PARKER 1931401 Premier Fountain Pen, Fine Nib with Black Ink Refill - Black with Chrome Trim

I love fountain pens. I frequent forums and discussion groups about them and feel like I have a pretty good feel for quality fountain pens. I have accumulated a fairly sizable collection but haven't dipped much into the $100+ market so I scrutinize pens of this price very closely. It passed easily.I have avoided Parker fountain pens for quite awhile. They seem to have gotten a lot of negative press in recent years and the general consensus among fountain pen officianados is that their best years are behind them. But, I found an attractive, gold nib Sonnet for about $85 a few months ago and decided to give Parker a shot. It was really good. My only complaint was that it was a little small for my tastes; I like big pens. Shortly thereafter I picked up a Parker Urban rollerball and I have been similarly happy with that pen, too. The Urban is now my primary desk pen at work, replacing several years of history that I had built up with the refillable PIlot G-2.$200 is a huge amount to spend on a pen. I have never spent that much on a pen before. I received an Imperial Black Sailor Professional Gear from my wife that easily breaks that mark but otherwise it's completely out of my comfort zone. I was finally able to find a style I really liked (Luxury Black with Chrome Trim) for $250 which meant I could apply a recently acquired $75 Amazon credit and pick it up for $175.The Premier's display box is huge, about the size of a standard Bible. It' excessively large for a pen, but the presentation was first rate. Yes, the pen included a Parker converter as well as some disposable ink cartridges. This style of Premier (Luxury Black with Chrome) has a metal body that is covered with a material that gives it a rubberized, grippy feel. It is a heavy pen that looks large but is actually very average sized upon closer examination. The grip, however is nice and girthy which felt great in my hand as the body steps up but then tapers back down the entire length of the barrel. This allows it to sit very comfortably within my writing grip without fatigue even when writing for an extended period of time. The capping threads are very, very smooth and the pen does post rather securely. It posts deeply enough that the balance won't be thrown off if you have fairly large hands but I prefer to use it uncapped since I am afraid that repeated capping may rub some of the grippy surface from the pen body. It does feel fantastic when posted, though.The nib is gorgeous and detailed enough that I will just encourage you to look up images rather than try to describe it. My nib is a <F> and puts down a line that is similar to other western <F> nibs from manufacturers like Lamy, Diplomat, Conklin, Bock, JoWo and Schmidt. It is comparable to a Japanese <M>. Like the Sonnet that I had previously purchased, the nib was perfectly tuned out of the box. I have been using Noodler's X-Feather and I have experienced no hard starts even after being left uncapped for up to 15 minutes or completely unused for a week or so. The nib is 18k gold but not as soft as some gold nibbed pens. There is some spring to it but it is generally fairly stiff, on par with my gold nibs from Sailor but stiffer than Pilot. There isn't much line variation and I really wouldn't try. It is a very, very smooth nib with just a hint of satisfying feedback. Sometimes the quest for a smooth writing experience can result in a dead, lifeless feel that almost feels like the paper can't hold the pen but this nib avoids that completely. It doesn't have as much feedback as a Sailor or Platinum nib.This takes me to question of where I put the pen on my hierarchy of pens. There is just something about a Sailor nib's feedback that is just satisfying. They are smooth but you can still feel the texture of the paper through the nib. I compare it to writing with a pencil across a piece of ultra high quality velvet. No one, not even Parker, can do this. The Premier is a close second though. I prefer the weight and size of the Premier to that of my Sailor Pro Gear but neither feels as good in my hand as my Leonardo Officina Momento Zero. Together, those three make up my current Holy Trinity of fountain pens (with an honorable mention to my Taccia Pinnacle playing the part of the Angel Gabriel). The body on the Leonardo is just so pleasant to hold and write with and it is so gorgeous, but the nib is not on par with the Premier or the Pro Gear. The nib on the Pro Gear is so fantastic but the body is just a bit smaller and a little more blah/utilitarian to hold than either the Premier or the Momento Zero. The Premier is a strong 2nd place when comparing both the nib and the body. Really, I guess it would come down to usage. If I need something to pack around, do a ton of writing and not worry about making any kind of fashion statement then the Pro Gear edges out the Premier but if I want to carry something around in a business environment, jot down the occasional paragraph or two and draw a little (but not too much) attention while doing it then I gotta go Premier.

I love this pen. It's the first pen that I've spent more than $100 on and I'd say it's worth it. The gold nib is super smooth and the ink flows wonderfully. Just be aware that the silver details inside of the black aren't quite as bright as the chrome.All in all I'd buy it again.