A $6 Parker Sonnet Fake. Is it Any Good?

[@Vetra_Nyx]

The fake converter tries to mimic the original "Premium" Parker converter, which indeed has a twist mecanism (I've got two of them here), so they're not "wrong". What's wrong here is that the Sonnet comes with a "standard" parker converter (with the sliding mecanism), not a premium one :)

[@aleksandartososki7100]

I also got one of the fake Sonnets. The "premium" converter from the fake pen is actually better than original Parker slide type converter.

[@jpl2475]

Cheers, didn't know that, such a shame that they made that. I feel like I got ripped off then, Though I don't mind the slide converter, sure it feels a little low in quality, but it is really quick and easy to flush my pens with.

[@aleksandartososki7100]

@@jpl2475 Well, I clean all of my cartridge pens by washing them with water under the faucet. The problem with Parker slide type converter is that is seizes and it's hard to slide it after only a few weeks of use and the rubber gasket is falling from its place, so I have glued all the gaskets on my Parker slide type converters. I don't know is it safe to lubricate them with plumbers silicone grease?

[@gordoncan8865]

Wait, somehow I got a premium converter with my Sonnet, which is guaranteed real...

[@AeroDr]

My Sonnet came with a premium converter. It's from an authorised reseller in Australia so guaranteed authentic.

[@victorrisma2033]

Hi! I recently bought my 'fake' parker sonnet on eBay. It writes well like you said. My main gripe about it is that after a day of not writing, the nib dries up and it won't write even though there's still ink in the converter. Fortunately, I knew a quick solution to this: I just dip the nib for a few seconds on the sink and the pen would write again. So yeah, the pen is good but it has some issues for me.

[@bikkies]

This is very informative, thank you. I have a genuine Sonnet, gloss black (fairly entry level I suspect) and two fakes. One of the fakes is matte black but otherwise difficult to distinguish from the real thing apart from the ways you described (though my genuine and the fakes have a cap band that seems to be the same width). The fakes are both labelled 111Q and the genuine is just labelled T. Both fakes came with a twist converter which is actually similar to a genuine Parker twist converter which I bought a while ago, so the design is actually a thing as other commenters have also noted. Out of the box, my real Sonnet had a basic Parker branded push/pull converter though. Both fakes have the stamping on the nib that is missing on the real one. All three work well, though the feel of the real Sonnet is instantly apparent both in the hand and on the page.

[@TheresaRobertsonLROL]

Nice review of fake vs original. Can’t wait to see more of them.

[@jpl2475]

thankyou

[@gvivo2120]

Nice job, old chap! This video is of tremendous help to me as I was planning to purchase a really CHEAP China made Sonnet... well, if it has a less than smooth nib, then I'd rather not. Thank you so much. Cheerio!

[@neilpiper9889]

You could sometimes call them 'an improvement on the original' pens. Like the Wing Sung 601. A Parker with ink windows

[@hankosaurus]

The Wing Sung 601 is indeed a nice pen and for not much money. I really like mine.

[@luizcarlospellegrini1751]

I acquired a fake Parker Sonnet on Ebay about 3 months ago, and the only difference for the original one is the converter. The other characteristics that you pointed out are exactly equal as the original one. The price at that time was about U$ 10.

[@jpl2475]

Neat. I saw when I was buying a few different vendors selling fakes. I guess there a few people cranking these out.

[@brettsmith1655]

Good review. Can't get enough info out there about this and it's a nice comparison but I believe there is a bit of wrong information here. #1 - 18k Parker nibs are still being stamped 18k-750 and have the diamond. This is to distinguish it from the gold-plated steel nibs that look nearly identical, apart from the aforementioned engraving. #2 - Special/Limited Edition Sonnets are shipped with the nicer, twist converter.

[@martynsnan]

Thanks for this comparison. I'm looking forward to the series on fakes.

[@jpl2475]

Cheers, I have a few :)

[@kapirk2244]

I am looking forward to this new series of videos. Very interesting idea.

[@RightWing1]

Just some update information - having just bought a genuine UK Parker Sonnet in Red lacquer and 18K Solid nib it has: Nib - Parker name and at base of nib states 18K - 750 there is also a small diamond shape stamp but cant fully make out what that indicates Cap, clip and band - appear to be a rich gold - probably (hopefully) decent Gold Plating Pen grip - metal satin finished brass that complements the gold nib Pen came with a twist type ink converter and 2 standard cartridges. Looking at the converter the tip seems to match a standard converter size opening rather than proprietary, so it will be interesting to see if an international standard converter can be used. Out of the box and inked up it writes sooooo smooth with the medium nib, I had to do so much work with my Visconti steel fine nib to get that to finally write with no scratchiness but this Sonnet is in a league well above that, however I can't comment on the pricier Visconti models, I'm sure they are way better. So for my first venture into gold nib pens, the genuine Parker Sonnet is a fantastic pen, just be aware it isn't large pen so may not suit those with large hands and for people who like longer & fatter pens.

