Parker Big Red Centennial For $224 On Amazon

[Penryn87]

Parker in France managed to get my pen back to me on the very last day of 2019, without any communication from anyone that it was coming. It was sheer luck that I was home to receive it at the time.

 

 

It seems to me that, as a consumer, I gave Parker yet another chance that it has proven not to deserve.

 

I asked for have the nib replaced with a Fine Italic nib, but if that nib is not available at all for Parker Duofold, then I'd take a Extra Extra Fine nib instead. The returned package contained a bunch of paperwork, including some on other customers' "repair" requests. It also contained everything that I sent Parker's distributor in Sydney in the first place — hard copies of the service request form, email correspondence, as well as the sheet of comparative writing samples I provided...

 

 

Well.. that doesn't bode well for me as I requested the same thing. I did receive an email stating that certain parts were on backorder and there would be a delay for me.. idk what to make of that. Either way, it looks like I am rolling the dice as to what I get back lol. This could be fun! Maybe I'll get a nib I never considered but turn out to like.. or really hate. Welp.

[Honeybadgers]

 

Also, with the way it's fitted, the imprinted text on the pen barrel now faces down instead of up when I write.

 

The retail box, which I sent back in full including the white cardboard sleeve on the outside, now looks a little worse for wear.

 

 

My needlepoint has 80 on the feed as well, so sounds like that's what you got.

 

I'm not so down on it, I just don't love the grind on mine, but I enjoy the feel of the pen enough to be willing to drop another bit of money on the grind.

 

Small consolation I know, but you can rotate the feed/nib in the housing, they aren't slotted. So you can get the imprint facing up again easily enough.

 

And also kind of irrelevant to the point (which is that you got a nib that doesn't perform kind of as advertised) but most manufacturers actually ask you not send the pen in its original packaging for work, and many won't even return the packaging to you. I use 3/4 ID sections of PVC pipe, with the pen wrapped in a sheet of paper towel, capped with masking tape. It's small and compact enough to fit in a padded mailer and companies always seem to like it enough to return it in the same manner I sent it to them (so what if it looks vaguely like a pipe bomb )

[A Smug Dill]

Small consolation I know, but you can rotate the feed/nib in the housing, they aren't slotted. So you can get the imprint facing up again easily enough.

What you said may well be true, and I'm not trying to be contrarian for the hell of it, but the salient point to me in all this is the lack of attention to detail in how Parker After Sale Service Unit (in France) services what is supposed a premium model in the Parker range.

 

Also, even if I did that, I suspect that the imprinted text will still be facing down instead of up when the pen is capped and the clip is facing up. I just don't know what they did to my pen, and the included paperwork in the returned package is near indecipherable to mere mortals like me.

 

And also kind of irrelevant to the point (which is that you got a nib that doesn't perform kind of as advertised) but most manufacturers actually ask you not send the pen in its original packaging for work, and many won't even return the packaging to you. I use 3/4 ID sections of PVC pipe, with the pen wrapped in a sheet of paper towel, capped with masking tape. It's small and compact enough to fit in a padded mailer and companies always seem to like it enough to return it in the same manner I sent it to them (so what if it looks vaguely like a pipe bomb )

In my correspondence with Newell Brands, prior to my actually sending my pen off to its Australian office, nobody has asked me not to send the original packaging. My position is that whatever I sent them — specifically anything that is Parker branded — ought to be looked after with the same level of care as I, the customer, have demonstrated in how I packaged and sent it to the company.

 

From your description of your interactions with Wancher — not that I've bought from them, and I'm not inclined to for their asking prices for pens with JoWo nibs compared to Sailor and Platinum pens with in-house gold nibs — I very much doubt that Taizo's crew would be so careless with original retail packaging in which customers have chosen to send their pens back for service. Just another reason for me to conclude that Parker didn't deserve the chance I gave them to demonstrate just how good its products and/or after-sale service is these days, in the face of a market full of competition.

 

Anyway, I've sent this off (among other things) to the local distributor for its staff to see for themselves:

Edited January 3, 2020 by A Smug Dill

[Honeybadgers]

I've had coles, yafa, Pilot USA, and my local parker retailer all tell me that they would not automatically return original packaging if the pen was shipped in it, due to increased shipping costs.

