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duke fountain pens


d.marcus

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I am relatively new in fountain pens and I was wondering if anyone has tried the Duke fountain pens. The one on ebay are between 10.00 and 25.00 dollars. What do you like about them and would you recommend them to a new user as myself?

 

 

D.marcus B) B) B)

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Greetings d.Marcus and welcome to FPN.

 

I heard of Duke but I pretty much wrote them off as more junk pens from Chine. Well, last year at the LA pen Shoe, that all changed for me. There was a lady there selling Duke fountain pens and she was letting people dip and try out any pen they wanted. Well, the pen that I bought is the Duke Gold Medal. Yes, I paid quite a bit more than $25.00. Here is a link to my review on the Duke Gold Medal http://fountainpenreview.blogspot.com/2005...dal-review.html

 

The nibs on these pens are very very nice!!! It has a super smooth 2 tone 14kt gold nib. They seem to come only in a medium and the medium is on the finer side of Medium. The Duke pen company in general IMHO is the top tier in Chinese fountain pens.

 

I also have what is called the Duke Chiefton, it has an odd 10kt gold nib. I never seen a 10kt gold nib before but it is extremely springy. The pen I really would like to have is the Duke Bright Pearl http://www.hisnibs.com/bright_pearl.htm I love the material that the pen is made of. Another pen I want to buy is the Duke Columbus FP http://www.hisnibs.com/columbus.htm It is kind of a hybrid VP looking pen. Anyways, Duke does make some higher tier pens with good nibs. Yes, you will have to pay a few dollars more, but IMHO they are worth it!!!

 

TNS

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I only own 2 Duke pens, but I'm impressed with their quality. The first is a Duke Mako and the second is a Uranus GDF grey pinstipe pen also made by Duke. Both are great pens for the money. Pics of the Mako and GDF can be seen if you click the links below.

 

http://www.hisnibs.com/mako.htm

 

http://www.hisnibs.com/uranus_pinstripe.htm

 

Incidentally, isellpens.com also sells the grey pinstipe model (sans box), which they call the "Ancient Star" for half the price.

 

http://www.isellpens.com/duke.htm

Edited by Apollo
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Yeah, Duke Pens are the finest pens that the Chinese manufacture. They really are the top tier pens and the quality is suprisingly fantastic!! The have tons of different models out there on the market. The Duke website shows just how many pens they produce. Too bad the website is as slow as mud!!!

 

TNS

Check Out my Fountain Pen and Ink Review Sites

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I agree that Duke pens are some of the better Chinese pens. Hero still makes some really nice pens, especially the ones with gold nibs. I'm not sure I agree with The Noble Savage that they are the finest Chinese pens, but they are certainly top tier in the Chinese market.

 

I have a couple Dukes with steel nibs, the Mako and the Silver Rings. They are good, reliable and smooth writers.

 

 

Matt C.

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Heros are also good inexpensive pens, but I find that the fit and finish on Duke pens tends to be better, even on their lower cost Uranus line.

Edited by Apollo
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Duke pens are nice! Good price, very good nibs. The styling is perhaps not as muted as I would like, but they do get noticed! Some are really great pens: I have a wonderful Beijing Opera LE and it is an impressive, very well made pen. I also have two Duke Columbus pens and they are unique and have good nibs. Norm Haase is a gentleman and very professional.

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In punta di penna.....

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Norm Haase is a gentleman and very professional.

I'll second that.

 

I've got two Duke Copper Temples that write well, but my Duke Mini-Torpedo is one of my favorite pens.

How can you tell when you're out of invisible ink?

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I agree that Duke pens are some of the better Chinese pens. Hero still makes some really nice pens, especially the ones with gold nibs. I'm not sure I agree with The Noble Savage that they are the finest Chinese pens, but they are certainly top tier in the Chinese market.

 

I have a couple Dukes with steel nibs, the Mako and the Silver Rings. They are good, reliable and smooth writers.

 

 

Matt C.

I have yet seen another Chinese pen manufacturer top Duke's higher end pens. There are a few nice Heros but they are no where near thay of Duke. Duke has made some pens that would be questionable in terms of copywrite violations. I think Hero is even more guilty of that then any other Chinese pen company. on the other hand, Duke has pushed the envelope of several of their own designs that really stand out. I have yet tried a Hero nib that matched the quality and smoothness of a Duke FP. The 14kt gold nibs are the best I have seen on a Chinese FP, the 18kt is even nicer!! Too bad they only make 1 size of nibs.

 

 

TNS

Check Out my Fountain Pen and Ink Review Sites

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Dear TRYPHON,

I really appreciate your response about the quality of the duke fountain pens, but could you tell me the e-mail address of norman haas.

 

 

Sincerely

D.marcus

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Mr. Haas runs hisnibs.com

 

http://www.hisnibs.com/

 

There is an email address at the bottom of the page if you have any questions or want to place an order from his site.

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p202/Apollo3000/es-canary-islands-flag1s.gif Bendita mi tierra guanche.
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  • 10 months later...

Hi,

 

I have two now that I am trying to get rid of. I could adjust the nibs to your taste if you want. :D They are nicely made pens that are for those who have average-sized hands. (My hands are too small to use them effectively)

 

Dillon

Stolen: Aurora Optima Demonstrator Red ends Medium nib. Serial number 1216 and Aurora 98 Cartridge/Converter Black bark finish (Archivi Storici) with gold cap. Reward if found. Please contact me if you have seen these pens.

