I always used to write in fountain pen when I was younger as it made my handwriting neater so I suddenly got the urge to use one again and splashed out when someone gave me a WH Smiths voucher...

The pen is of a gun metal type material, it has a push on and pull off lid - which is very secure unlike other brand fountain pens I've had - which is very good news as fountain pen ink does flow freely and would go everywhere in my bag/pencil case. It comes in different nib sizes (medium and fine) - I have a fine one as I find these easier to get nice handwriting with and think the pen just looks smarter in this size. It can be refilled with half cartridges or long ones - any colour though I'd give it a bit of time before you write anything important if you've just switched to a colour you weren't previously using as it can blend strangely.

The pen writes fantastically once the ink starts flowing (once you have pushed the cartridge in and it has clicked it still may take some time to come through) and writing is continuous i.e. the in doesn't run out halfway through a sentence. It also has a nice weight to it so it sits well in your hand and is not likely to break/it is not flimsy!

However, I have found that it can sometimes write in a bit of a scratchy way which makes it more difficult to write with. Also the part of the pen that you hold can be slippery/cold as it is metalic feel, but I've found that you get used to that the longer you have been writing with the pen and it becomes less of an issue. Also, I have found that I end up smudging the ink as I am used to biros where the ink dries instantly, obviously this doesn't as quickly so it's just something to be aware of when writing quickly.

A major issue with this pen is the price - obviously it is a Parker so you have to be prepared to spend more - but £20 upwards for a pen seems a bit steep to me, and I know there are other fountain pens you can get cheaper. So unless you are going to use it a lot it may not be worth it for you! However, then you run into problems with paying lots for ink cartridges - some pens say you specifically need Parker cartridges which are a lot more expensive. My pen came with a large pack of cartridges so I have not yet had to buy news ones, so I don't know if it works with other brand cartridges such as WH Smith or Tesco as that would cut down the price a bit.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this to someone who wants a quality pen and is not afraid of spending a bit more for just a writing utensil!