Parker Duofold Centennial Fountain Pen | Classic Big Red Vintage | Medium Solid Gold Nib | Black Ink and Convertor | Premium Gift Box

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 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.

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.

The first thing to say is that this is 'The Big Orange' fountain pen rather than the big red one. In fact my one doesn't look red at all - a bit of a disappointment. I bought mine recently from Amazon (UK) for £312. Within a week it had gone up by £200! It took me a little while to get the cartridge to work but now I am very pleased with it. It did come in the large box which gives it a luxurious appearance. After some initial reservations (about the colour of the pen and the ink flow) I am now very happy with it. I would not, however pay £400-£500 plus for it.

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.

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.

A beautifully engineered metal pen that feels great to write with. I opted for medium nib and am not disappointed. The finish and craftsmanship are excellent and the pen does exactly what is says on the tin! A premium price for the pen that definitely says 'luxury', however, that said, a pen that will last several lifetimes if taken care of.

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