[@eronavbj]

Perhaps you could do a video on the best "clone."

[@johnbgood52]

Parker gold nibs still have the 18K/750 marking along with the Parker hallmark. If it doesn't have those markings, it's a steel nib. Parker also makes twist type converters. They aren't all sliders.

[@SOMNIOHM]

Parker website has not even released the premier monochrome black series yet.. yet, Amazon seems to have been shipping these for nearly half the price for over 2 months now along with the entire sonnet line of "luxury finishes"

[@jpl2475]

huh, im not too up to date on parker but that seems to be very odd

[@SOMNIOHM]

Amazon, sadly, is notorious for shipping cloned fountain pens.. 😌

[@jpl2475]

Thankfully I don't use amazon, but aliexpress and ebay are no different

[@hmmmm7806]

yeah about the converter i think the fake uses a fake parker deluxe converter

[@acmramon]

Have you tried the Jinhao 601? It fells really nice and it looks similar to sonnet. It s my favourite so far. Ty

[@randompheidoleminor3011]

What about the Baoer? Planning to get a clone so my Sonnet would remain safe at home while it was to be one of my EDCs, and the Jinhao 601 looks good, but somehow the riveted section puts me off, so does the large lazer etched *JINHAO*

[@Johan-vk5yd]

Random Pheidole minor I used a Kaigelu 356 for a long time, and found it a very pleasant writer.The laquer wasn’t super durable, so next time I would choose a plain steel finish

[@hankosaurus]

@@randompheidoleminor3011 I have several Baoer 388 pens. They are beautiful, write well, and cost only USD $2.40! The 388 is my "take me with you anywhere and don't worry about it" pen. It's in my pocket more than any other.

[@EdgyShooter]

Newest fakes have the correct nib (depends where you buy) and better arrows. Impressed by the writing quality of them and while I love Parker, it just shows the ungodly mark-up, especially as they moved their manufacturing to china.

[@cjmillsnun]

The Sonnet is still made in France.

[@colinmartin9797]

I don't know why but this finally made me pull the trigger on a sonnet when I found one on amazon for $120. I don't like the rhodium trim/nib as much as the steel/gold, but damnit, it was fifty bucks less. Also, parker sells 3 converters. A slide piston like what you have, an aerometric, and a standard twist piston.

[@loafywolfy]

The best clone is still the Wingsung 601 demonstrator

[@rabbibacongrease88]

You can buy a replacement Parker nib and put it on the Chinese pen

[@hankosaurus]

Are you sure the genuine Parker nib and feed will fit? Are the threads correct? I need to do this as my sample came with a defective nib.

[@wayneclarkson375]

JPL i have got an original MK1 Sonnet with the 18k nib and i agree about the writing performance as being excellent. Also i do have a fake sonnet as well which is not a bad pen and does perform pretty well however during watching this video i did a check of the code date on my fake and to my astonishment it is the exact same code as yours IIIQ. Thanks for another great video and looking forward to the other fakes in this series.

[@EdgyShooter]

I can't believe the real sonnet comes with the non premium converter 😅

[@user-gr3rk6ur2p]

2/12/2019 thank you JPL an excellent commentary on fakes your friend eddye

[@jpl2475]

cheers mate :)

[@hrnekbezucha]

If you want something like the Sonnet, without paying the $200, better get the Baoer 388. It's even cheaper and doesn't play pretend. Not to that extent, at least.

[@jpl2475]

(copied from another comment) I used to be a huge fan of the 388. It was one of my first Chinese fountain pens and it still holds up well because of its metal body. But they have failed to improve the nib and feed and as a result, most of the Chinese fountain pens nowadays will have feeds and nibs that are far superior in terms of grind and reliability. Comparing the fake and the 388 is easy. The fake is much better built and has a much nicer nib and feed.

[@hrnekbezucha]

I have to agree with the 388 not being that great. And what puts the nail in its coffin is the nib not being #5 compatible. But that said, I never had problems with the flow/grind. It's not as good as more modern pens but it's not causing trouble.

[@hankosaurus]

I don't agree with those who regard the Chinese Sonnet as superior to the 388. I just received one of these clones yesterday. Its feed is intermittent. Heavy flow, going to dry, even as the reservoir still has 60% of its ink. The nib's channel was cut too wide, and cannot be adjusted to a not-wet flow. The tip of the nib separates and forms a sort of "V". Very disappointing. The vendor will hear from me. By contrast, a 388 is easily tuned if it needs it. And spare nibs are readily available if needed. I have several 388's and like them quite a bit. I don't have a real Sonnet, but I do have a real Parker 75. I suspect the real Sonnet would be better than the fake or the 388 if my 75 is any indication of comparable quality between Chinese pens and real Parkers.

