Parker Sonnet Mono Fountain Pen Medium

I’m a writer by profession but like most people, I suppose, the amount of work I did by hand with a pen had dwindled to nearly nothing since I laboured almost exclusively on a PC. After a recent minor stroke, writing every day was a part of my physiotherapy. Getting used to writing again, in some respects having to learn to write again, fired my enthusiasm for it and I thought that it would be nice to get a decent pen instead of using cheap, mass produced, writing sticks of various kinds and effectiveness.

I always used a Parker fountain pen at school and university but lost my last one somewhere, and with it that habit. A few years ago I tried to get back to it but the low-end Mont Blanc that I bought was a disastrous failure and I was put off.

But boy! am I glad that I have now got back to it with the Sonnet that my wife gave me for Christmas.

To begin with it is, quite simply, a beautiful thing to hold. It’s not particularly heavy, but it’s no feather-weight either. The body is made of brass with an epoxy lacquer so it’s cool to the touch. Parker’s deep, rich red is something I’ve always loved and it’s the perfect partner to the gold trim. The nineteenth century, engraved nib style and the thick, engraved gold plate band around the bottom of the cap add luxury.

In use the pen is well-balanced with a generous, even supply of (Parkers Quink) ink, yet it does not deliver so much ink that it needs blotting or takes an age to dry. The ink continues to run evenly pretty much until the reservoir is empty, when it stops. There’s none of that long period of intermittent ink delivery that makes the user wonder what’s going wrong. I seldom use cartridges but always carry them when I’m out. They are a generous size with a handy reserve for when the level runs low. The medium nib is firm yet so smooth that it seems to draw the hand on to keep moving.

Those are the pros.

And the cons? There are no cons, not that I can find. OK, the ink reservoir looks a bit tacky placky but that’s being really nit-picking. And in any case it’s a step improvement on, and easier to use than, the squidgy plastic ink-sacs and flexy metal bars of the Parkers of my youth.

At the Amazon price this pen costs about half of my, I have to use the word, crappy Mont Blanc. It’s more than twice the pen. Mooching around on Google today the lowest price I found was £46.00 but price is not the most important thing, nor is the cheapest supplier always the best.

It must be emphasised that this is not just a good pen at the price. It’s a good pen. No. It’s a great pen.

Buy it, love it, keep it. I certainly intend to try and hang on to this one for a long while yet.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

|

 Comment (1)