Modern Parker 51 vs Vintage Parker 51 - Which Is Better?

I am SO lucky to be able to compare two wonderful pens - a modern day Parker 51 from 2021 and a Vintage Parker 51 circa 1953-1957 (sorry - I said 1955 on the video which was incorrect).
I'm no expert with vintage fountain pens and I hope my facts were correct, but how do the modern and vintage pens compare? Watch video # 21 to find out.
Thanks to Scott Newman of Fifteen Pens (www.fifteenpen...) for letting me purchase this fine pen and also for doing an amazing restoration on it. Give Scott a shout if you have an older pen that needs some LOVE because he is certainly an expert in his field!
And for the modern fountain pen, visit Knight's Writing Company at www.knightswri....
0:18 - Thanks to Scott Newman of Fifteen Pens!
0:26 - Introducing the vintage Parker 51.
1:09 - Introducing the modern Parker 51.
1:35 - Introducing the modern gold nib Parker 51.
1:53 - Comparing the modern and vintage pens.
4:45 - The filling mechanisms.
5:44 - Comparing pen weights.
6:35 - Filling the pens.
7:09 - The writing comparison.
9:04 - Which pen is better?
If you like fine fountain pens, paper and ink then visit us at www.knightswri....

[@thewordartist]

Of my '51's, I've grown accustomed to using my teal aerometric daily. Reliable, and with the original design and materials that made this pen the icon it is. Nothing new or revised can better the best!

[@shekharbiswas7580]

PARKER PEN high rate And degine is not good and metal is not good .

[@ashbywatts2303]

Enjoyed your review. I remember being fascinated by my father’s fountain pens - more than likely his parents’ pens. The joy of penmanship is maximized with a great writing instrument. Looking forward to more reviews!

[@Michael.Chapman]

Thank you for making this video. I own a small collection of vintage "51" pens (1943 to 1970s) including nearly every variant, most with cases and some with matching pencils. All my vintage "51"s (with nibs from extra-fine, italics to stubs, etc.) are minty and also nib tuned for perfect on page performance. For me, the patented designs of the originals far exceed the cut-down, simple designs of the previous two "51" problematic modern revivals--which fall sadly short in so many respects. Why didn't Parker simply bite the bullet and easily REPRODUCE the most successful fountain pen of modern times?

[@Kafka_aficionado]

Hey would you like selling a vintage parker 51?

[@HaberfieldchiropracticAu]

Michael great comment. Simply the 40s 50s and early 60s had the dupont made plastic. Don't know how you got on with the later 51s which took on a bit of character of the 61 and vp.

[@kurit26]

I have a parker 51 fountain pen and I sell it

[@rahulshah1408]

In summary, no glaring flaws and they both are awesome. Love it. I bought a bunch of Heros and just put a bid on a real vintage 51. The Hero is just amazing to me. Especially using Noodler's Heart of Darkness. Crossing fingers I win the bid. Thank you for the review. Quite helpful!

[@vp100x2]

How did the bid go?

[@rahulshah1408]

@ didn’t win the bid. But I blinked and bought a lamy 2000. I’m bad with money. But have a smile.

[@tm502010]

When did Parker start using stainless steel nibs for the 51. I am looking for a vintage 51, but buying them is difficult, because most sites, including EBay do not tell you the year, or the nib type - which leaves the buyer completely in the dark. Any advice?

[@HaberfieldchiropracticAu]

The vintage parker 51 has a 14k nib the model called the 51 special had the steel nib.if you are buying on ebay ask the seller if is a 51 or a 51 special.

[@deandesrosiers6857]

Great video!

[@atooofi]

I just got the modern Parker 51 and it’s awesome!

[@lamarrharding4776]

I had both the Vacumatic and the 51, but I prefer ed my snorkel Sheaffer over the 51, I just found an old Sheaffer with a gold soft nib that my grandmother used, it writes as well as my all time favorite Sheaffer inlaid calligraphy flexible nib. To think of all those years lost in ball points that were so necessary for multiple copies for work!

[@KnightsWritingCompany]

Ooh wonderful. A snorkel. Quite lovely. I don’t have one but feel I should. Thank you for your comment.

[@paulmchugh1430]

I have been torn between the two. I tested both and found the to be worthy. The modern version is a bit heavier but fits well in the hand. I will wait until a dealer offers a sale for the modern version.

[@richardbalete5337]

Hi, i have a original Parker 51 that came from my late Grandmother, i managed to clean it yesterday but i find out that the breather tube is missing...maybe it broke or disentegrated due to age. I've read that without the breather tube the pen can't perform properly or can cause the ink to leak. Now my question is, can a original 51 be fitted with a piston converter? The Parker 51 i've mentioned, is my Grandma's prize when she won first place in an essay writing competition in her High School in the year 1948. According to her story when she is still around. I want to use it since it is one of the special things, i inherited from her. A sentimental item for me. I hope someone can answer my question. Much thanks.

[@mranon42023]

be VERY careful. the materials used in the 40s were extremely weak and brittle

[@judyjacobs5827]

There is a company manufacturing a metal collar that replaces the portion of the p51 where the aerometric pump and sac would fit. It eventually will hold a Parker or compatible converter or cartridge. Doug "inkquiring minds" Rathbun has a video showing how it's done.