[@vwood2]

Wow! Great review - fascinating actually. I saw an orange “Lamy Safari” for $13 on ebay recently, which has to be a fake. This will be a very interesting series - looking forward to it.

[@loafywolfy]

i got a fake safari once, on purpose of course, and there is almost no diference apart from that the breather hole is a bit higher then the real one and that the embossed logo on the side is not as deep. it does write really well but the converter is crap

[@vwood2]

Neat! I have to admit that I was a bit tempted, because the real orange Safari’s run well over a $100+. Good to hear how it turned out - thanks.

[@jpl2475]

Neat, im looking for a fake lamy at the moment. Compared to a year ago, aliexpress has had a crackdown on fakes on aliexpress and they are a little harder to find. And I never see fakes on eBay, eBay Australia anyway. :)

[@vwood2]

JPL the fake orange safari is on eBay Canada.

[@EdgyShooter]

That moment when the real sonnet skips and the fake doesn't... 😅

[@davidgarza995]

Where can i buy theese clones

[@bibilove6277]

What a handsome kid.

[@CMS_Mail]

Great job bud!

[@shadowmihaiu]

A fake is only a fake if it uses the name of the product it is faking.

[@ner12800bb3]

a bought my sonnet in official reseller shop, its real according your advice, but... its horrible. i tried to Prince, diasseble and wash it. But its so bad

[@luiscollazo4622]

Do the wing sung 601A

[@AeroDr]

I've been dudded on ebay with fake IMs

[@shiva_dev_22]

Says "copper zinc alloy" instead of brass. Nice flex of knowledge

[@AnonymousPersonSaysHello]

your eyebrows look very worried

[@baka_geddy]

What is the name of this pen?

[@jpl2475]

it will be called "sonnet pen" on aliexpress

[@baka_geddy]

@@jpl2475 Thanks Man!

[@Martythemortician1]

@@jpl2475 Thanks A Million

[@air_]

Can’t find it. Could I have a link please?

[@hankosaurus]

It's called Perfect Parker on eBay.

[@felixaviseyii8878]

Well as long as it writes and does well you can't waste money on some CHEP KNOCK OFF ONES

[@johnmcameron1811]

I have two genuine Parker pens a Duofold c1946 and a 1960's Slimfold, to say that modern Parkers are real Parkers is wrong as there hasn't been a genuine Parker made since 1993 when the company was bought by Gillettte and then sold to Newell Rubbermaid in 2000 :-)

[@JamesEck9095]

I'm curious how this fake compares to the "Parker inspired" Baoer 388 or the other affordable clone pens which reflect this design. I prefer a clone to a fake, but the end goal is to aquire the best, affordable, quality option in this style of pen.

[@jpl2475]

Used to be a huge fan of the 388. It was one of my first Chinese fountain pens and it still holds up well because of its metal body. But they have failed to improve the nib and feed and as a result, most of the Chinese fountain pens nowadays will have feeds and nibs that are far superior in terms of grind and reliability. Comparing the fake and the 388 is easy. The fake is much better built and has a much nicer nib and feed.

[@hankosaurus]

@@jpl2475 I don't agree. I have both, several 388's in fact. It's gorgeous in black. The 388 is very nicely built and it writes well. I received a red fake Sonnet several days ago. It's definitely rougher in fit and finish than my 388's. Worse, the fake's nib is defective. Cannot be adjusted. Replacement nibs and feed sections do not appear to be available as they are with Jinhaos and Baoers. I have a return request in to the vendor just now for my fake Sonnet. I hope I will get a replacement that makes me feel better about the fakes. At a glance, the fakes do look nice, though.

[@billfelixc]

What's your ig so i can get updates on your videos??

[@advayiyer6456]

Please look at DHgate montblanc fakes. On the website you can't see it but when you rider it it's a full fake on DHGate.

[@jpl2475]

never heard of dh gate, il be sure to take a look

[@advayiyer6456]

+JPL Basically it has many fake rolexes and other dodgy fakes 😂, on the website they do not look like full replicas ; however when you order them they are full clones with the snowy mountain top and all. They are slightly more pricy than a jinhao for example though so maybe a good comparison? Or fake montblanc from dh gate vs real meisterstruck

[@ramywaheed8944]

The two pens in this video are false pens

[@hmApollo101]

What I've come to expect from this channel; - all the ink is (probably) food coloring or soy sauce -all the pens are probably fake

[@hmApollo101]

@Artemis Fowl true

[@luke1991]

It kind of rubbed me the wrong way how you said you've been using the word "fake" wrong and then continued using it throughout the video. Rather and "real" and "fake" wouldn't it be more accurate and professional to use "genuine" and "imitation" ?

[@TheInnacity]

fake news , the best channel on world affairs ever ,get it on macron tv , trump the deal , Theresa le may