PARKER Duofold Ballpoint Pen, Classic Big Red Vintage with Medium Point Black Ink Refill

First of all, I haven't bought a ballpoint pen for myself in many years. The few upscale ballpoints I have are all Cross pens. I was given a Parker ballpoint pen many years ago as a gift from an employer and always admired the design. I went online recently to see if Parker still had that type of pen that has the retractable press type mechanism on top with thick barrel. It turns out they don't, BUT, there it was, the same thick retractable pen but with a twist top for the ink point instead of the press type. It was beautiful. It was called the Duofold Medium. The price was breathtaking though. Whoa. I decided to gift myself with it and am glad I did. This pen is gorgeous. OK, I kinda went a bit crazy and ordered two more (that's it though, I cannot afford all this). These pens are, as stated in my headline, like Rolex watches. They're made in France. The twist top for retracting the ballpoint itself is smooth and feels solid. I now have the silver metallic, the blue with gold and the black with chrome. The downside is I really like the BOLD refills but this comes with MEDIUM. I happened to find online a German Parker type ballpoint pen refill maker that sells BOLD in both BLUE and BLACK. It's the Schmidt P900 B refill. I ordered both the BLUE and BLACK and it works perfectly with this pen. I'm totally happy now with my three dependents. If you love to write and like a hefty feeling heavy quality gorgeous ballpoint pen, get this. Cherish it. Take care of it. This is NOT your everyday pen. Losing it or getting it "borrowed forever" would certainly not be a good thing. I love this pen. BTW, make sure you order the model that comes with a medium black point (which, as I stated, can be swapped out for the Schmidt BOLD) because the ballpoint Duofold that comes with a FINE point has a cap instead of the twist top. Not my style...more to lose...so, in summation, if you love ballpoint pens and take care of your things, get this. Style wise, quality wise, heft wise, THIS is the best I've found (also one of the most expensive but quality isn't cheap). Now, I must write a grocery shopping list...where'd I leave my pen....

When I bought my first Duofold ballpoint, it was a drastic change from the models offered by Parker. The Premier and 75 were great pens but a little slender for my hands.I saw a demonstration of its construction at a local pwn shop and thwre was an introductory offer of just under $100. It was a beautiful blue variegated/marble resin. I even had it personalized on the top of the cap. Parker even offered to reink the initials on the crown for 10 years at no charge. It has, in my opinion gracefully aged, but it was time for a change, not just for the material used on the barrel and trim, but a face lift.The redesigned Duofold loses the art deco and earlier styles in favor of a more modeen tratment of the pen. But, one thing that did not change was the stylish Duofold trademark embedded on the Big Red version. That brings you back to its origins and the Ace motto on the crown is also a throwback to the earlier era. I chose the most traditional look of the updated line. The nickel-palladium trim works well woth the pen. The older version used gold, but I loke this chpice of metal bettwr.The pen wprks great and the mechanism oTo extend and retrack the refill works tine (a sore spot for some of the earlier Duofold ballpoints).There are a wide variety of matwrials being used with is pen, perhaps more appealing to a new customer. It is a great pen to use every day. My own personal wish is ro have the sterling silver cisele finish be added. It is my favorite from Parker. Hopefully someone from the manufacturer will read this review.

This is simply one extraordinary pen, luxurious yet unpretentious. It has a nice, solid heft to it, the grip is comfortable and secured, is not slippery at all despite its looks. The flow of the ink is as good as expected from a Parker ballpoint.This pen exudes elegance and style without being "loud", it certainly is a pen for any occasion. I own many other nice pen brands -including other Parker Duofold, Premier, and Sonnet but this is one that really stands out. I think the pictures on the website do not make justice to the beauty of this pen, I am very pleased with it.

Overall a sturdy luxurious pen. Feels great in the hand, the only complaint I have with it is, when I start to write, the sides of the refill hits the brass(?) tip of the pen. Causes a mild rattling sound. I wished they put in a small rubber/ or plastic washer or buffer to stop that rattling. For a ~$200 pen, I think I shouldn’t hear the rattling. None of the other Parker pens I own rattle. But I’m going to keep this pen, since I love the way it looks so much, and the medium heft is much better than the other super heavy luxury ballpoint pens.

This is the nicest and most expensive pen I've owned. It's gold plated which causes the pen to be super expensive. It comes in a luxurious box. Unfortunately, their quality assurance is questionable. As soon as I took out the pen, I noticed a scratch on the black part of the pen. I've included a picture of it. It's kind of hard to tell in the picture but I can assure you that it's not a fingerprint smudge and is a scratch instead.As for the pen, it uses normal Parker pen refills so the pen functionality isn't anything special. You aren't getting a pen that writes any better than a normal Parker pen.In conclusion, I wouldn't spend my own money to buy this pen.

I searched long time for this. Finally got exactly what I wanted

The new style (black one) opens at the point end to change the refill as opposed to the old style Duofold ballpoint that loads through the knob end.. NEVER force the knob on either! Properly cared for, these will be in your grandkids hands soon enough!