PenHero 365: Parker Vacumatic Major Transparent Azure Blue
by Jim Mamoulides, January 10, 2010
Parker Vacumatic Major Transparent Azure Blue fountain pen open with blind cap removed to show plunger
This Parker Vacumatic Major in Transparent Azure Blue was one of the first Parker Vacumatics I ever owned. I've taken so many pictures of it, I could call it my supermodel pen. Photos of this pen have been featured in two books, some magazines, and several articles on this website. What's funny is that it is not the finest example of a Parker Vacumatic that I have or could have used. It just has great color and character. That's why I like taking photos of it. Each of the photos in this article came from one of those sessions.
Parker Vacumatic Major Transparent Azure Blue fountain pen cap and nib detail
Parker introduced the Transparent Azure Blue color in 1941, the first use of blue on the Vacumatic line. Parker started using plastic plungers for the Vacumatic filling system in 1942, due to wartime needs for metal, and kept this version of the system through the end of the Vacumatic line in 1948.
Parker Vacumatic Major Transparent Azure Blue fountain pen open with blind cap removed to show plunger
This Parker Vacumatic Major in Transparent Azure Blue is a lighter weight standard size pen, weighing 0.6 ounce and being 5 1/16 inches long with the cap on and 5 7/8 inches with the cap posted on the end of the barrel. I never really liked the way Vacumatic type pens fill, as they take ten to twenty strokes of the plunger to get a full pen, and an equally tedious effort to fully flush it. This one is no exception. The firm medium 14 karat gold Parker Arrow nib writes very, very wet, and is a pleasant writer, but not one of my best writing pens. I have other Vacumatics that write better. Although the cap posts securely, I don't care for it posted, and usually leave the cap off when writing.
Parker Vacumatic Major Transparent Azure Blue fountain pen open
I guess the main reason I like this pen is its character. It just looks great and takes a nice photo. The plating loss on the cap top and clip only adds to the look of the pen, so I hardly polish it, even when taking pictures of it. I think it gives it a distinctive look that a perfect pen just does not have.
If you are interested in collecting pens, you should definitely consider owning a Parker Vacumatic. The Parker Vacumatic is one of the twenty or so quintessential collectible fountain pen models. There are zillions of them available in all price ranges, and a nicely restored user grade Vacumatic can make a great daily user pen and won't break your budget. There really is no other pen that looks like a striped Vacumatic, and if the nib has been properly adjusted, they write very nicely.
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