Parker is a well known brand with high quality products. Today I am reviewing the Parker Urban Premium ballpoint. The Parker Urban collection is comprised of mechanical pencil, fountain pen, and ballpoint pen.
Parker is a big brand, known for good quality writing instruments, having in it's range some iconic fountain pens that shaped the industry for many years. If you do a google search on Parker you will be surprised to find out that Parker is the supplier of fountain pens for the royal house of England.
The design of the pen.
It has a interesting design, inspired I think from a bullet (or maybe a sexual device). I'll leave the design for you to judge. Let's call it "urban". It is classy and modern at the same time.
the pen's body is made entirely out of metal. The grip is a smooth shiny metal, thicker towards the middle of the pen. If you tend to grip the pens high you will find that this is quite thick. The most concerning aspect of the grip though is the shiny metal, but I did not have problems with lack of grip. As a disclaimer I do not use the pen for extensive writing sessions. I use it for note taking, a few lines, a page maximum.Though I can see for some people with sweaty or oily hands this could be a more uncomfortable experience. So your millage may vary...
The barrel is made from a colored metal that has groves in it. My version is a plum - brownish color, which in certain light looks like a shiny brown/black. The pen comes in various colors.
The clip has the traditional Parker arrow shape. It is a nice clip as it seams very secure and strong.
To advance the ballpoint you have to twist the pen.
Because I use the pen especially for taking quick notes I would prefer for the pan to have a push button mechanism as it is more convenient.
The pen uses a standard Parker refill.
The feel:
The grip is made out of polished metal. It has a substantial thickness at the top and tapers down to the tip. Because of this if you grip your pens high and you have small hands it can be uncomfortable. The polished metal grip is fine for me, but your experience might be different. As I said, I do not use the pen for long sessions of writing. In general the pen feels good in hand, it has a good weight to it. The ballpoint comes with a standard Parker refill size 1.0. I like the way it writes, it is very smooth, gliding effortlessly over the paper. Because of the weight of the pen you do not need to put extra pressure to write, a "fountain pen" grip is enough.
The pen looks rather well built but at a closer inspection it falls short in some places.
My first complaint about the construction regards the joint between the grip and the barrel. It has a slight wiggle. If you shake the pen in your hand you can also hear the movement of the joint. I consider this a minus, not because it is something you feel when writing but is something you feel when you first touch the pen and hold it. As a expensive pen, with a body entirely made out of metal, made by a reputable and known writing instrument maker I consider this to be a short coming. In my opinion an expensive pen should look and feel expensive
The other thing that annoys me is the twist of the pen. The twist is not smooth as it should. The feedback is a bit scratchy and it seems off somehow. I would liked a smoother and easier twisting mechanism. Maybe with time the action will improve.
Verdict:
The pen was 45 € which is approximately 50 USD, so it is not a cheap pen. At this price The pen writes incredible I'll give it that. If you like heavy and thick pens (for some the weight is a characteristic of quality) with a premium look this Parker could be a decent contender for a spot in your pencase. But at the same time a Parker Jotter stainless steel would do it's job just as good as the Urban at a lower price point with a more iconic design.
