To be a parker man.

Do you know the history of pen? In fact I don't know it clearly, I think most of us don't know that, but we all know a pen called Parker.

Pens do not come with any more history than the parker pens. As the continuing popularity and relatively high prices on eBay attest, the Duofold was and is a classic design reflecting art deco sensibilities of the 20s. This is both a huge advantage and a huge responsibility for the modern incarnation.

How well does it pass the test? User experiences of the modern Duofold are mixed. It seems to be the most popular pen for spouses to abscond with and take ownership of. Presumably this reflects the attraction of the design and the friendliness of the pen. In particular, I think the cartridge/converter fill system makes the pen more users friendly. Of course, this is also widely cited as a big minus of the modern version compared to the traditional button-filler design of yesteryear by the pen cognoscenti.

Also on the minus side are reports of problems with skipping, starting, and just general balkiness of the pen. While I've always loved the design, these latter reports gave me pause and for several years I avoided the pen. Ironically, it was the dismal performance of a parker pens Insignia that I received as a gift that changed my mind about the Duofold. That pen was such a horrible writer that I shipped it back to Janesville for retuning. I was so pleased with the speed and quality of the service that I thought the risks associated with getting a bad Duofold were perhaps not as bad as I first imagined.

Given the availability of the vintage Duofolds, why not just get one of these and avoid the risk?

First, if one buys over eBay, the risk is perhaps even greater than purchasing new. Risks here include expensive repairs of the filling system, nib repair, or, worse yet, physical flaws in the pen not adequately disclosed in the description. The solution is to buy from a reputable dealer, but this too is not as easy a task (at least to get a good price) as one might think.

The best way to go is probably visiting a pen show, but I did not have the patience to wait for one of these to come around to my area. Bottom line -- while one often hears about how much more pen for the money one can get by going vintage, I'm not sure how true this is of real prices for Duofolds.

Choose your own Parker, to be a Parker man.