Parker Sonnet Fountain Pen | Metal & Pearl Lacquer with Palladium Trim | Solid 18k Gold Medium Nib | Gift Box

Excellent pen to write. Worth the money.

A lovely looking fountain, perhaps, quite feminine in design (but I'm a guy and I like it, so there...!) and although it is early days with the medium gold nib, it is a good and fairly (but not very) smooth writer. I was a bit surprised that the pen that I saw in the photo and ordered differs slightly from what I received: the photo showed a white metal metal band on the cap, whereas mine is a pleasing shade of rose gold and the instead of a white metal grip section, mine is black plastic. I'm not complaining, it's a nice pen that fits well in my small hands and will serve me well. Overall, I would definitely recommend it.

An elegant writing instrument, this Parker Sonnet (metal and pearl lacquer) is a thing of beauty. From its laser-engraved metal lid to the pearl-white barrel, it has a timeless feel and a heft to it that excudes quality.Most importantly: it writes very well indeed. No jumping and no scratching - the nib glides across the page. I am currently using it with Waterman Inspired Blue bottled ink - which is a turqouise colour and very attractive. Filling the converter (which comes supplied with the pen) is easy to do. I am using it at work (on the cheap notepads provided) and I've experienced no excessive bleed or feathering. The ink flow feels just right - neither too dry or too wet. I'm looking forward to using the pen on Rhodia paper (which I currently have on order from Amazon).I used Parker fountain pens growing up in the 1980s but those were the entry-level Vector ones and they didn't evoke any great feelings. This premium Sonnet certainly feels in a different league in terms of materials and finish and but also looks. I had not used fountains for many years, instead usually ending up with very low-end biros provided at work, but now that I have this Sonnet I am using it for everything - including all the note taking I do every day at work. I have no plans to return to anything other than fountain pens from now on.

Packaging 5/5This Parker Sonnet pen comes in a very smart taupe-coloured linen-covered box with subtle gold logo/branding and magnetic fastening. The pen is displayed in a tray, which lifts out to reveal the instruction booklet/warranty and two Quink ink cartridges underneath. Taupe coloured ribbon is employed to help you lift the tray and also to extract the pen itself. The instruction booklet has very neatly drawn pictures showing you how to disassemble the pen and fill it with ink - both pictures and text are quite small, but since most people will know how to fill a pen it’s probably not the end of the world.Aesthetics 5/5I wasn’t expecting to be wowed by this pen as I generally prefer a more masculine look (i.e. black lacquer or stainless steel) however the design is absolutely gorgeous, with a white lacquer barrel and engine-turned stainless steel lid. The lacquer barrel has the most subtle glitter/pearlescence that you can only see really up close and in bright sunlight. The etched design on the cap is beautiful, and very reminiscent of the Harlequin range of pens from the late 70s/early 80s. When you take the cap off, a palladium plated collar and a rhodium plated 18k gold nib are revealed. There is an elegant cross hatching design on the nib which I thought very stylish.Filling 5/5I was all ready to take a mark off this pen before it even arrived, because (at the time of writing) there was no mention in the product listing of a converter, and I much prefer using a converter and bottled ink to cartridges. However upon unscrewing the barrel I was delighted to see a converter inserted. I think its’s plastic rather than glass (wouldn’t swear to it though) – again there is smart brushed metal trim. It’s the screw type of converter, meaning you twist the button at the top to push the plunger down, then dip the pen nib into the ink and twist the button the opposite way so the plunger comes back up, drawing the ink with it. Simple to fill and you can do the whole procedure without having to hold the lower part of the pen which minimises the chance of getting inky fingers. It’s actually slightly easier to fill than the Cross fountain pen I currently own – I can’t really say why other than perhaps the length of the barrel and weight/balance differs a bit and thus I have to hold the Cross much lower, almost always getting inky fingers in the process.Writing Experience 3.75/5I should probably reveal now that I was once in possession of a Namiki fountain pen in black lacquer, embellished with mother of pearl fireflies and a hand-made gold nib (five times the price of this Parker!). That pen wrote flawlessly and no other pen I’ve used since has come close. That said, I thought this Parker was really pretty decent – minimal scratchiness, and with a nice continuous ink flow. It writes a tiny bit ‘wet’, but without any dripping or blotting. The nib is not particularly flexible – I do prefer a tiny bit of give – but most people probably wouldn’t care. My pen had a medium nib and I used Cross ink to fill it (because that was all I had, again I prefer Namiki which comes in lovely Japanese lantern-shaped bottles).Overall 4/5I know a lot of people will be sceptical about the cost of this pen and happy to use something that’s a tenth of the price and comes mounted on card from WH Smith - but you really have to write with a good quality pen to appreciate the difference in how it glides across the paper. The presentation packaging also impressed me a lot and I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t absolutely love to receive this as a gift. People always comment on hand-written cards and notes as in this day and age, 99% of communication is done via email or messaging, so you can score some major brownie points for a few inky lines with the personal touch!