By Terry Clark
Everything
old is new again.
Unveiled in 1960, the Parker 45 design has remained mostly unchanged throughout its life. The recent reintroduction of this venerable workhorse has brought along a few minor style updates but few major changes, thus keeping with the "if it ain't broke, why fix it?" philosophy.
When you first glance at this pen you'll immediately notice its updated cap appointments -- specifically the clip and crown. The thin arrow clip of the past is gone, replaced by the more sculpted feathered arrow common to the Frontier. Very stylish indeed!
But the most significant addition to the new 45 is the black crown jewel. The round jewel protrudes above the cap like half of an eight-ball. Purely a design feature, it serves no purpose other than being instantly recognizable: This is not your father's Parker 45.
Other
than the cap, however, you'd be hard pressed to tell the new from the
old. The famous semi-hooded nib design is there. Capped or posted, the
overall length and girth remain virtually unchanged while the weight is
only minutely different, the new pen being slightly lighter.
As a fountain pen, the Parker 45 is offered in only one color version -- black with a matte chrome cap and medium steel nib. What the future may bring is idle speculation, but one can hope that if sales remain strong, the company will roll out other colors and nibs to give consumers more choice. Until that time, like Henry Ford's first cars, you can have it in any color you want, as long as it's black.
But the true test of any pen is in its ability to put ink on paper, and this is where the new 45 excels. This unpretentious pen is made for the writing masses. As you prepare for a test drive, one thing stands out as… well, different.
Unscrew
the barrel and you'll be met face to face with a very peculiar kind of
converter, sporting a slide mechanism to draw ink and a bead sliding back
and forth inside. An ingenious idea; as the bead moves back and forth
it breaks up the ink's surface tension, thus allowing it to move more
easily.
Unfortunately, it's very difficult to tell how much ink you have in the converter because of how it rests in the pen. If you tip the pen back, you can see you have ink in the converter, but exactly how much remains a mystery. Of course, if you prefer, you can remove the converter and use Parker cartridges. The converter does take some getting used to.
However
you fill it, just start writing and you'll experience something wonderful.
The Parker 45 has an exceptional nib! The pen glides effortlessly across
the page, laying down a perfect line every time. Leave the pen uncapped
while you ponder the next word, line or paragraph, and it will start up
again without the least hesitation, a feat many pens 10 times the 45's
price cannot accomplish. The nib, as you would expect, is modern-nib rigid,
offering no flexibility, which makes it more suitable for its intended
task of daily writing.
For those so inclined, a matching click-activated ballpoint that will accept Parker gel refills is available. It's a bit thinner than the fountain pen, but as a nibless pen, it's quite attractive. Alone or in a set, this would make an excellent gift for graduation, confirmation, Bar Mitzvah, or any special occasion.
The Parker 45 is a pen with four decades of history.
Modern, stylish, dependable, and affordable, this is truly a pen for the
masses. You won't find a lot of needless pizzazz here, but what you do
find will keep you coming back time after time. And that is the beauty
of the 45.