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Which is the more famous pen brand, Parker or Sheaffer?

Hello. I was wondering if anyone could tell me which one of these two pen brands is more famous, better known worldwide and has a larger market share in the pen industry.
 
The way that you have phrased the question I think the best that people can say is an opinion.

In terms of fame Parker advertised widely, they continue to be sold throughout the world and I would be surprised if there are many adults who have not heard of the brand, I have even heard a comedian make a joke about Parker Quink.
 

ajkel64

Check Out Chick
Staff member
Out here in Australia, Parker is more famous than Cross. Just about every Newsagents sells them. You can pick Parker Pens up just about anywhere. Cross Pens are hardly ever heard of in my neck of the woods.
 

Lefonque

Even more clueless than you
Both Parker and Sheaffer are well known companies. I think Parker have been more prolific in recent years. As my compatriot commented in the previous post Parker are more well known than Cross. Growing up in the UK in the late 50s and 60s Sheaffer were probably on a par with Parker.

I have not bought a pen from any of these companies in decades so I cannot comment on their quality.

My taste in fountain pens is elsewhere.
 

tankerjohn

A little poofier than I prefer
Hmm, why just those three companies? I'm fairly sure the biggest, most influential pen company in the world is Pilot, which leads the industry in everything from cheap, plastic ballpoints to multi-thousand dollar Urushi fountain pen works of art and everything in between.

But if we're considering just Parker, Sheaffer, and Cross, I don’t think any of them are particularly innovative or influential anymore. Probably Parker adapted to the ballpoint era better than Sheaffer or Cross. The Parker Jotter set the standard for the clicky ballpoint and are still fairly ubiquitous. Perhaps even more importantly, the Jotter refills are the defacto industry standard used by a lot of smaller brands, especially the machined metal-type pens that are increasingly popular. Modern Parker fountain pens are rather yawn-inspiring, particularly next to their vintage brethren. But we’ll see if the reintroduced Parker 51 catches any buzz. Next, I would rate Cross as second place. It seems to have captured the “fancy ballpoint” market for corporate merch and graduation gifts. Plus, they have provided the official pens to the US President for at least the past few administrations. But the smartest thing Cross did is secure the rights to the Star Wars IP, which it’s managed to spin into some tastefully designed pens with an avid collector following. Sheaffer, I’m afraid, seems to be running on pure nostalgic fumes at this point. It still does a lot of cheap calligraphy sets and some of those fancy, gifty pens. Its modern inlaid nib fountain pens have a certain charm, but are far removed from the heyday of PFMs, Imperials, Snorkels, and Touchdowns.
 
Cross owns Sheaffer these days so I expect they position the brand below theirs. The Sheaffer Sentinal looks like a Jotter with a different clip.
 
This OP has made multiple requests for this information over many sites.

It is an odd question, perhaps only answered by an opinion.

The question is something to do with his or her mother making a presentation gift to a third party.

The OP has not given a budget or any other information but dripfeeds pieces of information.
 

tankerjohn

A little poofier than I prefer
This OP has made multiple requests for this information over many sites.

It is an odd question, perhaps only answered by an opinion.

The question is something to do with his or her mother making a presentation gift to a third party.

The OP has not given a budget or any other information but dripfeeds pieces of information.
:out:
 

Lefonque

Even more clueless than you
In recent years Pilot and Sailor pens take my fancy. I agree with the poster who said that Parker pens are yawn inspiring. There are many fine pen companies out there making great products. My favourite pen that I own is a Namiki Urushi. It is a beautiful pen.
This thread has taught me things I did not know for example who owns Sheaffer and US Presidential pens.

I think the Australian Prime Minister uses an official crayon because he is not allowed to use anything sharp..... don't quote me on that. 😬
 
Well, Anonymous0332...if that's your real name,
I should be wondering why you would be making such an enquiry of us,
especially as we are more particularly shaving aficionados than nib geeks.
Interesting too, that your question was posed only two minutes after you joined Badger & Blade.
Perhaps the more poignant question is, are you working for Parker or Sheaffer (or Cross)?
 

Whilliam

First Class Citizen
I think it depends on the decade, locale and product category. Sheaffer and Parker may have been market rivals up until World War II and the introduction of the Parker "51." Those Parker sold by the millions, both domestically and internationally, whereas I believe Sheaffer concentrated its "Snorkel" marketing efforts largely in the U.S.

As an earlier poster pointed out, the Parker "T-Ball Jotter" came to define what a quality ball point should be, while Sheaffer had no comparable market entry at the Jotter's price point ($1.95 at its intro, I believe).

All this suggests that Parker was the more powerful brand.

This, of course, is just my take. If anyone has any real data, let's let those be the defining guide.
 

tankerjohn

A little poofier than I prefer
I suppose it’s a conversation starter. Cross or Parker. Discuss. 😁😂🤣
Indeed sir. As you can tell, I was totally eager to jump in and geek out. Perhaps my :out: emoji was unfair and unkind. My apologies, Anonymous, and I hope you find a great gift pen. And please, by all means, come to B&B for the pen advise, but do stay for the traditional wetshaving acquisition disorders! :straight:
 

Rhody

I'm a Lumberjack.
Indeed sir. As you can tell, I was totally eager to jump in and geek out. Perhaps my :out: emoji was unfair and unkind. My apologies, Anonymous, and I hope you find a great gift pen. And please, by all means, come to B&B for the pen advise, but do stay for the traditional wetshaving acquisition disorders! :straight:
I wasn’t meaning to be harsh but the question seemed like totally opinion based. “Famous “ how would that be judged? More widely known also seems subjective. I never really had any love for Schafer pens. I’ve held a grudge over cross for closing us operations years ago. Cross? Meh. Great point it’s a corporate gift item. I did see your post re the Star Wars line. Very cool. I have a junk box with cross pens. I never use them.
However I will admit that I did all I could years ago to snag the 150 anniversary fountain pen and ball point. That was love at first site.
 

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather
Staff member
Everything to do with fountain pens is pretty "niche" so ... asking us to discuss two brands therein like they are McDonalds and Burger King seems to miss the mark.

Well, Anonymous0332...if that's your real name,
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... now tempted to name my next kid "Anon".
 
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