I just received my M200 pen. Great pen, smooth writing with a bit of road feel to it. My question is how do you tell if you're holding an M200 pen or M150 in your hand? I haven't seen a M150 myself, but I know that M200 is a bit longer based on websites I've seen.

This pen does not have any label that it is indeed a 200. I wonder if I would have saved $10 on M150???

Thanks folks.


Joseph

Hi Joseph

The difference in size is really significant. The 200 is already about as small as most people like, though it sits beautifully in my hand; the 150 is seriously too small for me.

It's remarkable how important small differences in size can be. In diameter, for instance, the Sheaffer Snorkel and Touchdown are, IIRC, ~10.9 mm in diameter, and are distinctly thin; a pen 13mm in diameter is pretty fat.

Best

Michael

oh yes, and there's a much smaller range of nibs that will fit the 150.

Check out the very handy measurements guide over at Nibs.com.

The M200 series is the same size as the M400 series too.

There used to be at least one difference between the two models, in the older line - the 200 had two cap rings and the 150 had only one. (this older line, BTW, was the one which had rounded cap tops, and was replaced I think around 1992). In the new line, both pens seem to be identical when capped except for the size.
This pic though shows a detail that might help: the 150 has a green window, the 200 has a grey one. I haven´t checked this, because my pens are the older models, both with grey windows.
Does anyone know anything about this difference in colour ? Is it just accidental, or was it meant to identify the pen?

I just checked my black barrel M200 and the transparent window is green.

I have to check pendemonium.com. I believe the nibs look different for each model. And I don't think they're interchangeable.

I think for a next purchase (will be a while), I would like a heavier Pelikan, like a metal barrel. I have a problem with my hand and wrist due to repetitive motion. I can only grab a fat barrel pen.

My Parker 45 is sometimes too slim for my hand. Parker 51 is slightly fatter, but Pelikan 200 is perfect for my hand.

you've mentioned this twice now, Michael. I'm wondering if you are right in terms of NZ but not in terms of the US or UK?

I ask because Swisher's site shows the same range of nibs for the 150 as for the 200. Maybe this is a question for Chartpak or the like?

For the M150, Chartpak lists EF, F, M, B, BB, OM, OB, and OBB. This is exactly the same range as for the M200. Be aware, however, that these are loose nibs; pens with nibs, in both models, are offered only with F, M, or B.

Thank you Richard.

KCat, I was going on the published offerings by a range of reputable on-line dealers, who were quoting what was available fitted on a pen, and I hadn't seriously examined Chuck's site recently, and I didn't know that the full range was available on special order.

Alas, AFAIK Pelikans aren't imported into NZ. They used to be, in the 1980s, but I think there was a change of distributor. When there was a specialist b+m pen shop in Auckland, they took the effort to bring in Pelikans, but it evidently takes too much effort for the big stationers to be profitable -- why bother, when you can probably sell MB into much the same market at a bigger margin? Same goes for Italian brands -- never see them now when I'm mooching around.

Best

Michael

who has learned something new and hasn't even showered yet today

Edit: fixed up a sentence that could have been read as implying something I didn't mean to say.

well, I wasn't aware that they even did the "loose nib" thing. So that does make it more difficult to deal with anyway. I mean, one of the things I love about the 200s is the nib interchangeability. I still managed to buy more bodies but if you want just one pen and want to try different nibs, then it does sound like the 200 is the better choice. Of course, I prefer it anyway because of the size but that's just me.

We had a brief dry spell here in the US when the former distributor for Pelikan either went out of business or just stopped carrying Pelikan. I don't know the story. But I recall trying to get in touch with them for some reason; to no avail. I dunno if Chartpak was actually in existence then and my seller didn't know about them or if they filled the gap.

So even here this addiction can be at risk.

KCat, I think he was saying that, regarding the smaller range of nibs, that while the nibs for the 200, 400, and 600 series are interchangeable, the 150 can, to my knowledge, only take 150 size nibs (though maybe also the 300?). I have two of teh 150 pens and like them, though they really are markedly smaller than my 200 and 400 (and actually the 200 has been confiscated by my wife , so I should say "than her 200 and my 400" ).

What I was meaning was that the 150 takes a different range of nibs from the 200 etc, which is true: and I also thought that the 150 range was much more restricted in the choice of sizes, which seems to be false, though there might still be a more restricted range you can order with the pen, as opposed to buying them as separate nibs.

But substantially, I was wrong.

Not the first time, and won't be the last

Best

Michael

Hi,

The M150 takes the same nibs, but they are set deeper. I think that the M150 is a bit too large for my hand though small for many.

Dillon

I'm sorry, but that is not correct. Both the nib and the feed for the M150 are one "fin" shorter than for the M200.

Ahhhh. So that's the difference. Now I understand why not to put the 200/400/600 nibs on the 150. Thanks for that info!