Great video, thoroughly enjoyed, am so excited to get hold of a Frontier, having used one through uni. My midnight blue vintage Sonnet is the best pen I have by a mile, it can be left for a week or two, and will start and write perfectly. Great video.
@@WaskiSquirrel appreciate the reply, and I'm really enjoying your videos, The Frontier arrived in a sealed pack, it feels really nice, better than some I have. Saving up for my grail pen it was a worthy distraction.
I always enjoy pen comparison videos like these. This was right up my alley, because I have both pens, and I swear I’ve occasionally compared the two myself. And wondered about the marked price difference. To be sure, I have the steel nibbed Somnet, too. I’ve often wished to have the 18k gold one, but then declined to buy one. To me, the Sonnet feels even slightly slimmer in the hand than it looks compared to the Frontier. In my experience, Parker nibs (steel or gold) invariably appear to write slightly wider than their designated size. Same with my two pens, but the Frontier’s F nib writes a little wider (and drier) than my Sonnet’s F. Both the nibs are nicely smooth but have definite feedback; the Frontier’s is clearly more feedback-y on my pen. It really does come down to the material, build quality, appearances and all round feel in the hand. The Sonnet appears slightly but definitely the superior pen, overall. The Frontier does very much feel like a brass metal pen after all, with a lacquered finish to make it look a lot nicer. The Sonnet is better on that count. But not at the real world price difference that exists between the two pens. To be perfectly honest, I actually think the Frontier could be very fairly priced at over $30. And the Sonnet definitely under $100 (say, $90). I’ve rambled, I know. Heck, I quite like both the pens. They write very well, no doubting that much. Many thanks for this Parker pens’ face-off. I reckon one could easily find similar relevant comparisons between a few of the modern Sheaffer models, too.
I may be doing some more comparison videos this fall. It seems like a good idea. I did not see or feel much difference between the two pens. Both seemed to be good writers, though the Frontier had a cheaper feel. To be fair, the click of capping was better on the Frontier. Both are good writers. And I'm not sure where I stand on them.
I enjoy these comparisons mainly when there is no clear answer on which is the best. I find it all the time. Most pen (other things also) comparisons show different things that may not be better than the other, just different. And this is case. I can't say which one of these pens is better but I can say they share a lot. I have to say that my favourite is the Frontier. Such a favourite to a point I started collecting all the variations of the model. So I have 23 different Frontier and 2 different Sonnet. I think there are different ideas behind the pens: the Frontier is a kind of a school pen, made in many different colours, 19 of them in plastic, and planned to be collectible in a time when these kind of collections weren't around - colourful inexpensive pens like TWSBI Eco, Kaweco Sport, Lamy Safari. The Sonnet is a "serious" pen, to have some status. You have the Indian made Frontier, which has a plain plastic section. The non-Indian versions had that section covered in rubber. That being said, the rubber could deteriorate with time and look less pleasant, but it was nice to hold the pen and in some colours (like the Chromaflair) that rubber even had colours. Another thing you mention is the click when capping. The Frontier has a very strong click but with use (my father has one he uses almost daily) that will tear the cap appart. The inner capp is connected to the top of the cap, and after some years of using it, when you pull the cap it will pull the top of the cap inside, as it was sunken. The Sonnet is much more perfect, nicer materials but not as fun. If I had to compare them with the Parker 51 times... The Sonnet would be the 51 and the Frontier the 21. Some concept, differente materials and details. About the slide converter... it was made to fit into pens that are too slim to fit the older piston converter, such as the Parker 180 or the Classic. There are 2 versions of the piston converter, very hard to tell apart if you are not holding both at the same time. The most recent one is slimmer and I believe it will fit in those slim pens. It is not a matter of length but diameter. Sorry for the long, long, long comment. But I enjoyed the video a lot and I like these Parkers so much that I even watched it twice before commenting.
