Pelikans seem very popular on this board, but I haven't seen anyone post a side-by-side comparison of the different pens of the range.

I'm especially interested in on how the nibs of the range compare (is a 400 range nib the same to write with as an 800, for example?), and also whether the EF and Fine nibs are as good as the wonderful 800 Medium nib, which is the only one I have first hand knowledge of.

What do people who have several of these pens say?

There are many here more qualified to comment than I, but the 400 and 800 nibs are quite different. Firstly, the 400 nib is 14K gold, and the 800 nib is 18K- the 800 nib is also much larger. I’ve had two 800’s, and both had some pleasant flex to the nib, while my 600 (which has a similar nib to the 400) is stiffer.

I’ve had 3 factory Pelikan EF nibs: a 200 steel nib, a 600 14K nib, and an 800 18K. They have differed quite a bit in terms of wetness and writing characteristics, and I wasn’t terribly happy with any of them, so I had Richard grind a custom one for me from a 200 steel nib (which writes just as it should!).

Other than my poor luck with EF nibs (which is m preference), my other Pelikans have been smooth writers regardless of the model. The difference being that the larger nibs (800 and 1000) have a little more flex- which you may or may not prefer.

For me, the two main virtues of Pelikans (in the 200 line and up) are that they use piston fillers, and that the nibs unscrew so that you may swap them . I feel that Pelikans generally offer good value- although there are many other good pens!

I don't have a variety, I only have a 200 medium nib, but it is my favourite pen, by far the favourite of my modern pens. (an old Sheaffer Tuckaway is a close second) Just the smoothness, the quality, and the... conservative beauty. I'd say that the Pelikan is a pen for people who like fountain pens. Its not really a good introduction, if you love fountain pens, you'll love a Pelikan most likely.

You can find some good comparisons at the Richard Binder and John Mottishaw websites. Both of these nibmeisters sell and tweak Pelikans. Mottishaw's site has a nib comparison page at:

http://www.nibs.com/Tipping%20Sizes%20page.htm

For a direct photographic comparison of pen sizes look at:

http://www.nibs.com/Pelikan%20Souveran%20Series.htm

If you go to the Pelikan page on Richard Binder's site, you'll also find a side-by-side comparision of various pens, including Pelikans, along with a numeric table that shows the key dimensions.

http://www.richardspens.com/

While very different sites, both have a wealth of useful information.

One other subjective comment about how Pelikan nibs compare.

I have several Pelikans in both fine and medium and will say that the low-end pens with the steel nibs aren't that great. You will hear others here say how much they love their M200s, but that hasn't been my experience. They are certainly better than average and a good value, but if I wanted a good-writing steel-nibbed pen I'd look at something like a Bexley Simplicity. You'll also get a pen that is a bit more distinctive.

If you're trying to ultimately get the complete range of Pelikans just to have the collection, that is another question.

One last thing: there have been a lot of negative posts here about Pelikan EF nibs. I don't have any EF Pelikan nibs for comparison, so search on this specific topic for guidance. In general if you want a really nice EF nib the consensus seems to be go with a Japanese brand. Again, I'd refer you to Mottishaw's site. He sells quite a few Japanese pens.