51 Fountain Pen | Black Barrel with Chrome Trim | Fine Nib with Black Ink Cartridge | Gift Box

I am glad I waited a while before posting this review. I had mixed feelings about the new Parker 51 when I first used it, but it has steadily grown on me. When I bought it, my expectations were quite modest (mainly on account of the largely negative reception it received from certain vintage pen poseurs, some of whose condemnations were comically 'over the top'). First, my credentials to judge this pen: I have used fountain pens almost exclusively for a good sixty years. Back in the 1960s, I owned a Parker 51 until an unknown schoolmate stole it from me. I am not, however, going to judge this new, 're-imagined' version against its illustrious predecessor. To attempt such a comparison merely because Parker, for understandable advertising reasons, has elected to revive a celebrated but long defunct model number, would be futile, not least because changes in materials and ink technology since the original version went out of production make a fair comparison practically impossible. The version I bought has a steel nib. This, while not quite as smooth as the gold nib on my 1960s-era Parker 45, is nevertheless a delight to write with, gliding effortlessly across the page. I have not experienced any of the drying problems some have alleged. The pen lays down ink without the slightest hesitation even after a couple of days without use. It works fine with my favourite ink, Pilot's Iroshizuku Take-Sumi, and also with Parker's own Quink. The pen is stunning to look at and a pleasure to use. I like to post the cap most of the time. So far, this has not left the slightest trace of a mark on the barrel. I will mention two potentially negative points that contributed to my initial mixed feelings. The first is that I occasionally detect a slight rattle when putting the pen down. This results from vibration causing momentary contact between the ink converter and the inside of the barrel. The converter's connection, while secure, is not rigid. If, unlike me, you prefer to use cartridges, this will not concern you at all. The second point is that if the user is too hasty in screwing the cap back on the barrel, the threads sometimes don't immediately engage properly. This comes from not aligning the cap and pen precisely. The remedy is simple: gently push the pen and cap together until you can feel the threads in full contact before attempting to screw the cap into place. Personally, I prefer a screw cap to a push-fit cap but I recognise that others may not share my preference. The new Parker 51 is not perfect but it is a very good modern pen. It probably deserves four and a half points rather than the five I have awarded it, but I have deliberately chosen to round the score upward as a slight antidote to the preposterously exaggerated criticism to be found elsewhere on the internet.

What’s not to like about a classic pen - whilst lighter than the vintage and original Parker 51 it is still a lovely pen in the hand. Writes wonderfully but you need to use it consistently to shape the nib to your writing style - like any fountain nob. I bought a medium nib and a fine nib - prefer the medium at the moment as still breaking in the fine nib. High gloss and strong colour on the body of the pen - I bought teal colour to match my vintage one passed down to me by the Grandfather in the 70’s. Don’t let reviews that say it’s too light “compared to my old one” put you off - products always evolve and you get used to the lighter weight quickly

Disappointing! The ink hardly flows and it needs good shaking before one can use the pen, The Parker quality has slipped down.