I should have turned to you before I filmed this video! And I agree that the Frontier is a great pen. My first Frontier had the rubber section and I had bad experience with those. Good to know how the click will affect the pen in the long term. I've wondered about that...even if it's bad news. Thank you for the explanation of the slide converter: I haven't found a pen that both don't fit.
I've had 2 Frontiers and have a Sonnet. I didn't miss the Frontiers when the barrel snapped on one, and the cap got dinged too badly on the other. No big deal. You'll be prying the Sonnet from my cold dead hands. It's more comfortable in my hand and passes your disappear in the hand test for me. The Frontier didn't.
Aloha Jason! Excellent comparison, although I don't own either models. Are you sure the nib in the Frontier is not a fine? I'm sure I saw a (F) when you showed the underside of the feed. Have a wonderful weekend. Mahalo from Kauai, Hawaii. Thomas
Nice job! Always wanted the Sterling “chiseled” Sonnet, but now that I have acquired a 1970 Parker 75 with the same finish that writes great and is comfortable to use I’ve decided not to bother about the Sonnet. Great “comparo” video, Thanks.
Difficult to draw any conclusions from this comparison. I think it shows the Frontier is an excellent pen for the price. Had both nibs been either a Fine or a Medium the writing samples would be even closer. I think the girth and chunky feel of the Frontier is a significant difference here. I have both pens and it reinforces my belief that Parker made some lovely fountain pens, and still do. I suppose the question on many lips will be is the Sonnet worth it? I would say yes because the price difference does not have to be as wide as you suggest. I've noticed Amazon are constantly adjusting the price of the Sonnet. If you are prepared to accept, shall we say, one of the less inspiring colours or the brushed steel version you can find the Sonnet at a very low price with the steel nib. As you said, gold nib versions with the more pretty colours are rather expensive. Can we have more 'Rodeo' comparison videos? I love them!
The Sonnet price jumps around a lot depending on retailer and time of year. I didn't want to name a price, get asked, "Where did you see that?" and discover that it had changed. I definitely plan on more comparisons. I found this interesting as well!
From my own experience, A simple glance at the Cap band will tell the difference between a Parker Sonnet and a Parker Frontier.. But a detailed “microscopic examination 🧐” is required to spot a difference between - A Parker Sonnet and a Parker Sonnet (clone) - A Parker Sonnet and a BAOER 388 18K Gold Sonnet is smoother, but not ‘18K smoother’ to deserve such a higher price compared to Steel version, clones and BAOER 388 ! Even though Krishna inks are made in my neighboring state here in India, I can’t confirm or deny if bees are attracted to Orange trees !
The cap band is an easy way to see the difference! I've used both the Baoer and the copies. Both are very good, but I can't support forgeries. No problem with the Baoer, except the nib was very scratchy. The idea of bees in orange trees appeals a lot! There is an apple true outside the front entrance of the school and every spring it sounds like the whole tree is buzzing thanks to the bees!
I have two Baoer 388 rollerball version. One silver with gold trim and another black with gold trim. The black one's paint job started to come off in a year or two. The silver one still looks new.
@@ebin2868 I’ve two 388 Fountain pens - One writes as good as any other pen that I have while the other one as scratchy as the scratchiest pen I have !
On filling from a sample bottle, why not try popping the sample vial into an empty ink bottle for stability? I've found that Diamine bottles work well for this. Many others should also work as long as the opening is just large enough to fit the sample vial without being too large to keep the vial upright. Also, the bottle should not be so deep that the top of the vial doesn't extend over the top and can't be removed. If this works for you, others may benefit by seeing you demonstrate it.
The square J. Herbin bottles with the pen rest in the front work perfectly for this. The opening is the perfect size to hold a sample vial and the bottles are short enough to let the sample vial stick out, while still remaining stable.
I am a parker vintage collector 51s 61s vps 45s. Now hope many don't see this my favourite writer is a sheaffers 800 touchdown filler dolphin 1962. A beaut.
