Parker Sonnet Great Expectations Subtle Big Red Fine Fountain Pen Review

It has been a long time since new Parker pens have earned the respect of the pen buying community. Vintage Parker’s are highly sought after, but a down few decades for the brand has them off many people’s radar.

A couple of years ago, things started to pick back up for Parker, with the introduction of pens like the IM Premium, which was a pleasure to use. They created a beautiful pen and gave a nod to the amazing Parker Vacumatic. What’s not to like about that? It performed very well too.

Since that positive experience, I kept my eyes peeled for other interesting Parker designs, and the Parker Sonnet Great Expectations Subtle Big Red looked right up my alley, so I asked Goldspot if I could take it for a spin.

Despite thinking this was a great looking pen in pictures, I wasn’t prepared for what would arrive in the box. This is a metal barrel pen, and an awesome one at that! I guess I was thinking this was an acrylic pen for some reason, but nope. The black glossy finish is cool to the touch, with beautiful anodized red cap and section bands.

The grip is metal as well, but has a satin finish to contrast the glossy finish found on the body. I don’t know the exact finish color on the clip and finial but they are more of a nickel or pewter color as opposed to a bright chrome. The nib takes on that colorway as well, and shows off the stunning cross hatch pattern.

As much as I am in love with the look and feel of this pen, I was very nervous about the performance not living up to the hype. Thankfully, the Fine 18k nib was up to the task and writes wonderfully. If I had my way I would want a finer nib, but this is a good stock gold fine nib.

It’s not all roses with the Sonnet though. While there are many pens I will pay a premium for, Parker is asking for even more than that here. $270 is way, way too much. $150 maybe? $200 tops. There is no way I could recommend this pen over almost any gold nib Pilot, Sailor, or Lamy. Pelikan is about the only one I’ve seen that can pull off the pricing premium successfully, and this pen is no Pelikan.

Hardcore Parker fans may pay the price, but I’m not one of them. I love everything else about this pen though, so maybe if their pricing model changes (not likely) or these go on a big sale (possible) I might be interested.

(Goldspot provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

The Pelikan Stola III (Fountain Pen, Rollerball, and Ballpoint): A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

Pelikan introduced a new line of pens in the fall of 2015 called Stola. The Stola I line is matte and glossy black and comes in a ballpoint and rollerball. The Stola II line (also ballpoint and rollerball) combines two colors: black and matte silver, and the ballpoint pen includes a stylus. These two lines do not appear to be available in America. The Stola III line is matte silver with black accents and is the only one that includes a fountain pen. The word "stola" in German means "wrap," so perhaps the name derives from the special coating used on the pens.

The Pelikan Stola III comes in three flavors: fountain pen, rollerball, and ballpoint. All three are coated with matte-silver lacquer with black plastic accents and a steel clip. The barrels are brass, coated with the same silver lacquer. This gives the pens a nice amount of heft in the hand, but they are not overly heavy.

Each pen comes packaged in a minimalist silver box with a black foam interior and ribbon holder.

The cap (for the fountain pen and rollerball) is made of aluminum and bears the Pelikan logo on its finial.

The black steel clip shape echoes the pelican beak clips on the higher-end Pelikan fountain pens, though it is an outline not solid. It is also very tight so it might be difficult to clip onto thick fabric. The Pelikan name is printed in black at the bottom of the cap which snaps on.

The Fountain Pen

The Stola III fountain pen comes with a medium steel nib (no other sizes are offered). The nib is engraved with some simple scroll work.

A high-capacity cartridge with blue ink is provided with the pen. The Pelikan site doesn't clarify whether or not the pen can use a Pelikan converter. It only mentions the large cartridges and the Pelikan Edelstein ink cartridges.

The Stola writes quite well. I noticed a couple of skips from time to time, but no hard starts. It writes smoothly, but offers no flex or bounce. This is a hard nib.

The Stola III fountain pen is a nice alternative to the Lamy AL-Star, a very similar pen at a similar price point. For those of us who don't like the Lamy's grip section, the Stola offers a smooth grip with a brass (rather than aluminum) barrel. The Stola is significantly shorter than the Lamy (4.625 inches vs. 5.12 inches unposted). I tried posting the Stola and the cap kept popping off, so if length is important to you, the Stola might be too short. The Stola is heavier than the Lamy at 1.2 ounces vs. 0.78 ounces. Unlike the Lamy, you don't have numerous color choices with the Stola, but the Stola seems much more sophisticated in design.

