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Italix Parson's Essential Fountain Pen
01 / 16
Italix Parson's Essential Fountain Pen
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Product Description
Made in Asia and hand-finished in England, the Parson’s Essential fountain pen is highly resistant to scratching, thanks to the piano-lacquer finish applied to its barrel. It’s lined with brass for added weight and durability, and fitted with a screw-on cap that can be posted snugly without affecting the pen’s balance Read More
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keyboard_arrow_downzoazoacocoa
17
Jan 3, 2017
Could anyone explain why this particular drop is so expensive? There is basically no advantage over buying from Mr.pen.
Guynoir
3
Mar 19, 2017
zoazoacocoa Good question and Mr. Penn and grapes for free and guarantees never change within 30 days. What's the advantage of the drop
mastiffguy
10
Dec 6, 2016
I got a vague answer to my inquiry. I was told that the pens would begin to ship on 12/5 and that this page would be updated with any news. Not really. At this point I am wondering if the pens will ever arrive. If not it will be a fairly expensive mistake I will learn from. At any rate, I will not be using Massdrop again and I will warn my friends off from using Massdrop. This whole transaction from beginning to end has been a giant fail.
writerstephen
480
Dec 12, 2016
mastiffguyStill waiting! Supposed to come tomorrow, but it's somewhere in DHL limbo. So sick of this. NEVER buying from Massdrop again. Just not worth it
Luke5403
177
Dec 15, 2016
writerstephenMine have arrived yesterday 12.13.16. I'm really happy with them. This time I tried the gold nib On one, and steel on the other. I had to tune them a bit to get them to write a little wetter. They write fantastic now. The gold nib is incredible. It's a unique writing experience. Very flexy, great line variation. I'm not use to all this springiness. It's going to take some practice before I am able to get the most out of this pen.
Not doing this take my money, and see my pen 2 1/2 months later again. Something's wrong.
Theroc
2318
Keyboard Club Member
Aug 17, 2017
A custom-grind Parson's Essential should be on every fountain pen user's path of discovery.
This pen stands alone as the next step after a Safari, Metropolitan or similar intro.
Or, in other words, this is the answer to:
What do I get next?
MrSharkbait
479
Apr 24, 2018
Agreed with the greater selection, but the Doodle’s options hit the sweet spot for Italics writing IMHO. I got the oblique nib, and I had to research to learn not only how to write with it, but why you would want to use one. It was incredibly rewarding.
I am also eyeing the Imperium State. I am a bit concerened though that only the black lacquer version is on Mr. Pen’s site, as I prefer the metal version. That clip is a head turner! The English Curate and Captain’s Commission are also interesting.
I am also eyeing the Imperium State. I am a bit concerened though that only the black lacquer version is on Mr. Pen’s site, as I prefer the metal version. That clip is a head turner! The English Curate and Captain’s Commission are also interesting.
Theroc
2318
Keyboard Club Member
Apr 24, 2018
MrSharkbaitI joined a drop for the English Curate a while back, it didn't even hit the lowest price point. In the end I lost interest in it. I never liked the design of the section to begin with and I read one too many complaints about it. The English Curate and the Imperium State are the only two Italix pens made* in the UK, and the Curate seems to have quality issues.
*I am referring to the pen bodies here, not the nib work of course.
*I am referring to the pen bodies here, not the nib work of course.
Rosebud41
278
May 17, 2016
This excellent pen uses a #5 nib; the Churchman & Captains Commission use #6 sized nibs. The bigger costlier pens with the larger nibs give somewhat more line variation in the comparable nib grinds, but they cost more and have less interesting colors available for the bodies. The PE is the most colorful variant of the Italix models offered on MD, but because of the #5 nib, if you want an italic, I suggest going for at least a medium or better yet a broad italic if you want perceptible line variation. Also, if you have never used an Italix grind before, the italic grinds generally are smoother and have better flow than the stubs, which is contrary to the way most other custom grinds work (e.g. the Masuyama nibs from Franklin Christoph). If you have never used an italic or stub nib before, I would suggest getting a medium or broad italic for this model. The fine italic has nice enough flow, but basically writes like a stock medium, i.e. with not much line variation. The Italix ground stubs are OK, but the italics really shine, giving the best of all worlds: excellent ease of use (large sweet spot in the grip) with wet flow and good line variation. Just avoid the finest italic nib and you will be fine. Note also the colors are a bit darker in person than in the massively overexposed photos on the site. The amber one looks brown and the blue one is a darker swirl rather than a light one. Very well made pen, highly recommended.
