Joining The Pelikan Ranks - 1St Premium Pelikan

[Jeff_H]

I'm coming from the world of Sailor, Pilot and Montblanc. I love the Naginata-Togi nib from Sailor and the Custom 823 from Pilot. I have about 8 Japanese pens and 3 MB 146's with a 4th on the way. I started out liking medium fine nibs from Sailor but after I bought my first MB medium nib, I got crazy and bought my 823 with a broad nib. Love it. I do have an m205 that's a medium, but I've had a hard time bonding with it.

 

Anyhow, I found a great deal on an M805 on Rakuten...I've had my eye on them for a while. I decided to go with a medium since I understand new Pelikan nibs run wide. I like the size of my 146's and my 823, so I hope the 805 isn't too big. I write with my pens posted. Also, how wide should I expect the medium nib to be? In the same range as my MB mediums? Wider?

 

Now begins the wait for it to arrive. It's coming EMS from Japan, so those usually take 4 days or so to arrive. The pens look beautiful online, so I hope they don't disappoint in person.

 

I would appreciate any advice.

 

Cheers!

Edited January 26, 2015 by Jeff_H

[PAKMAN]

To me the 146 and M800 are very comparable in size and nib width.

[risingsun]

So did you go with the all-black M805 or the blue pinstripe version? Excellent choice, in either case!

 

I can't say how the nib would compare to MB, but I have found that a modern medium M800 nib with a stubbish grind is a joy to use, and the narrowing of the horizontal strokes makes it work leagues better than it did with the factory round tipping (I was getting a lot of filled-in letters). So keep that in mind, FWIW.

 

Welcome to the world of Pelikan!

[TMWeddle]

This size Pelikan is my favorite! I am sure you will like it. Let us know.

[SujiCorp12345]

You won't regret it! Pelikans are by far my favorite pens.

Edited January 26, 2015 by Suji

[Jeff_H]

Thanks everyone. I'm excited for it to get here.

 

Risingsun, I ordered the blue stripe version. I was torn between the blue and the dark red stripes, but the blue with Rhodium trim just checks all the boxes for me. It's stunning in the pictures, and I'm hoping even more so in person. For 35,000 Yen ($295 give or take a bit) + shipping and handling, 37,800 Yen total, I just couldn't pass it up. I've been watching some eBay auctions, Amazon deals and other Japanese sites for good prices. The best I'd seen was about $360.

 

I'm having a Sailor broad nub stubbed right now by ArtsNibs, so if that turns out well and the Pelikan needs some pizzazz added over the factory round, I'll send it off to be stubbed as well. I don't like it when my letters fill in.

 

I'll post picks when it gets here, although I'm no photographer.

[sargetalon]

Great color choice. I think that you'll be pleased. These pens are real lookers in person.

[risingsun]

Yep, I've got an M805 in the blue stripe - it's great, and you're going to love it. Congrats on the price as well!

[Thornton]

Very nice choice. The M805 is one of my favorite pens. Got my first one as a gift for my 16th birthday 11 years ago and still use it daily. I also have one that belonged to my uncle and it's badly beaten up, but I still keep it for sentimental reasons. The two pens have medium and fine nibs respectively and I find them to write the same width. I did just purchase an M605 with an extra fine nib that writes more like a fine/medium so I agree with you that the new Pelikan nibs are wider. They're still great pens though and will last you a very long time. Let us know how you like it.

[Bo Bo Olson]

If posting, let the pen rest in the pit of the web of your thumb, and if you get it stubbed, make sure the nibmester knows you hold low....that is perhaps of more importance with a CI.

IMO you have to do something to modern nibs to give them some life.

 

I am more use to standard and medium-large pens so find a posted 800 to be a very large pen....a bit clunky....but with an M nib, it should float easily with an adequate sweet spot.

So not having one I give advice.....I did have use of one for three days while trans-mailing, one of the W. Germany ones, and with that nib....come the day, I'd get one. (Never would buy modern.)

That '87-89 nib is a very, very nice springy regular flex nib. Modern 800's are basically nails.

 

Your MB is a 'Springy' nib....more tine bend than spread (@ 2X a light down stroke); like a regular Falcon.

[Albinoni]

You won't regret it! Pelikans are by far my favorite pens.

Couldn't agree more

[Jeff_H]

Well, it's here. I can't believe it. I ordered it Sunday, and it shows up today. That blows my mind, but boy what service. It came well packed and padded.

