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The Parker 45 was intoduced in 1960 as Parker’s first ever cartridge/converter pen, claiming that it was “as easy to fill as a .45”, hence the name. It is a very nicely built pen and generally considered to be very reliable and pretty inexpensive, making it a fantastic option for a first vintage pen.

The Design

The 45 came in tons of colors, designs, materials, and nib options. The standard model featured a strong plastic body with a brushed steel cap, shiny steel arrow clip, and steel nib. There was also a GT model, with the same body, but the cap had a gold filled clip and finial, and the nib was made out of 14k gold. These two are the most common models, and you can check out the rest of them here. The pen fits very well into the 50s style sleek space-y design like other vintage Parker pens.

One of my absolute most favorite things about the 45 is how incredibly simple it is to clean. The nib, feed, and nib collar are very easy to remove, and the c/c system can be flushed via a bulb syringe for a very simple and easy cleaned. I fully cleaned the entire pen (moving from a dark ink to a light ink) in about 3 minutes.

The Feel

The 45 has a slender footprint. It is relatively long (about as long as a Parker 51, longer than a Vacumatic Major), but it is still pretty thin. It isn’t the longest pen for sure, and the section is still about as thick (maybe a bit thicker) than an Esterbrook J’s section.

The pen feels very nice in the hand. The smooth body has no step, so you can grip it just about wherever you like. I personally love the way Parker smoothly integrated caps on the 51, 45, 61, etc.

The standard model is somewhat light, but the insignia and flighter models are heavier. The Coronet models are about the same weight as the standard models, and the CT and Arrow are both lighter than the standard models.

The Writing Experience

Parker 45s provide an incredible writing experience for the price that they are sold. The 14k nib is soft (though you shouldn’t try to flex it) and beautifully smooth. I find most of them to be quite wet as well, making the thicker nib sizes to be one of my favorite pens to use shading inks in. The steel nibs are stiffer, but provide a similarly smooth and wet writing experience.

Concluding Thoughts

I love the 45. A lot. If you are looking for a new vintage pen to sink your wallet in (or possibly collect), look no further than the 45. They are pretty cheap, reliable, and fantastic pens that come in tons of finishes to appeal to whatever style your heart desires.

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