(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)
The Parker 51 is one of the most popular and well-known vintage fountain pens from the 20th century, and for good reason. Along with Esterbrook, these pens were ubiquitous and high-quality tools that many people carried and relied on every day. Go to any pen show today, and you'll see a fair few Parker 51s on the show tables.
The pen we're looking at today isn't the vintage fountain pen, though. This is a modern ballpoint pen that takes a few style cues from the classic fountain pen design that made Parker famous. The Parker 51 Teal ballpoint pen is lightweight and elegant, and definitely makes you think of the classic Parker 51 that it borrows its name from. It uses a typical Parker style refill and comes with Parker's Quink refill with black ink.
The biggest similarity to the original Parker 51 is the cap. It's nearly identical to the fountain pen version in style, except the cap doesn't come off the ballpoint pen. Instead, the cap is a twist mechanism to extend and retract the refill tip. The body of the pen is made of a lightweight acrylic material that looks less like the original due to the smaller diameter and long taper to the tip. Twisting the cap is a smooth and satisfying motion. When retracted the refill, you don't even have to twist it manually. Just get it started, and it will finish retracting on its own due to the spring at the tip of the barrel.
Writing with the pen is also a nice experience. The grip is comfortable and the pen is easy to control thanks to the light weight and good balance. The metal cap adds just enough heft to the tall end of the pen to provide a great sense of balance when holding the pen in a 3-finger grip.
And this is where we run into my first complaint with the pen. I just said that writing with the pen is a nice experience, but that's only true if you swap out the refill first. The included Parker Quink refill is garbage and should be immediately discarded. The ink is difficult to start, splotchy once it's running, and is a very unsatisfying light-black hue. Even jotting down quick notes is frustrating due to how terrible the ink flow is. I have to redraw characters way too often due to bad ink flow. In an age where many manufacturers have fantastic ballpoint ink refill options, I really don't understand how Parker are still producing Quink refills that write so poorly. An updated, fantastic Quink refill would be an exceptional nod to the heritage of Parker.
Throw in a better refill, and this is a great pen that I've really enjoyed using. It feels more premium than a Parker Jotter, and it's also easier to control since it's a bit longer and has a larger diameter. At least, it's better for my hands and how I grip the pen. In fact, it's really similar in length to the Jotter XL, which is also a great pen (assuming you replace the refill).
Luckily, there are so many great refill options for this category. Parker style refills are abundant, and there are some truly fantastic ballpoint (and gel!) refills that you should try out and keep on hand.
My next complaint with this pen is the price. I understand that this pen has some additional prestige given the Parker 51 name, but I don't believe the pen delivers enough aesthetic or usability value to justify a retail price of $79. The Parker Jotter can be had for around $20, and the larger Jotter XL is around $35, and they're all metal. You get the same refill with all three, so just factor in the cost of a replacement refill as part of the overall total. When using this pen, it feels like a $40 pen.
Vanness Pens sells the Parker 51 ballpoint for just $63, which is way better than the suggested retail from Parker. If you're a big fan of the Parker 51 pen and this throwback ballpoint speaks to you, you'll be really happy with it because they did a great job of translating the classic design to a modern ballpoint package. If you're looking for a good ballpoint pen that uses Parker style refills, look elsewhere. The Jotter or Jotter XL are a great place to start, but the world is your oyster when it comes to Parker style pens. So many great options to choose from!
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