Pen Review: Parker 95

[Jut]

Today I present for review the Parker 95. This pen is no longer made, but can be easily found on popular auctions sites, which is where I purchased mine. These pens were readily available from the late 1980 to the mid 1990’s. As you can see from the picture above, the pen came in a clam shell case with Parker’s lifetime guarantee.

1. Appearance & Design (7) – This pen is designed in a functional and straight forward way. It does not come off as a fancy pen, but it does have a quality feel and heft to it. The nib on this pen is “semi” hooded in nature. These pens came in a number of finishes. This pen is the Black Laque version.


2. Construction & Quality (8) – This pen is well constructed and the finish is well done. I have had this pen for several years and have used it regularly during that time. The Black Laque finish has held up well and shows little signs of use.


3. Weight & Dimensions (9) – This pen weights right at 20 grams with the converter in. It is about 5 ¼ inches capped and 5 ¾ inches posted. At this size and weight the pen is very comfortable in hand posted. The pen is well balanced posted as well. For me the pen is a bit on the small side for use when not posted. This is a thin pen (much smaller than a Sheaffer TM model) This may be a drawback for some.



next to a Pilot Vanishing point for size reference.

 

[Jut]

1. Nib & Performance (9) – The nib is a 23k gold plated steel nib. This nib is a nail. However, it writes well every time and puts down a very smooth consistent line.


2. Filling System & Maintenance (8) – This pen has a cartridge converter system. It takes a Parker “aero” style converter. I prefer the Parker “aero” converters to the twist type converters, so I guess this makes its converter a step up over the others in my book. Maintenance on this pen is pretty straight forward; The converter comes out easily and the nib and feed can easily be taken apart for cleaning.


3. Cost & Value (10)(at the price I bought it) – I bought this pen on the bay for less than $15 shipped. At that price point, this is an awesome pen. For someone looking for a starter pen, I would highly recommend buying one at this price. However, back in the ‘90’s, Parker’s MSRP for this pen was $75.00 which is much more than I would pay for this pen today.
4. Conclusion (Final score, 51/60) – I like this pen. I have owned it longer than most of my pens for just that reason. If you can get a fair price for this pen, get it.

 

[lowjax]

Very nice review. Now I have to go look at the bay to find one.

 

[syngent]

nice review, we don't see many of these around here