Parker 51 Comeback 2020?

[Mike B]

Hmmm.

It writes well, it looks good, it feels great in the hand.

Likely it will last a long time also.
Just as with any pen, time will tell on that last point. But even with a ‘51’ vac, you need to get work done every so often on the diaphragm.

I think any first-world pen now sold is priced at about five times what it costs to make.

If we are upset with Parker (the brand owner) for calling it a 51 and not having it an exact replica of the old pen, should we be going a bit easier on those non brand owner companies that do make a near-exact replica?

[Estycollector]

When the horse dies stop hitting . If you want a good copy of this famed pen,  there are some find examples available.

[ele]

2 hours ago, Mike B said:

Hmmm.

It writes well, it looks good, it feels great in the hand.

Likely it will last a long time also.
Just as with any pen, time will tell on that last point. But even with a ‘51’ vac, you need to get work done every so often on the diaphragm.

I think any first-world pen now sold is priced at about five times what it costs to make.

If we are upset with Parker (the brand owner) for calling it a 51 and not having it an exact replica of the old pen, should we be going a bit easier on those non brand owner companies that do make a near-exact replica?

I suppose de gustibus etc. etc. 

 

But really, that gap b/w hood and nib looks good to people? I have found in that respect it's every bit as disappointing and ungainly in real life as it looks in pictures. 

[Mike B]

11 minutes ago, ele said:

I suppose de gustibus etc. etc. 

 

But really, that gap b/w hood and nib looks good to people? I have found in that respect it's every bit as disappointing and ungainly in real life as it looks in pictures. 

This may be an example of how something original can be improved. The French phrase “a chacun son gout” seems better than old Latin here, in that there do seem to be disputes about taste.

And you make an excellent point about the relative shapes of the hoods and gaps and nibs. I can appreciate how this difference could be enough to sour someone on the newer version. I had a similar view of the Parker 100 when it was released, and so did not purchase one. But a lot of people disagreed with me.

[Glenn-SC]

7 hours ago, JCC123 said:

Sorry but they had to retool and train for this piece of garbage as well. That money would have been better spent towards a better copy, even if it means investing a bit more. As it is, it looks like a money grab as the price they're asking for the pen is nowhere near the cost. This is greed, pure and simple. They took a $20 pen, jacked the price up 5 times banking on their name and reputation, and expected people to not know any better.

 

People, stop trying to defend the indefensible!

Sorry that you don’t like this pen.  
Others seem to have differing opinions. 
 

The original Lucite material required a different manufacturing process which was labor intensive. 

[Heinkle]

 

[jann3]

On 4/3/2021 at 6:31 PM, Heinkle said:

https://youtu.be/qWXbmY039fY

 

A fair and honest review from Figboot. His criticism seems justified and reduced my desire to buy one of these. 

[maclink]

 

David on Figboot mentioned the 'vents' at the top of the cap.  One thing I never did on my Deluxe was to try that blow test.  

Air went through that cap like crazy.

This little 'design feature' did it in for me.  I did write the pen dry and still love the nib.  However, I now understand why the ink was so saturated after leaving it a couple days without writing.  David was very gentle in his statement that this was not a good design choice.

 

 I  should have noticed this and apologise for having overlooked it in my comments on the pen.

 

I also agree that a very good explanation for the poor look of the nib/section profile is that the nib is not designed for the section.  The nib is broader than it should be.    

[como]

Does anyone know if there is a hole at barrel end too? I may have overlooked if it was mentioned somewhere in previous comments. I would guess that the hole at cap end is a safety measure again accidental choking, a common product design feature in consumer goods these days. Of course if that was the intention, Parker would have one for the barrel end too. 

[maclink]

How is that design to prevent accidental choking?

 

There is no hole at the end of the barrel on mine. 

[Heinkle]

2 hours ago, maclink said:

 

I also agree that a very good explanation for the poor look of the nib/section profile is that the nib is not designed for the section.  The nib is broader than it should be.    

