any reviews?

No reviews that I have seen. Frankly, for a pen costing between $200 and $300, the looks are disappointing. The nib shape alone may be a turnoff to many. Unless some better pictures reveal the hidden beauty of this pen, I think the ductus will go down you know which duct as a failure.

I haven't seen any reviews either. Maybe I'm dense, but to me that nib looks like a duck bill. Maybe that's the point. I like the look of the pen personally, I'll wait for it to go the way of the clearance aisle myself though.

Edit: BLEH on the waiting for the clearance aisle...a Pelikan that's not a piston-filler...no thanks. I saw another picture of the nib...Ugly Ductus is all I can say. Maybe it'll grow into a beatiful pelikan someday, but not now.

Such an ugly pen, and a C/C-filler? Pelikan must be joking!

Worse than ugly is the fact that you associate that nib with lower end pens.

frustrating - people gripe about Pelikan making the same ol' pens over and over. Then they make something new and nobody likes it.

I rather like the look (sans the nib) but have no interest in a pen that expensive. It *looks* like it should be a $70 pen. Maybe that's the nib telling me that as Stylo says.

True for the Ductus (even the name isn't flattering ), but how about the massive collective drooling over the Majesty line, which is of course a lot more expensive than the Dooctoos . Also, there is always a chance that it will seem a lot more attractive once some decent pictures of it become available (@ Worldlux perhaps).

I must say though that the grip design is in my view a huge improvement over the short grip of the Souveran series. Thumbs up to Pelikan for that.

Any one have a picture?? I have a hard time picturing an ugly Pelikan!!

Just saw this thread, and I must concur, it isn't very nice. Looks sort of, well, I dunno... just... don't like it. But I must admit, the most repulsive element is certainly the price.

http://www.pelikan.com/pulse/Pulsar/en_US....00-fountain-pen

I wouldn't buy one, but I don't think it's as bad as all that. The nib reminds me of a Rotring Initial.

too true. I am a biologist and when I read that name it conjured up anything but pleasant images.



Honestly - not something I understand. I think the Majesty is overdone. But then, I wouldn't be a true Souveran addict if I didn't appreciate simple, straightforward design. And I'm not wild about metal pens anyway. This is going to sound anti-elitist I'm sure but I can't help it - I am anti-elitist: You inadvertently (?) touch on this above. I think some of the fuss over the Majesty grew out of people who just like very expensive, very "look at me" metal pens. Not all of it. Just some of it. We know of at least one person here who is very open about buying pens because that show how successful that person is. That's fine if that's what makes you happy. It's just not my view on FPs. So I saw the Majesty as "just another glitzy, overpriced FP." So, I guess I'm guilty as well of saying "Pelikan could stand to branch out - but only in the direction I want them to go!" Example: I like the look of the Epoch but, dang it, it has a metal section.



(nod) And of course, sometimes a pen in the hand is even more impressive. The opposite is also true - it could be that "in person" this thing is HIDEOUS. I don't like the clip but I don't like anything that departs drastically from the beak. A more stylized beak or something that at least still evokes the beak is fine. But these flat clips remind me of cheap spoons in a diner.



Hm. I'll have to look closer. I didn't notice that bit. Though the Souveran grip has never been an issue for me, I can understand how it would be for folks with larger hands or higher grips.

I have now seen a picture and the pen isn't exactly ugly but not the greatest I've seen. However the primary reason I won't buy one is that it appears to be Cartridge only and has that same goofy cartridge holder like the Epoch!!

I was one of the few who didn't go gaga over it, especially since for that price, you can get more delicately worked sterling silver finishes. But, my impression from reading the literature on the Majesty was that it represented a new line of pens, not just a lone pen, implying that other finishes may eventually become available.


I haven't held an Epoch, but I wonder whether there is a trend of worrying too much about metal sections. In the case of SS pens, for instance, oxidation creates very light surface roughness that prevents the pen from being slippery. If indeed slipperiness is your main concern with metal sections, then it really all depends on how the surface is finished. A very polished surface will quickly feel slippery. But one with slight roughness may actually offer more friction than certain plastic sections.


It's mostly an issue for high grippers who seem to be a minority.

I have thought of this because in general it is the slippery feeling that bothers me. But there's also a "coldness" to metal that I just don't like. Not just metal sections but metal pens as a whole. OTOH, that Pelikan auction being discussed (the 100) shows me that a metal pen can be gorgeous. It's mostly psychological, I'm sure. I had a Vector for years and when I was younger it never bothered me but as I got older, trying to grip that slippery section was maddening. Of course, there are other flaws with the section design on that pen (IMO) - the small diameter and the short section with a sudden and biting step up to the barrel.

I went to see Pelikan's Ductus at the Bromfield Pen Shop in Boston last Friday. Just one look, it's a good attractive pen. It is almost as long and thick as M800. The only, but crucial con is that the pen can just takes a cartridge, not even a converter. The selection of ink, therefore, is very limited. I would rather go to Sahara or M800, even though they are more expensive than Ductus. In a long run, the difference of the price will be paid, because of costly ink cartridges.

Are you sure? I think Pelikan has a short converter for pens like the Pelikano Jr. I wonder whether that one would work.

The way that the converter would have to sit in the little cage for the cartridge makes me wonder if it would seat at all let alone allow international cartridges to be used.

Kurt

So ... has anyone bought Da Dooctoos yet?

I'll agree with the others, the design makes it look like a much cheaper pen.

Imagine if they'd made the same thing, but with a more beak-like clip, and used some nice-looking materials (like the stuff from the cities pens, or even striped acrylic like the souverans!) and equipped it with a piston! Oooooo...