The difference with the latter two pens is that they are sold as works of art. With the two Parkers, some (much) of the difference is marketing. Look at the Chines pens that are not MontBlancs, but are great pens for $10-$50. These pens reflect the truce cost. I suspect the Frontier reflects the true cost of the pens. I would not pay the price difference for the Sonnet. I have an IM Prestige which is a robust pen, better built, but writes no better. If it's about the writing, I don't think you need to spend above $50 in this day and age to get great writing pens (and often much less). Thank you for your review, My Parker Frontier (which I don't use that much because it's a FINE nib and a bit thin for me) writes really well (I'm using QUINK cartridges). I think you have said what everyone is thinking, Why are we paying 10x as much for some pens when the writing experience is the same. Marketing, brand recognition, some snobbery, decoration etc etc. Again, good comparison and convinced me that the Frontier is every bit as good as the Sonnet as a every day fountain pen for a lot (10x in my country) less.
My thoughts...the frontier has an annoying clutch ring ...compare it with the smooth fit of the sonnet or even as someone wrote here the chinese sonnet clones. Yet the parker frontier biros are a great product.
The Chinese closed the gap with look alikes and knock-off products that resemble the steel nib sonnet and cost less then the frontier. P.s. write as well as.....
Great video, thoroughly enjoyed, am so excited to get hold of a Frontier, having used one through uni. My midnight blue vintage Sonnet is the best pen I have by a mile, it can be left for a week or two, and will start and write perfectly. Great video.
The Frontier is a good pen. In filming this video, I came to see it as a budget version of the Sonnet. And the Sonnet is one of my favorite pens!
@@WaskiSquirrel appreciate the reply, and I'm really enjoying your videos, The Frontier arrived in a sealed pack, it feels really nice, better than some I have. Saving up for my grail pen it was a worthy distraction.
I always enjoy pen comparison videos like these. This was right up my alley, because I have both pens, and I swear I’ve occasionally compared the two myself. And wondered about the marked price difference.
To be sure, I have the steel nibbed Somnet, too. I’ve often wished to have the 18k gold one, but then declined to buy one.
To me, the Sonnet feels even slightly slimmer in the hand than it looks compared to the Frontier.
In my experience, Parker nibs (steel or gold) invariably appear to write slightly wider than their designated size. Same with my two pens, but the Frontier’s F nib writes a little wider (and drier) than my Sonnet’s F. Both the nibs are nicely smooth but have definite feedback; the Frontier’s is clearly more feedback-y on my pen.
It really does come down to the material, build quality, appearances and all round feel in the hand. The Sonnet appears slightly but definitely the superior pen, overall. The Frontier does very much feel like a brass metal pen after all, with a lacquered finish to make it look a lot nicer. The Sonnet is better on that count. But not at the real world price difference that exists between the two pens.
To be perfectly honest, I actually think
the Frontier could be very fairly priced at over $30. And the Sonnet definitely under $100 (say, $90). I’ve rambled, I know. Heck, I quite like both the pens. They write very well, no doubting that much.
Many thanks for this Parker pens’ face-off. I reckon one could easily find similar relevant comparisons between a few of the modern Sheaffer models, too.
I may be doing some more comparison videos this fall. It seems like a good idea. I did not see or feel much difference between the two pens. Both seemed to be good writers, though the Frontier had a cheaper feel. To be fair, the click of capping was better on the Frontier.
Both are good writers. And I'm not sure where I stand on them.
I enjoy these comparisons mainly when there is no clear answer on which is the best. I find it all the time. Most pen (other things also) comparisons show different things that may not be better than the other, just different. And this is case. I can't say which one of these pens is better but I can say they share a lot. I have to say that my favourite is the Frontier. Such a favourite to a point I started collecting all the variations of the model. So I have 23 different Frontier and 2 different Sonnet. I think there are different ideas behind the pens: the Frontier is a kind of a school pen, made in many different colours, 19 of them in plastic, and planned to be collectible in a time when these kind of collections weren't around - colourful inexpensive pens like TWSBI Eco, Kaweco Sport, Lamy Safari. The Sonnet is a "serious" pen, to have some status. You have the Indian made Frontier, which has a plain plastic section. The non-Indian versions had that section covered in rubber. That being said, the rubber could deteriorate with time and look less pleasant, but it was nice to hold the pen and in some colours (like the Chromaflair) that rubber even had colours. Another thing you mention is the click when capping. The Frontier has a very strong click but with use (my father has one he uses almost daily) that will tear the cap appart. The inner capp is connected to the top of the cap, and after some years of using it, when you pull the cap it will pull the top of the cap inside, as it was sunken. The Sonnet is much more perfect, nicer materials but not as fun. If I had to compare them with the Parker 51 times... The Sonnet would be the 51 and the Frontier the 21. Some concept, differente materials and details.