 

FWIW, it's safer and cheaper to ship the pen without the packaging anyways. Just stop by the hardware store and buy a long chunk of PVC pipe for about $5, and cut it into segments with a hacksaw. I run a random file (whatever's sitting on my workbench, wood or metal, doesn't seem to matter) around the outside edge for 2-3 seconds to knock off the dust and it's done.

 

Or get those plastic shipping tubes. Yafa uses those a lot. Pilot uses their own weird shipping tubes. Not quite as sturdy as the PVC (which a truck could drive over and not damage the pen inside) but works solidly. If maintaining original packaging is important to you (it is for me for pens that cost north of $200-300) then keeping it out of the mail in general is a good idea. No amount of good packaging can totally prevent damage from careless shipping workers.

 

Wow, yours has a REALLY bad architect foot, it writes even broader than the F!

 

Mine's nowhere near that.

 

As for the misalignment, I'm guessing they either pulled and replaced the nib, or just screwed on a new section, in which case alignment would be difficult. I don't think the imprint is much of a "thing" for alignment by factories, regardless of how nice it is. I've got a number of new, untouched vintage pens that are gorgeous, hand assembled, top tier fit and finish products, but the lever doesn't even line up with the nib. Either way, if the distributor "makes it right", so to speak, but the imprint alignment is still derpy, at least you know you can fix it easily.

 

Off topic, but Wancher charges $100-300 less than the other japanese makers for their similar urushi offerings. And I can confirm that they stand behind their warranty work with the very best (they pay return shipping to japan and guarantee even their restored vintage pens for an entire year - had to use it once for a weak rear seal and they had it paid for everything and sorted it immediately. Chiaki's communication is fantastic and they're even doing a several hundred dollar restoration for me completely for free.) So even with a boring JoWo, I'm going to buy one just to support that kind of business practice and have a nibmeister do something special with the nib - Chiaki has indicated to me that she'd be willing to have something special custom ground for me, but I don't know if that offer is extended to other customers. She and I are working pretty closely on that WWII eyedropper that my mom salvaged from a sunken transport ship in the 70's

Edited January 3, 2020 by Honeybadgers

[A Smug Dill]

Wow, yours has a REALLY bad architect foot, it writes even broader than the F!

 

Mine's nowhere near that.

Here's how it compares to a steel Medium nib on a cheap Daiso fountain pen of which the full price is 0.75% of that of what I paid for the Parker Duofold Centennial Big Red Vintage (at such a "bargain price" buying from Amazon):

 

 

The Daiso fountain pen writes very smoothly, and can be made to write equally as wetly as the Parker, and yet the former still manages to leave crisper and thinner lines, after the latter has been fitted with presumably an Extra Extra Fine nib by Parker in France, which purportedly custom-makes each Duofold nib by hand on demand (according to what the brand's local distributor told me in writing).

 

Is it any surprise I find Parker a complete joke as a fountain pen brand?

[Lloyd]

... which purportedly custom-makes each Duofold nib by hand on demand (according to what the brand's local distributor told me in writing).

Just because it's made by hand doesn't necessarily signify that it's made WELL by hand.

[A Smug Dill]

Just because it's made by hand doesn't necessarily signify that it's made WELL by hand.

 

 

While that is quite true, I would have thought (or just imagined, or fancied) that a professional will check his/her work (or someone else's work) to verify that it delivers the requested and/or expected outcome before calling it done, and send the finished product off to the customer.

[MuddyWaters]

I doubt you got a needle point smug. I've seen one of those in action and they are at least fine like a 3776 F, and wetter. Your 'after' shot looks like an improvement in wetness at least. Do you find it more precise?

[A Smug Dill]

I doubt you got a needle point smug. I've seen one of those in action and they are at least fine like a 3776 F, and wetter. Your 'after' shot looks like an improvement in wetness at least. Do you find it more precise?

