I Am Getting Tired Of These Misaligned Nibs...

[Lam1]

I just received a new M800 and, again, a badly misaligned nib. I've bought several Pelikans in the last 4 months and my rate of problematic nibs is above 50 %, with the majority so badly misaligned that a quick look out of the box is enough to detect the problem - these are supposed to be luxury items, so where is the quality control? Sending it to Chartpak also doesn't help. I bought a M600 F that came horrible and I sent it to Chartpak to change the nib (and get an EF while at it) - it came back even worse (Aby is wonderful to deal with, but all Chartpak seems to do is to put in another part and not even look at it to see if it is ok).

 

I love the looks and the feel of the Pelikans, they are the ones that feel better in my hands and, in my opinion, the most attractive pens out there. But they are still supposed to write and not just be all looks. I mean, if every other car of brand X that we bought we would have pay about 15-20% of the car's price to have it tuned before it could run, would we still buy from brand X?

 

For comparison, during the same time I bought roughly the same number of pens from the big three Japanese companies (combined): not one was misaligned and they were cheaper (way cheaper in most cases). So, why don't I stick with the Japanese pens? Like I said, the Pelikans feel better in my hands, but I am beginning to reconsider if this is enough.

 

Sorry for venting, but I am really tired of receiving badly misaligned nibs and I just had to put this out there.

[Matlock]

I have to say that in over 25 years of buying, and using, Pelikan pens I have only had one bad nib and that was second hand. Could it be that this is more of a USA thing? As far as I can recall most complaints of badly aligned nibs have come from the USA (but not all). I seem to recall a post from Niche Pens, who check all nibs before selling their pens, saying they very seldom have any problems. Maybe Chartpak need to up their game?

Just a thought.

[savingbirds]

I've never had any alignment issues with the half dozen Pelikans I've bought. You can try buying from a seller that checks their nibs before shipping (nibs.com, GouletPens, etc.) if you want to be certain, but perhaps you just had a streak of bad luck.

[hari317]

IME, It is possible to mis-align the nib wrt feed as they are installed/removed.

[sakayume]

Sorry to hear you've been having trouble with Pelikan nibs. My (admittedly small sample of) two arrived without noticeable problems and write fine, though one was purchased from a vendor that supposedly checks all pens before shipping. If I were concerned about receiving wonky pens (and I am as I agree it's frustrating to have a new pen not work properly out of the box), I'd purchase from sellers that inspect or test their pens. Or request a seller do so before buying from them. I admit I'm also that annoying customer who sends a message/leaves a note requesting a nib inspection even for vendors that advertise they offer such services.

[sargetalon]

I understand how frustrating a misaligned nib on a new pen can be. For the price paid for these pens, you really should expect them to write well out of the box. Of course no quality control is infallible but it is still unfortunate when you're the one who gets that bum nib. It does seem that you are on a bad streak. I have bought and used many Pelikans and most of my experiences have been good out of the box. I would say only a few, less than a handful, of nibs have been overly problematic. I also think that this is not a Pelikan specific problem (I've experienced bad nibs out of the box from several companies), we just feel it more acutely given the price tag for these pens. I don't believe that Chartpak does any significant nib adjusting. Their services seem more plug and play with one nib being swapped for another. I hope that you're able to fix your nib easily and that it writes well for you soon. Good luck.

[Christopher Godfrey]

Lam1, you evidently like big pens, which is a (slight) shame, because out of my six vintage Pelikans, never have I had a problem with nibs. Your problem with them might be that they are small in your hand? Otherwise I would recommend, say, a vintage 400NN to you...

 

(I do not mean to sound smug, by the way!) Good luck!

[hilsedwards]

I have to say that in over 25 years of buying, and using, Pelikan pens I have only had one bad nib and that was second hand. Could it be that this is more of a USA thing? As far as I can recall most complaints of badly aligned nibs have come from the USA (but not all). I seem to recall a post from Niche Pens, who check all nibs before selling their pens, saying they very seldom have any problems. Maybe Chartpak need to up their game?

Just a thought.

I have had a similar experience; no problem at all with modern Pelikan nibs purchased from a variety of European sources.

My only criticism would be that not all modern nibs labelled 'B' are actually said width, many I would class as more of a 'M'.

[Matlock]

 

My only criticism would be that not all modern nibs labelled 'B' are actually said width, many I would class as more of a 'M'.

That's quite interesting as most people report that Pelikan nibs are wider than marked. I have always gone for F or EF as I find them to be more like M or F respectively. Of course each pen manufacturer has it's own method of nib sizing and it is, therefore, wrong to compare between makes. I have a couple of B nibs but they are on 400s so pretty old and sizing has changed through the years.

