I like fountain pens and wood pencils. What can I say, I'm an old fashioned kind of guy. That and fountain pens and good wood pencils just feel good. I've posted recently about my pencils and pencil sharpener but not about my fountain pen. That's because it's been lost.

It's a Rotring 700 and I found it again. I must have bought it it the early 1990s. It wasn't cheap, but it's built like a tank. It would disappear for months or years at a time. It must go on walkabouts. Then I would find it in a drawer or box and start using it again. The only problem was that it has a broad nib. I don't know why I got a broad nib but it's really to broad for me know. I've been using a Pilot G2 rollerball, which is the most satisfying of the ball points but it is no fountain pen. I wanted a finer tip fountain pen so I went googling for fountain pens. I quickly found the "worlds most wanted pen": the Parker 51. And a beauty it is. Smooth and sleek with a hooded nib. So streamilined. So 1940s.

A Parker 51 Fantasy Trip - Part 1

The Parker 51 was introduced to the world in 1941, a pen that would herald the modern age of the fountain pen and a pen that would be emulated and outright copied ever since. Truly one of the watershed designs, the Parker 51 is one of the most recognizable products ever made. The hooded nib design was such a radical change from traditional open nibs, that virtually every other pen manufacturer followed suit with something similar. The design's influence continues in many Parker chose the name "51" both as the anniversary of the company's 51st year, and as a global brand name that would not require translation. The 51 remains one of the longest continuing production designs, with the original Vacumatic filling pen being produced until 1948, the original Aerometric design produced until 1969, and a final squared ended design, similar to the Parker 61 produced until 1972.

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A Parker 51 Fantasy Trip - Part 2

A Parker 51 Fantasy Trip - Part 3

The Parker "51" Website

THE PARKER "51" is considered by most collectors to be the best pen ever made. Developed in 1939 and introduced in the U.S. market in 1941, it soon became widely imitated by most pen manufacturers. None were successful to any significant degree in competing against the famed Parker "51". To this day, its shape and design remain widely recognizable and it seems to never become dated. My main collecting interest is the Parker "51" and its many variations, from pre-production varieties all the way to the last U.S. models produced around 1972. My pursuit includes its history and advertising ephemera. I became fascinated with the Parker "51" in the mid-1990's. Although my collection is continually growing, I will probably never own every specimen ever made. I use a Parker "51" every day, modified to fit my taste, such as a custom Torelli-made hand hammered copper cap with a smooth fine nib (I write a lot of numbers for a living...) or a "51 Imperial" converted from an original Parker Vacumatic, with a stub nib (for those million dollar contracts...)

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I eBayed for a Parker 51 but they are more expensive than I could afford and I had questions of using an old pen. Then I ran across a less expensive copy of the Parker 51, the Parker 21.

Profile: The Parker “21”

I eBayed for a Parker 21 and the prices were what I was looking for but I didn't want to end up with an old pen that might need work. Fortunately, I found a new alternative, the Hero 100.

Attack Of The Clones - Part 1

The two samples, a Hero 616 and Hero 100, are both Aerometric type copies of the Parker 51. These are older models, and may no longer be in production. I was able to try out both of them extensively as daily users and compared them with two Parkers, a black and a Flighter Aerometric. This gave me the chance not only to review the pens, but also compare them to the original.

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eBaying for a Hero 100 showed prices as low as $20 which was tempting but I ran across a couple of mentions of an inexpensive version of the Hero 100: the Hero 329.

Hero 100 vs. Hero 329

Both are nice modern copies (homages?) of the Parker 51. My reference information (buy them here and here) says that the original Parker factory closed, and the Hero pen factory opened using the same equipment, which explains why they are so similar. Of course, this may be incorrect, but I believe it to be at least somewhat reliable. Both pens are black with lustraloy look-alike caps. Both use aerometric fillers, and both have hooded nibs. Also both are inexpensive, with the 100 retailing for under $25, and the 329 retailing for $5.

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My Hero ‘329′

Hero ‘329′ was a fountain pen my family brought over from Vietnam. I used the jet black from 1990-1993. I dropped it on the hard concrete floor of the studio. The nib chipped and the top of the barrel cracked. It pains me to this day when I think how clumsy I was and still am to some extent. The hero was my constant companion. I wrote with it, sketch with it.

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I eBayed for a Hero 329 and found them for $9. I bought one from waimar in Hong Kong. It came to $15 with shipping.

It arrived a couple of days ago and I love it. It arrived with a nice hand written note thanking me for the purchase and noting that they also had a website: Waimar Gift Land. (They have some nice Mao pins.) Someday I might splurge for a Hero 100 but the inexpensive Hero 329 does what I want a pen to do. And, if it goes on a walkabout, it won't cost an arm and a leg to replace. And it's Moleskine friendly.

It's a much finer point than the Rotring 700.

I've had this bottle of ink for several years. It has a reputation for being the blackest ink for fountain pens. Googling for Aurora ink will find you many places to buy it. Good stuff.

I have a bunch of Pilot G2 pens I don't need anymore.