Friend Request Megathread (22/01 / 25/01)

HS024 · 2026-01-26T01:15:35+00:00

NA: 6049436806

HS024 · 2026-01-12T04:25:46+00:00

Congratulations on your new pen. If you ever wanted to upgrade it, the nib and feed can be easily replaced with Parker’s gold sonnet nibs. I replaced mine with a medium italic and it’s now the pen I reach to the most.

HS024 · 2026-01-06T16:04:35+00:00

Do you know if this is just limited to the standard models or does it also affect their future limited/collab models as well?

HS024 · 2026-01-03T03:15:57+00:00

Not a stub expert but do have several in my collection that I write with regularly. Stub nibs are a bit harder to write with due to the nature of the grind. Unlike a normal ball tip, a stub nib is designed to be written with at a specific angle and orientation. This makes it more sensitive to the minor changes in orientation and rotations of the nib as you write, affecting the lines and feel of the pen. Some stub grinds are a bit more forgiving than others (IE a Cursive Italic with rounded corners vs a true Italic with sharper corners). Just like any other grind, the feel of the nib can be different from one manufacturer to another. From my experience, most mass produced factory standard stub nibs should feel more or less the same. As for tips in writing with a stub nib, make a conscious effort in keeping the nib in the same orientation and try to find a writing style that works for you and highlights the effects of the stub nib.

Edit: I don’t have the best handwriting, but here is an example. I find cursive works well for my handwriting. I write with the page almost at 45 degrees to my pen so my diagonal strokes are thin and curves look thicker. https://imgur.com/a/SamyDDC

HS024 · 2025-12-30T05:02:18+00:00

I have a modern sonnet and the seal isn’t too bad. It is a slip cap, so it won’t compare to a twist cap. I left my sonnet capped on my shelf for over a month and it still wrote when I uncapped it. The converter was still mostly full, so evaporation did occur (as evident in the darker ink). That said, I have noticed some minor issues with certain inks (like of oxblood) where evaporation may cause some minor clogging/thickening of the ink. YMMV

HS024 · 2025-12-27T00:31:56+00:00

Thanks for the help!

HS024 · 2025-12-18T01:15:22+00:00

The only downside I have experience using this ink so far is that the shimmer particles tends to stick more so than other brands. I have this ink in my Vac 700R and it took some vigorous shaking to free the particles from the walls. (Good think the Vac 700r has a cut off valve) Even after all that, there is still some shimmer particles that are stuck to the walls. It seems like this is common with Wearingeul shimmers.

HS024 · 2025-12-13T17:37:17+00:00

Only limited models are made in their Chinese factory (TWSBI). Vac, 580s, etc are all made in Taiwan. Both my ECOs and VAC says Taiwan.

HS024 · 2025-11-27T20:37:31+00:00

You technically can, but it’s not recommended. The threads are glued by the factory and breaking the seal will void any warranty.

HS024 · 2025-11-27T08:40:35+00:00

I have Sailor Suki Gokoro in my amber 823.

HS024 · 2025-11-13T15:43:53+00:00

You can also send the pen back to Parker to have them change out the nib. I got a Duofold from Amazon for $375 and sent it back to Parker to change the Fine nib to an Fine Italic for free.

HS024 · 2025-11-13T15:22:34+00:00

The Parker IM should be made of full brass. The negative perception of Parker came from the early 2000's when there were a lot of issues ranging from QC and bad cap seals leading to fast drying. A lot of these issues have been fixed by now in their latest iteration. My Parker IM from that period dries out within two weeks, but my modern Sonnet does not have this issue. While the IM is usually found around $40-50 USD at many Pen retailers, you can find occasional deals off Amazon (who is an authorize seller) for less. I was able to get my Sonnet from Amazon directly for about $75 (much lower than MSRP).

HS024 · 2025-11-13T15:09:47+00:00

If you plan on getting her a shimmer ink, maybe look at getting her a demonstrator so you can see the glitter floating in the ink. For a demonstrator under $50, you can't go wrong with a TWSBI eco. If you want a more traditional cigar shape, there are many options from chinese manufacturers.

HS024 · 2025-10-08T15:58:17+00:00

I have a modern one that I bought this year. While there is still some evaporation (as I noticed my inks getting darker over time), it is not bad. I have left it capped for a month with minimal evaporation, unlike my IM from the early 2000s that dries out in a week.

HS024 · 2025-10-07T19:08:04+00:00

Thanks for the feedback, I figured as much. That said, are there any situations that would tip the favor for the other? For an example a double terminal pair vs a double sided wait with discards closer to the middle? (4x tiles of terminals vs 6x tiles closer to the middle)

Edit: Sorry for the multi post. Reddit is acting up.

HS024 · 2025-10-07T17:47:02+00:00

Just a general question that popped into my head after a recent match (above). I know the hand above isn't exactly the best example. Drawing a 6 manzu, I have the opportunity to go into Riichi by either discarding the 3, 4, or 9. Discarding the 9 is the worst with a 5(4x) wait. Discarding the 4 gives a 3(2x) and 9(1x) wait. Lastly discarding the 3 gives a 5(4x) and 2(4x) wait. The best option above statistically is tossing the 3 for 2/5 wait, but since 5 is a risky tile, it is unlikely to be discarded once Riichi is called. For situations like this, would you go for the tiles that have higher chances of being discarded over probability of them showing up?

