Quality Of New Pelikan Pens-M101N Lizard

[nibbums]

So, I am going to just throw this post out to the forum and see what people have to say. I have been a big fan of Pelikan fountain pens and purchased quite a few during my foray into enjoying fountain pens. As an owner of several vintage Pelikan models from 1929 and up, I've been fortunate enough to use and enjoy a bunch of different pens from various eras of Pelikan production.

Recently, I have been less and less impressed with the quality of the newer Pelikan releases, particularly the modern M101N series that I have purchased. I have had three separate instances with these pens that have made me not want to buy any more of the modern Pelikan pens. My M101N Tortoise had a barrel that just snapped in my hands while I was writing with it (it was clean break at the seam of the ink window and the tortoise pattern) . It was replaced free of charge, but the experience was pretty disconcerting, particularly since I do take very good care of all my pens and don't abuse them in any way.

My other experience is ongoing with my M101N Lizard. That pen had a problem with the piston malfunctioning and I sent it back to Chartpak. The entire mechanism would not stay in the pen when I was filing it with ink or cleaning it out. It took a VERY long time for me to get the pen back and now the SAME problem is happening again. I think its a problem with the plastic mechanism and the threads that are supposed to hold it in. My experience with this pen made me wonder why the price was reduced substantially after it was released. It also has made me have no desire to purchase the M101N Red Tortoise, or, for that matter, any "new" Pelikan pen. They just don't seem to be built to last like the older pens, yet they are still priced at, in my humble opinion, a pretty large dollar amount.

I still love my 100's, 140s, 400s, 800s, etc. that predate production before 2010, but I think I may be done buying any modern Pelikan pens. I am curious to know if anyone else has had any similar experiences with these newer pens. I have NEVER had any type of problems with my vintage pens like the ones I've experienced with these newer pens. I am not "hating" on Pelikan, my experiences may just be an anomaly, but I would like to put this out there to this forum and see if anyone else has any comments about these newer pens and their build quality.

[Matlock]

I have all three M101N pens (and in fact two Lizards) and have no issues with any of them. Great pens and VERY well made. The only problem I have had with a Pelikan was with a M600 (old style) and that was the piston mechanism coming loose in my pocket. That was in 2007 and as I bought the pen in 1990 I was not too upset. It was repaired and is still in daily use.

[sargetalon]

I find the fit and finish of the newer M101N's not to be an issue, but that is a sample size of three. I did have your same issue with the piston assembly backing out of the pen on my tortoiseshell brown version. Since the piston is threaded in, and it's left hand threaded, over tightening the piston knob breaks it loose and causes it to back out. It was a big headache for me. I was able to torque the assembly in just enough so now it's firm and doesn't give me any issue whatsoever but I am mindful to not over tighten the piston knob. I'm sorry that your experiences haven't been great. I think with any product from any company that there will be pens that fail for one reason or another. Hopefully it's more the exception than the rule. The rest of my modern Pelikan's have been without issue.

[nibbums]

The piston on my M101N Lizard has been the same headache. It will not stay in the pen and I can't get the torque needed. If the pen was under $200, I guess I wouldn't be so upset, but to have a recurring problem like this on a $500 pen does not seem right to me. It's been looked at once by Pelikan in Germany, if my option is to send it back again and wait to use it for another 6 months, that just doesn't seem right. I have contacted Chartpak and asked if they will replace the whole pen. We'll see what the outcome is.

[risingsun]

I'd put a tiny bit of rosin sealant on the threads and see if that helped...

[The Good Captain]

The piston on my 101N Lizard did the same thing last night. I've arranged for it to go back to Pelikan. The Brown and Red models haven't been a problem whatsoever and I'm mindful not to over-tighten the piston knobs. We'll see!

[plumista]

My 101N Lizard was a complete failure right out of the box: Quality control? Inexistent.

 

Such a great excitement and emotion waiting for the pen to arrive... only to find out a very expensive piece of decoration for the desk, not a top quality writing instrument.

 

Returned for good.

 

No more Pelikan pens (at least, recent or current production models) for me, as said many times before.

 

plumista

[Matlock]

My 101N Lizard was a complete failure right out of the box: Quality control? Inexistent.

 

Such a great excitement and emotion waiting for the pen to arrive... only to find out a very expensive piece of decoration for the desk, not a top quality writing instrument.

 

Returned for good.

