Not Just Another Pelikan M-200 Review

[zuku]

waw, op is around!!!!!

jacbowron, I want to tell you that your review gived me a direction in the moment i was needing it. I read your review around July 2011 and I remeber it now and then. I was convinced to get an M200. You teached me a lot and I hope your M1000 surpases your expectations. I am eager to read your review for this new FP of yours.

I have always wanted to ask three things:

1.- About the ink(s) you used with your M200 during the period of time mentioned on your text.

2.- How many times you had had to change the cap?

3.- Can you relate one example of someone stepping over your M200, and this resulting in no damage to it?

 

Thank you for your useful review and updates.

Arturo.

 

 

 

 

Zuku,

 

In the nearly six years I had that pen I only used Montblanc Blue. I never changed because I was only ever allowed to use black or blue ink for my classwork, and hadn't really started writing for myself by then.

 

I never replaced the cap with a new one, if that is what you are asking. However, if you are asking how often it would unscrew and come loose in a pocket, the answer is about twice a month. Sometimes more, sometimes less. It's even a problem I struggle with on the M1000. Or perhaps your question is about replacing the clip on the cap. Again the answer is never. I never replaced the clip, I would simply remove it, bend it back into shape, and carry on.

 

I was in fact the person who stepped on the pen. If you look at the last picture I posted, the one where you can see the gouges in the cap, that photo shows the damage the pen received. I grabbed my keys out of my pocket while I was walking through a parking lot and the key ring hooked the pen well enough to pull it from my pocket, but not well enough to stay attached once free of the fabric. The Pelikan took flight and managed to land directly under the boot that was already on it's way to meet the rough pavement. Of course I tried to stop moving once I felt the pen underfoot, but that likely only caused more damage since my boot was not in contact with pavement and was instead resting solely on a slippery plastic tube. I ended up dragging the pen across the 10 grit sandpaper for a few inches while my momentum came to rest. When I scooped the pen off the ground I surveyed the damage and found it to be quite acceptable for the abuse I had just dished out.

 

It is doubtful that the m1000 would fare as well, considering that I've already broken the pen nearly in half once. However, that's a story for another review.

 

Yes, excuse my lack of clarity. I was wondering about the times you would probably had had to source a new cap since indeed it is a problem Pelikan is apparently just not able to resolve. I thought it was only on m200’s because I own an m800 without this issue.

 

Appreciate the stepping story mate, thanks.

 

 

[cheeta1975]

waw, op is around!!!!!

jacbowron, I want to tell you that your review gived me a direction in the moment i was needing it. I read your review around July 2011 and I remeber it now and then. I was convinced to get an M200. You teached me a lot and I hope your M1000 surpases your expectations. I am eager to read your review for this new FP of yours.

I have always wanted to ask three things:

1.- About the ink(s) you used with your M200 during the period of time mentioned on your text.

2.- How many times you had had to change the cap?

3.- Can you relate one example of someone stepping over your M200, and this resulting in no damage to it?

 

Thank you for your useful review and updates.

Arturo.

 

 

 

 

Zuku,

 

In the nearly six years I had that pen I only used Montblanc Blue. I never changed because I was only ever allowed to use black or blue ink for my classwork, and hadn't really started writing for myself by then.

 

I never replaced the cap with a new one, if that is what you are asking. However, if you are asking how often it would unscrew and come loose in a pocket, the answer is about twice a month. Sometimes more, sometimes less. It's even a problem I struggle with on the M1000. Or perhaps your question is about replacing the clip on the cap. Again the answer is never. I never replaced the clip, I would simply remove it, bend it back into shape, and carry on.

 

I was in fact the person who stepped on the pen. If you look at the last picture I posted, the one where you can see the gouges in the cap, that photo shows the damage the pen received. I grabbed my keys out of my pocket while I was walking through a parking lot and the key ring hooked the pen well enough to pull it from my pocket, but not well enough to stay attached once free of the fabric. The Pelikan took flight and managed to land directly under the boot that was already on it's way to meet the rough pavement. Of course I tried to stop moving once I felt the pen underfoot, but that likely only caused more damage since my boot was not in contact with pavement and was instead resting solely on a slippery plastic tube. I ended up dragging the pen across the 10 grit sandpaper for a few inches while my momentum came to rest. When I scooped the pen off the ground I surveyed the damage and found it to be quite acceptable for the abuse I had just dished out.

