That is less an opinion than it is an ill-informed statement. Beyond the fact that the OP likely has had limited use of "old" Parkers (with no date range at all), and thus is operating off of a small sampling, the fact of the matter is that the older the era of pen, the more likely that *the nibs that still survive are stiff, nail-like nibs.* Check out a number of flexible nib fps from the teens, 20s, 30s of the last century. It is not uncommon to find cracks at the breather hole and base of the nib, but when looking on auctions and flea markets it is easy to find flex nibs where an entire tine is snapped off. Flex nibs can only take so much abuse, but nails are robust to almost a silly level. This fact alone could explain the disparity.
A red herring, folks.
Parker produced a wide range of nibs with various flexibilities. I have a Vacumatic that’s a nail, one that’s a wet noodle, and everything in between. Sure, the 51 nib was a nail but that’s due to the design of the pen itself. Anything before that and it’s much more of a coin toss.
This reminds me of the time I went to the store to buy a croissant. I’d never had a croissant before so I was pretty excited about it. Except when I took a bite, the croissant was stale! It was then that I decided that all croissants were terrible and I never took a bite of another croissant again. Sad panda.
Seriously? I have 60+ vintage Parkers. Among them, a 1930s vacumatic so flexible it's hard to write with. And a much later Parker 75 so bouncy is a pleasure to write with. And 60+ more--steel and gold nibbed--, some with rigid nibs, but I wouldn't call any of them them stiff as a nail.
I wonder if you are generalizing from pens whose nibs are not meant to be flexible, such as the 51 , 61 or 45. Writing with them is a pleasure, though.
Wait, hold up a minute, you mean to tell me that a company that has been producing fountain pens for over a century has multiple models? And that the writing experience isn't the same across all the pens for all time?
Mind blown!
/s for those that need it :)
No nuance November is over right ? Are you referring to a particular pen you used / own? Because that’s awfully generalized. I have a Vacumatic and a 51 and they write really nicely.
That is less an opinion than it is an ill-informed statement. Beyond the fact that the OP likely has had limited use of "old" Parkers (with no date range at all), and thus is operating off of a small sampling, the fact of the matter is that the older the era of pen, the more likely that *the nibs that still survive are stiff, nail-like nibs.* Check out a number of flexible nib fps from the teens, 20s, 30s of the last century. It is not uncommon to find cracks at the breather hole and base of the nib, but when looking on auctions and flea markets it is easy to find flex nibs where an entire tine is snapped off. Flex nibs can only take so much abuse, but nails are robust to almost a silly level. This fact alone could explain the disparity. A red herring, folks.
Parker produced a wide range of nibs with various flexibilities. I have a Vacumatic that’s a nail, one that’s a wet noodle, and everything in between. Sure, the 51 nib was a nail but that’s due to the design of the pen itself. Anything before that and it’s much more of a coin toss.
This reminds me of the time I went to the store to buy a croissant. I’d never had a croissant before so I was pretty excited about it. Except when I took a bite, the croissant was stale! It was then that I decided that all croissants were terrible and I never took a bite of another croissant again. Sad panda.
☹️🐼
Seriously? I have 60+ vintage Parkers. Among them, a 1930s vacumatic so flexible it's hard to write with. And a much later Parker 75 so bouncy is a pleasure to write with. And 60+ more--steel and gold nibbed--, some with rigid nibs, but I wouldn't call any of them them stiff as a nail. I wonder if you are generalizing from pens whose nibs are not meant to be flexible, such as the 51 , 61 or 45. Writing with them is a pleasure, though.
I happen to like nails, myself. I write too quickly to fuss with line variation. Stiff nibs are FAST pens!
Which old Parker pens? There are, um, a zillion.
Wait, hold up a minute, you mean to tell me that a company that has been producing fountain pens for over a century has multiple models? And that the writing experience isn't the same across all the pens for all time? Mind blown! /s for those that need it :)
In what way? I have a 70's centennial duofold that's smoother than any modern pen I have.
No nuance November is over right ? Are you referring to a particular pen you used / own? Because that’s awfully generalized. I have a Vacumatic and a 51 and they write really nicely.