9 Frequently Asked Parker Pen Questions Answered!

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Parker pens is without a doubt one of the largest and most popular pens brands in the world and although the prestige around their name has faded a little over the last decade due to aggressive expansion into the western markets from Japanese brands such as Pilot pens and Sailor pens, Parker still hold a huge marketshare. Due to being so popular, we often see a wide range of questions asked from the community on a regular basis so we have decided to publish this article to answer as many of them as possible.

One of the best things about the Parker pen range is that they cover a wide range of price points and pen types throughout the market. This essentially helps to ensure that no matter you budget, requirements or preferences, there will be something that Parker offers within their existing range that should be able to meet your needs and offer you a great writing experience.

Due to covering so many different topics about the Parker range in this article, we have decided to add our table of content below. This is a quick and easy way for our readers to navigate to any specific questions that they may have without having to waste their time skimming through the article.

Why Are Parker Pens So Expensive?

The price of Parker pens is relative to the particular pen model but the Parker brand has spend decades building up their reputation amongst penthusiasts and perfecting the design of their pens as well as their manufacturing process to deliver the best pen possible. In addition to this, some models from the Parker pen range can hold their resale value very well due to pen collectors wanting some of their rarer, limited edition runs in their collections.

Everything from their entry-level Parker Jotter all the way up to their premium price point models does have a slightly higher price tag than the competition. Although the Parker range does still offer a bunch of benefits when it comes to their performance, build quality, and writing experience over some competing brands, a few have managed to catch up and offer similar performance for a lower price tag such as the Pilot Metropolitan.

Which Is The Most Expensive Parker Pen?

The Parker Duofold Douglas Mcarthur Limited Edition has a price point of around $5000 depending on the retailer and availability making it the most expensive Parker pen in their range at the time of writing. Out of the regular collection of pens, the regular Parker Duofold is the most expensive Parker pen on the market and tends to have a price tag ranging from around $300 to $370 depending on the trims.

Due to the nature of the limited edition runs for specific Parker models, some pens that usually have a price tag lower than the regular Parker Duofold can have a much higher price tag for their limited edition versions. Due to this, there are a number of options between the $300 and $5000 price points to choose from if you are looking for a limited edition pen from the Parker range.

Which Is The Cheapest Parker Pen?

The Parker Jotter is the cheapest Parker pen model currently on the market and is one of the most popular entry-level pen models on the market right now. Since its release onto the market, the Parker Jotter has continued to go from strength to strength seeing strong sales each year with its reputation amongst the community getting better and better.

As we touched on earlier in the article though, although the Parker Jotter used to reign supreme for the entry-level price point amongst pens, the Pilot Metropolitan offers very similar performance and has managed to earn itself a great reputation too. If you are looking for a cheap fountain pen rather than a ballpoint or rollerball then the Lamy Safari is a better option than anything from the Parker range.

Which Parker Pen Is Best For Writing?

Although personal preference will come into play, we feel that the Parker IM is the best pen in their range for general writing. It is very budget-friendly and offers a smooth writing experience on all types of paper with the pen being suitable for use in all types of writing.

Although the Parker IM is around double the price of the Parker Jotter, it still usually sells for between $35 and $45 depending on retailer while offering a much smoother writing experience. If you have the budget available and have your heart set on a Parker pen then nothing is going to beat the regular Parker Duofold when it comes to its writing experience.

What Is A Parker CT And GT?

CT and GT are name modifiers used for the Parker range to denote the trim of the pen. CT indicates a chrome trim where as GT indicates a gold trim helping you know what you are purchasing. For example, a Parker Duofold can have a CT and GT variant of the pen with it being the exact same pen other than one having a chrome trim and one having a gold trim.

The amount of trim will change depending on the specific Parker pen model that you opt to add to your collection. They all have the related trim on their pen clips but some can have a gold or chrome trim in other locations of the pen too including the nib and pen grip amongst others.

Is A Parker Pen A Good Gift?

Due to the prestige of the Parker brand in the west, Parker pens can make a great gift option for any penthusiasts out there. As we touched on above, due to the Parker pen range being spread over a wide price bracket there is something available for all budgets too.

This ranges from something like the Parker IM at the more budget friendly end of their range all the way up to the Parker Duofold at the premium price point of the range as well as everything in between. Pens from the Parker range have been used as gifts for a wide range of celebrations too making them an excellent option.

How Long Does A Parker Refill Last?

A Parker refill can last anywhere from four weeks to twelve weeks depending on how often you use the pen and how long you spend writing with it during use. Thankfully, the Parker refill range is cheap and easy to source so you should always be able to refill your pen when required without running into any issues too.

We would like to quickly point out that there are a number of third-party refills that state that they work with the Parker pen range. Although they may fit, they can have issues with leaking and are usually only a dollar or two cheaper than the official Parker refills so we always recommend that our readers opt to go with the official refills rather than any third-party options to prevent potential issues.

How Do You Refill A Parker Pen?

The refill process for all Parker pen models is very simple and straight forward making refilling your pens ink supply quick and easy even if you are brand new to using non-disposable pens. Although the exact process will depend on the specific pen that you are using, the majority of the systems are based around screwing the nib off the barrel to place the new refill inside the pen and then re-attatching the nib.

How Can You Tell A Fake Parker Pen?

Due to the popularity of the Parker pen range, a number of counterfeiters have taken to making fake Parker pens to try and earn a quick buck. Thankfully though, Parker has integrated a number of anti-counterfeiting measures to their pens to help their users avoid this. Rather than going over them in the article, we would recommend our readers checkout the video below as it offers visual indications of the various differences and ways to check if a Parker pen is fake or not.

Conclusion

That brings our article going over the more commonly asked questions about the Parker pen range to a close. We hope that you have found our article helpful and that we have been able to answer as many questions as possible that you may have about the brand and their pens. Parker really are an excellent pen brand that offer outstanding products and although their price tag is a little higher than average, so is the performance of the pen.