Duke Fountain Pens

[hvargas6505]

I see fountain pens made by Duke pop up all the time on Ebay. Has anyone here ever used one? They seem relatively higher priced compared to other Chinese brands like Hero or Jinhao. Are they a good value for the price? I was going to buy one, but I was afraid of the thought of spending $15 to $20 on something that performs exactly like the Jinhao I could buy for a lot less.

[mariom]

Some use more interesting materials and designs, but internally they are no different and write no better or worse than any other basic Chinese fountain pen.

 

Just MHO.

[jchch1950]

Some of them come with gold nibs

[richardandtracy]

I have two Dukes. One is a 209, a Sonnet class pen and as far as I was concerned it was on a par with the bottom of the range Sonnet. Review here: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/222537-sonnet-comparisons-with-lookalikes/

 

My second Duke is an own design by Duke, the Century. Own designs show the design ability of a manufacturer, and it has shown Duke to be competent and workmanlike rather than inspired. This is the pen: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/313958-duke-century-review/

 

All in all I would suggest that on average they are better than Jinhao and Hero and on a similar level of quality to Kaigelu, Crocodile and probably Picasso.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[FrankH]

I have half a dozen Duke pens and I like them all. My two favourite pens are Dukes: the 370 which has an 8K nib and the "Charlie Chaplin", a big heavy pen that writes beautifully.

[displacermoose]

I have several Dukes. IMHO the ones with the screw caps are great. I have a Bamboo and a Buckingham. The slip caps just don't last so even with the better materials they aren't worth the premium.

[Parker51]

I have one Duke. I don't care for it, though there is nothing particularly wrong with it. It does have a Gold nib, it is reasonably smooth, but it is a combination of an aesthetic I don't care for coupled with a weight and diameter which doesn't work for me. In many respects it reminds me of some contemporary Waterman Fountain Pens I have which I also use very little, though the Waterman nibs are a bit better and their style is more understated. In Chinese made Fountain Pens I prefer those from the early 1980s as I like the esthetics of the Chinese made Consumer products of that period.

[jekostas]

I have a Duke 116 series, and it's a pen I like a fair amount though it's just a little bit too heavy for me.

[Helen350]

I have had this Duke Bamboo for many years, and it is a beautiful pen. Screw cap - M. nib. Nib is smooth

[displacermoose]

I have had this Duke Bamboo for many years, and it is a beautiful pen. Screw cap - M. nib. Nib is smooth

I have one exactly like that. It is a really great pen.

[Zookie]

I haven't had one yet, but have used a couple of Uranus pens which I believe are from the same maker. Nice pens and not too pricey.

[Old_Inkyhand]

My Duke 932 is really great. Duke Air Force One is good and 929 is just fine, but I enjoy writing with it.

[Manalto]

I bought a Duke (I can't recall which model), not paying too much attention to the measurement (or maybe it was in centimeters, and I think more easily in inches). Anyway, the packaging was very serious and grand. When I opened it, I laughed out loud; the pen is so huge, it's absurd. I've used it a bit and it's a good writer, but unwieldy. Posted, it gets caught in the ceiling fan.

[Old_Inkyhand]

They are heavy. Really, really heavy. You usually wouldn't want to post them.

Mine are not so big, I think, but heavy.

Edited December 12, 2016 by Old_Inkyhand

[displacermoose]

Not all of them are heavy. The bamboo pictured above is actually quite a light pen. The others don't strike me as inordinately heavy for metal pens; mine are pretty comparable to my Jinhaos of similar size. But compared to plastic, resin, or ebonite then yes, they are pretty heavy for the size. The "Shark" models have a light cap and post very well if you are not concerned with cracking the cheepy plastic inner cap.

[Manalto]

Duke Uranus sounds like a threat.

 

In my previous post, I combined the memory of the two Duke pens I have. One is Montblanc 149 sized and pretty weighty; that's the one in the "fancy" presentation box. The other isn't particularly heavy, but it's huge. I see many other Duke pens listed, presumably of other weights and sizes, so there may be one that suits your taste. If the prices reflect a higher quality of materials and craftsmanship, they may be worth looking into.

Edited December 12, 2016 by Manalto

[Old_Inkyhand]

Not all of them are heavy. The bamboo pictured above is actually quite a light pen. The others don't strike me as inordinately heavy for metal pens; mine are pretty comparable to my Jinhaos of similar size. But compared to plastic, resin, or ebonite then yes, they are pretty heavy for the size. The "Shark" models have a light cap and post very well if you are not concerned with cracking the cheepy plastic inner cap.

Yeah, I was referring rather to my pens (insted of editing the previous post), out of which I use 929 very rarely (I keep it in my other house). Mine are all lacquer over brass, so that gives them quite a lot of heft. I think I enjoy it. I have a couple of non-Asian metal pens and they are considerably lighter.

[rwilsonedn]

... I've used it a bit and it's a good writer, but unwieldy. Posted, it gets caught in the ceiling fan.

 

Often you can solve ceiling-fan issues by employing a classic tripod grip and resting the barrel of the pen on your writing shoulder. This also gives you a bit more leverage in forming letters as you write, particularly on dramatic up and down strokes. By the way, this is probably the source of the familiar exhortation "put your shoulder into it" which was originally used to encourage Chinese calligraphers, but in translation its context was misunderstood.

ron

[J_MM]

I have the D2 and the carbon fiber. Both nice pens that are a step up in quality from Jinhao. As already mentioned they are on the heavy side though.

[bobje]

Hilarious explanation of good handwriting posture. Ron, you're a crazy man.