Parker Jotter Fountain Pen Review
The Parker Jotter’s simplistic yet refined design is enough to coax anyone into at least consider purchasing it, but is it a worthwhile pen to own?
In our Parker Jotter fountain pen review, we take a look to see if it’s worth the money. We analyze this pen in terms of its looks, performance, ink reservoir, price, and, most importantly, who the pen is best suited to.
Parker Jotter Fountain Pen (Our Review)
Overall Assessment
Parker is a company that’s been in business for a while; since 1888 in fact. With the latest addition to their pen collection, they took a more vintage approach in terms of its looks and length.
The Parker Jotter fountain pen is a new take on an old design. It draws its inspiration from Parker’s classic Jotter ballpoint pens. They’re made from the same material, and share the same shape with a similar length.
The pen has a small grip section, which will work for you if you have especially small hands or if you’re used to working with a compact ballpoint pen or rollerball pens. While its small stature doesn’t leave it completely unusable, people who are more used to larger fountain pens would probably have a hard time using this pen comfortably.
Struggling to grip the body of the pen while you write with it will quickly lead to sore and tired hands, and it will make your writing experience more of a pain than anything else.
With its compact size and affordable price, it’s reasonable to assume that this is an entry-level pen, meant for those who are just beginning their transition from ballpoint pens to fountain pens. It’s also lighter than most fountain pens, which is a telltale sign of a beginner-friendly device.
Lighter pens tend to be favored by newer users as they have to adjust to the feel of working with the specialized nib. But experienced writers who’ve become accustomed to using heavy pens might struggle to get the ink flowing from this pen properly.
Like all Parker fountain pens, it comes in a snazzy box which is ideal to use as a gift for the special writer in your life. We all know someone who’d get a kick out of a special pen for their birthday or Christmas gift.
This fountain pen provides a decent enough writing experience pen for beginners and old users alike. While certain things may not be up to standard for most fountain pen enthusiasts, it’s still good to have as a first pen or for those looking for something that’s easy to carry around and writes well.
Pros
- Compact
- Affordable
- Has a snap cap
- Cap posts comfortably
Cons
- Uses proprietary cartridges
Detailed Analysis
Design
The Parker Jotter fountain pen has a slim design and is lightly weighted. It weighs just over half an ounce when capped, and when it’s uncapped it weighs around a third of an ounce, including the weight of a full cartridge.
The cap, clip, nib, and barrel are all made of stainless steel with chrome trim accents that highlight Parker’s attention to detail and focus on aesthetic design.
The barrel comes in a variety of colors including red, blue, black, and silver. There’s enough of a choice that you can customize your next fountain pen to suit your needs and style perfectly.
It has a slim profile that tapers slightly towards the end to the finial. It’s reminiscent of Orthodox Greek architecture, drawing inspiration from structures like St. Peter’s Basilica.
It has a snap cap, so the stainless steel cap posts firmly in place on top of the nib and grip section. While the pen posts on the barrel as well, though there is no mechanism to keep it in place. When posted, it adds length to the pens’ otherwise small steel body and balances the weight out nicely.
The modernized clip has the Parker arrows running down it, with a dulled arrowhead as the clasp. They can come in one of 2 colors: stainless steel or gold-plated stainless steel.
Filling System
The Parker Jotter fountain pen can use both a cartridge and a converter filling system. The catch is that it takes proprietary cartridges. This means that it isn’t compatible with standard international-sized cartridges, which can make finding replacements and refills a hassle.
Instead, it uses ink cartridges that are made specifically by Parker. Depending on where you made your purchase, you’ll get the blue ink cartridges for free. This helps save you the trouble of having to search for one in a compatible size, but you’ll eventually have to find a local supplier who can keep you stocked up on ink.
There’s also the option of using bottled ink and a converter as the filling system. You’ll need to find a cartridge converter that’s compatible with the Parker Jotter, which can be bought directly from Parker’s online store page.
Performance
The grip is made out of smooth black plastic. It’s a bit lengthier than fountain pen grip sections usually are which makes it easier to hold onto, especially if you’ve got larger hands. The lengthier grip area is another similarity that this pen shares with its ballpoint counterparts.
The stainless steel medium nib is rounded and feather-shaped with a plastic feed. It has the Parker arrows and name brand engraved into it.
A medium nib is a great place to start for fledgling fountain pen writers as it gives you a good amount of line variation without having to put too much pressure on the pen.
It writes fairly smoothly as Parker nibs have always been known for their exceptional quality and ink flow. Though like many fountain pens, it might have some skipping within the first few times using it. This can be caused by dirt or air bubbles in the feed from the manufacturing process, and it can be easily flushed out.
Unfortunately for those with small handwriting, the Parker Jotter is only available with a medium nib. This will cause the lines of your characters to blend together and your writing will lack proper definition.
While the nib writes smoothly enough for an entry-level fountain pen, the flow of the ink could be better. The words written with this pen will be noticeably light, and not due to the type of ink used. It’s likely that the ink flow isn’t very powerful, which is what causes the words to appear lighter in color.
Price
The Parker Jotter fountain pen is available for an affordable price point, further cementing it as a great choice for beginners. You can pick up your own Parker Jotter for around $20, which is significantly less than you’d pay for some of their other options.
Parker’s warranty is a reflection of the manufacturer’s trust in their work, and with a warranty of 2 years, it’s safe to assume that the manufacturers do indeed have faith in their work.
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