[Lam1]

Thanks for all the replies and the support.

I'll try to answer the good points raised all in one post, instead of creating multiple posts.

 

Unfortunately, in my experience it is not an USA bought problem. The one I received yesterday was actually bought from Germany. In fact 2 of the 3 pens with gold nibs, which are currently in production, that I bought from Europe make the top 3 of worst nibs that I received (including yesterday's M800).

 

In fact the least troublesome nibs I had were the steel nibs from the M2xx line (but one of the M nibs has trouble starting and almost always skips the first stroke - I hope it gets better with use). But the gold nibs have been a nightmare.

 

I understand that there are sellers that will check the nib (and some that will even adjust it). However, most of these sellers don't give much of a discount and I wouldn't be able to afford these pens at their prices. Don't get me wrong, I buy from authorized dealers (there is only one I never checked, but she is so well known here that I kind of assumed she is authorized, and she is a joy to deal with!). In any case, I believe that for the price paid (even at a discount), the quality control should be better - even though it is expected that one or another will not be perfect. But in my case it was 8 out of 15, with three so bad that can't be used (4 if I count the one Chartpak exchanged). On the other hand, it doesn't surprise me that it is just my luck - there is a reason one of my favorite songs is "Born under a Bad Sign"

 

I am tempted to try the vintage ones, but I am afraid that this could make my addiction to Pelikans even worse. Pelikans just feel right in my hands, and it is not just the big ones. I can use a M200 with just the same pleasure that I get from a M800 or M1000. Knowing this, I played a dirty trick yesterday after my post. I was in no mood to ink the M800 after inspecting the nib, so I inked a Sailor 1911s - my least favorite pen (it writes very well, but it just doesn't fit my hands - posted or not; and posted it is roughly the same size as a posted M200). After 30 min writing with the Sailor I knew exactly why I should stick with the Pelikans, nib troubles or not .

 

Thanks again.

Edited April 21, 2015 by Lam1

[Bo Bo Olson]

My 215 right out the box wrote so well. It's the second new Pelikan I bought, the other a 600, both wrote well out the box.

 

I do have a question to where do you hold your fountain pen, before or after the big index knuckle....just to make sure.It makes a difference in scratchy.

 

Sorry about your bad luck. Could be you should buy a good 10X loupe in in tine misalignment can happen so easy, and is so easy to fix.

Press from the breather hole down, so the up nib slots under the low nib. Hold for 2-3 seconds, do that 3-4 times.

[Lam1]

My 215 right out the box wrote so well. It's the second new Pelikan I bought, the other a 600, both wrote well out the box.

 

I do have a question to where do you hold your fountain pen, before or after the big index knuckle....just to make sure.It makes a difference in scratchy.

 

Sorry about your bad luck. Could be you should buy a good 10X loupe in in tine misalignment can happen so easy, and is so easy to fix.

Press from the breather hole down, so the up nib slots under the low nib. Hold for 2-3 seconds, do that 3-4 times.

Thanks for the suggestion.

I am a little afraid to try to align the nibs myself, but I guess I'll have to try.

 

As for where I hold the pen, I hold it after the big index knuckle, close to the tip of the finger. But I don't think it has much to do with the way I hold it because I always check it right out of the box with my 20X loupe - in fact, 3 of the pens were so badly misaligned at arrival that I didn't even need the loupe.

[Lam1]

I understand how frustrating a misaligned nib on a new pen can be. For the price paid for these pens, you really should expect them to write well out of the box. Of course no quality control is infallible but it is still unfortunate when you're the one who gets that bum nib. It does seem that you are on a bad streak. I have bought and used many Pelikans and most of my experiences have been good out of the box. I would say only a few, less than a handful, of nibs have been overly problematic. I also think that this is not a Pelikan specific problem (I've experienced bad nibs out of the box from several companies), we just feel it more acutely given the price tag for these pens. I don't believe that Chartpak does any significant nib adjusting. Their services seem more plug and play with one nib being swapped for another. I hope that you're able to fix your nib easily and that it writes well for you soon. Good luck.

Thanks.

I forgot to mention before that I also have experienced problems with other companies such as Parker, for example. In fact, I bought a parker Duofold during Christmas that I still did not use, because it spends all its time in their repair center. Worse, the first time it went to the repair center they actually badly scratched the pen. Parker ultimately agreed to give me a new pen (since I took macro photos of it before I sent it in) - it is supposed to arrive this week, so I guess I will see what happens...

[Bo Bo Olson]

I'm glad you have a loupe.

