Parker Sonnet
We are now carrying Parker Sonnets! If you've been following me on Instagram, you may have noticed that this Parker Sonnet with the brown rubber finish has been popping up all over, like here and here and here. This is mostly because we're not exactly a large corporation, so the pictures on Instagram are of pens that I'm actually using and cups of tea that I'm actually drinking from. And you might be able to tell that I have had my Sonnet inked up since I first got it. Some of you may recall when I got my Parker Sonnet and I fell in love. I sometimes get new pens just to check out and see if we'll like them or if we'll carry them in the shop, and we have a few dreams in the works coming up, but it's rarely that I will mention them on the blog if we don't really have concrete plans to bring them in. I made an exception for the Sonnet because it was just that pen for me. As soon as I got it, I knew I wanted to carry them.
Here's the story of how my Sonnet and I came to be best friends: our Parker sales rep, Mike B., occasionally comes by with new price lists and catalogues and things, which of course I love. However, like most price lists, the Parker price list only has these teeny tiny pictures of pens, really only there for reference, next to all the numbers about pricing and styles and product codes. For the longest time I missed seeing that the Parker Sonnet is available in a "Brown Rubber" finish, which of course I had to try. After a passing mention to Jon, I ordered the pen, and as I'm sure maybe some of you can empathize, suffered the wait time of processing and shipping from your local pen dealer ;) To Jon's surprise, I had blithely ordered an 18k gold-nibbed pen, and was pleased as punch when it arrived. I think he was a bit surprised at how soft the nib was, until he discovered it was a gold nib. He was moderately unimpressed at the time, although now he is thinking of one for himself. Which is no surprise, because this is truly one of my all-time favourite pens. There's just something about the size and the weight and the look and the nib of this pen that make it just right for me. We have five models of the Parker Sonnet. There are certainly more models and colours available which we can special order for you, but we're also hoping to grow the line over time.
The Parker Sonnet is a modern classic style of pen. It's a bit over-looked in the fountain pen world - we hear a lot about Sailors and Pilots and the Lamy 2000, but not too much about the Parker Sonnet. Maybe it's because it's not too flashy, like for example how a Lamy Safari might stand out from the crowd, but more of a timeless sort of pen. It's an elegant, understated, but still substantial-feeling pen. The Sonnet is a cartridge/converter that takes proprietary Parker pieces. It has a snap cap, which also posts on the back. This is a bit of a weightier pen, almost surprisingly so, maybe because I'm used to writing with lighter pens. It's made out of metal, but it's not overly heavy, even for me, although I usually prefer lighter pens. Its weight gives it a good balance, whether or not you post the cap, which does post securely on the back if you'd like to. I write with it unposted, but I have smaller hands.
The Brown Rubber finish is of course my favourite - it's really a texturized kind of rubber, and the silver grid pattern is etched in, so you can feel the texture of the barrel and cap if you run your fingers over them. I personally really love the grid pattern on the barrel of the pen - it's a bit vintage looking, and also gives the pen a tactile quality.
But the best part of this pen is the nib! A surprising and wonderful nib. For the most part, Sonnets will have steel nibs, but the Brown Rubber and the Dark Grey, along with a few others that we don't carry, have 18K gold nibs. The gold nib is soft! It's not a flex nib, but it will be quite responsive to your writing. The following writing samples were done on Life Japanese Stationery and Clairefontaine 90gsm Seyes Ruled paper, and with Diamine's Ancient Copper and J. Herbin's Eclat de Saphir.
Both the steel and the gold are fairly wet, and with just a bit of pressure, you can see lots of shading! Smooth and flowing, with just a hint of barely noticeable feedback. These are Western nibs, as opposed to Japanese, so they will run on the wider side; these nibs might be similar to Lamy nibs. The steel nib is also pretty responsive for a steel nib, which will naturally be a bit stiffer than gold. You can get the tiniest bit of line variation. This writing sample is a medium steel nib.
The Sonnet is similarly shaped and sized to its famous vintage sibling, or maybe great-uncle?? - the Parker 51. And of course both have the classic Parker arrow clip.
Now, I never really figured myself much of a rose gold person, not being much a pink person, but now that I have both the TWSBI Mini in White & Rose Gold (now discontinued due to manufacturing costs, but may one day be resurrected) and this Parker Sonnet with the Brown Rubber and Rose Gold trim, I think I must really be a pink gold person. My top few pens rotate around quite a bit, but for the last little while, this Sonnet has been at the ready. This is truly one of my favourite pens. The styling and weight and size are perfect for me, and the nib is wet and responsive to my writing. You can check out more details on the Parker Sonnets we have available, but if you check us out on Instagram, you'll probably end up seeing more of this pen on there, too! I think Jon might go for a dark grey or the classic black & gold Sonnet - he says he likes the Brown Rubber better for the texture, but we can't have two in the family, now can we...
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Comments
RooseveltBig said:
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There is a tool that generates content like human, just search in google: miftolo’s tools
David said:
How has the finish held up?
wonderpens said:
I haven’t had any concerns or noticed any differences! I’ve only used this pen for around a year so far, although it hasn’t been brought to our attention that this finish hasn’t been as long-lasting as other pens.
