M605 Or M805 + Ink

[Celar36]

Hi all,

 

Being new to this hobby I want to acquire my first Pelikan. As per title I am torn between M605 or M805 (M1005 too big!)

 

Facts about me:

 

-Left handed

 

-Improving my handwriting due being very ineligible.(ordered book recommended in handwriting section)

 

-When I write I tend to smudge ink. No matter FP or ballpont. I started to place my hand above my current line but with GVFC still smudging (Ink GVFC Carbon black)

 

-I own two FP. A GVFC Guilloche nib M and Waterman nib M. I find Waterman smudges less to zero(thanks to swapping to Banditapple Carnet, prior that was moleskine...). The GVFC I got a lot smudges..page is mess and very dirty hand

 

-Big Hands

 

-Ordered MTN and Tomoe River paper A4

 

-80% use of FP is for work. Business meeting and research

 

Questions:

 

-Which Pelikan you recommend (budget £350)

Which nib?

 

I already asked questions about ink in Introduction and choose I want to try Pelikan Aquamarine and Diamine Sherwood Green. Wanted also Amethyst but is gone. So I am in search for Purple(personal use) and maybe brown (not sure)

 

-Is Edelstein good choice or I should go for something else?

 

Below picture of Waterman nib B w/ GVFC Carbon black ink. Very slow writing and careful. It took me 10min. This is improvement but far from okey.

 

http://i65.tinypic.com/30arll2.jpg

 

 

Thanks!

Jack

[Notgatherox]

I think you should hold both in your hand and try it out for yourself. Are you okay with posting (putting cap at the end of pen)? Big hands seem to suggest going with the M805 is better, but YMMV.

 

Also, because the M80x and M100x series have brass pistons, they are heavier than the M60x series. You should try and see if they feel good in your hand before committing.

 

Since you're in the UK, Diamine is a good source for you to check out for inks. Consider Diamine Amazing Amethyst or a purple maybe?

 

If you find ink smudges, you could either change inks, papers or include a blotting paper. My suggestion is to go for the last one - because you're already bought the ink, so might as well use it. And writing on quality paper will entail a longer dry time, but it's a trade-off I'll take because I think it's worth it. Blotting paper essentially soaks up excess ink sitting on the surface of paper so it doesn't smudge. Have a look at J Herbin's rocker blotter and blotting paper.

 

Edelstein can be wet inks - which may not be ideal since you are already dealing with smudging issues. Of course, if you like the colours, go for it - blotting paper can and will save the day!

 

Good luck!

 

 

PS. Take what I wrote here with a grain of salt - I'm no expert and I can be wrong.

 

 

 

~Epic

Edited May 19, 2016 by Lord Epic

[JulioPB]

Hi:

For a purple ink I would recommend Diamine Imperial Purple or Waterman Purple.

Julio mX

[OCArt]

+1 what Lord Epic said.

[aeba]

Maybe paying a visit to a pen show next month would be good option?

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/293210-uk-pen-shows-2016-show-programme/

[Chrissy]

Another +1 for what Lord Epic said.

 

I'm a female and I tried out the M600 and the M800. The M800 was far too heavy for me, so I'm pleased to have found that out before I spent any money.

[Martinsroom]

Fine nibs tend to put down less ink and could reduce your drying time to cut down on the amount of smudges but I would only go for them if you like how your writing looks with them. That said Pelikans tend to run a bit wider than average and put down a fairly wet line. My 805 fine is as wide as some of my European mediums. Paperwise you could look at Atoma which is good quality paper and I feel results in less smudging.

[sargetalon]

Big hands doesn't always translate to more comfortable with bigger, heavier pens. I love the M8xx but others do not. If at all possible, try to hold both before purchase so as to avoid any disappointment/regret. An EF or F nib would probably be best suited for the work place. Amethyst, while out of production, should still be lingering in a few places until vendors clear out all of their old stock. Good luck with your decision. I'm sure that it's not an easy one.

[OCArt]

One Pelikan quickly leads to another so one option wound be to start with an inexpensive pen like a Pelikan 120. I find myself using my Pelikan 120's a lot and it you watch eBay they can often be had for under USD$30.