About the slide converter... it was made to fit into pens that are too slim to fit the older piston converter, such as the Parker 180 or the Classic. There are 2 versions of the piston converter, very hard to tell apart if you are not holding both at the same time. The most recent one is slimmer and I believe it will fit in those slim pens. It is not a matter of length but diameter.
Sorry for the long, long, long comment. But I enjoyed the video a lot and I like these Parkers so much that I even watched it twice before commenting.
I should have turned to you before I filmed this video! And I agree that the Frontier is a great pen. My first Frontier had the rubber section and I had bad experience with those. Good to know how the click will affect the pen in the long term. I've wondered about that...even if it's bad news.
Thank you for the explanation of the slide converter: I haven't found a pen that both don't fit.
I've had 2 Frontiers and have a Sonnet. I didn't miss the Frontiers when the barrel snapped on one, and the cap got dinged too badly on the other. No big deal. You'll be prying the Sonnet from my cold dead hands. It's more comfortable in my hand and passes your disappear in the hand test for me. The Frontier didn't.
The Sonnet is wonderful! While I own both, it's the Sonnet I most often ink up.
Well stated cj sonnet is a quality pen frontier is a cheapy
Aloha Jason! Excellent comparison, although I don't own either models. Are you sure the nib in the Frontier is not a fine? I'm sure I saw a (F) when you showed the underside of the feed. Have a wonderful weekend. Mahalo from Kauai, Hawaii. Thomas
You are correct! I see the F now too!
Nice job! Always wanted the Sterling “chiseled” Sonnet, but now that I have acquired a 1970 Parker 75 with the same finish that writes great and is comfortable to use I’ve decided not to bother about the Sonnet. Great “comparo” video, Thanks.
Good choice! The 75 is more fun than the Sonnet!
does the frontier also suffer from the famous nib dry out ?
No! It actually does really well!
@@WaskiSquirrel do you recommend a frontier or a fake sonnet (boer 388 I think)
@@Lowkster I'm partial to the Frontier. My own Baoer had a scratchy nib.
Difficult to draw any conclusions from this comparison. I think it shows the Frontier is an excellent pen for the price. Had both nibs been either a Fine or a Medium the writing samples would be even closer. I think the girth and chunky feel of the Frontier is a significant difference here. I have both pens and it reinforces my belief that Parker made some lovely fountain pens, and still do.
I suppose the question on many lips will be is the Sonnet worth it? I would say yes because the price difference does not have to be as wide as you suggest. I've noticed Amazon are constantly adjusting the price of the Sonnet. If you are prepared to accept, shall we say, one of the less inspiring colours or the brushed steel version you can find the Sonnet at a very low price with the steel nib. As you said, gold nib versions with the more pretty colours are rather expensive.
Can we have more 'Rodeo' comparison videos? I love them!
The Sonnet price jumps around a lot depending on retailer and time of year. I didn't want to name a price, get asked, "Where did you see that?" and discover that it had changed.
I definitely plan on more comparisons. I found this interesting as well!
From my own experience,
A simple glance at the Cap band will tell the difference between a Parker Sonnet and a Parker Frontier..
But a detailed “microscopic examination 🧐” is required to spot a difference between
- A Parker Sonnet and a Parker Sonnet (clone)
- A Parker Sonnet and a BAOER 388
18K Gold Sonnet is smoother, but not ‘18K smoother’ to deserve such a higher price compared to Steel version, clones and BAOER 388 !
