Not really a review, folks, just an enthusiastic screed from a FP newbie in the throes of amassing a new to me accumulation.
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My first M800 was delivered, today, and I'm now able to understand why this is Pel's best selling pen in the Souverän lineup.

Adding to its usual good looks is the fact that it has been fitted with a custom binde by Chris Burton. He applied an aged celluloid stock in the now named "Steel Quartz" pattern. What this binde does is lift the Pel M800 from the well turned out, but dull looks that many think of them as, to the look of a polished Italian gentleman about town. Aber, es ist nicht Italiano, es ist eine Deutcher!

Photo by: Dennis Bowden, Parkville Pen

Pelikan has gotten just about everything right with the 800, except its stodgy appearance according to some. Chris has fixed that, in spades! Now, Chris can provide you with some pretty dazzling bindes, but an 800 deserves to be quiet, sophisticated and capable. This pen, configured with this binde by Chris, has that exact look and feel; it will be at home anywhere that you can take it.

What Pel has done so well here is size this baby to nearly any man's hand. I say "man's" hand because I freely admit that it may be a bit much for some from the distaff side. I doubt that Pel has thought of the girls with this pen, at all. My smallish hand is perfectly comfortable with it and I can see little reason why a larger man's hand will not be, also.

My M1000 is sitting without having tasted ink, yet. It is a thoroughly imposing sight, what with its yet greater length, girth and, most of all, that huge, even larger nib than the 800. That nib is so long that for a person like me, with poor eye hand coordination, feels too far from his work to be able to control that nib. Guys like me have to grasp the section right up close to the nib to have a sense of control. The slightly less long nib in the 800 returns us to a feeling of some control. My M1000 will stay with me, though, because I can always wish for a larger...HAND! (Hope I got out of that one ok.)

When the user friendly features, such as, copious ink capacity stored in that big piston chamber, and the ease of nib/feed changeout are added to the mix, this pen with its binde enhancement, bids to become Pelikan's PFM as it nods in respect to Shaeffer for its version, now only in vintage form.

In case you're interested, you can reach Chris at: http://home.earthlink.net/~custombindes/

Roger,

So glad to see your M800 is now in hand. Chris does do a masterful job on these pens. My personal pen, the one in the photo, stays inked and ready for duty at all times.

I tried the 1000 and found it just too large for me. The 800 is about as large as I prefer.

Thanks for the nice review of Pelikan and Chris' binde.

Cheers,

Dennis b

Nice! I still don't have an 800, but it's on the top of my must-have drool list.

Great stuff, Roger!

I should be having one on the way to me sometime soon, but unfortunately it's not got Chris' touch - it's a plain black boooooooorrring one. Silver trims though. :bunny1:

Hi Roger,

Nice review, and I'm glad that you like the pen.

Best,
Chris (who wishes that he had more of that "steel quartz")

Great-looking binde, Chris!
Thanks, Roger, for a well-deserved hommage to a modern classic.
As much as I like Chris' work, I have to admit that I still have a soft spot for the red-striped M800 I bought from (none other than) Dennis Bowden It was a super deal from a super pen dealer (no affiliation other than as a happy customer).