Parker Uk Duofold Junior

[Malcy]

This is probably the most common representative of Parker UK's 1950s range of Duofold pens. The range comprised the lady (4), slimfold (5), Junior (10), Demi (15), Standard (25), Senior (35) and Maxima (50). This seems to be a lot of variants but they were not all available thought the production span of this style. They can be identified by the number on the nib (in brackets). There are other closely related pens as well, the Parker Victory and the Parker 17 to name two of them. I must admit that I have overlooked this particular range, having only had a slimfold briefly in the past.

 

 

The style is similar across the range but the size varies greatly. You may be expecting the Junior to be a short pen as many pens labelled junior are but this is not the case at 135mm capped and 159mm posted. It is fairly slim, but no more than a P75 for example. Style is conservative, this pen is a very traditional black with gold trim though they come in red, blue and green as well. I think that they are made from polystyrene but I could be wrong. The shape of the body evolved from the earlier double jeweled Duofold NS, through the single jeweled Duofold AF to the Duofold Aero shape and there are similarities to the 3rd generation Vacumatic shape. The plastic holds up well and polishes nicely, the gold plating also seems to be fairly robust. This is a fairly light pen, lighter than a vac junior but it feels just as solid.

 

The green writing in the photographs is from this pen, the broad blue a Sheaffer Imperial factory stub and the narrow blue a Waterman's 515.

 

The Duofold Junior comes equipped with a 14K gold nib stamped with a 10 to show that it is a junior model. I would say it is about a No2 size. The nib is lovely and smooth, though stiff and writes with a consistent wet broad line. Many nib widths and styles were available, the most common being fine or medium. I have not needed to remove the nib but I think that the nib and feed are a friction fit in the section, though dismantling the filler may be an issue if you need to knock the nib/feed out.

 

Now we come to the heart of the pen and the reason why so many of these pens are usable without any servicing. The Parker aerometric filler is a simple design as the best designs often are. It consists of a plastic sac which seems to be the same material as the P51 aerometric sac with an exposed squeeze bar and an internal breather tube which helps to fill the sac as much as possible. These fillers seem to go on and on, though I don't know what could be done for spares if they did break other than to cannibalise another Duofold. Ink capacity seems to be pretty good and the pen can go for a long time between fills.

 

These are not uncommon pens and can be obtained on the bay for little money. Slimfolds are usually under £10, Juniors commonly sell in the £20s. UK Duofold Maximas sell for a lot more, often for silly prices. I saw one go for £180 recently. The junior pictured cost £8 and didn't need any work other than a quick polish. That's value for money.

 

I really like this pen, it isn't showy or ostentatious. It just works well and writes beautifully. As a result of this experience, a UK Duofold Maxima is on the acquisition list.

 

Appearance & Design (1-10) 8/10

Construction & Quality (1-10) 10/10

Weight & Dimensions (1-10) 7/10 - a bit thicker would be nice.

Nib & Performance (1-10) 10/10

Filling System & Maintenance (1-10) 10/10

Cost & Value (1-10) 10/10

Conclusion (Final score, xx/6) 55/60

[CRB]

I think that UK Duofolds are terrific pens. I have a black Maxima that I like very much. In addition to writing perfectly, the aerometric filling system is a pleasure to use: holding pen and ink bottle up to the light, I can watch the clear polyglas sac as it fills. It holds so much ink that it feels slightly heavier in the hand when it's full.

 

Thank you for the informative review and great pictures.

[KrazyIvan]

I know I enjoy using mine. Thank you for the review.

[jandrese]

Nice looking pen, thanks for sharing. I like that style of Parker clip. It is crisp, detailed, and still simple. Most companies today would not put such a nice clip on even a very expensive pen. Is that an ebonite feed?

[Malcy]

Nice looking pen, thanks for sharing. I like that style of Parker clip. It is crisp, detailed, and still simple. Most companies today would not put such a nice clip on even a very expensive pen. Is that an ebonite feed?

 

I looked closely at the feed and it could be ebonite but I'm not sure.

[Uncle Red]

Nice pen with a nice nib.

[georges zaslavsky]

great pen I have one made in France with a 18k nib, very durable and reliable too and also timeless

[akrishna59]

another good realistic review from malcy. i have always felt that gold plated trims will fade / brass over the years, i had some gold plated pens lose their plating when they rubbed on each other while carrying in my pocket, though it took about 10 years for it to happen. the clip look really great on your pen.

 

rgds.

 

krishna.

Edited February 16, 2012 by akrishna59

[Malcy]

another good realistic review from malcy. i have always felt that gold plated trims will fade / brass over the years, i had some gold plated pens lose their plating when they rubbed on each other while carrying in my pocket, though it took about 10 years for it to happen. the clip look really great on your pen.

 

rgds.

 

krishna.

 

Thanks it's in pretty good nick.

 

Plating condition is down to a number of factors. At one end of the scale some companies used heavy rolled gold, at the other end microscopically thin gold wash. In my experience M T & Co Swan pens hold up well but vintage Conway Stewarts do not. Of course, how the pen is carried makes a big difference. The gold covering wears pretty quickly if you keep the pen in your trouser pockets all day (as I have found ). It's nice to get a vintage pen with the plating still intact.