The Rollerball

The Stola III rollerball I reviewed has a medium width stroke, but you can get Pelikan 338 refills in blue or black in fine, medium, or broad.

The rollerball writes smoothly and the ink is bold. I didn't encounter any ink blobbing, hard starts, or skipping. The pen is a nice weight (1.2 ounces) and feels good in the hand. Like the fountain pen, it is almost impossible to post the cap.

The Ballpoint

The Stola III ballpoint uses a twist mechanism to extend and retract the point. Compared to the other two pens, its grip section is quite broad (0.438 inches). Because of this, the pen was uncomfortable for me to hold and my hand tired easily. However, of the three pens, this one is the lightest at 0.9 ounces.

Like the rollerball, my review pen came with a medium stroke. But, once again, you can get 337 refills in black, blue, or red in fine, medium, or broad.

The ballpoint was the least impressive of the three pens in terms of writing. The ink didn't flow as well and was definitely lighter than the rollerball ink. The pen seemed to drag on the paper.

You can purchase any of the three Stola III pens from Goldspot Pens. The fountain pen is $35.95; the rollerball is $27.95, and the ballpoint is $27.95. Refills for the rollerball and ballpoint run $10.00 a piece.

Pros

• The Stola III pens are very reasonably priced.
• The construction of these pens is solid, and the matte silver with black accents is classy looking.
• The fountain pen and rollerball write beautifully.
• These pens would make wonderful gifts for fountain pen newbies, graduates, officemates, and others.

Cons

• Of the three pens, I would recommend only the fountain pen and rollerball. The ballpoint was uncomfortable and the least smooth writer.
• The fountain pen is fairly short and posting the cap is difficult.
• You don't have any nib choices for the fountain pen other than medium.

(Goldspot Pens provided these products at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes).

TWSBI Vac Mini Fountain Pen Review

I appreciate TWSBI as a company. They aren’t afraid to experiment and do things other companies don’t, or can’t. Does that lead to issues sometimes? Without question. TWSBI had many quality issues in the early days that turned customers off their product completely, and rightfully so. But they keep pushing forward and innovating, and have improved the quality of their products as the years pass.

The TWSBI Vac Mini is a prime example of their innovation. What other company is able to manufacture a pen like this, or even want to? A vacuum filling mini fountain pen? “Not possible,” I imagine most companies saying. And for many reasons, not only technical. TWSBI is positioned well the sub-$100 pen market, with only Lamy and Kaweco as real threats. Most companies don’t compete here, which has allowed TWSBI to do things no one else would consider.

But enough of why I like TWSBI as a company, let’s get into this pen. If you have never used a vac filling system in a fountain pen, here are some things to know before purchasing:

• It is simple to fill.
• It is difficult to clean.
• It can be sealed off for travel.
• It needs to be open when writing.

It is far from hard to use, but beginners need to keep these things in mind. It is a different animal than a cartridge/converter pen. I wouldn’t recommend this pen as a first fountain pen for example. But for a fun, unique fountain pen I am all over it.

In comparison to the TWSBI Mini, which I am also a fan of, the Vac Mini is longer, including a longer grip section, and has a larger ink capacity. I’ve never had an issue writing with the regular Mini unposted and the added length of the Vac Mini makes it even better for me. For those who like to post their pens, the cap screws on the back to give you a more full length pen writing experience. The nibs are the same size, but the nib units are not, so it will take more effort than unscrewing to swap nibs.

On the negative side of the ledger, the only issue I have is with the clip. It wiggles too much and I would worry about it eventually breaking if I carried it clipped to my pants pocket. In a shirt pocket or a pen case it’s fine, but for a portable pen the clip needs to be stronger.

I don’t see the $60 price tag as a negative, but that does put the TWSBI Vac Mini in a strange place amongst the rest of TWSBI’s lineup. If you have never owned a TWSBI and are looking for the best pen of the brand, I would recommend the 580AL, which is their full length piston filler and is the exact same price. For beginners, the TWSBI ECO is the clear choice at half the cost. The standard Mini runs between $50-$55 depending on the nib, but I would pay up for the slightly larger and more ink capacity in the Vac Mini.

To me, the Vac Mini is your second TWSBI. You’ve bought a 580 or an ECO, enjoy the style and performance of the pen, and want to add something a little different to your collection. This is that pen.

(Goulet Pens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)