I received this pen as a gift. It is a wonderful writing instrument. It looks great and the ink flows very well over the page. I am using the converter that came with the pen to use the bottled ink so don't know how the Parker cartridges work.
Writing with a fountain pen is very different from writing with a ball point pen. This kit includes a little manual on how to write with one properly. Parker Urban Black Matte GT Medium Point Fountain Pen Kit - 1760841
Pros: Out of the box the pen looks great, nice silhouette black with gold accents. The instruction manual teaches you how to write, use the converted cartridge, and how to clean the pen in an easy to understand manner. The pen feels great to write with, though it feels a bit back-heavy if you write with the cap on the back. The size of marks is about the same as a Bic ballpoint pen, so not too big. Overall it feels great to hold, the finish is semi-rubbery and fingerprint proof.
Cons: The cap is push-on, not twist-on, my personal preference is twist, if you don't care this is not a real con. The converter cartridge feels cheap, and is "direct plunger" not twist action, meaning you have to physically pull up the plunger to draw ink into the pen, again just personal preference. Compared to higher models it does feel, and look, cheap on the inside, but you can't expect $100+ quality in a pen that basically costs $25. Sometimes when I've just refilled the cartridge, the ink will come out a bit grainy, but wrote fine after settling for a bit.
If you are looking for a good first fountain pen that will still feel ten times better than a "20 for 5$" pen at wal-mart go for it, this is a great starter. But if your looking to upgrade from almost anything, consider saving up some cash and going for an expensive model parker, montblanc.. ect.
First, I would like to point out that I am fairly new to fountain pens, so read this with that information in mind. But overall, this is a fantastic kit for everything a person would need to truly enjoy the use of a fountain pen.
Lets talk about the pen itself first. The pen almost has a metal-like quality feel to it, and it does have some weight to it for a pen. I like these qualities since it gives the pen an overall high-quality look and feel to it, especially with the gold accents around the pen. The nib is a medium nib, which writes the same as an average sized ball-point pen, maybe a bit larger. The pen writes very smooth compared to non-fountain pens, especially coming from a college student who has used just about every pen made. The pen glides over normal paper effortlessly when using the bottled ink, and there is no scratchy noise during writing. I have not used the cartridges, so I don't know how they write, but its nice that the kit includes them. The only complaints I have, and they are purely personal taste, is that the cap does not screw on and that placing the cap on the back of the pen makes it feel a little top-heavy and off-balanced.
The ink that comes in the kit is very nice. It has an extremely fast dry time, almost instantly, so there is no chance of smudging the writings (that is with common lined notebook paper too). It writes a very dark black at first, but ends up drying a little less darker than a deep black. The best part is that the kit comes with the converter so you can instantly use the ink out of the bottle.
All in all, this is a fantastic kit that I would recommend to anyone looking for a nice kit to start into fountain pens and would make a great gift. While it is not nearly as expensive as a Waterman or Mont Blanc, the pen is still a great low-cost pen that maintains a high-quality feel.
This was my first fountain pen (out of two, and the second one is garbage), so bear that in mind ;)
I think this pen provides a good first entry for adults into the world of fountain pens. The medium nib will help teach the user how a fountain pen should be written with while taking some abuse, and will introduce the user to the joys of fine writing. If you do give it too much abuse, you also don't have to worry about losing out on an expensive pen. And, for being a starter pen, it looks fairly good too ;)
The only real complaint I have with the package is the converter. The straight-piston style is a pain to use, and from other discussion on the converter I understand that I was fairly lucky to get 8 months out of it. For around 8-10USD you can pick up a twist/screw style converter that should last longer and will be easier to use. If you decide to get one, make sure to get one manufactured by Parker, as different pen companies use different standards (therefore won't fit). Of course this isn't an issue if you decide to use the cartridges instead.
The whole package is a nice set, but the pen itself isn't my favorite. It doesn't write as nicely as my Lamy Safari, but few pens do. I like the bottled ink, but the ink in the cartridges is way too light for my taste. The converter is nice and worked well. - Fountain Pen - Vector - Fountain Pens - Parker'
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