Apparently nobody cares about the Parker Sonnet! It's actually a nice pen with 2 big caveats

Edit 2/11: Since this video posted, it's been the least viewed of all my videos. Amusing but also kind of sad that many people in our hobby don't seem to care about the Sonnet. It's actually not a bad pen!
Original title: It's no Duofold, but the Parker Sonnet is a surprisingly nice pen that deserves a closer look!
The Parker Sonnet is a wildly popular pen, especially with folks not in the fountain pen hobby. However, despite its mass appeal, it is a very pleasant, nice pen. It doesn't have any direct competitors - the closest being the Waterman Expert which is from the same parent company.
If you're considering a Lamy Studio or Lamy 2000, take a look at this one!

[@santiagomerinoacevedo7475]

I do agree with you; it’s out of fashion to talk about Sonnet and Parker in general. However everyone who has a Sonnet know it’s a great fountain pen. Maybe the problem is many people is getting now fakes that perform horrible.

[@ferdinanddaguinsin4970]

To me the Parker sonnet is my go to pen - it just fits me perfectly

[@cb7560]

An excellent video. I'm a fan, ever since I bought one of the French ones in the 1990s. Lovely pen and still going strong!

[@1welshdevil]

My Midnight blue Sonnet FP is the best writer I have, it glides on paper, and has never once dried, it is my go to, I was gifted one a few years back, I had to return it, it was very badly made. I'm eyeing up another vintage as it is a beautiful pen.

[@richardbulzacchelli6985]

My father gave me a Parker Sonnet back around Christmas of 1997. It was the Cisele Silver body with an 18K Gold nib, I think extra fine, but I've since lost the documentation. It's a VERY nice pen. I recently returned the hobby, and my first step was to dig out the Sonnet, clean it thoroughly, and ink it up. It works perfectly.

[@kattz753]

I think that people might be concerned about quality these days. They may have picked up a Vector or Jotter at Staples and had a bad experience. From what I hear, that isn't so uncommon. The IM in particular, has a bad rep. I know, they are cheap pens. But...if you pick up a Metropolitan, Kakuno or even a Varsity you are pretty much guaranteed a great experience. So, when the person decides to invest in a better pen, which company are they going to choose? I'd say that most would go with the Pilot. You have to think that if a company is willing to put that much effort into a $3 pen, their more expensive pens are bound to be good.

[@13noman1]

Fairly early in my FP journey, I went on a big Parker "kick", both modern and vintage, a few LE including a Sonnet in red Chinese Lacquer. I've always found the Sonnets to be good writers and more solid construction than, say, lower end Montblanc ('Classique'). I still rotate one Sonnet or another into use but only for a month or two. My main gripe is that Parker doesn't use a "slip and seal" type cap so if my Parker hasn't been actually used for a few days, the nib is dry and needs a priming.

[@Digital_Potion]

I own a couple of Sonnets with gold nibs. I find the body width too slender for my liking, yet I find the nibs oddly appealing. I prefer Pilot’s #15 found in the Custom 823 (equivalent to #6 European), but the Sonnet’s almost “stubby” short nib is rather addictive.

[@middleclassmotoring]

I have a soft spot for the Sonnet. That said, I don't currently own one haha

[@seattlepenclub]

haha - I'm starting to get the sense that you and I are in the minority with that opinion ;)

[@buck-pucker]

I watch because of you! The content, sure but I'll watch whatever you find interesting to talk about. I think Parker has their demographic of older black and gold pen fans and has ignored the youth demographic that likes acrylic, colored demonstrators, and a variety of ink.

[@seattlepenclub]

haha -thanks for the kind words! Parker does do the classic black and gold / black and chrome trim really well. They have figured that segment out :)

[@KentFilleman-it8vp]

I have 4 “fake” Parker Sonnets that I purchased on EBay for $6.00 apiece. They are all wonderfully smooth writers. They don’t look much different than these. I tend to believe they were manufactured by Parker of China, for the Chinese market. They are a great value for what I paid for them.

[@seattlepenclub]

all legitimate Sonnets are made in France currently. That said, given how awful a couple of the steel nib examples wrote, I'd believe some of the counterfeits write better haha

[@user-gl5ld9vm7i]

You are correct. Not alot of people like the Parker Sonnet.

[@heinkle1]

Parker really promote the Sonnet, but at the expense of the Duofold Centennial, which is a shame.

