The Parker Urban Ballpoint is an executive-style ballpoint in Parker’s Urban collection. The Urban line is a lower mid-level offering aimed at young professionals. The Urban collection also features ballpoints, fountain pens, and rollerballs in several finishes.
The Urban ballpoint features a simple curved design. It has metal body and button as well as Parker’s iconic arrow clip in metal. The front cone-piece is plastic. Like all Parker ballpoints, it uses Parker-style G2 refills, like the Parker Quinkflow.
It is available in many finishes like London Cab Black, Vibrant Magenta, and Nightsky Blue. Most of the pens in the Urban collection have chrome trim but a few are available with gold. Prices for the ballpoint range from about $10 to $45 dollars depending on the chosen finish. The Muted Black featured here is about $10.
Parker Urban Ballpoint Review
The Parker Urban ballpoint is a classy looking pen. The curved design is sleek and elegant. The muted black finish with chrome trim is like a well-fitted black suit that always looks good.
The clip is larger than the classic Jotter’s but still retains the quality and style of the iconic arrow. It’s also quite strong and bending should not be an issue under general use.
Parker seems to have a knack for making nice clicks and the Urban ballpoint is no exception. The click has a nice enough sound and feel, but isn’t quite the same as the Jotter. It’s more like what you would typically expect from a pen click. It is quite satisfying, regardless.
The only complaint I have is that the grip section is plastic. With the popularity of all-metal pens, Parker should have made the cone from metal. I would even be fine with internal plastic threads. When you consider the level of quality Parker is trying to convey with the Urban line, this seems like a misstep.
Writing Experience
I’ve been using the Urban Ballpoint for several weeks now and I’m quite pleased with it. The weight feels good and the length is perfect for my average-sized hands. The curved body is widest at the grip making it very comfortable to use. I’ve even taken notes in a few meetings and only had minimal hand fatigue.
The Urban ballpoint uses Parker-style G2 refills, so availability and variety are excellent. You can use gel, standard ballpoint, or hybrid/low-viscosity inks with the pen. I’m using a Schmidt EasyFlow 9000 with a medium tip which is an excellent refill.
Conclusion
The Parker Urban ballpoint is a great pen and a solid alternative to the Jotter. It’s also about $5 cheaper if you get the muted black finish. Put in your Parker-style refill of choice you will be putting words on the page with an elegant and stylish pen.
Parker Urban Ballpoint Information
| Street Price | Check Price |
| Manufacturer | Parker |
| Pen Type | Ballpoint |
| Rating | |
| Barrel Color | Black, Blue, Silver, Green, Magenta, Gloss Black, Dark Blue, Purple, Voilet, Pearl |
| Barrel Material | Metal |
| Body Diameter (mm) | 11.0 |
| Grip Color | Black |
| Grip Material | Plastic |
| Grip Diameter (mm) | 9.0 |
| Country of Origin | France |
| MSRP | $11 |
| Still Sold | Yes |
| Similar To | |
| Refills | |
| Capped? Retractable? | Retractable - Top Button |
| Clip? | Metal |
| Length Capped / Retracted (cm) | 13.7 |
| Weight (g) | 21.0 |