Even though Krishna inks are made in my neighboring state here in India, I can’t confirm or deny if bees are attracted to Orange trees !
The cap band is an easy way to see the difference!
I've used both the Baoer and the copies. Both are very good, but I can't support forgeries. No problem with the Baoer, except the nib was very scratchy.
The idea of bees in orange trees appeals a lot! There is an apple true outside the front entrance of the school and every spring it sounds like the whole tree is buzzing thanks to the bees!
I have two Baoer 388 rollerball version. One silver with gold trim and another black with gold trim. The black one's paint job started to come off in a year or two. The silver one still looks new.
@@ebin2868 I’ve two 388 Fountain pens - One writes as good as any other pen that I have while the other one as scratchy as the scratchiest pen I have !
@@WaskiSquirrel The cap band is slimmer on most of the Mk1 Sonnets. It's similar to the Frontier.
I've a lot of time for the Frontier.
It's a really good quality pen!
I have neither pen and based on what you showed, the Frontier wins, comfortably, imo.
That's fair. The Frontier is a good pen.
On filling from a sample bottle, why not try popping the sample vial into an empty ink bottle for stability? I've found that Diamine bottles work well for this. Many others should also work as long as the opening is just large enough to fit the sample vial without being too large to keep the vial upright. Also, the bottle should not be so deep that the top of the vial doesn't extend over the top and can't be removed. If this works for you, others may benefit by seeing you demonstrate it.
The square J. Herbin bottles with the pen rest in the front work perfectly for this. The opening is the perfect size to hold a sample vial and the bottles are short enough to let the sample vial stick out, while still remaining stable.
It's something I should do. But, so far, I live dangerously. I'll try this. I have a Diamine bottle reaching toward empty.
Sheaffer Prelude fountain pen is the smoothest fountain pen compared to parker sonnet.
I'll have to check that out some time!
I am a parker vintage collector 51s 61s vps 45s. Now hope many don't see this my favourite writer is a sheaffers 800 touchdown filler dolphin 1962. A beaut.
the Sonnet and Insignia use the same nib.
It sure looks like it!
You wont believe this but i just bought a new sonnet and compared it with my frontier and i found this video
Great minds think alike!
The difference with the latter two pens is that they are sold as works of art. With the two Parkers, some (much) of the difference is marketing. Look at the Chines pens that are not MontBlancs, but are great pens for $10-$50. These pens reflect the truce cost. I suspect the Frontier reflects the true cost of the pens. I would not pay the price difference for the Sonnet. I have an IM Prestige which is a robust pen, better built, but writes no better. If it's about the writing, I don't think you need to spend above $50 in this day and age to get great writing pens (and often much less). Thank you for your review, My Parker Frontier (which I don't use that much because it's a FINE nib and a bit thin for me) writes really well (I'm using QUINK cartridges). I think you have said what everyone is thinking, Why are we paying 10x as much for some pens when the writing experience is the same. Marketing, brand recognition, some snobbery, decoration etc etc. Again, good comparison and convinced me that the Frontier is every bit as good as the Sonnet as a every day fountain pen for a lot (10x in my country) less.
I'm glad this helped! The Sonnet can be purchased with a gold nib, but I'm not sure how much this actually adds to the writing experience.
My thoughts...the frontier has an annoying clutch ring ...compare it with the smooth fit of the sonnet or even as someone wrote here the chinese sonnet clones. Yet the parker frontier biros are a great product.
Good point on the clutch ring. It didn't bother me, but it does give a lower quality impression. I have not seen their biros!
Frontier costs 7.5 USD brand new in India. Punches way above it's price point.
I agree totally!
The Chinese closed the gap with look alikes and knock-off products that resemble the steel nib sonnet and cost less then the frontier. P.s. write as well as.....
I can't support knock-offs, but you are right that some of the other Chinese versions of this pen are quite good.