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The material is very vivid, consisting of squares of different color pearl acrylic interspersed with solid black color squares. "Check" is a good name for the design. It's being offered in three versions, Amber, Green, and Blue, and in all three writing modes, as well as both sizes of fountain pen. This last is a great move by Parker, as many customers find the smaller International size Fountain pen to be a bit undersized. With a material as bright and standout as this, it would have been a shame not to have had it available in a nice, large pen!
In terms of the pens themselves, they are no different than what we've seen in current production Duofolds. Solid and well made cartridge converter pens with 18K nibs, and the trim plated to match the colour of the material, gold on the Amber, and silver on the Blue and Green versions. In addition to the clip, these pens are fitted with twin cap bands, as well as trim rings at the barrel end, and front and rear of the section. The section, cap top, and barrel end are all solid black in colour. Normally, we tend to find this a bit jarring, but with the interspersed solid black squares in the material, the black section and barrel end blend quite nicely on the Duofold Check. Writing performance was as expected, the 18K nib is firm and smooth in the medium tip. The basic nib grades available right now are extra fine, fine, medium and broad, but we've been told that some of Parker's more exotic nibs are going to be available on an order basis, including oblique and italic nibs. The nibs do have a new engraving design to go along with the new material of the pen, but seem to have the same qualities (and quality) as Parker Duofold nibs from the last ten years. As of now, this model is available in both sizes in the UK and Europe, with a US launch for the International size FP Rollerball and ballpen scheduled for later in the coming year. The current list price is £35 higher than that of the basic black Duofold, at £275 for the Centennial version. The International model will set you back £250. These retail prices are pretty much in line with other pens of this size in the UK.
The underlying pen might be the same solid Duofold that Parker have been making since it's re-launch in 1988. In fact, that's good news, as the modern Duofold is a pretty good pen by any standards. The new material, however, takes the Duofold a bit above and beyond anywhere it's been until now. It's a bold new look that should appeal to those who like to make a "loud and clear" statement with their accessories. Those people will just happen to also be getting a great pen at the same time! All Images Copyright 2005 William Riepl |
Parker
is a name to be reckoned with when it comes to pen collectors. From
their earliest hard rubber pieces, fabulous overlays, to the quintessential
classic the Duofold, and onward through another fifty years of great
pens to the Parker 75 And after what we'll arbitrarily call their
"last vintage" pen, they reintroduced the Duofold, and it
became a modern classic loved by pen collectors worldwide. It appeals
to both collectors as well as those who simply want a large, impressive
pen for daily use.
Their
latest version, the Duofold Check, takes what might be seen as a somewhat
staid design that hearkens back to the simpler days of the 1920s and
livens it up. All the way to the twenty-first century, in fact! The
new material used in these Duofolds not only sets them apart from
any previous version of the Duofold, but indeed, from any currently
produced pen of any brand.