[@genaishivatov1737]

The size of the iridium tips shows - that you have nibs of different sizes.

[@speedbird8987]

I have a vintage Parker that I love, but for some reason it leaks into the cap and the cap has a gap of some sort at the end. So I bought a new one thinking it would be an improvement, but I hate the chunk of plastic over the nib which makes it difficult to see what I am writing. The pen and the nib work fine on the new one, but that piece of plastic over the nib really ruins it for me.

[@KnightsWritingCompany]

Can you get your vintage repaired??

[@speedbird8987]

@@KnightsWritingCompany - I live in a fairly small town with no stationery shop. I may see if Brian Anderson can help - it’s such a lovely pen, and as you mentioned in your video, so elegant and refined.

[@KnightsWritingCompany]

@@speedbird8987 try fifteenpens.ca. Scott Can fix it I’m sure.

[@synicyst9925]

I have several P51, both original vacuumatic and aerometric. The post 1947 aerometric pens are superior for my hand. I do not like the cowl/nib gap on the new one. The vintage one can be filled, capped and left in your drawer for a month and it will immediately write. The issue I am having is that as I age my hands are becoming too stiff for such a small pen.

[@JosBranch]

Screw cap. That is a stupid mistake from Parker. I bought my vintage Aerometric Parker 51 from Scott to have a quick pull off cap.

[@KnightsWritingCompany]

I like the friction cap myself too.

[@p1ranesi]

Great review. There are many pen reviewers out there but I really liked this one.

[@KnightsWritingCompany]

@@p1ranesi many thanks for your kind words. Makes it all worthwhile!!!!

[@p1ranesi]

@@KnightsWritingCompany You're welcome. I'll be looking for more from you.

[@josersandoval]

Fun fact, both Ike and JFK used the Parker 51.

[@HaberfieldchiropracticAu]

Oh I thought jfk used a montblanc

[@dzmitrypasrednik6997]

New Parker 51 - we don't need another Hero.

[@karigori6415]

The hero is closer to the old 51!

[@AndyP126]

It's just unholy to have a screw caps on a "51."

[@Michael.Chapman]

Just as I suspected-the modern pen lacks the elegant shape of the Original-nothing is right about the 2021 pen-it probably doesn’t even have the revolutionary Collector under the hood. Btw, the Cocoa lucite looks great, love the fine line, and Canadian made 51s are always collectible.

[@mranon42023]

lmao modern parker can't even copy their former products properly

[@MrBaconHawk]

I want to buy a good pen but I'm left handed, so most pens will get smeared and get ink all over my hand as it rubs across the page.

[@KnightsWritingCompany]

Even right-handed writers can have a similar problem. In fact writing with a fountain pen should be a little different than writing with another type of tool. A little retraining can go along way. Ideally the nib should point out in front of your hand and your hand won't run over the previously written word. Instead it would glide below. Make sense?

[@n.b.s.6296]

Hi, I am also left handed and currently writing with a fountain pen only. At first I tried to completely change my writing to under-writing (hand under the pen), but it felt weird so I stopped. Now I'm over-writing with only the gripping fingers lightly touching the page and it almost never smears the ink. So it's not hard to use a fountain pen as a lefty if you find a way that suits you. The nib size and ink type can also help quite a bit. Finer nibs create thinner lines, so they dry quicker.

[@MrBaconHawk]

@@KnightsWritingCompany it does make sense Damn! You're telling me I have to actually work?!? What is this world coming to? I would love to buy one just to practice writing nicer. I never had particularly amazing hand writing, but I am writing a lot of notes for a book I'm writing, regarding AI and science stuff

[@MrBaconHawk]

@@n.b.s.6296 Thanks for the encouragement, I can't wait to try some time, when I can actually afford the pen, lol

[@jeffirish3402]

You'll either learn to write over or underhand (I write underhand). It really isn't a big deal with a bit of practice. In any event you will have much more enjoyment writing with a fountain pen than a ballpoint. In any event, there is a world of wonderful pens out there and the 51's are certainly one of the "must haves".

[@gihanzohdy3284]

The modern Parker 51 which appears to be a very good writer is nontheless a cheap version of the vintage. Parker skipped an opportunity to impress pen enthusiasts.

[@wilberfloss832]

I know the whole world will disagree with me, but I think 51s both new and old versions are 'orrible things. The tiny bit of visible nib makes it feel as if I'm writing with a boring plastic stick. I much prefer a fully visible nib, a proper fountain pen. 🙃

[@ninetenscoffee5780]

yeah me too. but the more I look at it the more I appreciate their uniqueness.

[@hantafees]

Oh sure, that’s why Parker made and sold 42 Million Parker 51s since it launched its pen in 1939 , making it the most desirable and coveted pen in the history of fountain pens!!!

[@wilberfloss832]

@@hantafees That may be so, but I still don't like them. I much prefer the Parker Duofold pens to the 51. A nice-looking visible nib is a Wonderful Thing. 🖋️🖊️