 

 

It "improved" in ink flow — not that I particular wanted or dreaded that; the flow on the original F nib was okay — but at the cost (from my perspective) of it now putting down broader lines and has more of the character of an architect's grind (not a good thing in my book). The edges of the marks it makes are about equally as lacking in crispness as before, so no, I wouldn't say it is more precise.

[MuddyWaters]

 

 

It "improved" in ink flow — not that I particular wanted or dreaded that; the flow on the original F nib was okay — but at the cost (from my perspective) of it now putting down broader lines and has more of the character of an architect's grind (not a good thing in my book). The edges of the marks it makes are about equally as lacking in crispness as before, so no, I wouldn't say it is more precise.

I would say it is still quite nice. You can find a buyer for this pen for sure.

[A Smug Dill]

I would say it is still quite nice. You can find a buyer for this pen for sure.

 

Probably so; it has crossed my mind. As I said earlier, a wet-flowing narrowish architect's grind may well be some other user's wet dream, just now mine. But everyone knows they can get this model of pen cheap from Amazon US, then send it in to Parker for (a gamble of a) nib exchange, without the option being only limited to say Europe or North America, so for what Parker has done to it I expect to have to take a significant loss — and it's a loss and not, "You used that pen for a while, so consider it the leasing charge for that period," because it's a gamble on the nib that didn't pay off for me.

 

Anyway, let's see what Parker's local distributor responds with next week; I expect its After Sale Service staff will be back from holidays then, and my email sent three days ago will be waiting for them.

Edited January 4, 2020 by A Smug Dill

[MuddyWaters]

 

Probably so; it has crossed my mind. As I said earlier, a wet-flowing narrowish architect's grind may well be some other user's wet dream, just now mine. But everyone knows they can get this model of pen cheap from Amazon US, then send it in to Parker for (a gamble of a) nib exchange, without the option being only limited to say Europe or North America, so for what Parker has done to it I expect to have to take a significant loss — and it's a loss and not, "You used that pen for a while, so consider it the leasing charge for that period," because it's a gamble on the nib that didn't pay off for me.

 

Anyway, let's see what Parker's local distributor responds with next week; I expect its After Sale Service staff will be back from holidays then, and my email sent three days ago will be waiting for them.

was your nib request in that handwritten page you posted? or was there a separate place where you indicated the nib choice?

 

they perhaps found the request too complicated. If you ask them for "needlepoint" and leave it at that that may increase your chances of their following your request.

[A Smug Dill]

was your nib request in that handwritten page you posted? or was there a separate place where you indicated the nib choice?

There was a proper service request form I filled out. I said I wanted a Fine Italic (FI) nib, but if that is not available for this model of pen, then I'll take an Extra Extra Fine (EEF) nib in exchange.

[MuddyWaters]

Oh i see, anyway, I quite like the look of the handwriting you posted with the new nib. How does the nib feel on paper?

[A Smug Dill]

@MuddyWaters

 

Very close to the amount of kinaesthetic and auditory feedback from the 21K gold H-F nib on my Sailor Professional Gear (Classic) Ocean, which feels less sharp and less noisy than the 14K gold EF nib on my Lamy 2000 blue Bauhaus, even though the shape of the strokes from the Parker and the Lamy nibs are more similar with each other than with what is produced by the Sailor.

 

Edited January 5, 2020 by A Smug Dill

[Honeybadgers]

I doubt you got a needle point smug. I've seen one of those in action and they are at least fine like a 3776 F, and wetter. Your 'after' shot looks like an improvement in wetness at least. Do you find it more precise?

Mine is supposedly a needlepoint as well and I can report that mine has very similar behavior.

 

I think they just grind an architect foot in theirs. Mine has a needle downstroke and a wide, western F cross stroke.

 

Also, hey, Gil, totally off topic, but Wancher may (I'm actually confirming this right now) be fitting their pens with an 18k nib that's in-house made (or made custom for them). They also offer standard JoWo 18k nibs.

 

I'm ordering one of the dragon maki-e pens that, with their own-brand 18k nib (only broad's in stock right now though) and a custom red ebonite feed, clocks in at $480. only $300 if you want a jowo steel, $310 for two tone/gold plated, and $40-50 more for an ebonite feed.