 

It is doubtful that the m1000 would fare as well, considering that I've already broken the pen nearly in half once. However, that's a story for another review.

 

Yes, excuse my lack of clarity. I was wondering about the times you would probably had had to source a new cap since indeed it is a problem Pelikan is apparently just not able to resolve. I thought it was only on m200’s because I own an m800 without this issue.

 

Appreciate the stepping story mate, thanks.

 

 

hi

 

after seeing much reviews i decided to buy one pelikan m 200 and ordered it a week ago in india

received the same on a special day 12/12/12

 

simply awesome and outstanding pen in my collection

beginning to write with it and am writing my research thesis with this pen

[Leek]

This is a review of the generic Pelikan Souveran M-200. However, it is more than just a review, it is the story of a good friend. A friend who has never abandoned me despite the abuse it was subjected to. A friend who has made many trips, traveled many miles, and written more than many words.

 

I bought the diminutive m-200 along with a daily planner in 2006 from a Franklin Covey store. The pen was on sale for a mere $60 that day. It was the summer before my junior year of college at the Air Force Academy. I had decided to reward myself for making it through the first two years with a “really nice pen.” This was my second fountain pen, the first being a Lamy Safari I was given in grade school. The Lamy skipped and was inconsistent and was soon abandoned. I did however learn to appreciate the smoothness of the fountain pen when it worked. I figured a $60 pen would be amazing. I bought a bottle of Montblanc Blue along with the pen, and have never changed ink brands or colors for this particular pen.

 

Unfortunately the experience wasn’t awesome. As I have learned since buying the pen, Pelikan nibs went through a period of poor quality control. Looking back, it would seem that the tines on my m-200 nib were not lined up the way they should have been. I didn’t know that at the time and used the pen anyway. I wrote copious amounts of notes on subjects ranging from philosophy to aeronautical physics to political science and back. I took hundreds of tests, wrote in class papers, and just doodled with the thing until it smoothed itself out.

 

When I call this pen a friend, I’m not being sarcastic or flip. It has accompanied me almost every day out of the past five years. Not only did it go to class with me, but it went with me to yell at freshmen, it did thousands of pushups with me, and it went on countless runs. It did all of this while safely tucked into a pocket with my pocket knife, lighter, and keys. The most protest it ever gave was to lose its cap every once in a while. No permanent damage was ever done to my uniform or nib from those experiences.

 

It is a world traveller too. Together we have been to Russia, Poland, Iceland, Germany, and now my current location in Southwest Asia (yes, I’m deployed). It has never once leaked on an airplane, never spit ink into the cap due to the pressure differences. I brought it with me on a largely solo motorcycle trip around the country. Every night I logged the miles, the memories, and the names of the people I met that day. In five years I’ve only ever had one scare, where I thought I had lost the pen, and it was on that trip. I was trying to camp at a fairground in Iowa. I had already unpacked for the night and was in my sleeping bag when a nice gentleman told me I couldn’t stay there and that I had to leave before the police were called. I took the hint and repacked my bag and left. In the darkness, my m-200 fell into the grass and I didn’t notice. The next morning after filling up my gas tank for the first time I realized I hadn’t seen my pen that morning. I debated chalking it up as a loss, I knew I would never find it and I was already 45 miles away from the fairgrounds. However, I couldn’t stomach leaving my friend behind without so much as a cursory search, so I turned around and headed back to the fairgrounds. After a 15 minute search through the dew covered grass, I found my companion and headed out onto the road again.

 

I have put my m-200 through hell over the past five years and it has never been anything but consistent. It shows the scars of my abuse in a well-worn patina of age and abuse. It has deep scratches from getting dropped, stepped on, and left in a pocket filled with keys. I’ve adjusted the clip tension more times than I can remember. The gold plating is worn off in many places on the accent pieces. It has the look of a pen much older than it is. This m-200 is a reflection of the journey I have been on over the past five years. Sometimes neglected, sometimes crushed by someone much larger than myself, oftentimes loved and cherished, we share a common story.

