Parker 5th Pens – Parker Grows Up

What do you call a person who collects pens? A penophile. And I am that person, and I have been for a long, long time. How long? Well, it all started back in the 8^th grade. I was 12 and had just graduated from the 8^th grade. As part of our graduation “package” from the school, we got a pen and pencil set. It was a set of silver (well, silver in color) and blue Parker Jotters. That got me started. Because of that, Parker has always had a special place in my heart. But until now, I’ve never bought a Parker pen that I considered expensive. I loved them, but always thought of them as basic starter pens.

Then I found the Parker 5th. And I fell in love with it.

As per the Amazon description, the pen has the “Smart Glide Tip” which adjusts to your own writing style, has the “flexible up and down movement” that gives it the feel of a fountain pen, and it “eliminates pressure, impact, and temperature induced ink leaks.” But that’s not all!

It’s comfortable! I’m one of those picky people who really likes my pens to fit my hand, and I write weird. My teachers always made me put those triangular plastic pieces on my writing instruments to “fix” me, and it never worked. Because of that, I’m very picky about how something feels. This pen is fat, but it doesn’t feel fat, and it has a good weight to it.

It looks gorgeous. They have multiple options, but as you can see in the pictures, I went for the nice black and silver look. And the look of the fountain pen with the smooth glide of the “Smart Glide tip” means that you really get the best of both worlds.

It has a two year warranty. Warranties matter, and I’ve been greatly disappointed in some of the pens I’ve purchased with one year warranties. Parker offers two years on this one, which means that you know that they believe in it.

It’s expensive. Don’t go thinking that you’re buying a cheap pen. But you do get what you pay for which, I believe, balances out the initial cost.

It requires a light touch. Yes, I know that it says that it will “adjust to personal writing style,” but I lent this to a friend with a heavy touch on her pens who apparently isn’t used to writing with anything but a ball point, and she ruined the refill. It split under the weight she applied.

Refills aren’t easy to find. I discovered that most office supply stores aren’t carrying the refills because they only fit the Parker 5th. Because of that, you need to order your refills, and they, like the pen, aren’t exactly cheap. However, they are long-lasting and if you order them from Amazon with a Prime account, shipping is free.

Keep in mind, this isn’t the only grown-up or expensive pen I own. I own and have owned Pilot, Namiki, Mont Blanc, Waterman, Cross, Acme, Monte Verde, and plenty of others I’m probably forgetting. I have a wooden pen case that sits on my desk with my nicest pens, and then I also have four other pen holders of various types on my desk, plus multiple pencil cases that I carry everywhere with me.

But when all is said and done, I would highly recommend this pen, whether you were buying it for yourself or someone else. It can be for nothing or for anything: graduation, promotion at work, a birthday, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa. You name it, it’s a good reason to buy and enjoy this pen!

This is not a fountain pen. It has the appearance of one, but it is writes and feels like a hybrid between a felt-tip and a rollerball. It’s excellent in every way, but it is not a fountain pen. Do not buy it thinking you’re getting a fountain pen, or you will be disappointed.

The lost star was due to the fragility of the nib and the lack of availability of refills. As someone who writes a lot, having to order the refills as opposed to hitting a store across the street definitely affects my usability rating, and being afraid to loan the pen out because of how easily the tip split is another reason I can't give this pen a perfect score.