Do They Still Make Parker Pens? A Buyer’s Guide
Parker has become a well-known name in many countries around the world. This pen company is iconic and is well-known internationally as a quality manufacturer and designer of fine writing tools. However, since the closing-down of larger Parker pen manufacturing plants, many wonder if Parker pens are still being made today?
Parker is still producing a wide range of high-quality pens. Parkers are produced in France and sold directly from Parker or premium stationery stores. The range of Parker pens includes fountain, rollerball, ballpoint, gel, and Parker 51 pens. There is a Parker for every preference and handwriting.
Parker pens are highly regarded writing implements that have a reputation for high-quality and manufacturing and effective writing. These pens stand the test time, which makes them some of the best pens to buy. If you want to buy a new Parker pen, you have come to the right place.
Do They Still Make Parker Pens?
Parker is a household name and is a hallmark for high-quality pens and writing tools. This company has been producing pens since the 1800s and is one of the most well-known pen manufacturers in the world.
The Parker Pen Company is responsible for many pen and stationary innovations that changed the way many people throughout the world wrote and used pens. In its early days, Parker was the number one pen producer in the world and manufactured the most widely used pens for an entire generation.
However, more recent times have had Parker struggle compared to its past successes. Several Parker patents expired, which allowed the free market to manufacture Parker pen designs and sell them at a lower price, and fake Parker pens flooded the market with drastically hindered the reputation of the brand, as these knock-off items were far worse than Parker originals.
This resulted in Parker being forced to close down multiple large production plants and change their marketing and retail strategies entirely. Parker moved all of their production to France, where it remains to this day, and removed Parker products from traditional retail stores.
Parker pens can now only be bought directly from Parker or from high-end retailers and stationers that focus on high-quality stationery. Parker also further increased the quality of the pens it produces to warrant this shift into high-end retail, which resulted in Parker pens becoming a much higher-end pen than before.
This change has made Parker one of the most well-trusted high-end pens on the market today and has kept the brand successful in a flooded market; however, the fact that Parker pens are less widely available and the closing of manufacturing plants led many to wonder about Parker pens are still being produced.
Parker pens are still very much in production, and there is a large variety of Parker pens to choose from. Modern Parker pens are all produced in France, not in China, as some believe, and every Parker product is built to fine quality standards and built to last a lifetime.
The Parker Pen Range
Parker is still one of the best pen manufacturers in the world, and the modern pen range produced by Parker contains some of the best pens anyone could ever want.
These pens are made from the finest quality materials are equipped with Parker’s own brand of ink called Quink, which is widely regarded to be one of the best inks for any pen. The most sophisticated manufacturing techniques are employed by Parker and combined with traditional methods to create pens that are a blend of ultra-modern style with trusted reliability.
All Parker pens are built to last a lifetime, and the way these pens feel in the hand reflects that sentiment well. These pens write well, each pen lasts for a long time, and a wide range of Parker pens is available at several price points to suit every pocket.
The Parker range includes fountain pens, ballpoint pens, rollerball pens, gel pens, and Parker’s own proprietary 51 style pen. Each pen type is available in seven different style collections, each reflecting a different build quality and price range.
The Parker pen collections include:
- The Parker Duofold Range
- The Parker Sonnet Range
- The Parker 51 Range
- The Parker Urban Range
- The Parker IM Range
- The Parker Jotter Range
- The Parker Vector XL Range
Each collection includes a range of each type of Parker pen with its own unique characteristics, building materials, style, features, and price range. The Duofold range is the most expensive Parker pen range, and the Jotter collection is the most affordable range.
Let’s explore the pen types produced by Parker to better identify the best Parker pen for you.
Parker Fountain Pens
Parker fountain pens are an industry standard. Anyone who enjoys fountain pens understands the joy of a Parker fountain pen.
Every fountain pen produced by Parker is built to extremely fine manufacture and design tolerances, which means that these are some of the most well-built fountain pens available on the market today.
Even the most inexpensive Parker fountain pens, while they are still quite pricey by many standards, are some of the most high-quality pens you will ever use.
These pens do not leak; they are available with a range of nib varieties and build materials, they are available with converters and ink cartridges, and Parker routinely releases limited-edition models that add to the exclusivity of owning a Parker fountain pen.
Parker fountain pens never disappoint, and they are a safe purchase if you enjoy using this type of pen. These are pens that you will happily use for the rest of your writing life.
Parker Ballpoint Pens
Parker ballpoint pens are an industry titan. There are almost no better ballpoint pens than those produced by
The Parker Pen Company.
This company produces very expensive ballpoint pens and more affordable models as well, but each one of them is a high-quality item that is sturdy and stunningly reliable.
Parker ballpoint pens were the first pens to use the type of pressurized cartridge that are now common in high-end ballpoint pens, and no company produces better ballpoint ink refills than Parker to this day.
These pens are able to write for more than 3500 meters, that’s 3.5 kilometers of ink in one pen. This is enough for several months of writing for the average person, and even the most prolific writers will have trouble emptying a Parker ballpoint in less than two or three months.