 

No more Pelikan pens (at least, recent or current production models) for me, as said many times before.

 

plumista

What were the problems with your pen?

I am a little concerned that we are rapidly getting to the "all pens produced by brand X are rubbish" situation which is becoming popular on some other forums.

It would seem that there is a possible problem with the piston assembly on the Lizard, or is it over zealous turning of the piston knob?

[nibbums]

In my case, as I said in my original post, I'm not declaring Pelikan "rubbish". I'm more disappointed than anything else, as I am big fan of the brand and the pens, although my recent experiences are leading me to re-evaluate that position regarding the current modern productions. As far as overzealous turning of the knob, I don't think so, at least not in my case. This is the only pen I've ever had this problem with, and the fact that I had it sent back to Germany and then it happened again, after very moderate use, leads me to question the pen. I mainly put my post out there to see if the myriad of Pelikan users in this forum had any similar experiences or feelings. Apparently there are a couple.

Since my original post, I spent about an hour with the piston mechanism, taking it apart completely and then eventually getting it to stay in the pen with out coming undone (at least for now). I still don't think I should have to go through all that effort for a $500 pen. In addition, I e-mailed Chartpak and they still have not responded to my query. I am going to follow up with a phone call today. Even though I've got the pen fixed (for now), I really have lost my love for it, unfortunately.

[Matlock]

In my case, as I said in my original post, I'm not declaring Pelikan "rubbish". I'm more disappointed than anything else, as I am big fan of the brand and the pens, although my recent experiences are leading me to re-evaluate that position regarding the current modern productions. As far as overzealous turning of the knob, I don't think so, at least not in my case. This is the only pen I've ever had this problem with, and the fact that I had it sent back to Germany and then it happened again, after very moderate use, leads me to question the pen. I mainly put my post out there to see if the myriad of Pelikan users in this forum had any similar experiences or feelings. Apparently there are a couple.

Since my original post, I spent about an hour with the piston mechanism, taking it apart completely and then eventually getting it to stay in the pen with out coming undone (at least for now). I still don't think I should have to go through all that effort for a $500 pen. In addition, I e-mailed Chartpak and they still have not responded to my query. I am going to follow up with a phone call today. Even though I've got the pen fixed (for now), I really have lost my love for it, unfortunately.

I wasn't pointing the finger at you when I spoke of overzelealous turning of the knob. I had it happen to me with my M600 several years ago (as I said in my 1st post). I had the suspicion that someone had been playing with my pen as I had, foolishly, left it on my desk. The nib was sprung too, something I have never had before, or since.

I am probably getting the wrong message, but are there problems with Chartpak in the US? When I sent my M600 back to Niche Pens it came back with a new piston assembly.

It does sound as though you have sorted the problem (but you shouldn't have to, having paid $500). Keep us updated.

[NichePens]

This post was brought to my attention and I have read it with interest.

 

I believe that we sold 60 Brown Tortoiseshell M101Ns, 30 Lizards and 35 Red Tortoiseshell FPs and can only recall one being returned to us for an issue with the piston mechanism (a poster above).

 

Several were returned for nib exchange, but as most people swap width I cannot say how many of these were for an issue with the nib's performance. From the top of my head it would 3 or 4 and the replacements were apparently without problem.

 

I do (dry) check nibs when they arrive in and the odd pen does have a slightly twisted tine alignment, but this is sorted by Pelikan without fuss. I would say that with the amount of pens we have delivered to us, I don't think there has been a reduction in quality over the 11 years we have been selling.

[The Good Captain]

This post was brought to my attention and I have read it with interest.

 

I believe that we sold 60 Brown Tortoiseshell M101Ns, 30 Lizards and 35 Red Tortoiseshell FPs and can only recall one being returned to us for an issue with the piston mechanism (a poster above).

 

Several were returned for nib exchange, but as most people swap width I cannot say how many of these were for an issue with the nib's performance. From the top of my head it would 3 or 4 and the replacements were apparently without problem.

 

I do (dry) check nibs when they arrive in and the odd pen does have a slightly twisted tine alignment, but this is sorted by Pelikan without fuss. I would say that with the amount of pens we have delivered to us, I don't think there has been a reduction in quality over the 11 years we have been selling.

The Lizard is the first and only pen that has developed a problem and I've had 'quite a few' from Ross over the years. I'm sure it's a one-off and expect to see it back, as and when.

The only thing that puts me off buying more Pelikan pens is..................FUNDS!

