Parker Urban Fountain Pen, London Cab Black, Fine Nib with Blue Ink Refill (1931596)

Feb 2015: I've posted a picture of the Parker Urban (it's capped....don't have one uncapped showing the nib). It's really a beautifully styled pen. I really like the matte black. This is a really great starter set for someone interested in getting more involved with fountain pens over the cheaper disposable "Varsity" or other lower end fountain pens. I'm one of those newbies.....having not used a fountain pen since elementary school back in the early 70's when all of us kids would buy the pen/cartridge sets off the shelf for a couple of bucks.I bought this kit along with a Jinhao x450 fountain pen. I really love the matte black Urban that came with this set. I haven't seen this pen sold individually here in the US....only on European pen sites (for 35-45 dollars). I don't know why...this pen is really beautiful! The picture for the set doesn't do the pen itself justice. It's really a very attractive moderately priced pen...and it feels like a more costly pen.The set itself comes with a bottle of ink that sells for around 10 bucks here on Amazon, 4 ink cartridges, and most importantly, a converter so you can use the bottled ink. Heck, 5 ink cartridges sell for $5 on amazon...you get 4 cartridges plus the converter (a $5-7 value for the economy type converter found in the kit). So ink bottle, cartridges, converter = $10+$5+$5 =$20, and then throw in the Urban. Go look at the Urbans here on Amazon and you will see they are priced at $45+. The matte black Urban found in this set doesn't have any engraving like other Urbans but it does come with with gold trim which is distinctive.The nib and inner workings for all the Urbans are based on the Parker IM's which sell from about $25 and up. But the distinctive look of the Urbans is what ups the price. Overall, this is a very well priced kit with everything you need and more.Writing with the pen is very smooth and I didn't get any skipping. Compared to the much cheaper Jinhao X450, the Urban is a bit drier...but still wet enough that is doesn't skip. The line is also finer than that with the Jinhao although both are labeled as having a "medium" nib. I should say that the nib on the Urban (all Urbans) is not changeable while the Jinhao nib can be changed out...a plus for the Jinhao. But the writing line with the Urban is very similar to what you would get with a standard ballpoint pen...not too thick, not to thin. The Jinhao on the other hand is more of a bold line and much wetter using the same ink. Drying time with the Urban is very quick which helps prevent running and smears while the Jinhoa takes much longer to dry because of the amount of ink it lays down and bold line. I much prefer the Urban over the Jinhao both in writing and in it's unique style.You could buy ink ($10) and the Pilot Metropolitan ($15 and comes with a converter) for about $25, or the Parker IM plus ink, plus a converter for $40, or go for this kit. I think the uniqueness of the pen itself, the 4 extra ink cartridges, ink converter, and ink make this set head and shoulders above, a better value, and a better investment than other two mid-level type pens.Dec 2015 update: Still love this pen/set! Since Feb I have bought a number of fountain pens...from $5 - $60. Amazingly, all the fountain pens function great. I would still recommend this set just so you get everything together. But I don't use the cartridges...just the pen and ink bottle. So as explained above, you could just buy the bottle of ink....I think it is about $7.00 now along with a Jinhao fountain pen for $6-9 and have something very similar for about $15-$18. But a gift set like the Urban is convenient for the beginner. I don't think can go wrong, either way

I have collected a few fountain pens over time, but remain an amateur user, the occasional writer, no expert. Still, I appreciate the look of a personal note, card or letter, particularly when done with a fountain pen. I have always had a bias for Parkers, and as a kid was "allowed" to use my parents' Parker 51's with supervision. But apart from my old Vector that never seemed to feel quite right, and that I had to constantly clean it because I neglected it (cleaning, storage, etc), I decided to get serious by getting a contemporary Parker fountain pen.This Urban GT set is ideal as a first fountain pen, or as a one-and-only, in that it comes with 2 pair of cartridges (blue & black), a decent bottle of Parker Quink (black) and a converter for refilling. Together this is about par purchasing all these items separately as compared to this kit, and these are most likely items you'd buy anyway to get up and running... writing. The companion "How to Write..." booklet offered small and few pages, only one on holding your pen and nothing further about "how to write" with it. I guess some things are so obvious nothing more need be offered. The kit remains a bargain all the same.I have learned, with my earlier 3 "inexpensive" (aka,low-end) fountain pens, that penmanship and your choice of writing instruments is a personal thing, some pens seem great and others not so much. Everyone needs to make a start, and work from there.This Urban GT seems to offer very nice middle of the road characteristics: weight is comfortable, the neck area is a nice size for my average sized men's paw -- has a nice Goldilocks "bulge" right where you typically grip a pen, not too big and not too small, not too forward, not too far back. Pen balance is therefore pleasant, it's easy to hold, though I prefer to have the cap off rather than the extra weight. Ink flow began right away, and I discovered that a lighter touch (on generic notebook paper) eliminated my oncoming finger cramping and some nib scratching. I'm definitely in need of practice. The pen is smooth on the paper.The medium nib seems closer to a fine point for me, but will be/is a good first choice. Pen is easy to load. I purchased a twist-style converter as it looks like it will hold more ink than the piston style that came with the set. I relegated the piston converter to my old Vector, and it works quite well.Finally: I recently found one of my parent's Parker 51's, a survivor of over 6 decades, the last half being buried in boxes and cold storage. A thorough cleaning and this beauty was back in business, remarkable. I decided then and there to keep the '51 functional, but only for special occasions, and to get my own daily Parker to learn on. So my point is that my new Urban feels pretty familiar to the classic '51, not quite as smooth, and not the classic retro look. But a shiny new Parker 51 can be had for about $1200, so I highly recommend this Parker Urban kit. I don't think you can go wrong, says this fountain noobie.

Einfach toll das aussehen des Füller ist super sieht aus alls hätte man Autolack verwendet. Ich habe gesehen das es auch einen Kugelschreiber gibt den werde ich auch noch bestellen

Un excelente bolígrafo. Es mi primera pluma fuente y debo decir que funciona increíble, no es para nada difícil escribir con ella o mantenerla (he visto este tipo de bolígrafos con los que hay que escribir en un ángulo específico o solo dañas el papel, que se chorrean o se seca muy rápido la tinta dentro del bolígrafo). El diseño es muy elegante y cómodo. Un buen inicio para adentrarse en el mundo de las plumas fuente. Absolutamente recomendado.

Llegó incompleto faltaban una pieza

Excelente plumaGran escritura

Me encanta mi pluma! El color que tiene es muy bonito y la calidad de la escritura es excelente. Se desliza suavemente por el papel. Lo único que no me gusta es que el clip del capuchón (tapa) tiene una manufactura de baja calidad. Tengo otras plumas Parker, más viejas, y el clip con la forma de flecha está bien hecho, con un bonito relieve. Este clip tiene formas apenas grabadas, lo que acorrienta un poco la pluma en mi opinión.La pluma sería más que perfecta si incluyeran el convertidor. Me costó trabajo encontrarlo. De todas formas, me gusta mucho!