I have indescribably bad handwriting. Always have had, perhaps always will, Him indoors, before he was ‘indoors’ used to find my letters lasted for ages, because he took that long to decipher them in his submarine. But, in spite of my shortcomings, I have an absolute passion for fountain pens, and really good ballpoint and rollerballs.
Every time Random House bring out a book of mine I buy myself a fountain pen as a good girl reward. So to try the Parker Urban fountain pen has been a real treat. It feels good in the hand, and flows. There’s nothing more irritating that a new pen that produces words that look like spiders crawling across the page, and a nib that seems to scratch across the paper.
Parker Urban has a curved design and range of finishes, and really lives up to the good name of Parker. Each pen is crafted to complement personal style, (don’t know I’d say complement my style, but it’s certainly lovely to write with, or so I found, and is a smooth easy ‘ride’). The Core range offers fresh and energetic colours which include London Black Cab and Vibrant Magenta, and is also available in satin or glossy Black lacquer finishes. Go on, Santa, you can slip this into a little niche under the tree, easy peasy. A fair swap for a mince pie left on the mantelpiece.
RRP:£75, www.parkerpen.com/en-GB
There are many others to choose from. What about:
The Parker IM with its clean lines and elegant finishes, and would, I think, appeal to someone about to embark on a new job, or set off for uni. Available in fountain, ballpoint and rollerball, it’s something I would give to one of the grandchildren.
RRP: £20-£60, www.parkerpen.com/en-GB
The Parker Ingenuity combines breakthrough technology with bold design, PARKER launches the new Ingenuity Deluxe range – engineered for those always one step ahead of the latest innovation. Parker Ingenuity’s Deluxe range uses the brand’s pioneering patented 5th technology – so named as it offers an innovative fifth mode of writing, offering an alternative to the fountain pen, ball point, roller ball and the mechanical pencil.
RRP:£215, www.parkerpen.com/en-GB
Find out more at: http://www.parkerpen.com/en-GB