ParkerUrban Fountain Pen, Vibrant Magenta, Fine Nib with Blue Ink Refill (1931599)

Like some of the other reviews on this pen, I had experienced alarmingly bad performance, such as skipping upon its first couple of days of short entries in my notebook. I was scared that my money was wasted on what looked like a great investment for a newbie like me, but I gave the pen a little love and care (tried adjusting by prying the nib apart just a little), as well as giving it some good ink (Iroshizuku Take-sumi), and it writes wonderfully. I can't stop using this pen, I love it. I also bought and installed the cartridge that it DOESN'T come with. What a shame.Because of the extra effort I put into this pen, can't help but enjoy writing almost everyday with it. I would love to give it five stars now, but because of the hassle to getting it to write properly, I can't say that I would recommend it with the way it's sold. But, if you are willing to fork out more money to buy a descent bottled ink and the DARN EXPENSIVE PROPRIETARY CARTRIDGE CONVERTER, then this will surely give you at least a great writing experience.PLEASE ADJUST AT YOUR OWN RISK if you do plan on fixing the nib if there are any problems from the start.

I bought this a few months ago. Every other pen I've purchased (Cross, Pilot, other brands) seem to work very reiliably. This pen won't write most of the time. If it sits for more than a couple days (yes, the cap is on right,) it stops writing. Sometimes it'll start up with just a few minutes of fiddling with it. This last time, I tried getting it to write for about 5 minutes before giving up. It's a really nice looking pen, so it's a disappointment that it's not working. Especially since it costs at least double some of the other pens I have.Some things I've tried:Rinsing the nib in cold water, drying throughly, then refilling with inkExamined the places where the ink will flow and making sure they're free from clogs and debrisStill doesn't work.

Can't say I am very happy with this pen. Writing is not very smooth - not horrible but it does skip occasionally. In addition has nib creep (ink blotch on the surface of the nib) with Parker brand ink. Does not come with a twist fill converter (additional $8).In comparison, a $20 Dryden pen feels better, does not have nib creep and comes already with a twist fill converter, so it is a much better value as far as budget pens are concerned.============================================Update: contacted Parker and they sent me a new pen - looks like my first pen was defective. New one has no nib creep and writes much smoother, so I really don't have any complaints about it. Writes a bit smoother than the Dryden referenced about so overall I think it is actually a good value for the money.

This is a beautiful pen. I read the reviews of it stop working after some time, and while I took that under consideration, I thought it might be likely due to improper use or storage. Sadly, the previous reviews of the pen not writing after a day of no use is correct. This is painful, as the pen feels excellent in the hand and is quite handsome, but if it does not function - it is merely a paperweight. I tried cleaning the nib, and making sure the keep the pen upright overnight, in the desperate hope that maybe that would resolve it not working, but alas, it did not work. Parker - please fix this. Such a beautiful pen should work. Again, when it does write - it is a great pen to write with.

There were not many reviews online for the updated Urban Fountain pen. Reviews for the original body/nib type were pretty negative. I'm very happy I bought this pen. It is a perfect weight, diameter for me and well balanced. It is long enough to use unposted but posts well. The nib is quirky looking, maybe a little broader for a fine than what I prefer, but it is a smooth writer. The pen is beautiful to look at and substantially made. My only knock is it should come with a converter and doesn't.

This Parker pen is superb in every respect. This pen is very comfortable in your hand, the ink flow is consistent across hours of writing, and the pen, with its matte black finish, is beautiful. Refiling the pen is smooth and not the least bit messy. I highly recommend the Parker pen to everyone considering a fountain pen.

Well made for an affordable, everyday use fountain pen. I was a regular user of fountain pens for several years and then got out of the habit. Was looking for a pen for a gift for someone else, and thought this looked like a good way to get back into it. I write a lot in my work, and sometimes in my personal life, and like a nice pen to write with. This performs well, though it took me a little time to reacclimate, and I like it a lot. The semi-gloss black feels good and looks nice. The pen is easy to hold and write with (once you get the angle right). It flows well, though sometimes I have a hard time getting it started. This seems to have more to do with me as a writer and getting used to a fountain pen again, since it has gotten better over time, and it also better when using higher quality, heavier paper.

