Conklin came back! This isn't new, but I get to check out the Duragraph, thanks to Goulet Pens. Check it out, and stay tuned for Serious Nibbage, where we'll give it away!
ABOUT
Body Material: Resin
Trim: Metal
Length (capped): 140.0 mm/5.51''
Length (uncapped nib-end): 124.7 mm/4.91''
Length (posted): 175.6 mm/6.90''
Barrel Diameter: 12.3 - 12.5 mm/0.48'' - 0.49''
Section Diameter: 9.5 - 10.8 mm/0.37'' - 0.42''
Weight (all): 26 g
Weight (cap): 10 g
Weight (body): 16 g
Nib material: Steel
Fill type: Cartridge/Converter
Posts: Yes, friction
Cap: Threaded
Price: $44.00USD
Where to buy:
Goulet Pens
PACKAGING
The Duragraph was packaged in a large clam shell box with rounded off, cut corners. The top has the Conklin logo and it's lined with two gold lines, bordering the edges. The inside is a velvety, beige bed, and the pen is secured in place by a ribbon. Under the pen bed, there are two ink cartridges and your pen's warranty information. It's solid packaging but it's so excessive, both in size and for the price of the pen. It's not spectacular, but it does the job.
APPEARANCE
This is a pretty pen, and it isn't all that small either. It is round, widest at the top, and tapers slightly towards the end of the barrel. The back end is a blunt, flat black plug, marked by a chrome ring. The finial is also black and has Conklin Est. 1898 engraved in white on it. The clip is attached internally, just below the finial. There is a fairly large slot cut out for the clip, and if you look at it, you can see the sleeve inside the cap. Dislike that large slot.
The clip is not unique - it starts wide, and tapers into a tear drop shape at the end. For some weird reason I cannot rationally justify, I just don't like clips with this shape. It's too generic and boring. There is a thin raised ring near the end of the cap. It is marked with Conklin and Duragraph.
The section is quite short, and is not made of the same material as the cap and barrel. The section is black plastic. I like the shape - it has a pinched shape and ends in a ridge before the nib. I think a matching section would look better, and would make the pen look a little more cohesive.
The material of the pen is very pretty. It is translucent - the base color is amber, with black and pearlescent orange swirls on top of it. For me, it's the material of this pen that caught my eye. I'm not really into the design of the blunt top and this clip design, but the colors of the resin! Yummy!
NIB & PERFORMANCE
This steel nib is a 1.1 mm stub. It has a single slit, a crescent-shaped breather hole, and no tipping. The nib is engraved with the Conklin logo, and Toledo USA. It's an appropriately-sized nib for the pen - it doesn't look too small or large.
This pen needed a thorough flushing with water and some dish soap. Twice. I tried with water alone and ink flow still halted completely. After two water and soap flushes, ink flow is much improved. The nib is pretty smooth and pleasant to use. Ink flow is generous and consistent. Drying times are pretty fast. It's easy to keep the nib aligned, and because it doesn't have sharp edges, it doesn't really skip, nor does it hard start. Pretty decent performance.
Under normal writing conditions, the nib writes smoothly and the feed keeps up well. With some pressure, the nib offers a bit of line variation - the feed keeps up pretty well there, too. The stubby, untipped shape of the nib also offers nice, natural line variation if you just want to add some flair to your hand writing - broad down strokes and thin cross strokes.
IN HAND
I hate this clip. Not only do I dislike the design (it's very generic), it's also pretty much useless. It is so stiff, I can't even lift it. Sliding it on to more than page? Nope. A shirt pocket? Definitely not. I struggle with it in a pen pouch. Not a fan.
The section is on the smaller side. The thread are not sharp to the touch or to the grip. The ridge from the section to the barrel is also quite smooth, so if you end up gripping higher on the section, it should not bite your fingers.
Unposted, I find the pen comfortable enough in hand. I wish I could grip a little closer to the nib than the section comfortably allows, but I guess that's more of a section issue. Or me-grip issue. But maybe it isn't entirely - the desire to grip lower is to have better control of the pen. It's a good length and diameter for most hands, I think. The balance is closer to the front.
The cap can be posted by friction if you like posting. I was disappointed to find it only sat on the end plug, and not deeply to provide better balance. Posted, the pen is very long, and top heavy. The balance was then weighted towards the back, so either way, unposted or posted, the balance was not ideal for me. Unposted is more comfortable for me, though.
PROS & CONS
OVERALL
I think the best thing about this particular model is the pretty finish, and the stub nib. I don't find the model all that comfortable in hand, so it is not one of my favorites, despite the pretty. Stay tuned for a giveaway of this pen!
I received this pen free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not compensated monetarily for my review. Everything you've read here is my own opinion. There are no affiliate links in this review.
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