Parker Duofold

I use steel nibs still (Lamy Al Star and Kaweco Sport), but they don’t quite compre to the Lamy 2000 or a vintage Parker Duofold. The latter two pens are heavier, use piston filling and button filling mechanisms, have gold nibs, and feel more carefully engineered. This is not to say cheaper pens suck!

This pen is part of the Parker Duofold lineup, the Parker Slimfold. To my surprise, I did know about this pen until it popped up on penswap, shout out to u/nitrofish44. I found out that they were produced in England starting in 1958 and discontinued in 1975. The pen is slender, uses the parker aerometric filling system and comes with a 14K #5 nib to denote that it is the slimfold model.

Most people don't hate Parker, they just don't care about the brand any more. Except for Duofold and Sonnet, almost all their pens are mass produced overpriced blandfests. Even the Duofold Prestige range lacks attention to detail. Their fit and finish is good but little things like the number of lines on the body not matching the cap on a $600+ pen is pretty ordinary for effort.

It’s still going strong, looks good (it’s had a few knocks, but who hasn’t in the last 34 years?) and writes well. Looking forward I can definitely see me using (and enjoying) my Parker Duofold Centennial Big Red for the next 17, along with my Waterman Carene.

5 - Parker makes the most complete line of pens out there and compete well with Euro and Japanese brands. For $400 I can have a Sailor Realo with the worst piston in the business, an undersized Pelikan m600 whose nib may or may not be something close to its indicated size or I can get a classic style Parker Duofold with a big, gorgeous nib that writes the way it's supposed to.... Oh and if I don't like it, Parker will swap it out 100% free. Yes, the reissue 51 is priced top high but it's a pretty good pen, too. 6 - A nice, stiff, steel JoWo that has been properly tuned is just as good or better than any other nib out there.