The new Parker 51

My wife and me both like hooded nibs. She has a Hero 616, me the real deal, a vintage Parker 51. The nib and feed of the Hero is a mess. I almost bought my wife a vintage Parker 51 several times but a very old 51 is not entirely without problems too. That’s why I decided to buy her the new Parker 51. It’s not the real McCoy but it will work for her just right.

The pen has arrived and I have mixed feelings about. The snap cap was an iconic thing for the original 51 and it would have been practical. I don’t mind that they use the usual piston converter. However I’m disappointed about the nib though I’ve seen the marketing photos before I ordered the pen. It’s lazy on Parker’s part that instead of using a proper hooded nib they just shoved in a Jotter nib and they didn’t even incorporate that one into the new 51 properly. Nevertheless I must say that the nib is quite smooth and performs well. The price is a bit high for an injection moulded plastic pen even if it’s well made. It’s an OK pen but Parker wasted an opportunity here to resurrect / pay homage to an iconic writing instrument.

In the end my wife likes it and in this case this is all that counts.

Parker 51 (2021)

Parker 51 (2021)

The new Parker 51