PARKER FANTASY HYPOTHETICAL: You're the new owner of Parker Pen Co. What's your pen lineup?

[Penguincollector]

There are so many Parker models that I love and would be so excited to see returned to market, either intact or improved with more durable materials, but a smart thing to do would be to expand ink colors and explore the burgeoning ink market. Sheen, shimmer (and Penman inks- many of my Parker pens didn’t like those inks) that won’t clog feeds, fun stuff like that.

My pen lineup would be: Modern Duofold, P51 aerometric, 180, 45, 75, 88 (can be the nice Place Vendôme or the standard Vector) and a Lucky Curve reissue in hard chased rubber, maybe with a metal skeleton or overlay in gold or silver. 

[CatchyNameHere]

13 hours ago, CatchyNameHere said:

I think everyone is already making a lot of great points. I think if I had my way I would start with more special editions. How many for each model just depends on careful market testing. I'm just assuming that forty years from now, the people who still like ink pens will also be into novelty, sentiment, aesthetics, and personalization. Any pens necessary for work will still generally be the cheapos, and there's so much competition there.

 

The next thing I would do is create licensed stylus "refills" for all models, built for specific touchscreen devices. There are actually a lot of people doing some of their art on their tablets and laptops, even if its just touchup work, but the nibs seem to be proprietary. Then you pitch the full experience, try to draw younger generations back into paper art after growing up with their screens. 

 

I just realized I didn't fully answer the question. I would let the modern lineup hang around, because I'm assuming they wouldn't build them if they weren't selling. Like I said, I would run more limited editions. But to be more specific, I really love the look of some of the more customized versions of the 51s/61s/75s/Premiers. Maybe resurrect two small operations in Janesville and Newhaven, and let them specialize in limited editions and customization. And then, somebody, please, do an updated version of some the old limited editions from the earliest days of the company. I'm a big fan of the first #15 marked pen, in that 3rd block of pictures from the top of the page. In this link. https://parkerpens.net/luckycurve.html#special

[TheRedBeard]

On 6/6/2022 at 2:15 AM, inkstainedruth said:

Oh, I'm not arguing on that -- not at all.  I totally agree with you that if Parker made 61s out of Lucite from the get-go?  They might very well have pushed 51s out as the flagship of the brand.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

I guess P51 and Lucite P61 could happily co-exist  

[TheRedBeard]

On 6/5/2022 at 10:34 PM, donnweinberg said:

TheRedBeard, what tweaks would you have made to the Parker 100?

I am not a pen engineer/expert, so I cannot tell you about technical issues  

However, it would be good to have some changes to improve ink flow with F nibs... 

All P100 with F nibs I tried were quite dry and had "lazy" ink flow... May be it was just me being unlucky?..  

[TheRedBeard]

21 hours ago, Penguincollector said:

There are so many Parker models that I love and would be so excited to see returned to market, either intact or improved with more durable materials, but a smart thing to do would be to expand ink colors and explore the burgeoning ink market. Sheen, shimmer (and Penman inks- many of my Parker pens didn’t like those inks) that won’t clog feeds, fun stuff like that.

My pen lineup would be: Modern Duofold, P51 aerometric, 180, 45, 75, 88 (can be the nice Place Vendôme or the standard Vector) and a Lucky Curve reissue in hard chased rubber, maybe with a metal skeleton or overlay in gold or silver. 

It is nice to see someone mentioning P88/Rialto  

It was a nice pen and had a certain niche on the market. 

However, the issue with a clutch ring inside its cap should be fixed before reintroducing it. 

 

[alfredop]

Colored acrylic pens seems to be the hot topic of the moment, so as I would copy Jinhao and relaunch the Duofold in several color with less metal parts, gold nib and a good quality converter. A new Parker 51 would follow using again a tubular nib with an advanced feeder (not necessarily the original), maybe I would try a vacumatic filler.

 

Slim pens such as the Parker 75 would be a return from the oversized pen of today, so they will need some marketing before an eventual relaunch, but this would need a serious market study.

 

Maybe another study would be necessary to understand if a new vacumatic would be possible without resorting to celluloid (maybe a clear barrel with an horizontal striped overlay as for modern Pelikan could be a solution).

 

Alfredo

 

 

 

[donnweinberg]

Interesting, alfredop.  From comments thus far, we might have to offer the P51 in both vacumatic and aerometric versions.  I personally prefer a double-jewel vacumatic, but I like the type of vacuum-filler mechanism that is used on, for example, the Wing Sung 601, as it doesn't require any rubber sac folded over itself and works very well.  In addition, I would include some kind of ink window, such as that on the WS601, although your idea of a Pelikan-like solution is intriguing and would perhaps create a Parker 51 / Parker Vacumatic mixture.

 

Your comment about "slim pens" also is interesting, as so many of today's pens are wide in girth, and perhaps those with smaller hands, in particular, would prefer the slimness of the Parker 75/Premier.  As you say, all subject to marketing considerations.

 

The modern Duofold has been offered in several colors and patterns, but there probably needs to be some metal for durability, particularly where pieces screw onto each other (which is not the case with the Duofolds).  Of course, more metal means more weight in most cases.  More weight, up to a point, provides a "more-expensive" feel.

[sandy101]

I think Parker could do with releasing a half decent schools/student pen.

 

Somewhere between the jotter and the Vector (which are to thin for many younger people).

 

In the UK, Lamy seems to have conquered the field in this area with the Vista pens. If I see a student using a fountain pen, then the majority of them are Lamy's as it seems to the the ubiquitous brand in most Brick and mortar stores.