I think the part that makes it look cheapest is the nib, at least in so far as I can make it from the pictures. When you pay $200+ for a pen, it better have a sexy nib

Here are some nice pictures of the pen. Am I missing something?, The clip is a beak, it just goes the other way round. It looks very nice to me too. It seems to be the answer to those who feel that the design of the M series pens is getting old. It is a nice update using some of the old elements. It's certainly not your grandfather's Pelikan !
Ugly-Ductus?

I didnt' find it particularly ugly. I don't care for the clip but it's a low priority (which I think I've already said.) What I object to is the nib. I suppose it suits the styling of the pen, it just looks a bit like their low-end nibs and give the impression that it isn't as "good" as the Souveran nibs.

That said, I wouldn't throw it out of my Christmas stocking.

I agree with you that if people are going to clamor for new Pelikan designs, they need to be open to just that. Overall, I have been. I liked the look of the Epoch and its lowest cost version was, IMO, a reasonable price based on the nib design. Again, the nib on the Epoch looks a lot like their low-end pens. On a $70 pen I can deal with that. On a $200+, it is jarring. I suppose I could get over it if I could actually try the pen and see if it meets my expectations of what a $200+ pen should be. The body and other appointments are somewhat appealing to me.

Finally, I confess. I do not want to pay $200+ for a cartridge filler. A personal problem.

I agree with KCat. The styling isn't terrible except for the nib, which just looks cheap. And why, oh why, do they abandon the piston filler, which is one of the best features of the M series? I guess they're trying to appeal to people who don't want to use bottled ink. In any case, it just doesn't seem worth the money.

I rather like it. I like pens that are quite restrained, elegant without looking expensive. It's hard from the pic to get a good idea of the clip. My chief complaint with the Pelikan clips is how easily they catch on things and get bent, and it seems like this is not sufficiently different to avoid that problem.

But I don't need any more cartridge/converter pens, ever. They run out too quickly and always at a bad time.

They don't abandon piston fillers (M series). Pelikan had always cartridge filllers in parallel (P series). There certainly are enough travellers or businesss-people who don't want to mess around with ink bottles and show off inky fingers. Pelikan/int. standard carts are widely available and offer a quick & clean solution.

But that nib design kills the deal.
It looks like the nib has the same screw-out plastic collar as the Epoch nibs. If they have the same size (?), one may consider a nib swap, as even the Epoch nibs look better.

Overall I like the look. I like the pin stripes (slap those on an M405 and I'm there). I'm willing to give the nib a chance to grow on me. What I _don't_ like is the cartridge only nature of the pen. It's bad enough it's not piston, but - assuming it's like the Epoch - it's not even conveniently converter filled.

Where does the Ductus rollerball rank in size relative to other Pelikan models, primarily the Souveran line? Despite its unpopularity among some members, I think the design is modern with a touch of class. Just my opinion though. Not sure if I like the metal cap for fear that it might add to much weight.

goodness! nib looks like a garden trowel : (

here is a larger photo than the ones posted earlier:
http://www.joonpens.com/Pelikan_Ductus%20C...ction_pens.html

anybody own this pen yet?

Hi,
This is my first post here on FPN, wee!
Back to the ductus... the name is not attractive, although I like the stiling of the pen, I have tried on and is quite heavy for it's size, and the nib is not flexible at all... I'm more for the Epoch line

Regards from Portugal!

If anyone wants to see a real closeup photo of this pen, go to ebay and type in PELIKAN DUCTUS. There is a jewelry store that sells pens that has a Ductus up on ebay.

The ad has a huge closeup of the nib.

The cartridge system looks like it might work well and keep the cartridge very straight as it approaches the little nipple into which it plugs.

I kind of like the look of the whole thing.

Pistons are fun to monkey around with, but can present problems one would not have with a C/C pen. It will be interesting to see how it sells and what people say after they write with it.

If FPN people want to take up a collection and buy me one, I will be happy to try it out in depth. j

Have you ever tried filling a cartridge with a syringe? I have a Nakaya pen that seems to write better with a cartridge than with a converter (it may be because of the material the cartridge is made from, or because the cartridge has a little pellet inside it, kind of like a can of spray paint, to break up the surface tension and keep the ink flowing), so when the cartridge that came with the pen ran dry, I simply refilled it with my standard Aurora blue. (I use the converter to flush the pen between refills, though.) It seems a hassle, I know, to have to refill a cartridge with a syringe, but it opens the door to using any ink color you want.

Also, cartridges are much more commonly used in Pelikan's home market than they are here. Their school pens are all designed around cartridges, and perhaps they view this pen and the Epoch and Pura models as the "upgrade path" for students who grew up writing with Pelikan's school pens. (The Souverän line is for their parents.)

I spent 2 years living in Germany, and I recall that Pelikan cartridges were very easy to buy almost anywhere. You didn't have to special order them by mail from a faraway city like you do here. A lot of people carry a package of converters in their briefcases and find them much more convenient for refilling than carrying around a bottle of ink. In other words, Pelikan may view ballpoints and rollerballs as this pen's main competition -- this is a way to keep people who wish to upgrade from the student pen using fountain pens and buying their ink refills rather than switching to a rollerball or ballpoint from a competing brand.

The nib looks cool on something like a $50 pen, but at that price..I'll pass

Pelikan has released the Ductus with gold trim, lately.

Ha! 'Ugly Ductus'--Egads, why didn't Pelikan think about the possibility of that? It's like naming your chubby daughter 'Liesal' (Diesel Liesal, Diesel Liesal!). Oh, the humanity!

Will

Next up: Pelikan's newest pen, the Fugly 2000!

It should be renamed Da Dooctoos.

Yes. Just bought it from Fahrney's. It's a great pen and the nib is actually very smooth and writes with just a little firmness that i find better than the more flexible Pelikan nibs.