I am edging towards the purchase of a Pelikan 800 with a medium nib. However, I have noticed on the FPN a few negative comments about the medium nib compared to other widths. In view of the amount of money going into this purchase, I am keen to learn from other poeple's experiences! Any thoughts?
Thanks
Andy

I own an M800 with a medium nib. Almost all of my nibs are medium. My M800 wrote smoothly when I first took it out of the box and filled it. It is one of my favourite pens. I have been using it almost every day for the past 6 or 7 years now.

my m800 medium nib seems to be on the "fine" side; my other mediums (like the faber-castells) are certainly broader. so you might want to check that out. (i've since moved on to a B and and OB nib for my other pelikans.)

Andy,

I myself have a 215 with a medium. Now, I bought this on blind faith, and now know much more (having made trials) about the different MXXX Pelikans, but in any case -- the medium does put down a good wet flow of ink. I think if you use paper that is thicker than thin (not extremely thick or anything), it'll be ideal. Kind of depends on the strokes you make -- if they're somewhat rapid and light at touching the paper, and don't linger, I think this'll be great. The thing is that some FP users like to try lingering with their strokes, pressing a tiny bit, looking for flex, etc, and really the medium seems to flow a bit too freely for these things. Now, this seems specific to a Pelikan. My Parker Sonnet, for what it's worth, came in medium and is actually reserved enough with flow, more what I'm used to.

Note: I want an 800 very soon! Having tried it with a fine, I think this will be more ideal for my daily writing purposes, and I'm really just lurking about Richard B's site until I crack.

Conclusion is: I know some people who love large amounts of ink flow, and would really rather be writing with a controlled paintbrush, and they would want a broad or a medium (OK, I do sort of exaggerate for the medium, but it really is free flowing). I can have various moods, so I'd be up for a nice grand M1000 present, but as a standard writing pen, I would try a fine.

Good luck with your decision, and if possible, please report back (possibly with samples!).

Hi,

I have an M800 which I used with a medium or EF nib, whilst it wrote smoothly with good flow, I always found the medium a bit wide, luckily another FPNer had a fine nib he wanted to exchange for a medium, so we swapped, I now tend to use it with the fine most of the time. Strangely enough a number of my other Pelikans have medium nibs and don't sem to write as wide, so I wonder if it was just because it was larger nib to start with.

Andy

I have an M800 with a medium nib. It's what I've come to consider the standard of M nibs, and mine, though I guess this is a stroke of good fortune, smoothly writes an EF line when turned upside down. So I'm very happy with it.

As you probably know, the whole nib width designation is somewhat relative. Most people report their Lamy nibs to be on the wide side of things. Viscontio nibs are usually on the wide and wet side. Aurora nibs are usually on the dry and thinner side of things. I would say, in my limited experience, pelikan 800 medium nibs usually produce a full and wet line.

Each nib will be slightly different. However, I doubt that very often someone buys a Pelikan 800 Medium nib and says, "What the heck; this is a Fine point!" But that may happen.

So if your previous favorite pen was an Aurora OPtima with a medium nib, the Pelikan 800 medium will seem wide and wet to you, whereas if you have been enjoying a Visconti medium the Pelikan 800 medium will probably not shock you.

If you are heavy handed, that will increase the flow, as will some of the inks like Private Reserve, which will flow a little more than Pelikan inks.

If you order your Pelikan 800 from Richard Binder, he will test the pen and adjust the nib and the medium you get will be more like a standard medium in flow or you could tell him exactly what you want or even send a writing sample.

If you get the pen, I hope you like it. I do think that many people on the pen board talk the 800 up so much that now and again someone gets one and is disappointed because they were expecting some earth-shattering, mind-boggling, experience radically different from anything they had previously experienced. IMO, the Pelikan 800 is a great pen, but there are many very good inexpensive pens that any one person might find as nice to write with as the 800.

Pelikan M800 medium nibs work well for me. I own several. In two cases, I had problems with the ink not flowing when I "pushed" the nib or moved it sideways. My good friend Bert Heiserman at Pen Haven fixed that in about 2 minutes flat with a piece of abrasive cloth.

I have a 1987 pelikan m800 with an ultra flexible flexible medium perhaps the best and most consistent medium nib I own.