 

Pilot and bic seem to dominate the rollerball/ball point market.

 

I know that most German pen firms all have decent pens for students. 

 

Parker seems to be lacking in this department.

 

The IM is too heavy (and too expensive) for school use, and the Vector and Jotter too slim. 

 

So, something Parkerish in the Lamy Vista price range would be a good idea.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[donnweinberg]

sandy101, perhaps a good school/student pen option for Parker would be a cartridge/converter version of the Parker 21 or 41?  Would that be thick enough, in your opinion?

[Checklist]

I thought the 45 filled that role.  Am I mistaken?

[donnweinberg]

I love the Parker 45, and, yes, it could fill (and once did) fill that role, although its initial $5 price tag (with a 14K nib) in 1960 was expensive for most younger students; that $5 in 1960 is at least $40-50 today after adjusting for inflation.  The Parker 21/41 has more girth than the 45, and so I was trying to address sandy101's concern about the Vector and Jotter being "too slim."  I personally prefer the 45 to the 21 or 41, and I also have a huge collection of 45s.  

[alfredop]

As school pen I would suggest a fountain pen version of the plastic big red roller which was produced during the 1970 decade.

Of course in several colors.

Alfredo

[Penguincollector]

On 6/11/2022 at 6:33 AM, TheRedBeard said:

It is nice to see someone mentioning P88/Rialto  

It was a nice pen and had a certain niche on the market. 

However, the issue with a clutch ring inside its cap should be fixed before reintroducing it. 

 

I didn’t realize that this was an issue. I have 2 that I bought in ‘89 and ‘’90- they have been problem free this whole time.

[vicpen123]

"51" aero, 45, 75, UK Duofold 50, Duofold Centennial, current Premier

 

Keep me happy forever.

[senzen]

Parker 50, 75 and Vacumatic in XL sizes, at about $150. Do group pre purchases with customer input à la kickstart: production only starts after a minimum threshold is achieved, thus reducing cost and risk.

[alexwi]

A billionaire you say?

 

OK. I'm in.

 

I would follow Apple's model and flood elementary and middle schools with free 45's and would invest obscene amounts of money lobbying for the reintroduction of penmanship classes and targeting influencers on social media.

 

It would take just a few months for every 12 year-old to "need" to learn cursive and a pen to go with their newfound passion.

 

Then I'd prepare the line-up of pens that will be in demand in 5 years. If it were up to me, I'd focus on the 65, 75, and 85/95).

 

Pantone would definitely be on board to tell me what colors and patterns to release every year, some of which will be limited editions never to be re-issued.

[Checklist]

@alexwi, you are an evil genius.  I'm in.

[amk]

Before thinking about pens I think we need to define what Parker ought to be.

- a pen and stationery company? 

- should it rival Pilot as a tech and concept leader?

- where does its classical history fit?

- does it have different brand values in different markets? eg top priced Duofolds in Asia, sold in Staples and Rymans in the West?

- and I'd want to commission research showing just how big the different segments of market are - pens for corporate gifts, personal gifts, EDC, and 'the fancy' (ie collectors/accumulators). Who buys what, and where? What does the dealership network look like?

 

I'd also want to think about what new tech/design cues might deliver the next generation. Modularity? Build-your-own-pen? 3D printing? advanced materials? architectural cues from Zaha Hadid or Frank Gehry? I think reviving the 'real' 51 and 45 could be a magnificent way to go, but I think Parker also needs to take a bold look at how to create something that breaks the mould the way the 51 did.

 

[sandy101]

On 6/12/2022 at 6:23 PM, donnweinberg said:

sandy101, perhaps a good school/student pen option for Parker would be a cartridge/converter version of the Parker 21 or 41?  Would that be thick enough, in your opinion?

 I don't know, I haven't owned either. 

 

I think we are being too conservative.

 

Parker didn't scrap their past models on a whim.  The chances are the 51 needed some hand assembly which meant as machination increased, the cost to make a P51 was going up, in a world where ball points were gettign cheaper and cheaper. 

 

In the 1950s, the martin Miles ballpoint cost about the same as most fountain pens, and the refills were not cheap, compres to a bottle of ink. By 1958, the BIC ballpoint was out. I can imagine the consternation in the board rooms of the pen companies - they were trying to sell pens for dollars when Bic had one that went for cents. 

 

Even now, you can get a box of decent Pilot G-2 pens for £20 - less than the cost of most Parker fountain pens and 20 cartridges.

 

Yes, I am a billionaire, but I don't want to make a small fortune out of fountain pens.

 

I think looking at what a firm like Pilot is doing would be worthwhile. Their erasable ink rollerballs have been one of the best innovations in the last 10 years. Pilot have retained their top of the line with an excellent range of pens - such as the 823, yet also manage to make cheaper products for the mass market. They will sell you an excellent pen for $1 or for $1,000. 

 

I think that's where a pen company should be - it has to have innovative in the mass production market and the top end with quality control at both ends. 

 

 

 

 

[TheRedBeard]

On 6/15/2022 at 5:24 AM, Penguincollector said:

I didn’t realize that this was an issue. I have 2 that I bought in ‘89 and ‘’90- they have been problem free this whole time.

I guess it depends on time/frequency of using a particular pen of this model line. 

I have got three Rialtos (two BPs and one FP) which have been used for more than 10 years and all developed "weakness" in caps. 

One BP now hardly keeps it cap. 

OTH, I assume that earlier 88s ()pre-1994) may have better build quality concerning that clutch ring . 

While I have got a number of 88s of late-80s/early-90s I can't say if they suffer from the same issue as I have not used them too much