 

Now that you know the story of my m-200 you might appreciate the rankings I give it in the actual review. I’ve read a lot of reviews of pens on here from people who have owned a pen for a few weeks, or maybe a few months, and they are almost always glowing to the point of being an endorsement by someone paid to extoll its virtues. You will not see that here. I have had five years to get to know my m-200, like getting to know a friend I have learned to love the good things about the pen and accept the bad.

 

Appearance and Design: 6.5/10

I prefer classic looking pens that are predominantly black with minimal accents. The M-200 fits the bill in that respect. The black plastic with gold accents is classic and timeless. If I didn’t know fountain pens I would have a very difficult time judging the age of the M-200 design, it would be especially difficult with this one due to the patina of age. The design is timeless, but it is far from exciting. Combined with the steel nib, this is the working man’s fountain pen. It won’t be at home in foundries or gold mines, but it excels in the regular office setting. It is perfect for the world of cubicles and middle management staff meetings. The small size lets it unobtrusively blend into a world filled with cheap ball point pens and rollerballs. It sets itself apart when uncapped, but doesn’t scream opulence. I have to knock it down a point or two for how easily the cap unscrews while the pen is in transit. More than once I’ve gotten ink in a pocket, or bag from the cap falling off.

 

Construction and Quality: 9/10

I can’t use the words bulletproof as I’ve never shot this pen before and I don’t think it would hold up to a gunshot, but it is an incredibly resilient pen. As I mentioned above, I’ve carried this pen daily for five years. It was mixed with pocket change, a lighter, keys, and a pocket knife. It works as well or better than the day I bought it. The plastic is a hard compound but not brittle. I have dropped this pen onto tile, asphalt, cement, and hardwood, sometimes from heights exceeding six feet. I have stepped on it with my full weight (I might have been inebriated at the time…) and the worst it has suffered is some scratches. The nib is just as strong as the rest of the pen, which is probably more related to the strength of steel than construction of the nib. The gold accents on the body of the pen are losing gold plating from years of sliding in and out of pockets, not to mention years of being handled and used for writing.

 

Weight and Dimensions: on a scale of 1-10 I rate this pen as excellent.

I won’t score this section because the comfort of a well designed pen relies more on the person using it than the pen. Some people will find this pen to be the most comfortable pen they have ever held, and will have an orgasm every time they touch nib to paper. Others will find the narrow profile akin to tightly wrapping dental floss around their fingers. I don’t mind the diminutive size of the pen. When it was the only pen I had, it was also the most comfortable. I can easily switch between it and my M-1000 with no problem. It small and light, perfect for quick note taking, or long writing sessions. In other words, the small size of this pen is neither a benefit nor detraction for me writing with it. It is, however, the only pen I write with posted.

 

Nib Performance: 7.5/10

After five years of hard use the nib is by far the smoothest of all my pens. But it took five years of daily writing to get to that point. It is an unremarkable nib. It is simple: gold plated steel with very little flex or feedback, but reliable and fairly indestructible. The cap has come off while the pen was in my pocket leaving the nib subjected to all manner of other metal objects, not to mention being smashed against the fabric or my leg as I sit and stand. The nib has come through all of those experiences with nary a scratch. The nib is a medium, and it is a very wet medium. It leaves generous amounts of ink on any surface it touches. A good bonus is that the nib is removable by unscrewing it.

 

Filling system/Maintenance: 9/10

Just like the rest of this pen the piston filling system is easy to use, trust worthy, and relatively maintenance free. Before I knew much about fountain pens I let this pen go almost 2 years without so much as a flush with tap water. I never had any clogs, difficulties writing, or issues filling. It is very low maintenance. The ink reservoir holds a decent amount of ink for being such a small pen. One gripe I have is the ink viewing window. You basically have to have a light behind the pen to see how much ink remains. It is a small gripe but worth mentioning anyway.