There is a very wide range of ballpoint pens available from Parker today, and the Jotter range is the most affordable and most widely used. High-end ballpoint versions of the famous Vector and Duofold pens are available as well, made from a range of precious materials.
It is difficult to find a better ballpoint pen than those produced by [Parker, and these pens are an ideal fit for everyone. Students, businessmen, writers, and collectors all find themselves falling in love with the reliability, build quality, pleasantness, and longevity of Parker ballpoint pens.
Parker Rollerball Pens
Rollerball pens are made with very similar technology to ballpoint pens, which means that Parker, the creator of the best ballpoint pens, manufactures some of the best rollerball pens as well.
The only real difference between rollerballs and ballpoints is that rollerball pens use water-based ink rather than oil-based ink, such as that used in ballpoint pens.
More liquid, fluid ink in rollerball pens allow the nib to be smaller, which means that rollerball pens tend to be more comfortable for people with very small or precise handwriting.
Rollerball pens do not last as long as ballpoints, but Parker rollerball pens contain enough ink for continuous writing of about 600 meters, which is still several weeks’ worth of writing for most people.
Parker rollerball pens are some of the best in the industry, and everyone who uses them admires the quality of these well-made pens.
Rollerballs from the Parker Pen Company are made with the same high quality that all Parker pens are made with and lead the industry in high-end and high-quality pens of this type.
These pens write smoothly, they never blotch, leak, or smear, and they are some of the most reliable ballpoint pens available right now. However, these pens are not the best fit for everyone and therefore must be considered carefully when buying a Parker pen.
Parker gel pens and Parker 51 pens fall into the category of Parker rollerball pens as well. The gel variations are rollerball pens that last significantly longer than rollerball pens due to the gel-based ink rather than traditional water-based rollerball ink.
The 51 pen from Parker is a tiny-nib rollerball pen that has a flexible flange below the nib. This gives the pe a unique writing feel and provides more accuracy and comfort when writing than any other very fine-nib rollerball pen.
Are Parker Pens Worthwhile?
With all of this information regarding Parker pens, and after covering the majority of the Parker pen range, if you are considering buying one for yourself, you may be wondering if Parker pens are worthwhile?
The truth is, there are almost no better pens than Parker pens. There are more expensive pens, there are pens that use rarer or more beautiful materials, and there may even be better than having a higher status, but there are very few pens that can offer anyone better value for money than a Parker pen.
Parker is generally considered to be on the lower end of premium pens, but this reputation is only because these pens are built with the same quality and writing ability as other high-end pens but at a more affordable price.
Compared to regular pens, especially disposable ballpoint pens and the like, Parker pens still seem expensive, as they cost significantly more compared to regular pens.
However, in the world of premium pens, Parker is very affordable, and the pens that this company produces are designed to last for your lifetime.
The refills used for Parker pens and the ink for Parker fountain pens are both very affordable as well, so using a Parker pen for the rest of your life is possible for anyone.
At the end of it all, Parker pens are well worthwhile. These pens cost a little more than regular pens, but they are worth the price for the reliability, sturdiness, longevity, and writing pleasure that these pens provide.
Which Parker Pen Is Best For You?
Now that we are familiar with the range of Parker pens available right now, if you are considering purchasing a pen from Parker, it is important to identify which type of pen is best for you and your writing style.
Determining which Parker pen is best for you depends on what you will use the pen for, how often and how much you write, and your own handwriting and writing style.
For those who write a lot every day, the most useful pen is one that will not run out and one that is comfortable to write with. The Parker ballpoint range is the longest-lasting pen of them all, and the Urban and Sonnet.
If you are a person who has larger handwriting, Parker ballpoints are also a good option for you. The larger grip of the Parker IM collection is ideal for larger handwriting as well.
Those who have small handwriting will find Parker rollerball pens to be ideal for them, as the smaller nip sizes and dark, consistent inks will help make writing easier and more legible. The Parker 51 rollerball collection is the perfect companion to those with small handwriting.
If the price of these pens is a concern for you, the Parker Jotter range is for you. These pens are the least expensive collection in the Parker catalog, but only because they are made with standard metal materials. The Jotter collection is still made to high-quality standards, and the Jotter collection contains fountain, rollerball, ballpoint, gel, and 51 pens, so the entire range of Parker pens is available at an affordable price.
If you are someone who enjoys fine writing and writing techniques, the Parker Duofold fountain pen is the right fit for you. This pen is expensive, but the quality of this tool is unparalleled, and it is a pen that you will use for the rest of your life.
The Duofold is iconic, reliable, high-quality, and it is the best fountain pen that the Parker Pen Company produces. The various nib types available and the comfortable writing position of the Duofold mean that you will be able to execute your writing techniques flawlessly every time, regardless of your writing style.
Conclusion
At the end of it, Parker is one of the best manufacturers in the world, and they always will be. It is unlikely that Parker will cease production of high-quality pens any time soon, and this company will continue to be a household name and staple of quality writing tools for years to come.
There are several Parker pens available right now, so take the time to research which is the best for you. Visit your local premium stationery store, try as many Parker pens as you can, and you will soon find the best fit for you and better understand the high quality that every Parker pen is made with.
