Parker 51 Ballpoint Pen, Black Barrel with Gold Trim, Medium Point, Includes Black Ink and Premium Gift Box

This is my first Parker pen and it is truly impressive. It looks fantastic, the color is rich and elegant, and it writes incredibly well. Definitely value for the money. I absolutely loved it!

This is a beautiful pen that writes smoothly and easily if held correctly. (A slight off center to the right , just as we learned years ago (50) in penmanship class. ) It included 2 refills and 1 converter. My husband has a Mont Blanc and likes this better. I am very pleased with my purchase. The color is a sophisticated plum which shows clearly when held against black or grey. I agree the ad vet seemed lighter, but I think it is lovely.

I own 2 of the Parker 51 series and they are both great - the gold cap and the gold accented silver cap, both with black barrels. They have the largest / thickest barrels of any of the various Parker pens (Jotters, etc..), which is exactly what I want. This provides the best grip. Well made pens and worth it to "Treat yo' self!"

Upon opening the box, at first glance I thought Amazon had sent me a black pen. The plum color is very dark, not the vibrant fruit color in Amazon's picture; it's more of a blackish shade with plum/brown/burgundy undertones, depending on the quality of your lighting and eyesight. Otherwise it's a nice pen, although weighted toward the top (as another reviewer pointed out in a review of the blue/silver version); the Parker Sonnet ballpoint I have is better balanced. Uses twist action and comes filled with a black medium Parker Quinkflow refill.

3 months after purchased, it broke, out of nothing at all. A regular BIC pen could perform or last a little longer than this fountain pen. Yet their customer service replies are much more of disappointing statements trying to distract or mislead you from proceeding with any potential claim. Customer Service silent and/or providing responses trying to discourage you from proceeding with a claim. “We will need to send it to the service team in France for repairs. if it is not cover by our warranty, we will send you the cost estimates” Parker…you need to elevate your product quality and customer satisfaction on this matter.

This is a pen that encompasses all the qualities that people who appreciate the finer things in life must own. It is a delight to use but not to share-the sure way to let it walk off, The color as some have said it looks more black than plum. Not so, I see this as a real plum of a writing instrument. I call it my plum of a pen. Oh well its about attitude. In fact, I have picked up three vintage pens. I'm collector of many things and I'm proud to show off the pens as the collection grows including the plum.

Excellent writing tool. Suggested by I.T. gurus as ink sets into paper making forgery difficult. However, gotta remember to clean the nibs at least every other day, otherwise ink congeals and plugs the channel. Cleaning is simply running some cold water over the nib for a few seconds, if you've not used it for a few days, just let the nib soak in an inch of water in a plastic cup, when the water turns the color of the ink, channel is open again.

Oy as pretty as I hoped, and a bit scratchier that my much cheaper Shrivener.