Parker Sonnet - Thoughts?

[bulbboy]

I have a $225 Amazon credit and this Parker Sonnet caught my eye.

Any thoughts or reviews on it?



For $190 I wish I could get my hands on it first...

[bulbboy]

Another thought

Aurora Ipsilon Deluxe

[top pen]

I own that exact Sonnet. It's a really nice pen and it is a great size and has great balance. But being honest there isn't bigger step up from the steel nib on $100ish Sonnets to the gold nibbed Sonnets and I would say the improvement in the nib isn't worth $100. I'd personally go for one of the $!00 Sonnets e.g. the Matte Black and something else.

[Lady Onogaro]

Do you have a Pilot Vanishing Point? Those are really nice. Or perhaps a Pilot Custom Heritage 92. Those are nice, too.

[mhosea]

I'll tell you what I don't like about Sonnets. The snap cap is retained by a ring at the very, very end of the grip section. These snap rings fail from time to time because the plastic that holds them in place fails, and when this occurs (some years down the road), it is not repairable. A new section is required. It's a nice looking pen that is pretty comfortable, but that metal snap ring at the very end of the plastic grip section is a bad functional design, IMHO. In the Parker field, if you don't mind heavy and somewhat larger pens, the Parker Premier is a better option. It is also a push cap, but its snap ring is part of the all-metal section. Unfortunately, it's a more expensive pen when you compare like styles.

There are lots of other options in that price range, though perhaps not as many on Amazon in particular.

[Laura N]

I had an Aurora Ipsilon Deluxe. It's a nice enough c/c pen and the deluxe does have a gold nib which wrote well, but it's a smaller sized nib (and pen) than the Optima or 88. I don't know the price of the Ipsilon Deluxe, but the gap between the Ipsilon Deluxe and the 88/Optima is huge, honestly. So my advice would be to wait until you can buy the more expensive but amazing 88 or Optima.

I like the suggestion of the Pilot pens from Lady Onogaro. Other nice options include the Sailor 1911M, the Lamy 2000 and the Pelikan M400 or M200.

Amazon also sells lots of nice fountain pen ink.

Enjoy!

[Lady Onogaro]

The Pelikan M400 was another thought I had, too, or the M200 (I have the M200 Clear demonstrator, and I like the nib A LOT--it's a bit springy, and gives some shading to inks, even though mine is an EF). It is a great pen for me because I have a small hand. If you don't, I imagine it could be uncomfortable. I understand the M400 is small, too, but I have not held one in person.

[bulbboy]

How much is the M400?

I could kick in another $75 and go for a Visconti Van Gogh ($289) I have a Rembrandt and love it but I wonder how much more awesome another $130 would get you?

[pajaro]

I like the Sonnet, and I have about 25 of them. I bought all used on ebay, they are genuine Sonnets, and I paid $20 for run of the mill finishes to $100 for the Blue Ice with a silverplate barrel. These pens write well, and I like the extra fines and fines.

I am unconcerned about the clutch ring at the end of the section coming off. I had one of those rings come off, and the cap was still able to snap on and stay on. If you look at a similar Insignia model, where the section and nib are interchangeable with Sonnet, it has no metal ring at the end of the section. The Insignia caps snap on and stay onn too.

You might want to try a used Sonnet before blowing a lot of money on one.

[mhosea]

If you look at a similar Insignia model, where the section and nib are interchangeable with Sonnet, it has no metal ring at the end of the section. The Insignia caps snap on and stay onn too.

A Sonnet with a broken-off snap ring is not equivalent to an Insignia with a molded plastic snap ring. The concave shape of the Sonnet grip might result in sufficient diameter for the cap to snap into place, but the quality of the air seal depends on the fit of the snap ring inside the inner cap. Without the snap ring, I doubt the Sonnet cap can achieve a good air seal. Here's a shot of the inner cap on a Parker Premier. In order to get a good air seal, the flange at the end of the section (corresponding to the snap ring on a Sonnet or the molded flange on the Insignia) must be a good fit for the space between the raised tabs and the step down beyond them. Just having sufficient diameter that the leading edge of the section is trapped by raised areas will not ensure a proper seal.

Attachment 15771

[oldstoat]

I've had two Sonnets-one with gold B nib from Webster's Pen Shp for £80, which I lost, and one from Amazon.co.uk with gold plated steel M nib for £42. In all honesty, other than line width, there's no difference in the writing experience. Both were/are matte black with a gold trim and looked unusually classy.

[Bogon07]

How much is the M400?

I could kick in another $75 and go for a Visconti Van Gogh ($289) I have a Rembrandt and love it but I wonder how much more awesome another $130 would get you?

The Rembrandt & VanGogh (Impressions) also Dali/Michelangelo Use the same magnetic section and nib assembly.
So I think you are paying extra for the faceted barrel, maybe a fancier resin and the marketing hype associated with VanGogh.

