How Often Do You Tank Up Your Bird?

[Witsius]

My Cafe Creme M200 is my first Pelikan, and I find I tank it up pretty often. I'd say I have to fill it once each week to week-and-a-half. Right now its used mostly for journaling, but I find it burns through ink much faster than my Lamy 2000 or my TWSBI 580. My Pelikan has a 14k gold nib that's a real gusher and is easily a wetter writer than my other piston fillers.

 

I know Pelikans are noted for being wet writers. Would you say my experience is typical in terms of how fast it goes through ink? How often do you have to tank up your Pelikan?

[sakayume]

Maybe once a month for my white tortoise M400 with a Fine nib, because I don't write much with Alt Gold-Grün, and once every fornight or so for my Cognac with a steel Fine nib, which at the moment is used only for personal writing at home. I used to refill it every week when I used it as my main writer for everything. I have no idea whether my experience is typical though?

[zuhandensein]

My average now can be also around 1-2 weeks. My nib (EF) is the regular steel one of the M200s. But in periods of intense use I can fill the pen every 3-5 days. Exceptionally 3-4 weeks in some occasions, but quite rarely and only if I use other pens during that period. All this is very subjective, depends on nib with, wetness, kind of paper and the amount of writing... A week or week and a half sounds completely normal to me.

[fplover01]

A lot depends on how much you write and the nib size.

 

A wet M nibbed m205 lasts me about a week of full use. My M800 with B nib which I use for personal writting, lasts about a week and a half with Pelikan Blue Black, depending on how much stuff I write in my daily journal. It is a quite dry M800. I really wish it was wetter. Once i emptied it in 3 days, but I was really writing page after page that period, after a personal issue.

 

My wettest Pelikan is my BB nibbed white M205 which I use for fast notes, signatures, addressing envelopes with Pelikan Blue Black ink. It last about a week and a half but it doesnt see more than 1/3 of the use my M800 sees. Still it produces a thick wet line with beautiful shading, which I love.

 

I have never had problems like running out of ink or so. I really like pens on the wet side though.

[Lam1]

I typically have 8 to 10 pens inked with an average of at least 6 Pelikans, with nibs mostly in the EF-M range (although sometimes I use other sizes, such as OBB and IB). It usually takes me 2 weeks to have all of the pens replaced in the rotation.

So, it appears that I use 4-5 fills per week, if we count the other pens.

[pajaro]

I write so little with mine any more that once a year is about it. The pens stay moist and writable.

Edited February 5, 2016 by pajaro

[sargetalon]

It's a very variable thing. A lot depends on ink and paper used. More absorbent papers will shorten the longevity of each fill. I don't think your results are atypical and wouldn't be worried about it. Part of it is definitely the generous feed which is likely why your other pens can go a bit further.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I seldom full tank, mostly 1/4th to 1/3rd, in I change inks often.

 

I do own a flock, and don't want them out and waiting for longer times, waiting for me to have an urge for to use 'that' ink.

 

Then I often have 10-17 pens inked...I have no idea of how long it would take to empty.

Dry 4001 or IG inks will make the load last longer and as said a good paper will help too.

Edited February 7, 2016 by Bo Bo Olson

[Mister5]

My Cafe Creme M200 is my first Pelikan, and I find I tank it up pretty often. I'd say I have to fill it once each week to week-and-a-half. Right now its used mostly for journaling, but I find it burns through ink much faster than my Lamy 2000 or my TWSBI 580. My Pelikan has a 14k gold nib that's a real gusher and is easily a wetter writer than my other piston fillers.

 

I know Pelikans are noted for being wet writers. Would you say my experience is typical in terms of how fast it goes through ink? How often do you have to tank up your Pelikan?

 

 

That sounds about the same as my experience with my M200. Usually I have that and one or more other pens active; the M200 is often my EDC. Lately I've been using it mostly for my penpals but also some light journaling. Mine is also a M200 Cafe Creme - Fine Nib but it's the standard steel with gold plating. Not sure if that would make any difference given it sounds like you might have the M400 nib in it?

 

My M200 is also pretty wet - I'd say its the wettest of my pens except for a Noodler's Konrad. I also get a lot of nib creep.

[irondome]

I have M200 in all sizes. How often I refill? It really depends on how much you write and the nib sizes. I write alot with my broad size nib thus I fill it once every 4 days. As for my fine nib it'll go on as long as 3 weeks.

[King Blotto III]

I use my M800 BB on a daily basis. Writing an average of 5-10 pages a day (A5 size), I have to refill about once a week.

[Greebe]

My M600 wears a customized "F" nib and seems to go on for a long time. Time is not relative to me but how many pages I can get. Neither are kept track of though.

[hombreverde]

I have M200 in all sizes. How often I refill? It really depends on how much you write and the nib sizes. I write alot with my broad size nib thus I fill it once every 4 days. As for my fine nib it'll go on as long as 3 weeks.

Great to know!

[hombreverde]

M600 medium nib- once every one or two weeks

[Runnin_Ute]

I have all 3 birds inked at present. (120 M&K, 2 M200's)

The 120's medium nib is really wet. It seems to need a fill quicker than the others. And one of the others has an OB!

Edited February 19, 2016 by Runnin_Ute

[Sasha Royale]

Annually. Seven birds.

[Nyanzilla]

I can write about 16 pages with an M nib.

[Christopher Godfrey]

< I have no idea whether my experience is typical though?>

 

Nothing from Australia-land is typical! Your spiders are fiercer than anywhere else in the world; your snakes are (mostly) more venomous; your weather is more extreme; your deserts are hotter...and so on and so forth!

 

(BTW, Candide: I, too, like R&K Alt Gold-Grün. Lovely colour!)

Edited February 20, 2016 by Christopher Godfrey

[pkotrcka]

P200. and since I am able to fill about a half of the converter without doing a gymnastics with the pen and ink, it lasts for about a week for me.

[sakayume]

Nothing from Australia-land is typical! Your spiders are fiercer than anywhere else in the world; your snakes are (mostly) more venomous; your weather is more extreme; your deserts are hotter...and so on and so forth!

 

The joys of living in Terror Incognita.

 

I think Alt Gold-grün and the white tortoise were made for each other, my white tortoise has only ever had one other ink, and that was just one fill while waiting for Alt Gold-grün to arrive in the mail.