Parker Duofold Centennial Fountain Pen | Classic Black with Gold Trim | Medium Solid Gold Nib | Black Ink and Convertor | Premium Gift Box

I just love this pen, it writes so nicely.It’s a nice piece of luxury.

Before going into detail, I want to point out I’m a fountain pen hobbyist and will be written with that in mind. It will be compared to pens in it’s own price range, and against cheaper models (within reason).Parker are a well established brand and have an impressive history which is documented well online if you fancy a fascinating story.I have multiple Parkers already from the budget Vector, 18k gold nib Sonnet but I always hankered for the flagship Duofold to complement.It’s presentation is fine, and you don’t see any obvious injection moulding in the resin, and it is fitted with an 18k gold nib. Classic understated classy look and wouldn’t look out of place in a boardroom.The nib itself is a nail with no give, which suits some people and not others so I’ll leave you to be the judge on whether that’s a good thing.Inkflow is dry which definitely isn’t something I enjoy. No skipping and the nib under a loupe doesn’t have any obvious problems but the plastic feed seems to struggle to keep up.Performance is acceptable, but taking into account the asking price, I’d argue that isn’t nearly good enough.Compared to pens in this price range, such as the excellent Pelikan M800 there is no contest - the Parker is woefully outclassed.Compared to models that are less than half the price such as the Lamy 2000 or any of the superb Pilot gold nibbed pens, again the Parker is completely destroyed.Disappointing. I can only think it’s a result of the modern ownership of this iconic brand who have no business making high end writing instruments. Slightly puzzling as it’s now unlikely stablemate Waterman seem to have fared a little better.As an iconic gift celebrating a special occasion given to someone who will probably not use it I’m sure it will do the job, the the price point is eye watering for the quality you get.I wanted to love this pen, I don’t.

Cheap, plastic. Worse quality than a Bic biro! I would hesitate to spend £10 on this letter alone £437!

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.

This is the second Parker Classic Centennial Duofold I have. The first was a Black with Gold trim Med Nib and now I have recently acquired this Big Red Centennial Classic Fine Nib. Amazon will not permit me to post a separate review for the Big Red, I've combined the 2 into 1 review.Both Pens seem fairly standard in appearance, and function wonderfully posted or not. I really like the resin body Duofolds, since they have a nice presence in my hand but are not overly heavy. The Duofold medallion adorning the cap end with the wide banding and the two tone Gold & Rhodium 18K Nib set the Duofold apart from other pens, and give the pen a classy appearance. You can see the Black Duofold nib is mainly gold with Rhodium accents while the Big Red is mainly Rhodium with gold accents. Both nibs are solid 18K gold.I really like the girth of this pen as it makes it easy to grip and to write with, even for long periods of time. With the Big Red, I am using the supplied converter with Pelikan 4001 Violet ink. And with the Black & Gold Duofold I'm using the converter with Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue. I have no issues with filling the pen, and the converter works well and fills up almost completely full.When it comes down to writing, I find the fine nib a bit better than the medium, with a slightly finer line and a more balanced writing experience. I find the fine nib very smooth with a slightly toothy grip on paper. I find the medium nib has a more silky behaviour with a slight feedback. Neither pen behaves like it's gliding or skating over glass. Ink consumption is not too heavy and the pens can use a converter or cartridges. Both pens run a tad on the dryer side but that may also be due to my choice of ink. One thing is for certain you will not be starved for ink. If the cap is on tight you can leave the pen for a week easily, and pick it up and start writing with no issues at all!However I do have a few things to nitpick about;I'm not sure if you can classify the color of the Big Red as red, When I use it at work, almost everyone tells me, “Nice Orange Pen”. Maybe Parker Pen folks are a bit colourblind?The classic Duofold engraving on the body of the Big Red struck me as a bit underwhelming.On the Black & Gold Duofold I find that fingerprints, dust, etc very visible since the finish is so glossyIt would have been nice to see the pen with a filling setup like the Lamy 2000, Leave the cartridges to lesser pens! Considering the size of the pen body a setup like that would mean the pen could hold far more ink than it does now.Bottom line is that these are glorious writing pens with a fantastic nibs, easy to use, strong & attractive and with that 18k gold nib wow can it write! The fit and finish on my pens are impeccable, and the resin looks to me to be strong. The weight to me seems perfect, not heavy or clumsy. The ultimate pens? They are for me! Viva Parker Duofold Classic Centennial!

Muy satisfecho con el producto.

Le Duofold dans sa version contemporaine est désormais un classique qui a fait ses preuves et illustre avec éclat tout le savoir-faire français de Parker (initialement fabriqués aux États-Unis, au Canada, au Royaume-Uni et en France, c'est dorénavant exclusivement dans notre pays que sont conçus les stylos Parker, au même titre que leurs cousins Waterman).Le Duofold conjugue tradition et modernité. Ce stylo haut de gamme est fait pour combler les amateurs de belle écriture.Une fabrication impeccable, une qualité irréprochable. Et une plume parmi les plus belles qui existent !

Haven't had a lot of days with this pen, but I have spent a lot of time with it over the days I've had it. I've moved from pens that are down right scratchy to those that offer middle to slight feedback, to this one that glides across paper like butter on heated glass. Not sloppy though; even on less worthy paper, the medium nip maintains it's elegance and delivers on cultured appearing text.Writing with it is an enjoyable experience. So much so, I find myself just jotting down random words I hear on TV, or when children are at play outside or those that just pop into my head.Never thought about this before, but one forms a relationship with a fine writing instrument. This Parker Duofold Centennial is a bit more classic looking that I normally prefer, but I greatly respect its nature. When posted, it makes a bold statement about what it is, then in writing exercises it surrenders itself completely to the task, it's well balanced, easy in the hand, not overly weighty thereby allowing one to indulge oneself in written verse, composition, script, scribble or scrawl, with the fervor of a literary genius.