Pelikan M215 Nib Question

[bracer028]

I want to get a gold nib for this pen. which version should i search for? would the m400 nibs work?

[Notgatherox]

Yes, the M400 nibs would work.

 

Essentially, the difference between the 200 and 400 series is the nib, They are interchangable, with the exception of the material.

 

 

 

~Epic

[PabloAU]

M400 would be the way to go.

 

Read a few reviews before placing an order though, as many consider the steel M200 to be a superior writing experience. Naturally, this would be a highly personal thing and may not change your decision, but it's worth doing a little reading before parting with your hard-earned.

[miguelgoncalves]

My experience:

 

- Gold nibs are more flexible than steel nibs

 

- A medium point steel nib feels like a fine point to me. For example, I have a double broad steel nib for a 200 series pen and quite honestly it feels like a medium to me.

 

HTH

[NedC]

I had an m205 fitted with an EF gold nib, the same as in the m400, I found it wrote like a very wet medium so I put the gold nib up for sale and went with the EF steel nib and am much happier with it. YMMV. Pelikan's steel nibs can be superb if occasionally uneven in QC.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Why get rid of a supperior steel nib for a lousy modern gold nib?

 

I am going to get a 215 some day....never going to buy a modern 400 or 600 with the lousy semi-nail blob nib..

 

The 200's nibs are springy regular flex ....I have had 5 pass through my hands; trans-mailing them to England because there are a lot of idiots in Germany who refuse to ship to England.

Two of the nibs were as good as my very good springy regular flex vintage 120's steel nib.

Three were as supurb as my '90's gold nibed 400 & Steel and gold nib Celebry pens. The Celebry nibs were =, the gold was not better than the steel. The 200's steel nibs impressed the hell out of me...be that the 200 or the 215 or the Celebry.

 

 

Of course if you can get a '80's-97 or '50-65 gold nib....go for it....great nibs.

Modern are blobby, semi-nails made for ham fisted ball point holding ignorant users. They do not give a clean line either.

 

The first thing to do with such blobb nibs is to get it sent off to a nib meister to be thinned...with so much blob, can get the top ground a size smaller than the bottom.....get the nib made semi-flex while you are at it.

Of course you could by a semi-vintage or vintage nib and safe the mailing and hoping.

 

In this case a modern gold Pelikan nib is not any where up to the standards of the Steel nib.

 

I am very happy with my 400n's semi-flex B nib in my 600 instead of the semi-nail blob gold nib it came with.

Edited September 22, 2014 by Bo Bo Olson

[benincanada]

Why get rid of a supperior steel nib for a lousy modern gold nib?

...

The 200's steel nibs impressed the hell out of me...be that the 200 or the 215 or the Celebry.

I agree, my M200 steel fine nib is pretty springy

Edited September 22, 2014 by benincanada

[fljones3]

Why get rid of a supperior steel nib for a lousy modern gold nib?

 

I am going to get a 215 some day....never going to buy a modern 400 or 600 with the lousy semi-nail blob nib..

 

The 200's nibs are springy regular flex ....I have had 5 pass through my hands; trans-mailing them to England because there are a lot of idiots in Germany who refuse to ship to England.

Two of the nibs were as good as my very good springy regular flex vintage 120's steel nib.

Three were as supurb as my '90's gold nibed 400 & Steel and gold nib Celebry pens. The Celebry nibs were =, the gold was not better than the steel. The 200's steel nibs impressed the hell out of me...be that the 200 or the 215 or the Celebry.

 

 

Of course if you can get a '80's-97 or '50-65 gold nib....go for it....great nibs.

Modern are blobby, semi-nails made for ham fisted ball point holding ignorant users. They do not give a clean line either.

 

The first thing to do with such blobb nibs is to get it sent off to a nib meister to be thinned...with so much blob, can get the top ground a size smaller than the bottom.....get the nib made semi-flex while you are at it.

Of course you could by a semi-vintage or vintage nib and safe the mailing and hoping.

 

In this case a modern gold Pelikan nib is not any where up to the standards of the Steel nib.

 

I am very happy with my 400n's semi-flex B nib in my 600 instead of the semi-nail blob gold nib it came with.

 

I have found Bo Bo Olsen's advice pretty consistent over my experiences with Pelikan gold and steel nibs.

[bracer028]

how can i tell if a nib is from the 1990s?

[whych]

You can't really tell from the nib, but look at the pen.

If the cap says 'W Germany' it is pre 97. If it's just 'Germany'. then it's a later pen.

Since the nibs swap so easily, this is not a guarantee of getting a 90s nib though because the nib may have been swapped.

[risingsun]

'W. Germany' is pre-1990 (or thereabouts)... 1997 was the change in top finial style. 2003 was the change from two chicks to one chick on the finial.

[ziptrickhead]

I'd say if you want a nice gold nib that'll fit the M215 go for a M250 monotone nib. I love them enough to have it fitted on my M600. They write slightly stub like and have a bit more give to them than the modern nibs. And if you bid on one you can usually get one for a pretty decent price. There are buy it now auctions for new ones that are priced cheaper than the M400 nibs too.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I don't know exactly when they stopped making the modern 250 nib...2010?...but it is modern....the ones before '98 are the ones to look for, and I've no idea how to tell them apart....out side of buying an old 250...and swapping nibs when the mood hits.

Edited September 24, 2014 by Bo Bo Olson