[bulbboy]

Thanks for all the suggestions and advice!

[pajaro]

If you look at a similar Insignia model, where the section and nib are interchangeable with Sonnet, it has no metal ring at the end of the section. The Insignia caps snap on and stay onn too.

A Sonnet with a broken-off snap ring is not equivalent to an Insignia with a molded plastic snap ring. The concave shape of the Sonnet grip might result in sufficient diameter for the cap to snap into place, but the quality of the air seal depends on the fit of the snap ring inside the inner cap. Without the snap ring, I doubt the Sonnet cap can achieve a good air seal. Here's a shot of the inner cap on a Parker Premier. In order to get a good air seal, the flange at the end of the section (corresponding to the snap ring on a Sonnet or the molded flange on the Insignia) must be a good fit for the space between the raised tabs and the step down beyond them. Just having sufficient diameter that the leading edge of the section is trapped by raised areas will not ensure a proper seal.

Attachment 15771

On one trim ring that came off, I epoxied it back on with a strong epoxy with a five minute set time. It still works.

[pajaro]

Many report ink flow issues with Sonnet. I find these same issues with most of the C/C pens I have tried. Some, like the Montblanc 144 seem to work well. The trim ring on the 144 section is an issue at about a ten year of use point.

I find recent C/C pens dry faster than other types, and I have to rewet the nib after a couple of days on many, like Watermans. Sonnet is about the same. You need to keep after many C/C pens and keep them clean. The Pelikan with its piston filler works better. Also any piston filler (not necessarily C/C pens with piston converter, though) seems to be easier to get going again than a Sonnet, Visconti or Waterman C/C pen.

I like the Parker 51 better, either aerometric or vacumatic (since I figured out how to fix these).

[mhosea]

Sailor and Platinum pens, even Sheaffer No-Nonsense, take many months to dry out because their caps are well-designed, despite that they are C/C pens. They will start right up even months after you left them there.

[pajaro]

Mike,

There must be something wrong with my pens, because the Sailors and Sheaffer No Nonsense pens I have had or have now work just like the other C/C pens. If I leave them or left them (for ones I sold or traded), they dried up by the second day. I have had very few pens which would remain moist and writing right off months after putting them down last.

There have been supposed cap issues with Sonnet, something about driving cap jewel rivets through the inner cap on the older Sonnets.

[mhosea]

There must be something wrong with my pens, because the Sailors and Sheaffer No Nonsense pens I have had or have now work just like the other C/C pens. If I leave them or left them (for ones I sold or traded), they dried up by the second day. I have had very few pens which would remain moist and writing right off months after putting them down last.

Dunno. There are other factors that affect hard starting, namely the adjustment of the nib and feed. I can't suffer that kind of thing, so I painstakingly adjust that behavior out of my pens to the extent that I'm able. Mike Masuyama has my Pelikan M1000 right now because I couldn't quite get it right with that one.

I have a lot of experience with a green No-Nonsense with a plastic section and a clear plastic inner cap because it's on my desk at work. I usually bring a nice pen to work, so the pens I leave at work often sit idle for a long time. I remember having this one inked for 6 months or so without refilling it. Always started immediately. There was some evaporation of the ink as evidenced by the amount in the cartridge, but the rate was quite slow. I was impressed. Platinum Preppies are similar, though the Preppies I've had are typically dryer, and they sometimes take a few millimeters of the first downstroke to start up after a couple of months. I've had Preppies start up after a just a brief protest without having used them for a year. The Platinum 3776 with the Slip and Seal is advertised to seal well enough for the pen to last for many months.



OTOH, the Sheaffer Prelude will be a hard starter in a couple of weeks. No Chinese pens with slip caps that I have tried are usable at work to me because they will be hard starters in a matter of days if not used. I gave up on the vegetal resin Noodler's Konrads because of their incredible rate of evaporation, despite my best efforts. I'm not inclined to leave a Parker 51 on my desk at work, unfortunately, so I don't know how long they last unused. When I ink one, I tend to use it. I did have a Snorkel Desk pen there for awhile. It was middling in its resistance to dryout, much better than the Chinese C/Cs, not in the same league as the No Nonsense or Preppies.

[top pen]

It's nice on here you at least don't have Bruce the ocalaFlGuy condemning every sonnet ever made just because he tried one bad one ten years ago but refuses to try a new one which have been problem free for most people. However he seems to praise some pretty bad pens at the same time.

[Ste_S]

My problem with Sonnets is that they're a bit dull. The Flighter one seems ok, but then I've got a 45 Flighter and don't feel the inclination to get another Flighter. The lacquered ones don't inspire, especially when you're paying a premium for it.

Parker's biggest problem is they can't compete with the pre Newell Rubbermaid output. Why buy a Sonnett when you can buy a 45, 51, Duofold etc for the same price ?