Edited January 6, 2020 by Honeybadgers

[Marten]

I am sorry that Parker has proved to be a disappointment for some. That is by no means acceptable and this should not be the case with ANY Company, Agent or Supplier, no matter the relative cost of the product or perceived quality.

Having said that though, my experience was fairly positive. By "fairly" I mean that yes, they collected the pen, exchanged the nib (To an XF) and returned this to myself, all at their cost. Whilst in their possession, I asked if they could please ensure that the fitted nib was tuned to be wet and if need be, to smooth this as well. The response was that they do not do tuning but only fit the nib unit... Well, so much for being a Technician at Parker then... That I found rather disconcerting as well as disappointing. So the question then is this "Who actually checks and adjusts nibs at Parker?" Nobody? I do not know.

Fortunately the new nib is wet and I will smooth this out myself, even though it is actually pretty decent.

[A Smug Dill]

I haven't heard back from Newell Brands in Australia, after four full business days this side of 2020 have elapsed.

The response was that they do not do tuning but only fit the nib unit... Well, so much for being a Technician at Parker then... That I found rather disconcerting as well as disappointing. So the question then is this "Who actually checks and adjusts nibs at Parker?"

I was advised, very specifically and in writing, that:

As part of our brand promise, we will exchange your Parker Duofold Centennial Big Red CT FP Fine nib to a FI nib or EEF if not available.

I just wanted to write to advise of the lead time for this particular nib, as they are custom and hand-made in France on demand. It can sometimes take as long as 3 months but we will endeavour to have your pen back to you as quickly as possible.

Note: my emphasis

and the EEF nib is expressly listed as a nib exchange option for the Duofold on Parker's web site, even though the FI nib isn't. I have sent writing samples to show what an EF (so, not even EEF) nib does, to ensure they know what my expectations are. Producing and fitting an EEF(?) nib on mine that writes more broadly than the original F nib is therefore either a total failure in Parker's customer service, or testament that Parker as a fountain pen manufacturer categorically cannot make a fit-for-purpose EEF nib, no matter whose job it is to do what in which office inside the company.

I was asked on the weekend, by a family friend whose interest in fountain pens has been reawakened, as to which brands I would recommend. You can guess which brand came up for special mention quickly, as a recommendation against.

Come to think of it, I will probably bring along two Parker fountain pens including my Duofold Centennial, when I see her next for contrast against pen brands I'd recommend: Sailor, Pilot (just not the Custom line), Pelikan (steel-nibbed models) even though I don't trust its gold nibs to deliver the right line widths, Lamy (but not anything in the Safari/Al-Star mold, or the 2000 for that matter) and Aurora.

Edited January 7, 2020 by A Smug Dill

[Marten]

Hi Smug Dill.

 

Yes! I know what you mean. Sorry. Yes, these should then potentially be checked and adjusted once the specific grind has been done. The XF, I was informed, is apparently also a special order as I waited about three weeks for them to get hold of one. Again, my apologies for maybe confusing matters but I was just sort of wondering to myself, if their Techies are unable to adjust a nib (Essentially they just simply screw the nib unit in??) who then does quality control? Or check the nibs for functionality. Or is it rather a case of we screw a nib unit in and if it looks weird, throw it a box and just crew in another. Other than those making the more "custom" nibs of course. I have had a MI italic previously which was absolutely horrendous. Had this swapped to a B.

[JosephKing]

Also, hey, Gil, totally off topic, but Wancher may (I'm actually confirming this right now) be fitting their pens with an 18k nib that's in-house made (or made custom for them). They also offer standard JoWo 18k nibs.

 

I'm ordering one of the dragon maki-e pens that, with their own-brand 18k nib (only broad's in stock right now though) and a custom red ebonite feed, clocks in at $480. only $300 if you want a jowo steel, $310 for two tone/gold plated, and $40-50 more for an ebonite feed.

 

I wish you luck with the Wancher nib. I asked for a Fine 18K, and while it said that on the nib, it wrote like a Western medium or broader (along with hard starts and skipping). I sent the nib back to be reground, and what I got back wasn't that much better. That pen is now fitted with a Diplomat steel fine which writes finer, smoother, and more reliably. YMMV.