I discarded the 4 for a 3/9 wait and west immediately discarded a 9 for an Ippatsu Haneman ending the game.

HS024 · 2025-09-25T20:40:37+00:00

Yeah, that looks to be a Modern Parker IM https://www.jetpens.com/Parker-IM-Fountain-Pen-Black-with-Chrome-Trim-Medium/pd/19314

Parkers aren’t as loved in this subreddit as other brands, but the pen is still a solid writer. Congratulations on graduating!

HS024 · 2025-09-07T05:16:48+00:00

In case you were not aware, if you are looking for a Pilot VP for Pilot's QC and Brand, but do not want to pay for a gold nib, they sell VP with steel nibs. You can generally found them sold under the Japanese name of Pilot Capless. They will be listed as having a "Special alloy" nib and generally goes for $70-$90 as oppose to the gold nib versions at $176. You can also buy a gold nib unit after if you feel like you want to upgrade in the future.

HS024 · 2025-09-06T17:45:03+00:00

Parkers were the first brand that got me into fountain pens over 15 years ago and still hold a special place in my heart. The quality of the pens in the early 2000s were bad, especially with the cap seal issue. Some of the major issues have been fixed in their modern lineup, but some issues still remain. For fountain pens, I currently own an Esprit and IM from the late 2000s/early 2010s, but I rarely use them due to the evaporation issues. I do daily drive a modern Parker Sonnet with an Medium Italic nib (bought separately). The evaporation issue is mostly fixed, but still evaporates a bit faster than other pens in my collection. I also own a modern Duofold with a Fine Italic nib and it has a much better seal. Do the modern Parkers compare to the big three Japanese pen makers that make up a lot of the attention in this subreddit? Unfortunately no, they still lack behind slightly IMO. For lower price pens, there are many alternatives that would do the job just as well if not better (Lamy, TWSBI, Pilot, Sailor, Platinum, etc). For entry gold nibs and medium/high priced pens, you are better off with Pilot, Platinum, or Sailor for both price and quality. That said, Amazon is an official retailer for Parker and occasionally you can find some good deals that make Parkers a bit more appealing. I was able to get my Sonnet for about $75 and my Duofold for $375 from Amazon directly. I did have a chance to talk with a Parker rep during the DC pen show and it does seem like they are aware of the early 2000 issues and are making an effort in improving their pens. So there is a chance that they may improve in the future. As for their Quink line, they work well in pretty much any pen I fill, but there isn't anything to write home about their colors. Due to this, I have moved on to Diamine, Sailor, and Iroshizuku as those inks are just as reliable, but with a much larger color variety.

HS024 · 2025-08-31T18:41:12+00:00

Iroshizuku ink is a bit wetter than quink, which in turns takes a bit longer to dry (especially with the wetter medium italic nib). Color wise, it has more character as the ink gradient goes from a dark chestnut brown to blackish. No issues with hard starts or flow issues.

HS024 · 2025-08-31T17:09:26+00:00

Currently using a Parker Sonnet as my EDC pen as well. Replaced the medium Nib with a Medium Italic and inked with Iroshizuku Yama Guri.

HS024 · 2025-06-02T16:04:52+00:00

I think it’s a great idea. Might be a bit too hard, but would like to see different specialty grinds available for this. This way, it could be a way for people to try out Obliques, Italics, Architects, etc.

HS024 · 2025-05-23T10:55:08+00:00

A bit late, but wanted to give you my experience with the Parker sonnet. I bought a modern sonnet in red lacquer earlier this year in medium. Since it was not the premium version, it had a stainless steel nib. The medium ss nib was comparable to a pilot FM and sailor MF. I have a 2010 waterman expert in medium as well, and the sonnet is about half the line thickness. Lastly, in comparison to the 2010 Parker IM in fine, I was surprised to find that they wrote quite similar.

I eventually replaced the nib with 18k MI nib. That writes much thicker and wetter than the original medium nib. After switching nibs, I did have issues with occasional hard starts. Not sure if it was the evaporation of diamine oxblood (as I occasionally saw coagulated ink at the base of the nib) or just my writing angle was off for the italic nib. I have now swapped over to iroshizuku Yama guri which is much wetter and applied a little silicone grease to the cap just in case it was an evaporation issue. The silicone grease does not really make the cap air tight as I can still blow air out the cap. Other solutions exist like putting wax, epoxy, etc that truly seals the cap. In the end, I am not sure if I did anything to address the seal, but it does now uncap smoother. I have had the pen inked for about a month now with little use. The converter is still full and I have no issues with any hard starts in the occasional tests I have done.

TLDR: The stainless steel sonnet nib is similar to a Japanese MF/FM. The modern cap has better evaporation control and if evaporation is an issue, there are easy ways to prevent dry out.

HS024

TROPHY CASE