Would you recommend a Parker 45?

[Macuser]

I am curious to hear everyone's impression of a Parker 45. I saw the 2 reviews on the site, but was wondering if anyone else had anything else to say about them? If I decide to buy, what would I expect to pay for one in good condition?

[psfred]

Very nice pens for the money, look for a gold nib (smoother, generally, than the SS ones).

 

Hold a good supply of ink, write well, are easy on the hand, and are quite common.

 

Drawbacks are that you are limited to cartridges or converter (lower fill with the converter) and they are a bit picky about nib rotation, especially fine and extra fine nibs.

 

Tend to be wet writers, this is either an advantage or not, depending.

 

I production until earlier this year in England, although the older ones are better made.

 

I have several, only one is a dud (slit is off center in the nib and I've not changed it out).

 

Peter

[Gerry]

I recommend the flighters unreservedly, have two and have been using them on and off for ages (say 30-40 years). Both have the steel nibs which have smoothed out nicely (one with a little help) to be the smoothest writers I have.

 

Regards,

 

Gerry

[Lisanti]

I love them. I have 9, and use them all. I will also give the nod to the gold nib for especial smoothness. I have two broad nibbed 45s that I particularly like - not hugely broad, like a Lamy, but broad enough. I find little difference between F and M, overall. They're not, even now, terrible expensive, even for the "vintage" pens; I've had mine for a while, so the prices I paid may be out of date, but I don't think that any except a super-rare model would go for over $50, and probably less. Look in the Marketplace as well as eBay.

You'll like it - the 45 is a tough little pen.

 

 

Joan

[johnr55]

A classic, elegant design. Reliable, interchangeable nibs. New ones seem flimsier than the old ones, but still nice and a great buy.

[Dan Carmell]

I rather like them...

 

Dan

[MikeLip]

I have a 45 at work with a fine nib. It puts down a wet and bold line, never failing to work for me. Sweet pen, if unexciting in looks compared to the celluloid marvels. But a lot less money too!

[FrankB]

I think 45's have a nice conservative look. All of mine have been very reliable, and quite durable. Mine have all written with a wet line, but I like that trait. For the money, I think they are a very good buy.

[RonB]

I have a few, and they are a great pen for the price. However, there is a big difference between them and a Parker "51", in my opinion.

 

Ron

[JimStrutton]

I had a Flighter that I traded for a Sonnet and wished that I had not. I like the Sonnet, I just wish I had kept the 45 Flighter.

 

I think they are excellent value for money and a CC they are a convenient travel pen IMHO.

 

Jim

[jsonewald]

I have one with a steel M nib. It is not a bad pen, but it is not one of my favorites. The nib is sensitive as far as rotation side to side. It is wet, which I like, and starts reliably, but it generally doesn't feel much different than some cheaper Parkers. Overall I like my Safari's and Hero's better.

[wspohn]

I still have a fine nib Flighter I've had since the 1970s and it is a pleasant reliable writer.

 

It won't cost you much to try one on for size.

[MYU]

I think it depends a lot upon the nib and what the writer prefers. I dislike the cheap feeling barrels of later models. It's worth spending extra to get a metal body, either the trusty flighter look or a cool pattern as Dan depicted (great collection there!).

[arvadajames]

They are one of my 4 favorite pens (the others being the Parker 51, Bexley 1oth Anniversary, and Esterbrook J). I own 3 - a green extra fine SS nib that is the 2nd smoothest writer I own (the smoothest being the Bexley). I was surprised that an extra fine nib could be so smooth, but it was purchased from Richard Binder, so maybe I shouldn't be surprised. The second one is a fine point flighter that with a gold nib that is a very smooth writer. The last one is a red fine SS fine point that is rather scratchy. Both of the fine points write a line that is quite a bit broader than the extra fine point.

 

As far as costs go, I bought the red one and the flighter for $20 each, and the green one was $40.

 

Good luck.

 

James

[randyholhut]

The "51" is certainly better, but the 45, particularly the 1960s and 1970s vintage, are great pens.

 

The 14K gold nibs are great writers, but even the steel nibs don't disappoint. They are wet writers, though.

 

I've got a half-dozen of them, and they are steady, reliable pens -- the Esterbrook J of the post-1960 era.

 

And it's still possible to get a decent one for under $20 with a little bit of looking.

 

By all means, get one! Any pen that stayed in more or less continuous production for 46 years can't be bad. Aside from the Jotter, the 45 is the longest-lived pen line in Parker's history.

[hatherton_wood]

I like the 51 but I don't think it writes any better than an earlier 45. I prefer the 45 because I can use a cartridge or converter. Very easy to clean and replace all parts oneself - and much easier to get whatever is needed as it has been in production for so long.

[ericp]

I just placed an order for my new Parker 45! Thanks everyone for the advice and recommendations you have given.

[OcalaFlGuy]

As mentioned earlier, hopefully you found one of the earlier Deluxes with the gold trim and 14k nib and not the domed jewel last rendition.

 

I have several.

 

It is my consistent choice for best $40 and under pen. You can find them with the gold nibs for $20-25, near NOS for $30. You can't touch another as reliable, user friendly, gold nibbed pen for anywhere near that.

 

I have at least 4 that have been custom ground to cursive italics. That cost as much or more than the pen itself cost but easily made the pen More Than 2x nicer. A 14k gold custom ground nibbed pen for $50ish? That a no brainer of a deal.

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

[J English Smith]

Great pens - I have a tray of them, all older ones - all from eBay for less than $25 a pen. Very comfortable to write with for a long time. Nice nibs, mostly.

[Sasha Royale]

The Parker 45 is a durable, good writer. It is designed to be service easily,

as needed. I would pay $18 for a good one, $22 for an excellent one. I think

a new one (unused) can be had for $30. (Six months ago)

 

I have dozens of pens. I rotate twenty pens for about three weeks each.

Whichever pen is in rotation, the one in my pocket is a Parker 45.

 

Enjoy.