One of the more underloved modern pens is the Parker Sonnet. There are some good reasons for this. Parker's quality control has been less than pristine in recent years, since their acquisition by Newell-Rubbermaid and moving production to France. While I was writing this review, I glanced through the pen forums and many new Sonnet owners complain that their pens skip, or are hard starters after the pen's been sitting for more than a day or so. I've experienced these problems intermittently and will discuss further below.
That said, I love the look of this pen and couldn't resist, so when I saw a used Sterling Silver Cisele ('Chiseled') model at the DC Pen Show last year, priced well below what I would have paid for a new one, I jumped and walked it over to Mike Masuyama to tune before I ever used it. For the most part, it's a good writer, with a springy 18k nib that I ended up landing for sub-$100, including nib work.
Early model Parker Sonnet Cisele. My research dates this pen to the early to mid-1990s, because of the two-toned cap band.
The strategy was to offer the Sonnet in several designs, priced accordingly, so that one model could be offered in a wide price range. There were four different nib styles designed to be fitted on the different price ranges. The top line Sonnets had an 18K solid gold two-tone nib, highlighted with rhodium plating. Jan 3, 2012 - So i've been writing with both my sonnet and Jotter alot, both with medium nibs, but it seems to me that the nib on the sonnet, is much thinner at.
The pen has a black plastic grip section. It's sturdy, and doesn't become overly slick during long writing sessions.
The Build. This pen is hefty, given that it's sterling. I'm not sure whether it's pure sterling silver or plated, but it looks nice and feels durable. The cap is a slip-cap, which pops on and off securely. There's no rattling involved. The clip is still tight. To me, this pen has near-perfect weight and balance, posted or unposted. It sits in my hand well, which is why I find it keeps its place in my rotation despite the fact that it's the one pen in my collection that cannot handle a wide range of inks well (see below).
Posted, this pen is the perfect length and weight for me.
I can use this pen posted or unposted, but I prefer to use it posted.
There is nothing special about the pen's cartridge/converter filling system, but mine came with Parker's old style large-capacity converter, which holds almost 1ml of ink.
The Nib. The nib is 18k, which gives it some spring. Sonnets do NOT have flexible nibs, as many understand that term. I've heard second hand that more recent versions of this pen (mine likely dates from the early to mid 1990s) have stiffer nibs, with some describing them as nails. Mine has just enough give in it to lend my writing a bit of flair, but the feed is nowhere near good enough to allow me to actually 'flex' the pen.
Parker's 18k Sonnet Nib is understated and generally an excellent writer, if a bit picky about what types of ink you use it with.
A basic writing sample in Aurora Black, probably my favorite ink to use in this pen. There's no crazy flexing going on, especially in my day-to-day print-style. However, under certain circumstances the softer nib can give your handwriting a touch of line variation.
Apparently a common problem with the Sonnet is that the nib skips, and can be a hard starter. This likely has something to do with the feed not being able to maintain sufficient ink flow to the nib. If I use a particularly dry ink, and write quickly, I will experience occasional railroading. For example, well lubricated inks like Iroshizuku Kon-Peki, Aurora Black, or any of the Watermans work fine. Inks with iron gall content such as Montblanc Midnight Blue (old IG formulation) or Pelikan Blue-Black make the pen temperamental.
The Finish. The reason I love this pen so much, and put up with its quirks, is the chiseled sterling silver finish, which is reminiscent of the old sterling silver Parker 75 in a larger pen. As I mentioned earlier, my pen could use a good polishing to restore its shine, but it still looks great after 20+ years of heavy use. The silver has developed a patina, which in my opinion adds to its character.
The Verdict. For all its quirks, I would still call the Sonnet a modern classic. Parker has made this pen for nearly twenty-five years, and it has a loyal following, myself included. If I were to purchase another, I would either pick it up at a pen show where I could have a nibmeister tune the nib, or I would order it from John Mottishaw at Nibs.com. John tunes all of his pens and makes sure they are in proper working order before he ships them to you. For certain pens, it is well-worth a slight premium in price.
FAKES They are not easy to spot with the naked eye but with a loupe you should be able to tell them apart from the real Sonnets. Here is a list of what to look for: Lets start with the nib. The unmistakable test on a fake 18K marked nib is this one. What do you think? ;) Here is a steel one. At the top (REAL) clear lettering and symmetry in the cut. At the bottom .. hmm, the opposite lettering is faint and the cut way offset (FAKE) This should be easy to recognize by everyone. On the feed where the size of the tip is marked. The real one has a clear mark of F (REAL) which the FAKE has a mark that looks like a hot iron burn on a cow :) Marks on the nib (18K 3rd generation nib) REAL: Sharp grid with clear shape - indicates good tools with precise tolerance and good wear resistance. FAKE: Rough grid - bad tools (or improperly hardened tools). Note also the pure plating (this was supposed to be a two-tone nib. Similar differences in the other marks on the nib. In each set - the first is the OK one and the second is the fake one. REAL
FAKE REAL FAKE
Another obvious difference. The FAKE (bottom) has a huge gap between nib and feed (not always) and it has the remains of an injection molding gate at the tip. The REAL (top) is nice and snag. At the section ring, the fakes (right) usually have an ugly gap between the section ring and the main part of the section. The bottom face of the section provides more clues. The REAL (left) is smooth and clean. The FAKE (right) has filling signs on it and excess plastic from injection molding. Look also at the machining marks on the face of the section ring in the FAKE (right) REAL FAKE The fit between the plastic part of the section and the metallic part of the section threads is a major tell-tell. Bad fit and signs of glue (do you see the two blobs of glue ...) - mean it is FAKE. NOTE: The shinier is the FAKE here !!!! The barrels are difficult to distinguish externally. Inside they are very different. FAKE on the left - REAL on the RIGHT :) Cap jewels. Look for signs of misalignment in the fakes. Here the difference is clear. FAKE on the left - REAL on the RIGHT. A more suttle difference is in the metallic part under the jewel. In the REAL pen, it is nicely machined with round fillets and clean lines. Not in the FAKE. Cap ring. REAL: Nice and clean joint line FAKE: Note the roughness of the ring and the poor surface quality. Note the difference in the clarity of the feathers and the gap under the clip. Another common tell-tell sign of the fakes. REAL: Clean and strong feathers. FAKE: Weak Feathers Similarly under the microscope. REAL: FAKE: I hope this is helpful. Don't hesitate to send me samples to evaluate. PS1> In an earlier version of this post I wrote: REAL: A round hard tip material was ground on the top (non-writing side) to shape and a round mark remains (M nib). FAKE: A round ball with no grinding sings is present indicating that this is most probably a steel ball rather that a hard material than needs to be shaped by grinding. This is NOT correct. The majority of the true Sonnet nibs dont have grinding marks. A detailed comparison of nibs is coming up soon. PS2> The high mag photos were taken by a QX5 Digital Blue toy Microscope ($70)