Rosebud41
278
May 20, 2016
Theroc
2318
Keyboard Club Member
May 20, 2016
Rosebud41Thanks Rosebud. The fine has just the right amount of variation for me.
kp-8
17
Oct 15, 2015
Listed as ex VAT £32.50 on the Mr. Pen site. How is this a savings? Seems a lateral move to buy this on MD. Buying directly would be $50.30 and this here is $55.99. Am I missing something?
angeles
117
Oct 16, 2015
Thanks for the encouragement. Which has been resounding from others here too, about how great these are, because I am wavering. Partly because the Churchman's Prescriptor is the pen I REALLY want from Italix ( I don't have any of their pens as yet). I now just need to make sure of the nib I chose. I have been a medium or broad nib gal all my life, until recently when I bought both a TWSBI Eco and a Montverde Jewelria with a stub nib. I love them! I chose the Broad Cursive stub nib for this drop, (in part because I have not heard of this type before and don't have one) but wondering if I should be trying the italic instead? And what is the difference between the italic and the cursive? And which italic? fine, medium, broad? (My stub nibs didn't give a choice.... it was just F nib, M nib, B nib, or stub nib as options)
mmg122
115
Oct 17, 2015
angelesAngeles...I think a broad cursive stub is a great choice. It's actually my favorite nib. I'm a nutshell, italic nibs are ground to produce thick downstrokes and thin cross strokes. Italic nibs are generally very sharp at the lateral edges of the tines and can get hung up on textured papers or appear scratchy in the inexperienced hand. A cursive italic nib is ground to compensate for this by smoothing down the lateral edges of the tines. If you spend some time on the Mr Pen website, he does a dissertation on how his nibs are ground and defines the various nib sizes for you.
Regarding the Parson Essential vs Churchman's Prescriptor, I don't think you'll be disappointed at all. The PE is, to my eyes, even more impressive in person than what the photos would lead you to believe. IIRC, the CP is larger and heavier than the PE and I think better suited to larger hands. Both, however, are quite nice.
elimelendez
2201
Nov 30, 2016
Individual shipments are being prepared now! Our warehouse team received the group's bulk order earlier and have already broken everything down into the individual packages. As soon as your package is scanned into the courier's system an email will be sent with shipping confirmation and tracking info.
Expect another update from us on 12/5 or sooner if something comes up.
If you have any questions, please visit our Help Center (https://massdrop.com/helpcenter).
Expect another update from us on 12/5 or sooner if something comes up.
If you have any questions, please visit our Help Center (https://massdrop.com/helpcenter).
writerstephen
480
Dec 2, 2016
elimelendezSorry, but "If you have any questions, please visit our Help Center (https://massdrop.com/helpcenter)" doesn't cut it for this one. I think you owe us a personal response as to why ... this ... was ... so ... slow. It's not too much to ask. I've noticed massdrop isn't in the habit of communicating with its peeved customers on other drops--maybe it's a habit you should start.
Guynoir
3
Mar 19, 2017
Ordering directly from Mr. Penn will obviate much of the pain suffering and discontent
Luke5403
177
Nov 22, 2016
Am I the only one that has noticed the coincidence here? Every time we start start wondering where our overdue orders are, Massdrop comes out with a sudden announcement of "good news", our order has shipped.
One might think that Massdrop does not apply a proactive management technique here. But are content to sit around until someone complains before they put down their Starbucks and donuts to make things happen.
Mismanagement is infectious in an organization. Makes one wonder if there are money problems here. Are they paying the vendors on time?
I hope these folks get a handle on this. Massdrop is a great concept. I've got some great stuff using it. It would be a big loss if they go down because of lazy people.
Go check the Fulton & Roark colognes. Exact same thing happened. They owe us more than to wait for us to complain before doing their job.
Luke5403
177
Nov 29, 2016
Luke5403Follow the money...I've paid for two pens. I wonder if Mr pen has seen any of that?
Something is a muck here.
you're right if everything was on the up and up, they wouldn't have any reservations communicating with us.
Nightharper
41
Nov 25, 2015
Got mine today ! I really enjoy the pen (medium italic), ink flow was a bit heavy at first but after a few tweaks it's much better. Nib is smooth and the pen rest comfortably in the hand. Cap does not post very well though but I rarely post my pen. Here's a writing sample :
Nightharper
41
Dec 17, 2015
My pleasure :) ! Italics do offer sharper line variation but are more demanding on the writing angle than stubs are. Have fun with your pen !
mmg122
115
Oct 17, 2015
Make that..."in a nutshell". I, however, have been accused on many an occasion of being a nutshell...but I digress. 😜
angeles
117
Oct 17, 2015
mmg122Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't!!! Thank you for the information. I do have a Monteverde Jewelria and a TWSBI ECO that are italic. Both pretty new so I don't have tons of experience using them. So, just wondered what was different about a cursive stub. And, yes, I'm sticking with my original plan to get the Broad cursive. As to the difference between the Parson's and Churchman's, it's purely aesthetic. I like the look of the Churchman more (Honestly, I don't like the Celtic cap band on the Parson's at all). How a pen writes is the most important, of course. But how it looks is a close second for me. I am getting the green, by the way. I have a problem I think, as I my last 3 pens purchases were also green. If the amber wasn't marbled on this pen, I'd have gone for that one, but I find the marbling really unattractive.
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