hi

i was going to go for a medium nib. they are out of stock, but with the 28 day nib exchange. should i have a go with a fine first??

do m250 put down a thicker or thinner line than average??

do pelikans make a nice wet line. i like wet!!

cheers


kevin

p s to me the apogee and sonnet felt quite thin for a medium, compared to a waterman or my old parker thing with the step in the barrel.

Let me say this before you place the order. For a small bit more money you can usually find a Souveran 400 if you shop around online. Conversely you can get a 200 body with a custom steel nib (probably better than the factory gold) from Richard. His stub nib is highly regarded.

I recently bought a black 250, and now I am wishing I would have done one of the options I mentioned above.

Pelikans are nice and wet from all reports, mine is. The line of my fine is in between a true fine and a true medium, possibly due to the excellent flow.

i've noticed that i lot of people go for fine. am i right in thinking you get greater variation in line as the nib of a fine is more flexible??

are there any other factors to look out for with choosing a fine? e.g would a nmedium be more durable?

in the uk, the 400 is nearly twice the price of the 250, which i can get for £63 and i can't find cheaper. i've read else where that there is no structural difference in the nibs of 250 and 400???

i like the look of the richard binder nibs, just can't be doing with the hassle of calculating postage and duty etc.

cheers


kevin

I didn't realize (or should I say realiSe) you were in the UK. The price paid in most shops I've seen for a 250 is appraching $125 USD, but PenGallery.com sells the 400 for $135 USD, shipping is $15 USD. Don't know how much of that is useful to you.

The difference between the 250 and 400 nib is the two-tone plating on the 400 (rhodium plate I think, over gold).

The only practical difference between the fine and medium, besides the obvious line width, is the medium may be smoother. Both are very smooth, Pelikan is good for that.

Hi Kevin,

Robert makes some very good points regarding nibs, etc.

As far as prices of pens go, 63 pounds is not a bad price at all for an M250 in Europe, as it equates to about $ 105 or thereabouts. Especially if you factor in shipping costs and Customs and Excise for a pen to reach the UK mainland from outside the EU, which adds an amount for shipping plus an additional 24% C&E in the UK, if I am not mistaken.

Regarding the M vs the F nib: ask yourself what nib you normally write with and like to write with. If that is an M, it is probably worthwhile ordering an M and waiting for an M, if that is possible of course. If your standard style is an F, go for the F.

In contrast with most modern manufacturers, Pel nibs write narrower in gold than in steel, at least in my experience, but then, the steel nibs are really a little on the wide side.

Regarding flexibility: a modern Pel nib is not really flexible. It just isn't a nail, like many Waterman nibs, so yes, you get a little line variation, but really only very little. And you won't get more from a standard F nib in this case than you would from an M nib. As Robert indicates, it would indeed feel like a smoother writing experience than with an F nib.

If you are interested in trying any bespoke nibs, just give me a holler back channel (use the email button on this message) and I might be able to help you out. I live in the EU , so that would save you at least some hassle.

If you do have a 28 day exchange policy, you may want to see whether you like the F nib, but please do make sure that you are allowed to use the pen in that time. With some warranties if you use the pen, you lose the right to exchange, too. Better check on that first.

Anyway, HTH, warm regards, Wim

you should say "realise", if you are american(i think??). realize is english english.

thanks for your comments. might try the fine and swap it out if i don't like it.

thanks


kevin

Hi Kevin,

In regards to the question of fine vs. medium, I wouldn't make the choice more complicated than it has to be. If you like a finer line, go with the fine. If you like to put a little more ink on the paper, go with the medium.

A medium nib is frequently a bit more smooth than a fine, but not always. There are a lot of fine nibs out there that write very smoothly. (My Waterman Phileas, has a very smooth fine nib.) Similarly, I don't think that there is any significant difference in durability between a fine and a medium nib. Either one will provide a lifetime's worth of writing.

In regards to the effect on line variation, a flexible fine nib will indeed have a bit more line variation than a flexible medium nib. However, in the case of the Pelikan nibs that you are referring to, I don't think that it really makes much difference. The gold pelikan nibs have a nibs have a nice "springy-ness" to them, but they don't really flex enough to have a lot of line varation. You usually have to go with a vintage pen to achieve that sort of line variation.

Good luck with your choice!

TMann

Edit: Apparently Wim types faster than I do, since I he just stated all of the same points that I made, but a few minutes earlier. :doh: Great minds think alike, I guess...

We tend to the 'z' versions for those words. I used to write the 's' versions in college just to piss off professors, as the dictionaries list both as correct but one rarely would see anything but 'ize' versons.

Does the UK not have a nibber a la Binder or Mottishaw? With your desire for some line variation you may like a 0.6mm or 0.8mm stub nib. Easier to use than flex from what others say.

Hi Ted, Phew! Wiping brow . At least you consider me a great mind! I've been told other things in the past .

Anyway, great case of simulposting!

Warm regards, Wim

thanks everyone, gone for the medium.

hope this pen is not a lemon, i could do with less dissapointment than i've had thus far!!

cheers

kevin

Kevin, you are correct that there is no "structural" difference between M250 and M400 nibs. However, M400 nibs are better finished and as a result will write more smoothly than an M250.

Martin

I don't know about that "better finished" comment. The price for the nibs separately are within $5 of each other...

I bought a 215 and a 400 nib. I think that the price and quality of this combo is quite good.

hi

the bloke i'm getting the m250 from is going to post the pen tomorrow with a fine nib. he will then post out a medium nib when they arrive and then i can post back the one i don't want. he's happy for me to use it.

i suppose the nib exchange situation is one of those things that makes you wonder if you're really getting a secondhand pen!!

i've also ordered the brilliant green pelikan ink, which looks quite sexy on the site.

cheers


kevin

Good luck with the pen. I love the way mine, a fine, writes. I write small and prefer as wide a line as I can get away with and still write legibly, the fine Pelikan is about at my threshold.