Parker Striped Duofold

[quinden]

I was given the opportunity to "test drive" a vintage Striped Parker Duofold (details on that here) - here are my impressions and photos! I got most of my facts about this pen from Richard Binder's website; just click on the 'Reference Pages' link and scroll down to the 'Pen Model Profiles.'

 

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The Parker Striped Duofold in Blue Marble

 

Appearance and Design - 10 of 10

 

I love the look of this pen; I much prefer the clip of the Striped Duofold to that of a Parker Vacumatic, and the vertical stripes are very sleek!

 

Construction and Quality - 9 of 10

 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8154/7559525480_7975bd91e3_c.jpg

Cap and Blind Cap removed to show nib and filler

 

This pen is lightweight, but does not feel fragile. The threads on the cap and blind cap look crisp and feel great. The filler under the blind cap is plastic, which indicates that it was made after the start of World War II.

 

 

Weight and Dimension - 8 of 10

 

This pen is roughly 5 and 1/4 inches in length; I know that some people prefer larger pens, so that is something to be mindful of. The grip section is not as wide as some of my modern pens, but I have begun to notice that I am somewhat "size agnostic" though, so it works really well for me. Here's an image next to the pens in my collection:

 

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7121/7552521568_d8ec2aa55c_c.jpg

For reference: Eversharp Skyline, Parker Striped Duofold, Pilot Vanishing Point, Noodler's Ahab, TWSBI Diamond 540, and Pilot Custom 823

 

Nib and Performance - 10 of 10

 

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Please pardon my sad phone camera picture

 

The Striped Duofold has a 14K solid gold nib. Although not a wet noodle, it flexes enough to give character to my writing with very little pressure - I am loath to push it any further. Loaded with Chesterfield Night Sapphire (a rebranded Diamine ink) it is very nice on Rhodia paper. There is pleasant feedback with a little noise, but I would not characterize it as scratchy - nor would I call it buttery or glassy; it hits my personal sweet spot for nib characteristics.

 

Filling System & Maintenance - 10 of 10

 

This pen fills via the famous Parker Vacumatic system - it's so easy! Remove the blind cap, submerge the nib & a small part of the section in your inkwell or bottle, and depress & release the plunger. Repeat until your pen is filled, waiting at least 1 second between plunges to allow the ink to travel up the breather tube. The Striped Duofold has a visulated body so you can see all that beautiful ink sloshing around:

 

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7267/7559523130_8382c63585_c.jpg

It's somewhat hard to show the barrel's transparency on an overcast day - it is much more transparent in bright light

 

I had never used this system before, but I really like it.

 

Cost & Value - Score Omitted

 

Since I did not pay to get this test drive, I don't want to comment on the value of this particular pen. Looking at completed listings on ebay, it would seem that Striped Duofolds (at the time of this review) have sold for anywhere from roughly $35 (I suspect it was unrestored) to $250 (for the largest deluxe version). I have seen them pop up here on the FPN for very reasonable prices, and I think they are a great value.

 

Conclusion and Final Score - 47 of 50, or 9.4 of 10

 

I love this pen, it's as simple as that. I get to hold a piece of history in my hand - not as some fragile museum piece, but as a writing instrument that can be used every day, just like someone did 70+ years ago! I'll be on the lookout for Striped Duofolds in the future, I can tell you that for sure.

[Leftytoo]

Thanks for a great review. You capture the spirit of why many of us get hooked on the older classic pens.

Bob

[breaker]

nice review and pics!

thanks!

[quinden]

Thanks for a great review. You capture the spirit of why many of us get hooked on the older classic pens.

Bob

 

 

nice review and pics!

thanks!

 

Thanks! I'm having a lot of fun with this pen.

[Uncle Red]

That is a sweet pen.

[quinden]

That is a sweet pen.

 

Agreed! I couldn't resist commenting on it when GClef showed this portion of his collection.

[lovemy51]

beautiful pen, thx for showing it!

 

edited: nice handwriting too!!

Edited July 14, 2012 by lovemy51

[quinden]

beautiful pen, thx for showing it!

 

edited: nice handwriting too!!

 

Thank you! I have been working on improving my cursive; the hardest things for me are making the letter shapes the same every time, and keeping all the letters on the base line - mine tend to "float away" at a moment's notice.

[steviebee]

Thanks! Very nice review & pics. Yours looks to be a great writer -and very nice handwriting to boot.

 

Cheers

 

These Striped Duofolds are indeed *lovely* - and addictive. I started off with a beautful greeny-gold stripe & now have the red and the blue striped finishes (the pencils are nice too).

[IWantThat]

Ah, you've discovered them. My vintage Parker Duofold is quickly taking the place of many of my previously oft-used modern pens. Mine has a butter-smooth nib and is just a delight to write with. It is also very lovely, in an understated way. Modern pens sometimes seem too large to me, as I find myself more and more drawn to vintage.

 

Great review

[quinden]

Thanks! Very nice review & pics. Yours looks to be a great writer -and very nice handwriting to boot.

 

Cheers

 

These Striped Duofolds are indeed *lovely* - and addictive. I started off with a beautful greeny-gold stripe & now have the red and the blue striped finishes (the pencils are nice too).

 

 

Ah, you've discovered them. My vintage Parker Duofold is quickly taking the place of many of my previously oft-used modern pens. Mine has a butter-smooth nib and is just a delight to write with. It is also very lovely, in an understated way. Modern pens sometimes seem too large to me, as I find myself more and more drawn to vintage.

 

Great review

 

steviebee: Thanks! Addictive is right - I am looking at Duofolds on ebay as I type this.

 

IWantThat: It is a very lovely pen indeed - classic and classy.

[ArchiMark]

Very nice review of a great looking pen....your handwriting sample is very good too...

 

Thanks for sharing...

 

[georges zaslavsky]

you can't go wrong with a vac thanks for sharing