 

Cost and Value: 8/10

The pen cost me $60 five years ago. It was regularly about $40 more at the store I bought it from. I feel like I got a pretty good deal. If I look at it from a cost per year view point I think the pen is a fantastic deal. Considering the rate at which most people consume ballpoints and rollerballs, they would be hard pressed to spend less than $12 a year on those kinds of pens. Even factoring in a couple bottles of ink there is tremendous value to be had using the M-200 instead of a cheap bic. And that isn’t even taking into account the comfort gained by using a fountain pen for long writing sessions. If I lost my m-200 tomorrow I would immediately buy a new one for full price.

 

Overall: 40/50

The M-200 is classic, but predictable.

The construction and quality of the M-200 is fantastic. As close to bulletproof as a pen will get, short of wrapping it in Kevlar and putting a ceramic plate inside the filling mechanism.

The weight and dimensions of the pen suit me, but I must write with it posted.

The nib is unremarkable but is one hell of a writer after a 5 year break-in period.

Maintenance on the pen is easy; you don’t have to do any if you don’t want to. The filling mechanism is the standard Pelikan piston.

The value of this pen is fantastic, especially if you can find it on sale.

[Leek]

This is a review of the generic Pelikan Souveran M-200. However, it is more than just a review, it is the story of a good friend. A friend who has never abandoned me despite the abuse it was subjected to. A friend who has made many trips, traveled many miles, and written more than many words.

 

I bought the diminutive m-200 along with a daily planner in 2006 from a Franklin Covey store. The pen was on sale for a mere $60 that day. It was the summer before my junior year of college at the Air Force Academy. I had decided to reward myself for making it through the first two years with a “really nice pen.” This was my second fountain pen, the first being a Lamy Safari I was given in grade school. The Lamy skipped and was inconsistent and was soon abandoned. I did however learn to appreciate the smoothness of the fountain pen when it worked. I figured a $60 pen would be amazing. I bought a bottle of Montblanc Blue along with the pen, and have never changed ink brands or colors for this particular pen.

 

Unfortunately the experience wasn’t awesome. As I have learned since buying the pen, Pelikan nibs went through a period of poor quality control. Looking back, it would seem that the tines on my m-200 nib were not lined up the way they should have been. I didn’t know that at the time and used the pen anyway. I wrote copious amounts of notes on subjects ranging from philosophy to aeronautical physics to political science and back. I took hundreds of tests, wrote in class papers, and just doodled with the thing until it smoothed itself out.

 

When I call this pen a friend, I’m not being sarcastic or flip. It has accompanied me almost every day out of the past five years. Not only did it go to class with me, but it went with me to yell at freshmen, it did thousands of pushups with me, and it went on countless runs. It did all of this while safely tucked into a pocket with my pocket knife, lighter, and keys. The most protest it ever gave was to lose its cap every once in a while. No permanent damage was ever done to my uniform or nib from those experiences.

 

It is a world traveller too. Together we have been to Russia, Poland, Iceland, Germany, and now my current location in Southwest Asia (yes, I’m deployed). It has never once leaked on an airplane, never spit ink into the cap due to the pressure differences. I brought it with me on a largely solo motorcycle trip around the country. Every night I logged the miles, the memories, and the names of the people I met that day. In five years I’ve only ever had one scare, where I thought I had lost the pen, and it was on that trip. I was trying to camp at a fairground in Iowa. I had already unpacked for the night and was in my sleeping bag when a nice gentleman told me I couldn’t stay there and that I had to leave before the police were called. I took the hint and repacked my bag and left. In the darkness, my m-200 fell into the grass and I didn’t notice. The next morning after filling up my gas tank for the first time I realized I hadn’t seen my pen that morning. I debated chalking it up as a loss, I knew I would never find it and I was already 45 miles away from the fairgrounds. However, I couldn’t stomach leaving my friend behind without so much as a cursory search, so I turned around and headed back to the fairgrounds. After a 15 minute search through the dew covered grass, I found my companion and headed out onto the road again.

