

 

In India, it's evident that Parker is being positioned as a mass-market brand, with Waterman going for the mid and high end, competing with Montblanc.

 

Is this a sign about what might happen in the rest of the world? My thought is that some recent non-cheap Parkers have had more than a hint of Waterman about the design, and it would certainly make sense to rationalize the two product lines. But maybe the specific plans would be different from market to market.

 

BTW, I gather from another site that came up on Google that Parker has a "brand ambassador" in India, and I guess that identifies the gent on the bubble packs.

 

Best

 

Michael

 

Another Edit

 

http://www.luxorparker.com/v2/index.html

 

is the site of Luxor, but unfortunately the Curse of Flash has hit Indian business sites, too, so it's hard to get much information out of it.

Edited November 2, 2006 by Michael Wright

[seymour]

Hallo

 

I do have a "forged" Parker which I bought in the "flea-market" in Jaffo. It calls itself a Parker 303 for youth. It has the regular cheap aeromatic filler with the rubber sac. It looks like a Parker 51, but the materials and workmanship are inferior. The ink flow is also irregular. On the cap the legend is: Parker, made in the U.K.

 

I checked with Sanford in England. Its not one of theirs.

 

Chaim Seymour

[Guest JohanO]

hummmmm.

 

I visited the Indian website and read the description of the Beta:

 

"An exclusive range of Parker Pens! Didn't you know how prestigious and Proud, one becomes when he holds a Parker pen with him!Just the ideal gift to enjoy moments of pride and smily gestures last forever!"

 

hummmm, I think this is rather, eh, ridiculous.... <_<

[Michael Wright]

  JohanO said:

hummmmm.

 

I visited the Indian website and read the description of the Beta:

 

"An exclusive range of Parker Pens! Didn't you know how prestigious and Proud, one becomes when he holds a Parker pen with him!Just the ideal gift to enjoy moments of pride and smily gestures last forever!"

 

hummmm, I think this is rather, eh, ridiculous.... <_<

Mmmm, well, yes, ridiculous, but it's also using aspiration for prestige as a marketing tool, and the retailing site has copywriters whose command of English is less than perfect. Sounds pretty universal to me, though at a lower price point than most of us are used to. It also uses desire for delight in the well chosen gift, which used to be a feature of Christmas advertising in the US, but seems to have gone out of vogue since the '60s -- a decline in altruism?

 

BTW, I recommend the Indian business media I turned up on the Google search -- certainly more serious (and better written) than I'm used to here.

 

Best

 

Michael

 

who thinks it will be interesting to watch India vs China in the contest for heavyweight economic champion of the world

[John Danza]

  Michael Wright said:

Reading the following article further suggests something about Sanford's plans:

 

http://www.rediff.com/money/2003/aug/16spec3.htm

 

In India, it's evident that Parker is being positioned as a mass-market brand, with Waterman going for the mid and high end, competing with Montblanc.

 

Is this a sign about what might happen in the rest of the world? My thought is that some recent non-cheap Parkers have had more than a hint of Waterman about the design, and it would certainly make sense to rationalize the two product lines. But maybe the specific plans would be different from market to market.

 

Best

 

Michael

This might be a market-specific direction, if it's actually true at all. IMHO, Parker has been a more high-end brand then Waterman for at least the last 10-15 years, possibly longer. It would seem odd that Sanford would take that position and reverse it 180 degrees. If they want to make one high end and one low-to-middle end, then why not just leverage the position that both brands currently hold in the market?

 

All the best,

John

[jay23]

"Says Jain, "Being a premium brand, we will sell fewer units than popular brands like Parker." Hmmmm he's speaking of Waterman as being a premium brand and that Parker is 'popular'. I think he means inferior to Waterman. Well, we all know Parker and Waterman are both on the same level and that they are both premium brands with mid-level pens, so this man certainly needs to do his homework and know what he is talking about. Also why wouldn't Sanford just market Parker and Waterman on its own rather than through this company called Luxor? If there is that huge market thats stated in the article they could make alot more money.

