Fountain Pen: Italix Parson's Essential
- whimsicaleccentric
- Feb 25
- 2 min read
VISUAL
The Italix Parson's Essential is a lovely pen that came with a custom nib grind. I picked this up from Mr. Pen in the UK, who has since retired and closed his webpage. I'm not sure who manufactures the body of this pen, but it's a very nice size! The pen is a heavier brass pen coated in a very nice blue and black lacquer.
The cap band has a beautiful woven pattern and really stands out from the dark blue of the pen. It is also lightly filled in with black lacquer to make the design pop even more.
TACTILE
This pen was advertised to have used piano lacquer. I'm not sure what the difference would be between that and 'standard' lacquer, like on a Jinhao159, or between that and urushi lacquer. It's a very glassy finish, and seems scratch resistant. I love how it feels!
The section has a moderate slope and a slight step up from the threads to the barrel. It is a decently long section, so I don't find the cap threads to be much of a bother.
PRACTICAL
Custom nib grind options inspired me to buy this pen in the first place. This was my first time trying a nib grind and I had no idea what I would like. I knew I'd liked stub nibs, and an italic is a stub nib with sharper corners. It's not the easiest nib to use, as I can definitely feel it catching on certain strokes or angles, but when it writes the line variation is lovely.
The cap post securely. There is a nice soft liner inside the cap so it doesn't feel like it's grinding against the lacquer of the body. It does shift the weight of the pen back quite a bit, but not uncomfortably so.
STATISTICAL
Pen Measurements:
Weight: 36.3g
Weight of Cap: 15.7g
Length Capped: 140mm
Length Uncapped: 123mm
Length Posted: 158mm
Nib: 5mm 'Fine Italic' Steel
Body Style: Cigar
Fill Method: Converter
Fill Volume:0.8ml
Comparison Pens: Pilot Metropolitan, LAMY Safari
OVERALL
Pros:
Lovely color and finish
Posts without scratching
Interesting nib grind
Cons:
Some lacquer wear on cap band
Slightly narrow grip section
I have a nostalgic fondness for this pen as it was my first time trying a non-standard nib. Early in my fountain pen journey, the budget-friendly price of this pen with the nib grind included made it more enticing. I'm glad I took a chance on it! It's not an every day writer for me, but it's fun to use for calligraphy or extra style.
DISCLAIMER: Pens and inks purchased by myself. Photos and opinions are my own.
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