 

I have put my m-200 through hell over the past five years and it has never been anything but consistent. It shows the scars of my abuse in a well-worn patina of age and abuse. It has deep scratches from getting dropped, stepped on, and left in a pocket filled with keys. I’ve adjusted the clip tension more times than I can remember. The gold plating is worn off in many places on the accent pieces. It has the look of a pen much older than it is. This m-200 is a reflection of the journey I have been on over the past five years. Sometimes neglected, sometimes crushed by someone much larger than myself, oftentimes loved and cherished, we share a common story.

 

Now that you know the story of my m-200 you might appreciate the rankings I give it in the actual review. I’ve read a lot of reviews of pens on here from people who have owned a pen for a few weeks, or maybe a few months, and they are almost always glowing to the point of being an endorsement by someone paid to extoll its virtues. You will not see that here. I have had five years to get to know my m-200, like getting to know a friend I have learned to love the good things about the pen and accept the bad.

 

Appearance and Design: 6.5/10

I prefer classic looking pens that are predominantly black with minimal accents. The M-200 fits the bill in that respect. The black plastic with gold accents is classic and timeless. If I didn’t know fountain pens I would have a very difficult time judging the age of the M-200 design, it would be especially difficult with this one due to the patina of age. The design is timeless, but it is far from exciting. Combined with the steel nib, this is the working man’s fountain pen. It won’t be at home in foundries or gold mines, but it excels in the regular office setting. It is perfect for the world of cubicles and middle management staff meetings. The small size lets it unobtrusively blend into a world filled with cheap ball point pens and rollerballs. It sets itself apart when uncapped, but doesn’t scream opulence. I have to knock it down a point or two for how easily the cap unscrews while the pen is in transit. More than once I’ve gotten ink in a pocket, or bag from the cap falling off.

 

Construction and Quality: 9/10

I can’t use the words bulletproof as I’ve never shot this pen before and I don’t think it would hold up to a gunshot, but it is an incredibly resilient pen. As I mentioned above, I’ve carried this pen daily for five years. It was mixed with pocket change, a lighter, keys, and a pocket knife. It works as well or better than the day I bought it. The plastic is a hard compound but not brittle. I have dropped this pen onto tile, asphalt, cement, and hardwood, sometimes from heights exceeding six feet. I have stepped on it with my full weight (I might have been inebriated at the time…) and the worst it has suffered is some scratches. The nib is just as strong as the rest of the pen, which is probably more related to the strength of steel than construction of the nib. The gold accents on the body of the pen are losing gold plating from years of sliding in and out of pockets, not to mention years of being handled and used for writing.

 

Weight and Dimensions: on a scale of 1-10 I rate this pen as excellent.

I won’t score this section because the comfort of a well designed pen relies more on the person using it than the pen. Some people will find this pen to be the most comfortable pen they have ever held, and will have an orgasm every time they touch nib to paper. Others will find the narrow profile akin to tightly wrapping dental floss around their fingers. I don’t mind the diminutive size of the pen. When it was the only pen I had, it was also the most comfortable. I can easily switch between it and my M-1000 with no problem. It small and light, perfect for quick note taking, or long writing sessions. In other words, the small size of this pen is neither a benefit nor detraction for me writing with it. It is, however, the only pen I write with posted.

 

Nib Performance: 7.5/10

After five years of hard use the nib is by far the smoothest of all my pens. But it took five years of daily writing to get to that point. It is an unremarkable nib. It is simple: gold plated steel with very little flex or feedback, but reliable and fairly indestructible. The cap has come off while the pen was in my pocket leaving the nib subjected to all manner of other metal objects, not to mention being smashed against the fabric or my leg as I sit and stand. The nib has come through all of those experiences with nary a scratch. The nib is a medium, and it is a very wet medium. It leaves generous amounts of ink on any surface it touches. A good bonus is that the nib is removable by unscrewing it.

 

Filling system/Maintenance: 9/10

Just like the rest of this pen the piston filling system is easy to use, trust worthy, and relatively maintenance free. Before I knew much about fountain pens I let this pen go almost 2 years without so much as a flush with tap water. I never had any clogs, difficulties writing, or issues filling. It is very low maintenance. The ink reservoir holds a decent amount of ink for being such a small pen. One gripe I have is the ink viewing window. You basically have to have a light behind the pen to see how much ink remains. It is a small gripe but worth mentioning anyway.