This pen (Parker 51, Burgundy and Chrome) is an excellent writer, exceptionally well constructed and comfortable to write with. It might seem pricey for a pen with mostly plastic construction, but both the pen itself and the ink cartridges are made in France, meaning you aren't just buying the pen, but French employee protections and labour laws, as well as the fit, finish and quality control that come with items not made in a crumbling sweatshop on the banks of the Yangtze. The barrel and grip are both plastic, but the plastic is of good quality and precisely moulded: there is nary a moulding line or sprue mark to be seen. The plastic components are also slightly translucent when the light hits them - particularly on the nib hood - which is quite charming. The lid is of metal construction, and is also very well put together, without any gaps or uneven-ness or blemishes. Each part of the pen fits together smoothly, and each part feels sturdy. The clip is neither too stiff, nor too soft - it's just about perfect for clipping into a shirt pocket. The nib is very typical of Parker pens - a little scratchy at first, but after a couple of sides of A4 all roughness was gone and it turned into a wonderfully smooth writer. It is a very light instrument, with the uncapped pen (containing an unused full-length cartridge) weighing only around 11.5 grams (about 2/5 oz), or 22.5 grams (4/5 oz) with the lid attached, making it perfect for long writing sessions and for keeping in a pocket without it being bothersome. The pen is rather small, with a capped length of 14cm (5 & 1/2 inches), an un-posted length of around 12cm (4 & 3/4 inches) and a posted length of just over 15cm (6 inches), as well as a circumference of only 4cm (1 & 9/16 inches) at the broadest point of the barrel. My writing hand is of average size for a man, being 19cm (7 & 1/2) inches in length and 9cm (3 & 1/2 inches) across, and the pen fits very comfortably in it when posted, while also not being unusably small unposted. If your hands are rather large, it might not be of a comfortable size for you to use. The pen is on the thinner side of comfortable girth (har har) for my hand, but comfortable nonetheless. Now, you may be saying to yourself 'this is a GLOWING review, but he didn't give it five stars!' Well, I tell thee, there is good reason for this. The pen comes in a nice box with a lid that springs open and shut, along with two ink cartridges (one black, one blue). However, it does NOT come with a converter, which at this price point it really should, regardless of where it was manufactured, ESPECIALLY considering that the converters will cost Parker a lot less to manufacture than they cost us to buy. As far as I'm concerned, any pen that costs greater than £50 should come with a converter as standard - in fact, it would be preferable for it to come with a converter and NO cartridges than the reverse - and given that this pen costs significantly more than £50 at full RRP (and still nine quid more on sale), and that it's mostly made of plastic (good quality plastic is STILL plastic, after all), there's really no excuse for it not to, country of manufacture be damned. The lack of a converter is cheeky and downright miserly on Parker's part, and it is the only thing preventing me from giving this pen a full five-star rating. TL/DR: Fantastic pen, made in France (not the Hundred Acre Wood), mostly plastic (but good quality plastic), sturdy construction, excellent fit and finish, smooth writer with a short break-in period, but doesn't come with a converter, which is unacceptable for the price. Overall, a good buy with an annoying gripe, presumably caused by a bean counter at Parker.

The pen is a beautiful writer and well made. I remember in secondary school it was the pen everyone wanted so it brings back lovely memories.

Years ago, I used a Parker 51, when it was THE pen to use. Eventually the sack for the ink perished and was no longer functional. I still have it, but unable to find someone to repair it. This new model looked great, so I eventually ordered one. It arrived, looked great, had two ink cartridges, but no instructions as to how to insert one. Eventually finding out by trial and error, I managed. But the nib was not fine, and the ink seemed to flow as a stream and took a long time to dry. So, regretfully, it will be returned.

I was so excited to see Parker had re-released the 51. I bought a teal with a fine nib. Really nice pen, and the fine nib was not scratchy at all. More medium-fine than just fine. I'm really happy.

Ignore the negative reviews and comparisons to the original 51. This is just the right weight, perfectly balanced when posted, and most importantly, writes beautifully.

Trata-se de uma versão contemporânea de uma caneta clássica. O único ponto que a distingue do modelo que consagrou a Parker 51 é o barril feito em resina. No mais, ótima relação de custo e benefício.

Dit was denk ik mijn vijfde Parker 51. Mijn eerste kreeg ik toen ik een jaar of 15 was. Ik ben gek op z'n uiterlijk en hij schrijft nog goed ook. Helaas gaan ze soms kapot als ze op de grond vallen. Maar ja, ze zijn nog betaalbaar ook.

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Really beautiful and classy fountain pen.....buttery smooth. Convertor and one blue cartridge came along with the pen. Its a fine nib compared to parker vector fine nib it writes a bit thicker but that's not a problem....I absolutely love it!!

Writes well. Pretty.