Pelikan M205 Blue Demonstrator

[dizzypen]

This review along with many other review, pictures, etc. can be found on my blog: The Dizzy Pen

 

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First Impressions

The freely admit that this was an impulse buy. I found it on sale at such a great price that I could not walk away from it despite the fact that it is a demonstrator and I generally hate demonstrators. Still, when I opened up the box I was instantly attracted to the pen

 

Appearance

This pen is small, there is no denying that, but the blue color of the plastic is very attractive. In my opinion, it helps class the pen up a bit. If it were just clear plastic I think it would look quite cheap. I also appreciate the silver-colored furniture. I find gold trim positively revolting except when it is on a vintage black pen. Some have described the plastic as “cheap looking,” and I don’t entirely disagree, but considering the price of this pen I can get over it.

Design/Size/Weight

 

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The dimensions of this pen are as follows: 4 7/8” capped, 5 7/8” posted, and 4 3/4” unposted. This pen is quite small and incredibly light weighing in at about 1/2 oz. (16-17g) inked to capacity!

 

The design of the pen is simple. It does not vary from the rest of the M2xx line except in terms of finishes. This is not a design that excites me, but it is functional. As one would expect from Pelikan, the pen is well constructed. Despite it’s plasticy-ness (new word?!) it feels quite solid. I don’t feel as though I have to handle this pen with great care.

 

One thing I don’t like is that I have to post the cap. If I don’t, this small pen is not comfortable in the hand. With the cap posted the pen feels well-balanced.

 

Nib

 

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This pen has a fine nib on it. This was not my choice. This was the only option available to me at the price I paid. The M205 uses the same steel nib as the M215. It is available in XF, F, M, and B. This steel fine nib is springy and quite smooth though still a little tactile on the page. Out of the box, the nib wrote a bit dry, but I adjusted the flow a little and now it is fairly juicy. I’m surprised at how much I’m liking this nib now.

 

I’m not a big fan of fine nibs, so I was going to send it to Chartpak for an exchange. However, I’ve decided to keep this nib. I figure I need a good fine nib and I can always buy a replacement for $30. I can even spring for a Binder Stub (.8mm) for $50.

 

Filling System

Now, this is the real reason I bought this pen. This little guy is a piston filler and I wanted another one for my little accumulation. The more I use them the more I realize that the piston filling system is my favorite of all. As others have noted, the Pelikan filling system is quite smooth in operation and boy does it suck! (which is a good thing for FPs) This pen holds about 2ml. of ink, which combined with the fine nib, makes for quite a lot of writing between fills. I have nothing bad to say!

Cost and Value

You can find these online for anything from $95 to $75. If you are in the market for a used one you might be able for find one in the $60 range. I’d say this is a pretty good buy even at $90, but if you can find it for $60 you’ll really have an excellent bargain on your hands.

 

Conclusion (9/10, A-)

While I didn’t expect it, I think I quite like this little pen. I can see this fitting right into my rotation as a great school and annotation pen especially with this great ink capacity. I’d certainly recommend this pen to anyone looking for an inexpensive, practical, and functional piston filling pen.

 

No Affil.

[reprieve]

I'm a big fan of this pen--even more so given its great price. Mine has one of Richard Binder's cursive italic nibs; it's a dream to write with and is super reliable.

[penspouse]

Don't have this particular color pen, but LOVE those Pelikans. For my smaller hands, I find this size to be just perfect. I keep drooling over this particular model. I may just have to put it on my Christmas list.

[dianeb]

Great review, thanks so much. This was also an impulse buy for me, but the price was so great I couldn't pass it up.

[Flourish]

I love pairing this pen with its larger cousin the M605. My M205 has a .6 mm Italic/XXF double point M215 nib and the M605 has a XXXF Full Flex M600 nib. These two pens take care of most of my daily writing and drawing needs, and they look oh so nice together.

[breaker]

nice review

[diplomat]

 

Cost and Value</strong></span>

You can find these online for anything from $95 to $75. If you are in the market for a used one you might be able for find one in the $60 range. I’d say this is a pretty good buy even at $90, but if you can find it for $60 you’ll really have an excellent bargain on your hands.

 

 

Got mine at 62$ including shipping from ebay today, how do you call that!

I love Pelikans and I know what to expect, but I should admit that this blue demo is very attractive. A treat.

 

Cheers

[Woliaj]

how do you adjust the flow of a pen???

[tonysingh]

Nice handwriting.Good review i am expecting a pelikan m205 clear demo with a B stud real excited its going to be my first B nib.

[anaximander]

This is one of my favorites! And an excellent value. If you're okay with the smallish size of the Pelikan 2xx and 4xx lines (this size is perfect for me), then you can't go wrong with this pen.