ThompsonPens.com - In The Press

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When it comes to vintage Duofolds, there is one classic: The "Big Red". Whether in red hard rubber, or Permanite, the senior Duofold in red is the quintessential Parker pen. articlepic2 Among collectors of the vintage Duofold, there the Mandarin Yellow Duofold is a classic, of a different sort. Tough to find, produced in smaller numbers, and of a material that seems to have been less able to stand up to the test of time, the Mandarin Yellow Duofold is now a highly sought after pen.

Chris Thompson has managed to reproduce both of these classic Duofolds. He has found a source for the rod stock, in an exact color match, not only for the red, but also for the Mandarin, a much tougher proposition by far! The resulting pens are amazing.

	As you can see in the photographs above and to the left, the color match is very close indeed. In fact, I am convinced that it's about perfect, if it weren't for the engraving on the barrel, you couldn't tell the pens from the originals with the caps on. Since Chris has fitted both of the examples we tested with modern Duofold nibs and feeds, once the caps come off the secret is out. Up till that point, hover, only the extra line on the imprint reading "Replica 2001" gives up the secret.

	As with the other Thompson Duofolds, the quality on both pens was beyond excellent. Fit and finish were superb, and the overall look and feel first rate. Once again, these pens leave you knowing that Chris is an absolute craftsman, and not content until he gets it right!

I compared the Mandarin Thompson to a Junior I have had in my collection for several years now. The color was the exact same shade, the Junior was just a touch darker. On the other hand, the color on the Junior seems a bit uneven, which leads me to believe that it's darkened over the years, which could account for the color difference. articlepic5 In addition, there are naturally slight variations in color from one batch of the original Mandarins to another. The match was close enough that had it not had a replica imprint, I couldn't have told it from an original NOS Mandarin.

It was pretty much the same story with the Red, although in this case, there wasn't even a shade difference between my vintage pens and the Thompson. The only difference was that the vintage pens had a slightly higher gloss polish on them than the Thompson. The way these pens blended right into the vintage Duofold tray was amazing!

As with the other Thompson Duofolds, these were button fillers, just as the vintage pens. The ink capacity, therefor, was substantial, plenty of ink to see you through all the writing you're likely to end up doing when you get one of these into your hand. While I loved the stainless steel Duofold we reviewed last month, I can say that the lighter Thompson Duofolds are a bit more friendly to the hand if you're using them a lot. And, as I said, you will find yourself searching for an excuse to use this pair! I don't know if it's just that they're very good pens in their own right, or if it's the secret thrill I keep getting from pulling out what looks for all the world like an NOS Mandarin Duofold, and writing a check at the corner store!

As I mentioned, these pens were both fitted with nibs and feeds from the modern Parker Duofold series. While at first this might sound like grounds articlepic6 for disappointment, given the fact that in all other respects they are exact copies of the original, this really doesn't turn out to be the case.

The nibs used, one an older style, with the two tone arrow, and the other of the newer style, with the Duofold banner superimposed over the arrow design, were both very nice fine nibs. Smooth, although rigid, but in this regard, they are very similar to just about any vintage Duofold nib.

The ink flow was very good on these pens, something that might come as a surprise to those who have struggled with the modern Duofolds sometimes having a tendency to skip, hesitate, and generally balk at inconvenient moments. From what I have been told, the reason the nib/feed setup in these pens might be performing better has to do with the fact that they are button fillers with an ink sac, as opposed to cartridge converter fillers.

Instead of the ink being forced through a narrow nipple into contact with the inside end of the feed, the whole end of the feed is in contact with the ink inside the sac. This seems to provide for a much better, more even ink flow. The pens were a real pleasure with which to write.

Both pens have the same balance in the hand as the original Duofold, of course, they are, as far as I could tell, the same weight. In other words, aside from the nibs, writing with the Thompson Big Red is no different than using a vintage Duofold, and although I haven't ever had the pleasure of writing with a vintage Mandarin Duofold Senior, I'll assume it holds true for the Mandarin Thompson as well.

There's a reason why the red and Mandarin Duofolds are classics. Both of these pens make a bright, bold statement, they're definitely not pens you're likely to overlook! Whether you collect vintage Duofolds and simply want a modern version you can use every day, or whether you simply appreciate fine workmanship, these pens are just what the doctor ordered!

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