 

Lam1....some**** folks hold a fountain pen like a ball point or pencil before the big knuckle, and that adds to the scratchy feel, causes skipping also.

So I was just checking to see if that hold could have been the problem.

 

****many folks not on FPN.

 

Lots of folks on the com have been cured of a ball point pen hold and solved much of their problems.

 

It is simple.....don't use too much force.....just enough to bring the upper tine, lower than the low tine....hold 2-3 seconds, 3-4 times. As long as you start your pressure from the breather hole you will have no problem.

I was leery about damage at first too. Now I do it with out much thought.

A couple times I banged a nib out of alignment all by my self. Then pressed down from the breather hole and fixed it.

[Christopher Godfrey]

Lam1, if, after reading Bo Bo's sound advice, you still feel timid about engaging in battle with your tines, go and look at Richard Binder's website and read his easy-to-follow instructions on nib aligning and smoothing. It truly <is> dead-easy! You'll need a 10x loup or magnifier.

 

A couple of days ago there was someone advertising a tortoise 400NN, I recall, with wonderfully flexible-looking nib and at a very fair price! Can you be tempted...?

 

(Better sell that Parker?) (Oh -- and the Pilot?)

Edited April 22, 2015 by Christopher Godfrey

[Lam1]

I'm glad you have a loupe.

 

Lam1....some**** folks hold a fountain pen like a ball point or pencil before the big knuckle, and that adds to the scratchy feel, causes skipping also.

So I was just checking to see if that hold could have been the problem.

 

****many folks not on FPN.

 

Lots of folks on the com have been cured of a ball point pen hold and solved much of their problems.

 

It is simple.....don't use too much force.....just enough to bring the upper tine, lower than the low tine....hold 2-3 seconds, 3-4 times. As long as you start your pressure from the breather hole you will have no problem.

I was leery about damage at first too. Now I do it with out much thought.

A couple times I banged a nib out of alignment all by my self. Then pressed down from the breather hole and fixed it.

Bo Bo Olson, thanks for the advice, you make it sound so easy that perhaps even I can do it . I will give it a try over the weekend and report back here. I'll start with an M600 that can't get any worse, so I can't really do any damage ...

[Lam1]

Lam1, if, after reading Bo Bo's sound advice, you still feel timid about engaging in battle with your tines, go and look at Richard Binder's website and read his easy-to-follow instructions on nib aligning and smoothing. It truly <is> dead-easy! You'll need a 10x loup or magnifier.

 

A couple of days ago there was someone advertising a tortoise 400NN, I recall, with wonderfully flexible-looking nib and at a very fair price! Can you be tempted...?

 

(Better sell that Parker?) (Oh -- and the Pilot?)

Christopher, oh my, oh my! I'm just crazy about tortoises... (even though I only have one). I have actually been lurking around Rick Propas site staring at these babies, so I'm more than tempted... But I have already spent way more than my pen budget this year (counting a couple I have on order to pick up on an upcoming trip) and, if I buy one more, the wife will want a divorce . Unfortunately, a tortoise 400NN will have to wait at least until Christmas - I have some long months ahead .

 

I will have a go at nib realignment over the weekend and report back here. As for selling the pilot, sailor, etc. I'm not much of a seller... And they are actually good pens, just not my favorites. The Parker was actually a gift from my wife (I misspoke above) and I love it - I sent it in due to a minor thing, a singing nib, and they ruined it at the repair center. Hopefully the replacement will be good.

Edited April 23, 2015 by Lam1

[Bo Bo Olson]

A Singing nib is a good nib. It will stop after a while due to metal fatigue.

 

If you were ordering the best French straight razor, you have to pay lots more for a razor that sings ....then after some use....it stops singing.

In I couldn't afford that razor, I grew a beard when I retired.

[Lam1]

A Singing nib is a good nib. It will stop after a while due to metal fatigue.

 

If you were ordering the best French straight razor, you have to pay lots more for a razor that sings ....then after some use....it stops singing.

In I couldn't afford that razor, I grew a beard when I retired.

Bo Bo, that is very good to know, since the replacement that arrived yesterday is a true soprano . I wish I knew this before... It would have saved me a lot of stress.

 

Fortunately, I don't have to worry about the price of those razors, since I've always had a beard. So whatever little money I have goes into pens .

 

On a good notice, I have done what you said to align the nib of the M800 that arrived this week and I am happy to report that it worked and the M800 is writing beautifully now - but I was sweating like a pig while trying to align it . Thanks a lot for the advice.

[Bo Bo Olson]

With practice it gets easier. With everything in fountain pens, always take your time.