Modern Duofold Centennial questions

[InkyProf]

One pen I'm considering pursuing next year is a modern Duofold Centennial of some kind, probably a flattop / Mk. I, although I am also drawn to a couple of the colors and patterns that I think only appeared in the second version. But I hesitate, for three reasons, each of which comes with a question for folks who have these pens or have been in the hobby/business for a while.

 

1. I've read the threads about dryout due to the placement of the vent hole on the cap. It seems like some pens (or some users) suffer from this and others don't. I know it's probably hard for a single user to gauge this, but: how common is this problem?

 

2. I've also read about problems with the feeds that were originally used with (some or all of) the banner nibs. Same question: how ubiquitous is this issue? Should I assume that I'll need to replace the feed (or have the feed replaced) on any pen with a banner nib that hasn't already been serviced by Parker?

 

3. For those of you who like and collect these pens: what's the appeal? I don't mean that skeptically, but I'm curious whether there's something about the way these pens write that is distinctive and appealing, or whether it's something else -- the visual aesthetics of the pens, the way they feel in the hand, the way they look all together in a case, general love of the brand, etc. None of which I discount; but I'm struck that when I went to read about the Waterman Man 100, there was a lot of discussion of how fabulous the nibs are (and so far I agree!) whereas the reviews and discussions I've seen of the Modern Duofolds generally just say that the nibs are smooth. Given what I'm learning about my own priorities, that might not be enough for me, unless I stumble across a sumgai find.

 

 

[VacNut]

Pen selection is always subjective. Buy what appeals to you and feels good in your hand.

If you hold a Red or Black DNA Parker Duofold, you will know what I mean.

[Ron Z]

Parker put the vent holes so that it's in the inner cap, which of course means that the nib dries out.  Dumb.  It is possible to plug the hole and put one in farther down so that it is below the edge of the inner cap.  There is a modification that can be done on Parker feeds to improve the flow.

[Penguincollector]

  I’m a longtime Duofold Centennial user, I’ve had mine since I was 15 and will be 50 next year. Mine is an MKI, gifted to me in 1991, a blue marbled with the bicolored arrow 18k medium (now italic) nib. 

 

  I used to consider it a large pen, but these days, it really isn’t. It’s well balanced, a wet writer. I have never had the dry out problem. It did have a tiny filmy piece of the barrel material stuck in the section somewhere (Kirk Speer saw it and pulled it out) and I suspect that this is why it preferred Quink Washable Blue cartridges to any other ink. Once that was gone, it has been fine with anything. The italic nib puts down a lot of ink, and the feed keeps up. 

  The only real issue I have had is one of circumstance: I lived in Florida and my childhood desk was in a sunny room. I noticed that the blue marbling has faded into grey after years of use in the Florida sun. That said, this pen has travelled all over with me, from the southernmost point of the country to the cold northeast, and now to the PNW, and had decades of heavy use, and is still an excellent writer. 

  What attracted me was the aesthetic, for sure. It was like Cupid struck me with an arrow when I saw the advert for it in my dad’s Architectural Digest magazine. I can still picture it.
 

  If you like it, go for it. Like Ron said, there’s fixes for any cap or feed issues. 

[lamarax]

A related question that's been bugging me: other than the obvious cosmetic revisions, are there any performance or quality disparities among the modern -Mk. I up to the current IV (or is it V?)- makes of the Duofold?