Frank Nugent said:
I have three Sonnets I use with converters: a stainless steel flighter; matte black; and a firedance. The firedance was dropped from the range in 1998 but is the most beautiful pen I own. All are great writers, feel comfortable and substantial in the hand, and have an understated elegance. I’m puzzled that they don’t feature more widely in fountain pen groups.
wonderpens said:
Yes, I know what you mean! It’s such a great, substantial, yet not overbearing pen, with a great nib. Not our most popular pen in the shop, but such an all-around pen! A real favourite of mine, and glad to hear you are enjoying yours as well.
Armando Cordova said:
Hello Liz,
I came across your website by accident. I am from Vancouver, BC, and I collect pens. Sonnet is one of my favorites, and at the moment, I have three of them. They are also my preferred pens from the dozen or so that I have. For whatever reason, I feel good about myself when I am using it.
I am writing to congratulate you and Jon on your thriving pen shop. Especially, I am quite impressed with how you can manage or juggle all your responsibilities (minding the store, taking care of Caleb, planning, dealing with customers, etc.) and at the same time find time to post blogs and answer most of the replies that come your way.
Keep up the good work.
Regards,
Armando
Liz said:
Hello Armando!
How great that you’ve come across us! I love my Parker Sonnet, and want another one, but am using my considerable powers of self-control to wait until I have a good reason for a new pen :)
Thank you so much for your warm words! You are too kind. There is a lot that falls through the cracks, but we’re hoping it’s mostly the small things ;)
Thanks again for taking the time to read through the blog, and especially for commenting! I hear there are some very good pen shops in Vancouver, and one day we’re going to have to take the train out west to check them out! :)
Liz
Liz said:
It is gorgeous! Maybe for Christmas :)
Liz said:
I’m so glad to hear you are enjoying your Sonnet! What a great pen, and I am certainly thrilled I’ve finally discovered it :)
It’s also nice to hear that you had such a positive experience with Parker – of course having the right nib for you makes all the difference in the world. I have a fine on mine, but I might have to try a cursive italic! Maybe that’ll be the magic bullet to redeem my handwriting ;)
Liz said:
Thanks so much for your comment! I’m so glad you are liking your Parker Sonnet. I really love the nib on my Sonnet (as you can tell!) – I also have a fine on mine – and I write with it every day :)
Ri @ Hiver et Cafe said:
What a gorgeous pen! It’s way out of my price range for now, but I’m definitely adding this one to my fountain pen wishllist. :)
Thibault Hache said:
I bought one despite the fact that I do not usually like Parker Nibs. But for some reason I don’t know, the NIB on the Parker Sonnet is really better than what I had experienced on their other pens. And the “fine” nib is a true “fine”.
G.A.P.T. said:
I really like my sonnet as well. I got it last winter. Unfortunately you weren’t carrying them at the time, and I ended up getting mine from another Toronto pen shop (sorry).
My stainless on stainless sonnet originally came with a fine nib, but I had Parker swap it out for a cursive italic, which I love. I don’t think they offer that nib usually, but they’ll swap out the nib for free if you ask. I’m not sure of the exact width, but it’s a little more narrow than the TWSBI 1.1mm. I find it perfect for everyday writing.
Anyways, its cool that you’ve “discovered” this pen too, and are now carrying it. The brown rubber really does look nice, and the gold nib is definitely something to aspire too.
Liz said:
Thanks so much!! :)
Liz said:
Hmmm…our Sonnets all come with a converter, proprietary, but if you already have a Sonnet that doesn’t have a converter, you can always purchase one separately! And I’m not sure that these Sonnets can be converted to eyedropper, since they are metal, which may react with the ink.
I’m sorry you lost your pen! I hope you have another one now in its place – some of my favourite pens are the ones with history :)
Liz said:
I really like the aerometric filler on my Parker 51, too! I don’t always mind fiddling around with a cartridge, since usually the cartridges hold more ink than the converter, but the sac on the Parker 51 seems to hold quite a bit of ink.
Maybe one day Parker will make a pen with some floral designs! You never know ;)
JJ ColourArt said:
It’s overlooked because:
1) No converter available. Who wants to fiddle with eyedroppers? Cartridges are lame when you have numerous bottles of ink. Why can’t they just create a converter? I have a Parker 51 aerometric—been in my family since 1963 or so and the squeeze converter is great.
2) Price. Anything over $50 is way out of my league. I’d buy another Parker in a heartbeat for $50 with an available converter.
3) I bought a plastic Parker for school back in 1967—think it was a Duofold and had a double stripe on the cap but I no longer have it to compare pictures. it was green. I bought it with my allowance I think and I was a kid so it couldn’t have been that expensive. Unfortunately lost along the way, rats! It worked well.
I wonder if they listen to feedback?
anzanhoshin said:
Typo: gold-bibbed pen. You can just erase this comment.
JJ ColourArt said:
p.s It looks like a had a Parker Slimfold. I remember it as having 2 stripes on the cap but online pictures show only one. The green colour was more like a teal. I’m sure it had the same aerometric filler system as my Parker 51. I was never fond of fiddling with cartridges and I remember having a bottle of Parker Quink for it.
Anyway, up Parker!
Your Sonnet is lovely, I wish pen companies would put floral designs on pen barrels and caps. I used to see a lot of those but they seem to have disappeared. if they had a Sonnet with a floral design i might just have to save up for it. ;-)