Parker 51 Fountain Pen Teal Blue Barrel with Chrome Trim Fine Nib with Black Ink Cartridge Gift Box

The new Parker 51 is an excellent homage to the original 51, produced from 1941-1972 in the US, and into the 1980’s in Argentina on American equipment. The new pen is not an exact reproduction as there are a few minor differences between the two. I have three refurbished 51’s, and the new pen looks and feels like the original, but it’s about a half inch shorter. The cap doesn’t close with the familiar thunk sound as it now has a screw-in cap. While some people think that this method won’t last long, I have a Duofold from the 1920’s and a couple of other Parkers from the 1930’s with screw-in caps and they are still going strong. Granted, today’s plastic is not as solid, but you don’t need it to last almost a century. The classic arrow clip on the metal cap is long gone, along with the jewel on top, and it’s a shame that Parker didn’t bring them back. Finally, the primitive feeder systems have been replaced by a modern cartridge, but some the original 51 had cartridges from 1961-1963, so that’s not entirely different. Nevertheless, Parker should have included a converter along with the two cartridges.The good news is that the original 51’s write differently from other pens, and the new 51 carries over that tradition. The hooded nib works great although there is more separation from the cover. It’s just a great pen to write with and has excellent ink flow and a really nice script, so Parker has done a great job of reimagining the 51 for a new century. Just remember that it’s not the same pen, which I’m sure would be really expensive, and you will be really happy with your purchase.

Love this Parker pen - the mid mod look and the great color scheme brought me back to an era when my grandparents had avocado green furniture and a hifi stereo that played Petula Clark's "Downtown." I have had a few hard starts, which is to be expected given the hooded nib and that I'm using a cartridge and letting it sit too long between uses. But for the most part, this pen rests smartly in my daily planner and while light weight, is still a pleasure to write with and drafts a nice smooth line that's not too wet. If you're a beginner with fountain pens, I'd start with something softer and with more ink flow, like a TWSBI. But if you're a veteran and a collector of sorts, this is a fun addition and has that retro look and feel that invokes nostalgia with each pen stroke. Great purchase here on Amazon.

There are some reviews foe this pen for not a premium pen. I agree with some of them1 the material is cheap. Thing and light(actual not bad feeling when you write with such a writing instrument)2 no converter included. I suppose that Parker has abandoned the converter since Parker itself has no good ocnverterExpect that. All other are good for such a pen in such a priceWith the cartrage on print paper. Very Happy to writing with it. Smooth, fluent.All in all. Worth the money and suggest to have one

Yes, it writes and it does so just fine. My problem with this is that it sort of looks like a 51 but if you are familiar with the original, you may find this one a tad disappointing. The first thing I noticed was that the weight was different in my hand. Modern materials and manufacturing, and a cartridge instead of refill mechanism may contribute to this. The cap no longer has the trusty clutch ring allowing you to slip on the cap but it threads on which I see being a problem down the road as the threads on the body are plastic. The big gotcha for me was the distinctive hood over the nib. On original 51s, the hood hugs the nib and it looks like it was meant to fit. On the new version the hood gaps from the nib which just looks cheap. If you want a pen that writes get one, I would recommend the Parker IM over this one though, it just feels better in your hand.One month later… don’t bother with this pen. It is not a best effort by Parker. My cheap Noodler is more reliable. It takes several minutes to start writing again after sitting a couple days and then it skips badly. Nice try Parker but you could have done better.

I have several fountain pens but this writes every time I use it. It is smooth and fits in my hand well

It's an injection molded plastic body with a twist cap that has vent holes in it for some reason. I can't understand why you'd put vent holes in a twist cap. All they do is allow air directly into the nib, which will dry out the ink. A press cap, like the original, could use them to prevent a vacuum problem, but this seems like a dumb choice.The metal is extremely cheap and of low quality, and the threads look like a lower quality resin. I can easily see missing a thread and screwing them up, ruining the function of the twist cap.For $85 I would expect this pen to ship with a converter, but it does not. It ships with a blue and black cartridge. The writing field is okay and the ink flow is rather smoothly.