I'm not sure if it's the one I got but this pen is beyond frustrating to deal with. Basically anytime a new cartridge is inserted the difficulty level to cause the new ink to flow is worse than I can describe. The scribbling that I've had to do to cause new ink flow is so bad I think I ended up scratching the nib. So now I have a rough nib piece of junk fountain pen. Stay away from this fountain pen. You can buy pleanty others with the same money for much higher quality.

This newer version of the Parker Urban fountain pen is reputedly a big improvement over the earlier more 'sculptural' one which had issues with the nibs. First impressions are of a good quality, nicely designed pen which performs well.It is a medium sized pen, with a heavy all-metal construction (except for the nib holder). This gives it nice weight and balance, allowing good control. The snap cap fits the pen positively and will post on the pen and it may improve balance, giving less pressure on the nib. However, this results in a little less 'precision'. Posting the cap requires some pressure to sit firmly with a satisfying click. The good weight of the pen means that it doesn't waggle around like all-plastic pens often do. The matt finish and chrome/steel fittings give a traditional appearance bordering on unexciting. Overall, it is a fairly comfortable pen to use if you like small to medium sized ones. My personal preference is for a larger diameter pen than this for long essays (I have 'normal' size hands).The small fine/medium nib is steel and has virtually no flex, giving a solid, even, but largely characterless stroke much like a fibre-tip or gel pen. It writes well with no pressure at all on the nib; pressing it just puts more ink down. Ink flow is on the wet side (good) with no skipping or hard/dry starts even after a week of no use. It is quite smooth - not the smoothest - and there is some 'feedback' while writing on normal paper. Smoothness improves with use. It is supplied with a cartridge: Parker converters fit tightly.The Urban doesn't carry any markings to indicate where it is made, so my inference is that it is sourced from China (it has some resemblance to a Parker IM which is definitely made in China) . That is not a negative point in any way: many Chinese pens perform exceptionally well. It is better made than, say, most Jinhao pens (which are nevertheless very good).Summary: a good pen for the price and excellent value if it can be bought discounted. Recommended. Take the negative review from people who don't bother to leanr how to use and maintain a fountain pen - they would complain that wooden pencils don't stay sharp!

By comparing this 'Urban' pen with my older 'Cross' fountain pen I can only surmise that Parker are further ahead with this technology - I found the quietly elegant appearence of the pen underlines a complex, 'ergonmically sound' design; I love the balance of the pen, the pen grip distance from the nib, the satisfying metallic weight of the pen (with the cap placed snugly at the end of the barrel) - all of which serve to support accurate, expressive and smooth writing.The superior (cf 'Cross') writing experience improves with the quality of the paper used, but this is a minor point for me as I had excellent results on both a 'pukka jotta pad' and my journal.The flow of ink through the fine nib is managed signicantly better than my outgoing 'Cross' fountain pen - the colour of the ink can now be better appreciated and the ink lasts longer, compartively. The fine nib provides a sharp, clean yet vivid writing experience with the stainless steel nib underpinning a smooth, free-flowing writing style. I clean my own regularly before refilling the cartridge, as such I rarely have a patchy ink flow experience. When I haven't used the open for several days I do have to press slightly (and I do mean slightly) harder to invigorate the ink flow, but once it starts flowing I haven't experienced any problems.In an age where we are remembering how to better protect our planet, a fountain pen makes sense.When I purchased the pen it was available at a modest discount, which gives an acceptable cost/performance ratio - for me. I use it with a dedicated, twist action, refillable cartridge and Parker's blue/black ink.I have updated this review (Dec 2020) after using the pen frequently over the past year. So far it's still proving to be a lovely experience and, when writing, I genuinely get a little thrillas I use my Parker Urban fountain pen.Heartily recommended, a year on.

Pen looks fab - Unfortunately that's the only good point. Ink flow is so hit and miss it makes the pen unusable. Very disappointed, feel like I've totally wasted my money. This is the second Parker pen I've bought that this has happened with.Have since got a Waterman fountain pen at a similar cost and what a difference! Great ink flow all the time! I won't be going back to Parker any time soon.

This arrived very promptly & so far, I love it. I have pink Parker cartridges and the pen itself is a really lovely rich raspberry colour. It's lovely to use and the ink flow has been great so far. It's a beautiful thing and great value for a well balanced, solid feeling pen. It has a fine nib, which is exactly what I was after.

I often receive compliments from people who usually look stunned, before asking how much I paid for it. The ink is very good quality although since buying new ink (cheap black Parker cartridges) the ink dries up frequently, although this is probably the fault of the ink rather than the fountain pen.