Parker Duofold Classic Big Vintage Red Fountain Pen, Fine Nib, Blue Ink

I ordered a Parker Duofold (from a different vendor), and ordered its Chinese clone, the Jinhao 100, around the same time, both with a Medium nib. I had the opportunity to test both pens, compare and contrast the two. The Duofold exhibited all of the things I expected from a cheap Chinese pen: skips, hard starts, inconsistent ink flow, and a line that looked more like a broad nib. I wasn't totally surprised, because plenty of reviewers have said the same thing about the Duofolds they received...so, THAT Duofold was returned for a refund. The Jinhao 100, however, turned out to be a very good, smooth writing pen, with an Asian medium-fine/western fine line, so it'll stay in my collection. But I couldn't leave well enough alone, and I wanted to give Parker a chance to redeem themselves.I ordered the pen with a fine nib this time, and kept my fingers crossed...and was blown away! The fine nib writes a generous fine line and is super smooth with Parker Quink ink on 90gsm copier paper. This Parker pen writes as well as my Pilot Custom 823 and Diplomat Aero pens. The nib is bouncy, and with a little (!) pressure, you can get some line variation. Keep in mind, the Duofold was designed to make copies using carbon paper before ballpoint pens were in everyone's hands, so it needed to be pushed hard enough to make a carbon copy without splaying the tines. And the new version of the Duofold holds true to that design spec.I'm glad that I gave Parker a second chance, and that I was very lucky to get a pen with a perfectly tuned nib.

Beautiful orange color, nice thick section, good weight, the cap posts well, the nib is gorgeous and writes a fine to medium line, i bought the fine point, the nib works, no skipping or hard starts, high quality product, comes with a converter, comfortable to hold, i got it for an incredibly low price ($225 USD), this is everything you want in a flagship pen, smooth nib, posts well, thick comfortable grip section, easy to fill with bottled ink, from top to bottom is a professional looking elite pen that can used in the office, school or in your scriptorium, keep it somewhere safe or with you at all times and never lend it to anyone for any reason, it's your pen protect it at all costs

Every once in a while a really great deal comes along. To wit, the Parker Duofold Centennial Big Red is such a deal.In the world of high end, high quality fountain pens, this Big Red is a fantastic deceptive sleeper. IMHO, today Parker is thought of in a historical aspect as a legacy brand. Indeed, the word “vintage” finds its way into the title description for this particular fountain pen. Worry not - Old School Rules!You would be hard pressed to find a better writing fountain pen than the venerable Big Red. Color me definitely impressed!The Big Red in particular takes attention to detail to an even higher level. When writing with nib to paper, the Big Red’s barrel engraving is viewable for reading - not hidden underneath, not obscured on the side - but, aligned up and presentable as you’re writing. Very cool!Other than writing, fit in the hand is most important to me, and here the Big Red really excels. The Big Red’s grip section is stellar, contouring down to a moderate flare at the end. Brilliant! For comparison, the flare at the end of the grip section on my Sailor Realo 1911 and Pelikan Souverän M805 are less pronounced, and my Aurora Optima is more pronounced. The Big Red hits the sweet spot.I have been writing up a storm since receiving mine.In person, the aesthetic of the Big Red reminds me of a beautiful MB Hemingway I missed out on years ago.It’s your loss if you don’t pull the trigger on a Big Red; I am pleased as punch I did.

I cannot get the insertable Parket cartriges to work and the new converter I just ordered to replace the last defective converter doesn't work well. It doesn't draw the ink well from the bottle.

The MSRP on this pen is $760. The price on Amazon is a far more reasonable one in the 250 range.The pen is slightly smaller than my vintage Parker Duofold Big Red from the 1925 era. However, the orange shade between the two pens is very, very close. The finish on the pen is impeccable.The nib is smooth, and the ink flow is generous. Parker Quink tends to be a dry ink (like the Pelikan inks), so the feeds have larger channels. Thus, if you really want a wet nib, use a wetter ink like Waterman or Sheaffer. There is no skipping. Even the top of the nib is polished, so that reverse writing is silky smooth.

The pen arrived in a beautiful gift box that proudly displayed the pen. First time touching the pen, it is just pure class and luxurious. I love the gold on ivory color combination. I did a close inspection and the craftsmanship is flawless; not a single faulty with the pen. I immediately installed the included cartridge and the pen started to write immediately without any issues (Parker also included a converter installed in the barrel). The “ace” design of the nib is gorgeous and timeless to say the least. Of course the writing quality is superb and smooth. Mine is the Fine nib and its line size is exactly the same as my Sailor Pro Gear 21k. Note that this pen is big and I don’t post the cap when writing; this will only make the pen too big and awkward. I probably won’t write with this pen everyday but it will forever be in my collection.