Please send vial orders and other messages to fpninkvials funny-round-mark-thing gmail strange-mark-thing com. My shop is open once again if you need help with your pen.

Will someone with the name of "Jay" who emailed me through the email system provide me an email address? There was no email address provided, so I can't write back.

Dillon

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I will join d.marcus in thanking you all for your assessments. I have been looking at Duke pens wondering myself what the quality might be. I still have some Christmas cash left and I think I will try one of the Dukes.

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I discovered the quality of Duke pens during 2006 after 40 years of Parker and Pelikan use. The Pelikan 800 is still my signature pen -- just -- but 2 of my Dukes are rapidly taking over.

 

I now own 8 Dukes. Every one of them writes better than any Parker I have ever owned and 2 of them are on a par with the Pelikan 800. they are listed below:-

 

Silver Rings

Nobility Colour

Cubist Cloisonne

Ruby

Sapphire

Khaki Squares

Complete Esteem

Mini Torpedo

 

Every one cost no more than $20 including postage to the UK.

Malcolm Webb, Lincoln UK

 

When somebody asks me what Rotary is all about

I tell them it's all about Fun, Fellowship & Caring Service.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I own a Duke Calligraphy nib have ordered a Duke Carbon Fiber for a gift for next Christmas. Due to the long lead time on the latter gift, I'll be inking it and giving it a try to make sure there are no problems with the pen.

 

I don't expect any problems, but you do have to check, especially when the gift is a fountain pen. Often with a lot of few different inks. And a bunch of papers. Of course, you have to check whether the pen writes in a coffee shop as well as it writes at a library, or at your home...:rolleyes:

 

But I digress.

 

I've only used the Calligraphy nib pen and I have to admit I am impressed. All the Duke FPs from ISellPens are in the price range you are seeking. Check them out at: ISellPens

 

The Duke Calligraphy comes with a large converter, two standard ink cartridges and a lovely gift box. It is a steel nib and a great writer, starts every time without delay. It has a smooth Sailor 1911 style "art" nib that allows you to make many different width strokes depending on the angle the pen meets the paper. The ink flow is very dependable and consistent from one type of paper to the next, and it even does well on cheap paperback book paper, as I use it as a highlighter.

 

The calligraphy nib pen is a little on the short side for my personal preference, if the cap isn't posted (and it does post very well indeed). It is a full sized pen though and is a great pen for the price. I don't ever buy the hugely expensive pens anyway, and am not a collector. I like FPs because I like to write with them.

 

At present, I have Herbin Bouton D'Or in the pen, using it as a highlighter. The writing thus won't photograph at all well. This doesn't matter a bit though as I've got some problem with my internet software and the disk for repairing that won't arrive for a week or so. I'll post pictures and images of writing done with the pen after that repair is made, and post them here as a pen review.

 

In the meantime, check out ISellPens for photos. ISellPens Duke

 

Edit: I inked it with Noodler's Shah's Rose and it works like a dream. Also, I did ink it after a quick ammonia solution wash, rinse, rinse, dry and let it dry some more. It is a very smooth writer, and hasn't burped, slowed, balked or otherwise given me any grief. (And that's after handwriting around ten pages single spaced at approx. college rule spacing.)

 

No fix it disk here yet, so no pictures are possible. I will post them later.

Edited by ViolinWriter

Elizabeth

 

Spring and love arrived on a bird's sweet song. "How does that little box sound like birds and laughter?" I asked the gypsy violinist. He leaned back, pointing to his violin. "Look inside, you'll see the birdies sing to me" soft laughter in his voice. "I hear them, I can almost see them!", I shouted as his bow danced on the strings. "Ah yes" he said, "your heart is a violin." Shony Alex Braun

 

As it began for Shony, it began for me. My heart -- My violin

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  • 2 years later...
I discovered the quality of Duke pens during 2006 after 40 years of Parker and Pelikan use. The Pelikan 800 is still my signature pen -- just -- but 2 of my Dukes are rapidly taking over.

 

I now own 8 Dukes. Every one of them writes better than any Parker I have ever owned and 2 of them are on a par with the Pelikan 800. they are listed below:-

 

Silver Rings

Nobility Colour

Cubist Cloisonne

Ruby

Sapphire

Khaki Squares

Complete Esteem

Mini Torpedo

 

Every one cost no more than $20 including postage to the UK.

 

I totally agree with you. I own two Parkers, a Waterman, and a Pelikan 200...I still have as my favorite the Duke Carbon fibre pen (as well as the desk set I bought from China a month or two ago). I do like Waterman for the nice soft nib, but my Duke is number one -- and the CHEAPEST....in a while Duke could probably start upping their prices. I wish they offered true piston fillers though, or at least other types of fillers besides converters. But oh well, better than nothing.

 

But I did notice that with both my dukes I had to adjust the tines somewhat in order to get them writing smoothly.

I no longer own any fountain pens... Now they own me.

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  • 1 month later...
Are these wet writers?

 

Not gushers, but sort of medium wet. Not as wet as my Pelikan F nib from Richard Binder, but not dry at all.

 

Donnie

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797)

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My Duke #929 (Khaki Squares) is in my walk-around pack of pens at the moment. I thoroughly enjoy it! It's currently inked with PR Blue Suede.

http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/7260/postminipo0.png http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/8703/letterminizk9.png When one is too old for love, one finds great comfort in good dinners. Zora Neale Hurston
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