[nibbums]

So, here's a follow up for anyone that cares or is revisiting this thread. I finally got in touch with Chartpak, via phone. I am sending the Lizard back (again) for repair. In the interim, my tortoise shell M101N also broke (again) at the ink window-that went back in the same shipment. They will get repaired, but I don't think I am going to buy anymore "new" Pelikan pens. Obviously, I'm infected with the same disease that a lot of folks on this forum have, and I am tempted by these fountain pens, but the reality (at least to me) is that the quality of Pelikans manufactured pre-1990 (or, perhaps, its just the quality control) just seemed to be a lot better than any of these modern pens.

[sirgilbert357]

Did something happen in the 1990's within Pelikan? Forgive me if this is a stupid question, but I know literally nothing about Pelikan history. Was there a corporate buyout/re-structuring or tooling change with the assembly line?

 

I've also heard vintage nibs are better writers than current production, so if there's any real difference there, maybe it can be attributed to the same "1990 issue"?

 

I love my M205 and plan to pick up a blue striped M405 soon, so I'm interested in learning...

[Keyless Works]

Sorry to hear this. The newest Pelikan pens I own are M600s from the late 80s and ignoring the lovely nibs, the bodies feel cheap and have huge raised seams on the sections. I also have a 400 from the 50s and its build quality is excellent...wish they were still being made.

[Notgatherox]

Let me start with a disclaimer: Below is purely my opinion and I may be wrong. Merely speculation. Feel free to disagree with me.

 

Pelikan was sold some time back to a Malaysian company, and it appears that in recent years this company, is trying to make more money off the brand (somewhat resembling Newell Rubbermaid and Parker). To do this, they introduce more LEs and SEs, as well as try to raise prices by raising its profile (Pelikan Hubs) and trying to reposition its brand to be a luxury brand (more MB-like).

 

Having said so, there are two methods of making money. One is increasing profit, which is done by the above paragraph. The other is reducing cost, which may be the reason why there is a drop in QC. Of course I'm just speculating here, there may not be a QC issue at all to begin with!

 

For what it's worth, I got myself a Pelikan M200 Demo (2012). That was my first pen back into the FP world, and I loved it so much I'm still here today. To me I haven't had an issue.

 

 

~Epic

[Lam1]

To the OP, I am sorry to hear of the trouble you are facing and I understand your frustration. I hope the pens get fixed and you can enjoy them again without any further problems.

 

In which concerns the discussion of Pelikan's QC, it seems to me that this kind of problems happen to every single brand of FP - a look in the other forums shows people complaining about failures in their pens of just about any brand (but people seem to be more forgiving of the problems of some brands). To me, this seems to be expected from mass production, these outliers are statistically expected, as are the outliers that seem to last "forever".

 

I don't think the quality of today's Pelikans is inferior to Pelikans from the early 90's for example. In fact, my first Pelikan was a NOS M400 from that period and it felt really flimsy (I returned it), I consider the material and finish of the pens from that period much inferior to the current production (but I like the nibs better). In fact, I would be very surprised if any brand has more problems today than they had in the 50's, given the improvement in production, materials, etc.. One cannot forget that at that time millions of FP were produced and the ones that we still find today are the outliers that survived without failure. In the same way, I bet that in 40 years people will have the ones that survived from today and say, "look, they were better at that time".

 

As for the nibs, when people say they were better in the past, I believe they refer to the fact that they were springier, not to the quality of material or production (and the same also happens to other brands).

[Calabria]

I seem to recall that pens "back in the day" were scratchy writers that leaked all over the place. I would agree that overall, quality in most brands has probably improved. I remember my first pens (in the 80s) were all trash compared to what I get now.

[Christopher Godfrey]

"Back in the day" may mean the '80s to some people; but I have plenty Pelikans from 1930s through to the late-'50s and not one of them leaks ink and not one nib among them is scratchy! On the contrary, I buy them for their lovely flexibility.

 

I <did> have the filling mechanism come loose on my 101LE (Lapis): no big deal -- I tightened it back up again -- gently, of course. One answer is to hold the filler securing "ring", whilst twisting the filler, during re-filling.

Edited August 26, 2015 by Christopher Godfrey

[sirgilbert357]

Thanks for the responses and info everyone. I wonder why the nibs of old were flexi and now its almost impossible to get a true flex nib? What's the issue; just not enough demand?