[@dragon-nk2ch]

Finaly!😭 found some one who understands true beauty of parker sonnet Really gonna subscribe you , i love my sonnets a lot and your fountain pen taste is nice 👌

[@Wolverine3660]

I have 2 Parker Sonnet fps. Both in the Sterling Fougere finish. While, Sonnets are supposed to be finicky pens, and one has to be careful that they havent gotten a fake Chinese fake, my Sonnets are real well performing fps. It is a bit small for me, but, I dont write for long writing sessions, but, it performs really well. Overall, the Sonnets have been wonderful pens for me.

[@Wolverine3660]

For longer writing sessions, I use my MB 149 pens, and my modern Parker Duofold Centennial pens. Recently, I have also gotten a Namiki Emperor fp.

[@jackthompson8377]

You don’t show the Sonnet posted. It is the most beautiful one I own posted and also well balanced. Some pens are back weighted or just too long. The Sonnet has a buttery feel and writes smoothly with just the right amount of feedback. My daughter works for a pen company and this was a gift. What a treasure

[@thepipensparky7127]

Thanks for the info! I'm newer to fountain pens. Would the Sonnet with an 18k nib typically have a better writing experience than most pens in the $80 price range?

[@robertmassie4903]

I have several Parker Sonnets but too many forgeries on e-bay.

[@jyack275]

I was looking for a comment like this. Thanks. Just found one and it looks too cheap to be a real one.

[@johan0234523]

"Since this video posted, it's been the least viewed of all my videos." --> what do you expect, with a title like "Apparently nobody cares about the Parker Sonnet"? I also stumbled upon it just by accident.

[@recht181]

I have a Parker Sonnet. It writes well enough. It's a reliable snap-cap fountain pen. Wish it flexed. (Mine has line variation but it's a bit old.)

[@manjusharma-sl7qn]

Where is the parker premier

[@paulmchugh1430]

I have the sonnet ballpoint and rollerball. I never had the fountain pen. I should consider getting one. Good overview. Did you get your Vietnamese paper?

[@seattlepenclub]

I had a Parker rollerball at one point too. It was nice. It took some wrangling to use a Pilot gel refill with it but you can manage to make it work. What Vietnamese paper?

[@paulmchugh1430]

@@seattlepenclub I think I recommended to you to look for Vietnamese paper at Staples. I didn't think a Pilot refill would work in a Parker.

[@seattlepenclub]

@@paulmchugh1430 Thanks for the reminder! I added it to my Staples shopping list next time I find a Staples. That's unfortunately not a common store around where I live!

[@fatmangame5297]

​@@seattlepenclub how do you fit a Pilot G2 refill into a Parker sonnet rollerball?

[@-Kazan-]

From the sound it seems the pen has a lot of feedback, right?

[@sebenzalover]

I love parker but this is one of the worst pens they make. I have 4 and they all dry up the next day because of the stupid vent holes they put under the clip and around the top of the cap. Many people use wax or even epoxy to seal the holes but it is a crappy pen> and my sonnets are from different periods. I even have the silver 300 usd sonnet piece of crap. The only nice modern parkers are the duofold and premier.

[@seattlepenclub]

I haven't had those issues with the Sonnet personally. I agree about the Duofold. I have mixed feelings about the Premier. I thought about making a video about the Premier but it seems like such an uncommon model - I'm not even sure if Parker still makes it.

[@sebenzalover]

@@seattlepenclub please give your thoughts about the premier in a video. You mentioned it once before that you have reservations about them.

[@shamimehsanulhaque3555]

Thank you for your comment. I was shocked to find the same too: drying up in less than 48 hours, and the embarrassment of hard starts when you pull out your (shiny- mine is a Cascade Gold) expensive pen in a meeting! Pilot and Pelikan had been ahead of Parker for many decades now; and I think most of the contemporary pens that come from them will beat Parker by a wide margin. Parker still have a widely recognized name, and that's what keeps them in business, me thinks!

[@Syrenzo]

i have the parker doufold 14k pen

[@Rubabali1980]

I have ParkerIM fountain pen not sonnet

[@ivarjonsson3458]

Sonnets are nice, I think Parker is making a mistake in having a metal section in their present line. I think they are beutiful pens, but again the section being metal makes me not buy one.

[@artsteps295]

No body cares about this pen because it's waste of money to buy a pen that will loose it's good looks in just a few months despite care.