5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent writing instrument

M. · 9 June 2024

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5.0 out of 5 stars top class fountain pen

J.O. · 2 April 2024

It is one of the finest pen ever used.high quality and smooth and wet penflow flawlessly.

5.0 out of 5 stars Dream writer.

D. · 20 May 2025

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.

4.0 out of 5 stars A very nice pen but at the right price point

M. · 18 January 2021

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 Bolo 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.

3.0 out of 5 stars Above average

J. · 23 May 2023

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.

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my best Parker fountain pen purchase

S. · 17 December 2019

The fine nib is superb for writing lecture notes and on sub-par copy paper, the scroll work on the nib is a gorgeous ace of spades.The Centennial version is girthy and long enough for my large-ish 8 and a half inch hands. Got it for a decent price at £273, although the prices in here fluctuates a lot. So do some price comparison before buying get to the best deal.The pen came with a fabulous gift box, it comes with 2 Parker ink cartridge and a cartridge converter within the pen barrel.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent product and service

D.F. · 7 January 2025

A superlative piece of kit. Excellently crafted and faultless in its use

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best

N.H. · 15 January 2021

Beautiful gold/iridium nib. Beautiful colour, weight and texture and engraving.Not cheap, but you get what you pay for.I was going to give up buying fountain pens, but I'm glad I didn't.If I have a reservation - Parker inkflow always seems to be modest: I prefer the heavier flow of some Caran D'Ache and Yardoled models - but they are a bit thinner and don't fill my fist so well.

The Duofold just increased Parker’s Urban value tenfold!

J.B. · 10 December 2019

(function() { P.when('cr-A', 'ready').execute(function(A) { if(typeof A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel === 'function') { A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel('review_text_read_more', 'Read more of this review', 'Read less of this review'); } }); })(); .review-text-read-more-expander:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #2162a1; outline-offset: 2px; border-radius: 5px; } 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.

Not worth the price

J.N. · 21 March 2023

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.

A must for FP enthusiast

M. · 11 February 2024

One of my favorite fountain pen, a definite classic.

Parker’s Big Red Duofold 10/10

M.G.W. · 3 March 2020

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.

パーカー、万年筆の王様。その素晴らしい、フラッグシップモデルです。

辞. · 20 April 2025

趣味が昂じて本業となるとまでは行きませんが、万年筆蒐集は道楽となってしまいました。書く手はひとつなのにどこで血迷ったのか集めた万年筆は星の数ほどは大袈裟ですが数多有って道楽三昧になり周りの騒音もどこ吹く風と云ったところです。舌が肥えると申しますがこの場合指先が肥えると云うのか兎に角書き味に拘って万年筆道に邁進しています。主に大手文房具店、万年筆専業店で買い集めていますが、こちらで買う気になったのはお店に出向くのが億劫になり物は試しに買いました。それも随分と昔の事で未だ物価も今のように目を剥く程高くない頃です。それが今となってはこの万年筆の書き味は日に日に良くなって手放せない逸品となりました。まあ、万年筆の価値は買った時に分かるのは稀で長年使って遣って漸く突如その素晴らしさに感動するものですが。なので、諸兄の中に初見で諦める方が居るとしたらそれは惜しいと老輩は思います。さて、パーカーのデュオフォールド、古くはミズーリ号でマッカァサー元帥が奥さんのビッグレッドを使って調印したこともある、名品中の名品であることは言わすもがなでしょう。勿論、メイド・イン・USAです。今はフランスで製造されていますが発祥はアメリカ合衆国なので、メインイベントに使われた訳です。尚、UKのも有り、これは貴重でプレミアが付いています。小生は、こちらで買ったのと、お店で購入したのと、UKのヴィンテージものを使っています。どれも甲乙付け難く、個性的です。インターナショナルと違い、センテニアルはそれよりも長いので、大きな手の人向けかと言えば、キャップを外してもバランスが良いので、小さな手の方でも大丈夫でしょう。GTはゴールドトリムで金メッキが、CTはクロムトリムでロジウムの銀色です。好みで選ぶことになります。値段差はありません。ペン先のことです。総じて、海外産は国産に比べて、字幅は同じFでも太いと言われます。海外産のFは国産のMぐらいあります。小生は海外産も国産もEF、F、M、Bと使って来ました。それで思うのですが、漢字圏の日本では、abcと違い、細かい字が多く、せいぜい国産ではM（中字）までではないかと思います。なので、海外産のは、人にはEFかFを勧めています。パーカーも然りで、漢字を書くにはFが妥当だと考えます。よくFはカリカリとしていると聞きますが、18金のニブはそんなことはありません。また、本品のペン先のしなりは、モンブランの149よりは柔らかく、パイロットの845よりも硬く、丁度良い塩梅です。このしなり加減に慣れるのは普段ボールペン使いの人は多少時間がかかるかもしれません。硬い万年筆が好まれる所以ですが万年筆の王道を極めるには避けて通れない道です。是非ともペン先のしなりに慣れて頂きたいと切に願うものです。最後に、パーカーは万年筆の王様、キングと云われるように、愛好家の方は揃えておいても損は無い万年筆だと断言しておきます。殊に、フラッグシップのデュオフォールドはその書き味の素晴らしさから是非是非と申し添えます。