 

What a beautiful pen. Holy smokes. It puts the pictures to shame. Wow wow wow. The nib is just great. It was almost perfect out of the box. I tried it dry first on my Rhoda pad, and the only slight issue was a bit of a scratch when crossing a "T". That's just a slightly misaligned tine. A quick adjustment before I ever inked it took it to 99%. I'll write with it a while before I try to solve the last 1%.

 

The pen writes just beautifully. The nib is smooth and silky. It's not too wet and not too dry, just how I like them. It's a medium, and I think it's fairly true to size. It writes a line just thicker than my MB 146, but the line is tighter, for lack of a better term. The edges of the line are crisp and clean. The line is smaller than my Pilot 823 B, but about the same as my Platinum Century 3776 B. I couldn't be happier with it's size, for my first Pelikan.

 

It's almost identical in size to my 146, but the tapered section with the slight lip makes it slightly more comfortable.....I think. I need to write with it more. I'm very happy with the size, weight and feel. I don't find it too heavy, even posted. And it's comfortable to write with that way as well. I like it so much I'm already thinking about my next Pelikan. A tortoise 800 or a burgundy striped 600...I don't think they make a burgundy 800 and that's my next favorite color, other than tortoise.

 

Off to write some more!!!! What a great pen. One of my top 5 purchases so far, and in my top 5 pens already.... and it may climb higher.

[Jeff_H]

Oh, and I don't find the nib to be a nail at all. Certainly not flexy, but I don't care for flex honestly. The nib feels like it gives a slight bit of cushion and just a bit of give, or perhaps spring. Already among my favorite feeling nibs.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Glad for you!

There are a whole lot of beautiful 600's out there. Do spend some time drooling over them.

It does not have the brass piston guts of an 800/1000, so is lighter, more nimble, the girth is a bit smaller but bigger than the 400's. I like the medium-large pen.

Well....I like the old nibs better. I have a 605 with a semi-flex B nib from my 400n in it.

[risingsun]

Yep, the beauty of the M6XX pens (and the M4XX, for that matter) is the HUGE opportunity it opens up for using an amazing variety of vintage nibs from the 50s and 60s (and 80s, too) in a fully modern pen. And if you miss the heft of the M80X in an M60X, check out the heftier M640s (you'll just have to live without an ink window, but otherwise they are fabulous in the hand).

[stephanos]

Wait, the 640s are heftier than the 600s? I didn't know that. I must try to find one. In what way are they heftier? Thicker, or just heavier materials?

 

I agree that the 600 range is good for nib swapping. And having recently tried an 800 nib from the 1980s, I can testify to the big difference from new nibs.

 

Congratulations on a lovely pen, by the way.

 

Edited to remove errors from my mobile device's auto-correct function.

Edited January 29, 2015 by stephanos

[sargetalon]

Wait, the 640s are heftier than the 600s? I didn't know that. I must try to find one. In what way are they heftier? Thicker, or just heavier materials?

Different barrel shape (wider and slightly taller) and metal construction. They weigh more than an M800 (1.16 vs 1.03 oz) and actually only slightly less than an M1000 (1.20 oz).

[Jeff_H]

I'm actually fairly sure my next pen will be a 600 series. There are more color options for sure, let alone the nib selection. And the price of new nibs goes down significantly from the 800's to the 600's and even 400's. If I get another 800, AFAIK it's either black or green stripe....I have too many black pens as it is....it doesn't really move me, and I just can't get into the green stripe. Maybe I need to hold one in person.

I don't want to spend the money on a Toledo, even though some are just beautiful. I don't want an M1000. The 1000's are too big for me....as I tried an MB 149 and just found it too big for comfort. I bet the 600 series is really comfortable and I don't mind a slightly smaller pen either, but I am glad I started with the 800. I already have an M205 that writes very nicely, but I need to spend more time with it. It has a great monotone 14K nib. A tortise 600 and a burgandy stripe 600 are very nice thoughts.

 

What is it about getting a new pen, not even having it for 24 full hours and already thinking about getting another? This really is a sickness. I already have enough nice pens for a lifetime....but I want more and more.

[risingsun]

Stephanos, Joshua is too humble to link directly to his own website in regards to the M640s, but I'll gladly do so. If you're interested in the M640s here is a good start:

 

http://thepelikansperch.com/database/fountain-pens/m6xx/m640/

Edited January 29, 2015 by risingsun

[DrCodfish]

m600, my sweet spot. The size is just right for me. I had a 640 Polar Lights, I loved the look of the pen (still do) but the slight bulge in the barrel was uncomfortable for me, so I sold it, though I must say, that was a gorgeous pen.

 

An M600 tortoise? Thery are bound to come out with that sometime soon, and when they do, be careful not to get between me and mine.

Edited January 31, 2015 by DrCodfish