 

Cost and Value: 8/10

The pen cost me $60 five years ago. It was regularly about $40 more at the store I bought it from. I feel like I got a pretty good deal. If I look at it from a cost per year view point I think the pen is a fantastic deal. Considering the rate at which most people consume ballpoints and rollerballs, they would be hard pressed to spend less than $12 a year on those kinds of pens. Even factoring in a couple bottles of ink there is tremendous value to be had using the M-200 instead of a cheap bic. And that isn’t even taking into account the comfort gained by using a fountain pen for long writing sessions. If I lost my m-200 tomorrow I would immediately buy a new one for full price.

 

Overall: 40/50

The M-200 is classic, but predictable.

The construction and quality of the M-200 is fantastic. As close to bulletproof as a pen will get, short of wrapping it in Kevlar and putting a ceramic plate inside the filling mechanism.

The weight and dimensions of the pen suit me, but I must write with it posted.

The nib is unremarkable but is one hell of a writer after a 5 year break-in period.

Maintenance on the pen is easy; you don’t have to do any if you don’t want to. The filling mechanism is the standard Pelikan piston.

The value of this pen is fantastic, especially if you can find it on sale.

Thank you for your service to our country, and the review of the M-200.

[Skeet]

Great write-up and thanks for serving. I probably could have used your expertise in getting thru a few of my orals. Are you still flying?

Edited December 13, 2012 by Skeet

[Saintpaulia]

So, I figured I would post a followup to my original review. I don't have much to say though, since I lost the pen

 

The clip loosened itself up so much that somewhere along the line the pen fell out of the pen pocket on my sleeve. I was distraught for a few days and ended up buying a few noodler's pens to try and fill the gap. I found that I dont really like the Ahab, but I do like the Konrad.

 

My daily carry is now a pelican m1000. I've been carrying it with me for for about a year now. Maybe in a year or so, I'll write a review of it too.

How ironic! Well I would like to followup on your M200 odyssey if I may. I'll get to this later. Again as with the others thank you for an excellent review. It is also exceptionally nice to see a literate person who can put words together into a comprehensible sentence! With no typos or misspelt words forsooth!

[Runnin_Ute]

What a wonderful review. The M200 is one of two or three pens I am currently considering. I have a birthday coming up in about a month, and it is certainly one that has piqued my interest.

 

In many respects, both my Lamy AL Star and first Waterman Phileas have endured much. The AL Star, I had to replace the original nib section as it broke where it screws into the barrel.(I have a fine now, don't recall what it was originally- maybe a medium, but maybe a fine) The pen has a few character marks - a ding or two in the cap and a even smaller one in the barrel. But it has been through a lot. Nothing like yours though. Sorry to hear that you lost it. The nib on my AL Star isn't buttery smooth - but it is fun to write with.

 

In December I acquired from a fellow FPN'r a Phileas with w medium nib. I try to write with all thee every day. All 3 go to the office with me - every day.

 

Enjoy the 200's replacement. I don't ever want to get to the point of not being able to write with most if not all of my fountain pens on a daily basis in terms of numbers. So I will probably always have a fairly small number. (the lamy was my first - sometime between 2000-2003.and the Phileas shortly thereafter if I recall correctly)

 

Thanks for all the service you provide. My dad was a USAF officer, back in the late 50's and early '60's.

Edited February 8, 2013 by Runnin_Ute

[Saintpaulia]

Getting back to my previous...

I ordered an M200 Pelikan last Sunday evening from the Pelikan on-line store in England. It is the one in green marble. (See attached). This is my most expensive pen since I began collecting fountain pens last April. It exceeds a used Namiki Falcon which had held top place before.

 

To Ute, I lived in Bountiful for a year and then we moved up to Logan for another 4 years. Anyway, I am afraid that I have greatly exceeded the number of pens that I can write with every day. The collecting fever has hit at times rather severely. And yet I have done a pretty good job in corraling it. Of the 40 pens that I have had at one time or another since last April, I only kept and now have 15. So I have seen and tested alot of pens even though my current inventory would not reflect it.