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Missing a week, still metal, and a Falcon with no Snowman.
Kaweco AL-Sport with Sailor Massachusetts
Pilot Decimo with Pelikan 4001 Konigsblau
Karas Fountain K with Sailor Studio 460
Parker 50 Falcon with Waterman Violet
There was no post last week. I posted every week for 3 straight months and last week was the first time I didn’t make the push to publish. I was annoyed with myself because I didn’t want to break the chain I’d built, short as it was. I’m in the initial phase of a new position at work and perhaps the changes there have taken me out of what was an established groove in other areas. In any case, we’re back today.
Gone from two weeks ago: Parker 25 and Pilot Quatro.
Still fielding an all metal-bodied roster. The Decimo came back for work and the Parker Falcon is new from eBay.
Sleek, smooth, looks fast when it’s standing still. All things I think when I look at the Parker 50 Falcon, especially in Flighter trim.
The Falcon’s most notable feature is the integral nib. You don’t see many pen models with nibs integral to the section.
Parker had the famous T1, an integral nib pen made of titanium, in 1970. T1 fountain pens were very costly to make and fragile, so they were only in the catalog for a year or so before discontinuation. It’s hard to imagine what the average pen user would have thought about something made from titanium 53 years ago. These days, lots of stuff is made from titanium and it still has cachet for use in consumer products – just look at Apple’s marketing of the new iPhone 15 Pro — but back then? Must have seemed otherworldly to have such a thing in your pocket.
At the end of the 1978 Parker came back with the integral nib design on the Falcon. No titanium this time, everything was steel. Falcons were made until 1982. Longer than the T1 but, in the grand scheme of Parker’s history, that’s not much of a run. There were two matte finishes, brown and black, and a gold-filled Signet body offered as well.
What about other integral pens? The Pilot Myu/Murex/M90 family is pretty much it. Loving Pilot as much as I love Parker, I figure I’ll have one of them someday. I think Hero has made pens with integral nibs but I don’t know anything about them.
Imagine that ground to a needle point. It'd be Concorde-esque.
The cap says made in USA, but inside there is an English made converter. The engraving on the barrel has a European date format.
P.R.F. 23.1.'79
The surprise to me about the Falcon is its size. Here are some side-by-side shots with other Parkers.
(L-R) Parker VP, 61, 75, Falcon, Rialto, 45, Sonnet, 25
The Falcon has a similar profile to the 45 but it’s thinner. The section looks matte but feels quite smooth and slick. Combined with the narrow diameter and tapering shape, that makes for a less assured grip. The 45’s plastic section feels glued in my hand compared to the Falcon at times. I find myself adjusting my finger position back and my writing angle up with the Falcon to better balance the barrel against the side of my hand.
Parker Falcon & 45
Parker 45 & Falcon
Parker Falcon
Parker 45
It does not look like a big difference in size but it matters. The Rialto’s grip may be closer to the Falcon in overall size. The lack of taper on its straight cylindrical section makes the Rialto more consistent to hold, though, despite being so thin.
Parker Falcon & Rialto
The Falcon’s nib is a medium with generous tipping and it writes well, although I’ve noticed the look and shape of the integral nib against white paper can make it tricky to see exactly how the tip is oriented to the paper for axial rotation. I’m glad to have the Falcon because I love the integral design but there’s more adjustment to using it than I anticipated.
Maybe a post about my daily work carry setup covering writing tools, notebooks, accessories, and all the pouches they get carried in. Anyone want to see that?
