TL;DR: bring back the Parker 25!
I’m interested in pens, but as with watches (and hi-fi, ski pants, rain coats, etc.) once I find what seems the best design, I’m done. Until I lose it or it wears out.
I wasn’t a fan of the Parker 25 ballpoint when it was introduced in 1975. Its aggressive modernity, with a flat rectangular clip with a cheap plastic shield (Wikipedia calls it a “tassie”?) replacing the classic Parker arrow-shaped clip, bothered me back then. Over time its future-optimistic brutalist-lite aesthetic grew on me. Also, as I get older I want a fatter barrel, so that shape is perfect. So a decade ago I got a second-hand one as a present and declared victory.
What comes close?
The problem is I lose pens, and the 25 has long been discontinued. I want a pen I can easily replace. I used to rely on the Parker Jotter, with its lovely top and cheap plastic barrel. I got a couple of branded ones from a friend, and lost them. When I went looking, it turns out there’s a 70th anniversary “Originals” version of the Jotter, “a fresh update of an iconic design,” and Pen Boutique had it in navy for only $8 (plus $7 shipping), bizarrely cheap. It didn’t come in a Parker box and the ring around the push-button is a bit scratchy.
(As an aside, the merchant’s generic “thanks for ordering” card looks like an AI-generated image of a dog holding an unrelated pen, and the weird MONT BLAWANC text is probably because in 2023 image AIs were bad at text (and fingers).)
An iconic British American brand, now made in France!?
I was taken aback to read on parkerpen.com “crafted in France,” considering that Parker was an iconic British brand and the Jotter comes in colors like Bond Street Black, Kensington Red, Chelsea Orange, etc. Then I learned from Wikipedia that the Parker Pen Company was founded in the USA in 1888! It’s another American company that in England seemed as British as can be, like Heinz beans and Hoover vacuum cleaners. It turns out that after a management buyout in 1986 the company has bounced around various conglomerates; Gillette owned it, now Newell Rubbermaid’s Sanford Stationery Division owns Parker along with half-a-dozen other famous pen brands. And it closed Parker’s USA and UK factories.
Getting the platonic Parker ballpoint
So I don’t use a pen much and again, I’m not a collector; but for a low price it’s nice to have the best design (for me). I like the Jotter, but it’s narrow. It turns out that since 2018 there has been a wider-bodied Jotter XL, so I ordered the Monochrome Grey stainless version for only $33. It’s an improvement, but it doesn’t feel modern.
I remembered a variant that had a modernized arrow clip; it turns out that’s the Vector model, which Parker USA still makes in stainless steel. There’s a multi-function black/red/pencil Vector from Japan, and Parker’s Indian licensee makes a stainless steel Vector with a gold clip… so I ordered that from India! I like the modernized arrow, but it’s too light and dainty and short.
There’s also the fancier Parker Sonnet with the traditional gold arrow clip ($95) that’s also available in Parker’s famous Ciselé “chiselled squares” pattern for a lot of money ($236). Pen Vibe (sounds NSFW) has a page detailing all the Parker ballpoints, including more India-only variants and the strange Duofold. There are many other web pages that nerd out: all the different refills that fit Parker ballpoints and an extremely detailed table graphing pen widths and centers of gravity. It’s a fun rabbit hole and I admire the dedication of collectors, but in the end I just want one great pen.
Revive the Parker 25 in 2025!
These all have some appeal and I don’t regret the $70 ($15.26 + $38.48 + $16.27) I spent on stainless steel ballpoint pens, but the Parker 25 is very special. I’m not alone, the fan MoreEngineering has pages dedicated to the Parker 25, including an exhaustive list of every Parker 25 variant. His history page says British industrial designer Sir Kenneth Grange came up with the design, so I wasn’t wrong to associate the pen with 1970s British optimism about design engineering in the space age that brought us the Concorde supersonic airplane, the Intercity 125 high-speed train (which Grange also designed), and some groovy hi-fi equipment. I hope Parker’s current corporate owner will reintroduce the 25 on its 50th anniversary so I can use one without worrying about losing it. Parker should make a fancier version, for example it could replace the blue plastic badge/tassie that wears out with a beautiful lacquered square clip with a gold arrow, similar to the Montblanc “snowcap” shape; it could put something similar on the top that’s nicer than the recessed plain colored plastic dimple. Are you listening, Parker?
Fountain pens
Some day I’ll blog about my fountain pens. (Do people even know what that term means any more?)