Which is odd because they must be extremely familiar with the nib at this stage and should have easily been able to design a hood that suited it while maintaining an authentic aesthetic.

[como]

16 minutes ago, maclink said:

How is that design to prevent accidental choking?

 

There is no hole at the end of the barrel on mine. 

So either it’s a security measure but inconsistent design, or it’s not for that reason. 

[maclink]

40 minutes ago, Heinkle said:

Which is odd because they must be extremely familiar with the nib at this stage and should have easily been able to design a hood that suited it while maintaining an authentic aesthetic.

With all the previous factories shut down and a new one in France, who knows who 'they' now are and what 'they' are familiar with.  The old nib/feed/ink collector/ink reservoir system were all built to work together.  

 

The newer cartridge converter system fits on the 'regular' nib/feed system.  So the current iteration uses a compromise setup with the implementation of a cartridge converter filling mechanism being the apparent priority.

[TheRedBeard]

5 minutes ago, maclink said:

With all the previous factories shut down and a new one in France, who knows who 'they' now are and what 'they' are familiar with.  The old nib/feed/ink collector/ink reservoir system were all built to work together.  

 

The newer cartridge converter system fits on the 'regular' nib/feed system.  So the current iteration uses a compromise setup with the implementation of a cartridge converter filling mechanism being the apparent priority.

Fundamental flaws in cap design and clumsy nib/section solution only prove that Newell has no experienced people with fountain pen design expertise in their Parker department.

For me it is obvious they do not even bother to hire former real Parker Co employees (some great guys fro Newhaven) as design advisers/consultants.

The same is true regarding marketing/sales team as we already discussed it on this thread some time ago.

 

[TheRedBeard]

On 4/3/2021 at 4:31 PM, Heinkle said:

 

Very good and useful review.

I see that I am not alone in my feelings how cheap it looks and feels...

I pointed out to that ugly "grove" around the jewel on the cap from the very beginning, and now it happens to be a serious design flaw... shame...

 

[Glenn-SC]

8 hours ago, maclink said:

This little 'design feature' did it in for me.  I did write the pen dry and still love the nib.  However, I now understand why the ink was so saturated after leaving it a couple days without writing.  David was very gentle in his statement that this was not a good design choice.

So you own the pen, used the pen, like how it writes, but upon the discovery of an attribute that apparently doesn't effect how it writes you now dislike the pen?

[Glenn-SC]

Does the cap have an inner cap that seals against the hood?
Every modern pen that I can think of has some mechanism to seal the nib from ambient air to prevent the ink from drying when the pen is capped.

[TheRedBeard]

9 minutes ago, Glenn-SC said:

Does the cap have an inner cap that seals against the hood?
Every modern pen that I can think of has some mechanism to seal the nib from ambient air to prevent the ink from drying when the pen is capped.

Newell "designers" may not know about that basic requirement

I would not be surprised if my joke happens to be true...

[Flounder]

Its funny how these concerns come in cyles, I remember quiet a few threads where folk were worried about being able to blow air through the cap by putting your lips to the opening.

 

The test is flawed, it doesn't reflect whether or not the inner cap, either a step or a separate piece, keeps the  nib & feed reasonably sealed. For a like for like test, I guess you'd need quite small lips.

[Mike B]

Looks to have an inner cap. Also no direct access to the outer tassie surrounding holes.

 

I believe Flounder is correct.

 

There is no air hole on the barrel plastic. This is in keeping with most new pens. I am hoping it is because retrospective safety analyses showed that kids were unlikely to successfully swallow (and hence block their airway) with something as large as a pen barrel. But the cap (being much smaller and possibly more tempting) needed the extra degree of protection. So it seems as though construction of the inner cap was possibly pretty well thought out.

 

(This is my first effort with posting a picture. Apologies if the result blows up the Internet or FPN.)