Review - Pelikan M215 Lozenge With Custom *pendleton Butter-Smooth Stub Nib*

[Federer]

Introduction.

 

Welcome to my Pendleton Butter-smooth stub nib (and Pelikan M215) review.

Note: (Pendleton's official name for this customization is "PendletonPoint Elegant Butter~line Stub/CI", and he goes by the name pb2 on these boards)

 

If you're like me, you're thinking... You're supposed to be reviewing a fountain pen, not a nib. In this case, though, the nib is what makes the difference between a Pelikan, and a Pendleton Pelikan. No spoilers, but this man is skillful as he is pleasant. I'll save the rest of my praise, though, for my nib review.

 

Introducing the Pelikan M215. Nice pen, exceptionally well-designed piston-filler mechanism, but nothing special. That is pre-Pendleton. Post-Pendleton... Envision yourself carving into room-temperature, almost-melting piece of butter with a warm knife. Or perhaps you're using your fingers to doodle your name into some of your favorite cake's vanilla frosting.

 

Really. That smooth.

 

Here's a photo.

 

pelm215-2 by FedEX21, on Flickr

 

Boom. What's that sound? Another photo.

 

pelm215 by FedEX21, on Flickr

 

On to the pen review.

 

Appearance. 9/10

 

The Pelikan was well-packaged and looked good with the pretty-looking blue display box. First impressions were positive - the pen design looked sophisticated and timeless, yet modern all at once.

 

The M215 is a glossy pen with silver designs (as seen in the pictures).

 

Construction + Quality 9/10

 

Great construction - Pelikan did not disappoint. The quality also looks top-of-the-line, I do not expect anything to leak or fail in any way.

 

Weight & Dimensions 9/10

 

Feels heavier than something like a Pilot 78G or a Noodler's Piston filler but lighter than a Baoer 388/Parker Sonnet. Good, "average" size and weight. Not too flimsy, not too heavy, but just right.

 

Nib & Performance - Original 5/10

 

(I'm going to split this part into two sections, considering I used two nibs over the time I have owned this pen.)

 

Considering the price, the original Pelikan nib was as mediocre as you can get. Smooth, sure. Slightly flexy, maybe. But it produced an inconsistent line, sometimes letters were dry, sometimes they were wet. So I sent it in to Chartpak.

 

New nib came in. Slight improvement - no more feathering when the pen decided to write a heavier line. Still needed to do too much "pressing" into the paper for my taste. Smooth? Sure, once again. Not something I'd expect from a Pelikan, though.

 

Maybe about half as good as my Pilot 78G or Hero 616 nibs, and you can get around fifteen Pilots and a hundred Heroes for the price of the Pelikan.

 

Old nib writing sample (from lecture) -

 

old-nib by FedEX21, on Flickr

 

Some problems demand mastercard. For everything else, there's Pendleton.

 

Nib & Performance - Pendleton Butter-smooth custom stub nib 11/10

 

This is the best nib I have ever used. Period. Absolutely magical.

 

Here is the nib put to the test during a Kant lecture.

 

bagasse by FedEX21, on Flickr

 

I know what you're thinking. Beautiful.

 

In the past, whenever I thought, "I want a smooth nib." This is exactly how I envisioned the nib feeling.

 

To top that, it's a stub with as much character as a Spanish waitress. Whatever that means.

 

Picture of the Pelikan M2xx Gold-plated M nib I sent to Pendleton.

 

nib by FedEX21, on Flickr

 

Filling System & Maintenance. 10/10

 

Very happy with the piston-filler, no hitches and easy to use. Pelikan has lived up to its reputation.

 

Cost & Value. Pelikan 7/10, Pendleton 10/10

 

Maybe a picture will say it better,

 

bagasse-2 by FedEX21, on Flickr

 

Conclusion.

 

The M215 is a solid pen, but too expensive for me in stock form.

 

However, with the Pendleton nib and the Pelikan piston-filler mechanism - the pen is perfect. I don't feel like ever using anything else. 10/10.

 

I'm not sure if Pendleton's butter-smooth stub nib has been reviewed before, so feel free to ask questions. I'm a very satisfied customer, and would recommend him to anyone for "that perfect feeling nib" you're looking for. Thanks for reading!

Edited March 28, 2012 by Federer

[IWantThat]

Nice review! It's great to see a comparison between the 'original' nib and the Pendleton nib. He does such good work

[terminal]

Nice review! It's great to see a comparison between the 'original' nib and the Pendleton nib. He does such good work

 

Yeah the before and after is really informative!!

 

Ok, so, this sounds really good to me... but how much was it at the end of the day? Roughly at least

[Federer]

I'm estimating, but around $25 for the nib from Goulet Pens, plus ~$3 shipping to Pendleton. Then, $40 for the actual modification and $5 shipping back to me. Total: ~$70 (plus the price of whichever pen you choose), but very much worth it. Sell all of your other pens if you have to! You won't be wanting to use anything else. This is coming from a (basically) unemployed university student