Duofold Fountain Pen

Much better than expected. I have an extensive collection of great pens but no Parkers. Like another reviewer I was biased against their modern pens preffering vintage ones. This big red duofold has changed my opinion, above all the nib is a dream and the build quality is sound. Very happy with my purchase maybe I won't be as sniffy towards modern parkers anymore.

It's orange. An expensive ballpoint at over £200, but well worth it. It is precisely made and oozes quality. Parker at their best. I've used it for months now and it's a joy to use.

Beautiful design, really smooth writing, comfortable grip and reassuringly solid design. The colour looks fantastic.

I decided to amend my review as after using it for a while I think I was a bit overcritical of it. Lookswise it's nice but there's just something I can't quite put my finger on which makes it look a bit cheap to me. Screwing/unscrewing the cap doesn't feel great, the thread feels a bit rough and it can squeak a bit, I've had far better experiences with £5 fountain pens. It's a cartridge/converter and the converter was very stiff but worked fine. The nib looks fantastic. Now the most important bit, the actual writing! I went for a medium nib and although slightly broader than I expected it's a really nice writer. There's a little bit of line variation and just the right combination of smooth/feedback, the section is comfortable and not slippy at all, it's great for long writing sessions, we'll balanced and weighty without being overly heavy. I got mine from Amazon Warehouse with about 40% off the normal price (pen perfect condition, box a bit ripped) and I'm happy with it but don't think I would pay the full price, there are better alternatives out there for that price.

The resin is solid and beautiful. You don't feel it like a cheap plastic nor less precious than other high end resin. The nib is artistic and gorgeous. It writes perfectly even when reverse writing.

The Vintage Big Red is a very nice pen overall with some genuine heft and a feeling of luxury - it’s actually surprising how nice a “resin” pen can feel. The fine nib writes close to a medium, and the two-tone colouring is lovely. I can definitely see myself being nervous about scratching the resin in the long-run, but such is life - I don’t have these fears with my metal Parker Premier. Unfortunately I had to return the duofold because the ink converter was damaged at the top - like someone had pushed it in before it was properly aligned, and so I couldn’t draw up ink. A shame. I don’t think the pen is worth more than the £263 Amazon was selling it for, and I think if you’re paying £300-£500, you’ll certainly question the value of what you’re getting. The materials aren’t worth that and in my case neither was the quality control. You also don’t get the larger presentation box as described.

After some questionable experiences woth Parker in the 90s, I bit the bullet on a recommendation of a friend and a decent discount. I have to say, that the Duofold Centennial punched well above expectations. Solid build quality, nice heft and an exceptionally smooth nib which competes with my Sailor and Pilot pens for smoothness.

This is a beautiful ballpoint pen. I’ve already got the matching fountain pen so this makes my collection complete.

My only other pens used are the Pilot Metropolitian (Fine), Parker Jotter (Fine), and a Parker Urban (Medium). I purchased the Parker Duofold in black with yellow gold trim pen with a medium nib. I have only used Mont Blanc ink in it to start... First impressions are very nice. The box which this came in and the converter already in the pen give this pen a very high quality look and feel to it. I filled the converter with some Mont Blanc ink and got to writing. This pen is very wet with that ink! I believe the Mont Blanc ink is thinner than Parker’s Quink and potentially some other inks out there but I haven’t done my homework on that as I love Mont Blanc color offerings. This pen and that ink write like more of a broad or extra broad - very very wet and I don’t think I like that. The larger pen diameter definitely emphasizes this pen’s placement in the Parker family and makes a statement that this is a pen of status. It is well balanced with or without the cap and I wish it could be a little heavier to complete the luxury feel of it. Applying the cap to the end of the pen while writing is a little worrisome to me - there is only a small ridge which captures the cap and it doesn’t go on very far. I do not know if it is properly on and I find myself worrying about it when I write. I don’t mean to detest this pen because I want to love it, but when comparing it to the Parker Urban, it is not worth 10 times the price...I don’t believe it’s a 10 times better writing experience compared to the Urban. Using this pen made me appreciate the Parker Urban that much more - the Parker Urban is 3 times better of a writing experience compared to the Jotter, and the price reflects that. The Duofold is a nice ornament of achievement and gift of success. Being new to the fountain pen culture, I do not see the value of the Duofold, especially in comparison to Parker’s Urban fountain pen. I really really REALLY want to love it and enjoy the solid gold nib, and gold trim pieces and “Duofold” crest in the cap’s end, and the large two-tone Ace on the nib, and perhaps the more I use it, it may grow on me and I will stay open-minded, but for now, I’m at a crossroads.

J'avais commandé un exemplaire à plume fine parce que je savais que les «pointes» moyennes Parker avaient tendance à être assez épaisses. Je ne me suis pas trompé : j'ai reçu un (beau) stylo-plume avec une plume dont la largeur d'écriture se situe entre fine et moyenne. Pour ceux qui s'interrogent sur la présence d'un convertisseur (la pompe à encre), sachez que le coffret du stylo comporte deux cartouches d'encre noire... Pas de panique : le convertisseur est déjà placé dans le corps du stylo. J'ai choisi une encre noire Parker noire (Quick) pour alimenter l'outil. Quelques éléments techniques. Poids du stylo avec le convertisseur : 29 g. Longueur sans le capuchon : 13 cm. Longueur avec le capuchon vissé (donc stylo fermé) : 14 cm. Longueur avec le capuchon posté (clipsé à l'arrière du stylo) : 17,5 cm. Diamètre moyen du corps : 1,3 cm. Et maintenant pour l'écriture : écoulement bien fluide de l'encre mais sans exagération, plume douce qui glisse parfaitement ; elle reste rigide. Elle n'est pas faite pour les pleins et déliés ; je «trimballe» le Duofold partout dans un petit étui en cuir : la plume ne sèche pas ; elle est toujours prête à écrire. Pour les amateurs de croquis à l'encre : il est possible d'effectuer du «reverse writing» (écriture ou dessin avec la plume retournée) pour obtenir une trace très fine correspondant à celle d'un Lamy Safari doté d'une pointe EF. Enfin l'ensemble : très bel objet qui fait son effet — j'ai acheté le modèle Red Vintage. Sobre mais très chic. Article cher, évidemment, mais vu sa qualité (Parker haut de gamme, tout de même !)... Il faut donc l'acheter lorsque le prix baisse sur Amazon. Je suis très satisfait de mon achat, de la livraison et de l'emballage. Je recommande pour ceux qui veulent (se) faire un très beau cadeau.

I think the pens sold here are second grade items. The slit of the nib was not cut symmetrically. This is a small issue, but I expect gold nibs at this price point to be perfect. You also do not get a gift package, but standard box. I did send it back because of all this.

One of my favorite fountain pen, a definite classic.

Firstly, Good value and delivered from USA to Dubai in just five days. Great service. The pen is reviewed well across pen blogs and does not disappoint. I chose the fine 18ct nib and the line is more medium I’d say. Feed flows well and it’s perfectly set up straight out of the box with a variety of inks. Full marks to Parker for this and the nib is attractive with its ace of spades engraving. There’s no real flex, though the nib has enough give to keep your writing smooth. The converter is Parker branded and a push fit. It’s just ok (Montergrappa by comparison are screw fit and better quality - but then it’s FPs cost a lot more). And be sure to push the converter fully in, otherwise it rattles in the barrel. Overall it’s met my expectations comfortably. For $220 (AED880 delivered) it’s good value meaning the Duofold heritage in the classic colour ( with the cool Duofold vintage style engraving on the barrel) can be added to your collection secure in the knowledge you can use it every day.