[kissing]

http://indiagiftcenter.com/betafountain.jpg

 

Parker Beta :blink:

 

I used to think that the Vector, Reflex and the Jotter looked cheap....This "BETA" that the Indian market is trying to sell as a "premium" luxury item looks the cheapest of any Parker I have ever seen

[jay23]

I honestly have no clue what that is written in English, under the Parker logo

[gregamckinney]

I don't know the history of the use of the Beta brand by Parker. However, this is not new. Several years ago, I bought a couple Parker Beta BPs. These were made in Argentina, and look a lot like a Parker 45 (which is why I bought them.) They are very inexpensively made, but solid enough, IMO, to be Parker branded pens.

http://gergyor.com/images/parker_beta_argentina.jpg

Regards, greg

[skundu]

The gentleman (Brand Ambassador) on the blister pack is Bollywood's most famous movie star Amitabh Bachchan. Most of the lower end Parkers are manufactured under license by Luxor in India, while Waterman (AFAIK) is not manufactured in India. Hence the claim that Parkers are popular (read more economical and widely available) compared to Waterman. The cheapest Parker FPs can be had for $5~$10, while the cheapest Waterman FP I've seen here is the Hemisphere for about $50.

 

[Beechwood]

Creepy eyes, I wouldnt buy a pen from him.

[Greg]

Its rather a shame that the advertising seems to assume that people in India wish to aspire to western style materialism and status symbols. Owning a locally produced pen (or a pen without a western name) would not appear to be less desirable.

 

Its funny that from this western viewpoint that I see many american and European people on this list with a interest in pens produced in small works in India - myself included. Is this reverse materialism?

 

 

Greg

[varmas]

A shot in the dark actually - 'beta' is son in Hindi. Since the pen is targeted for the 'young ones' as in the ad and the fact that Amitah Bachan, a popular Hindi actor, is featured......

 

 

[bluemoon]

Parker beta is a economy line Parker made in India by 'Luxor' under licence from Parker. They are available as RB,BP,FP.

They are good for their price, ranging from 1.5-2.5$.

Lower End Parkers like 'Vector' & 'Beta' are manufactured locally in India by Luxor. They are legitimate licenced products.

Higher end Parkers are imported.

 

The brand ambassador is Amitabh Bachchan, a very famous indian actor.

[fatehbajwa]

  jay23 said:

I honestly have no clue what that is written in English, under the Parker logo

 

Loosely translated it means "The heart wants to keep writing"

[The penner]

Firstly, in India lots of Betas are around. However, I haven't seen them anywhere else. They are all genuine but very cheap Parker pens. The price is rather misleading.

I do agree that 'beta' is the Hindi word meaning son. However, this does not mean that it is directed to children. 'Beta' is a fairly common word, for example Yahoo mail Beta. This has no relationship whatsoever with the Hindi word.

Under the Parker logo there is a small Hindi passage meaning, 'The heart wants to keep writing'.

I hope this reply is of your service and that I have made things a little clearer .

Edited December 26, 2008 by The penner

[spikerules]

  On 11/2/2006 at 3:24 AM, jay23 said:

<a href="http://www.chennaibazaar.com/cbz/product.asp?ctgintid=18" target="_blank"> Click here for the website on which I found this pen</a> I was surfing on the web and came across a pen called the Parker Beta. I've never heard of one nor seen one ever. It has a clip identical to the Vector and the body is similar to a Reflex. I'am posting the link on which I found them. Theres also some Parker Vectors, also fake?

 

P.S

 

Anyone have any clue who that guy on the packaging of every single pen is? Never seen him either.

 

i am from india and this is a very common pen used here....dunno if the site is fake but the pen is not.

BTW the guy on the packaging is Amitabh Bachan, a very famous actor here.

[spikerules]

i am from india and it is a very common brand...not fake

the guy on the packaging is Amitabh Bachan...a very famous actor