[bstnnyc]

I'm a guy with average size hands and am unable to write with the m800. More than the size, I find the balance of the pen very uncomfortable. Meanwhile I think the m600 (unposted) is practically perfect in every way. Like others have noted, try to hold them in person if you can. I was determined to get the m805 grey stresemann when it came out, but it felt very awkward in my hand. Your hand will know instantly what it likes

[Celar36]

I will be in central London in couple days so I will visit Harrods writing room or Selfridges. Also planning to pop in to penfriend at Burlington arcade.

 

I will see how they feel in hand!

 

Not affraid of owning more Pelikan's, they remind me of my father and I love their style.

Edited May 21, 2016 by Celar36

[debraji]

I thought the m800 would suit me but held several models at a pen show and discovered that the m600 felt much more comfortable to me.

 

Please let us know how things turned out!

Edited May 22, 2016 by debraji

[Calabria]

Big hands doesn't always translate to more comfortable with bigger, heavier pens. I love the M8xx but others do not. If at all possible, try to hold both before purchase so as to avoid any disappointment/regret. An EF or F nib would probably be best suited for the work place. Amethyst, while out of production, should still be lingering in a few places until vendors clear out all of their old stock. Good luck with your decision. I'm sure that it's not an easy one.

I agree. I think I'd say that the big hands = big pens equation is a fallacy. My hands have pretty much remained the same size but as I get older, I find bigger pens more comfortable. I started with a M100 (still a favorite) and have now worked my way up to M800. I think my hands are just not that comfortable with holding small things anymore. It's more about muscles, joints and motor skills. Edited May 29, 2016 by Calabria

[fplover01]

It is just a matter of habit and personal taste. I for a long time did not think I needed a larger pen than the M200. Then went on to M600 and now I find the M800 being ideal.

[BerndtNorten]

I own an old 1953 m140 (green, OF), an M400 (green, M), and an M805 (blue, EF and IB). The m400 is a good size when posted. It's also light. It's a great daily writer--smooth with a touch of feedback to prevent slipping. The 805 is sublime but some might find it big. I think the m600 is the sweet spot; you're into the large territory but not too large. AND, you can still swap nibs with the 600, 400 and 200 series. So the 600 is the more versatile. I'd go with it over the 800 series.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I find the balance of a medium-large 605 to be great posted....unposted it has no balance, being too short.

But then I grew up in the days of standard and medium-large pens....where Large pens were very scarce or not at all outside of the PFM that I never saw in real life.

 

Large pens came in as status symbols IMO....something to be more seen, in I find most Large pens to be clunky, lacking balance unposted, and much too top heavy posted. I really like my '50's medium-large 146....and not so much the Larger ones from later.

 

Then again there are those who refuse to post a standard or medium-large pen like a 600 for religious reasons, and call them then 'too small'!

 

 

The 600/605 has a bit wider girth than a 400, not as much as the 800 a heavy pen. The 600/605 is a light and nimble pen that you can write easy and long.

In the old days when one wrote more than now, folks wanted a 'light' and nimble well balanced pen.

 

There are many 600's; there are the old city series, the blue o'blue etc and other beautiful ones. I'd suggest taking a long look at all the 600's....and with that sort of money you can afford, you can get one of the old City pens.

And if you later wish to have semi-flex the nibs of the '50-65 400s fit. My blue 605 has the semi-flex B nib of my 400n in it.

 

You can not do that with the 800 in it's nibs don't swap with the 400/600's. I really like the semi-flex and maxi-semi-flex nibs of the '50-65 era. I just realized you are a left hander and might be one of them that can't use a semi-flex.

Edited May 30, 2016 by Bo Bo Olson

[Celar36]

`Well I have now a lot to think about. So many choices. Tempted to go vintage way! The city pens series is tempting!

[stephanos]

++ to what others have said about holding in your hand before buying. Both are lovely models.

 

If you like the heft of the M800, but find it too big, you might try looking for one of the 640 models. These are based on the M600, but are somewhat girthier and weightier, and have a wonders-of-nature theme - Sahara, Himalayas (Everest?), Niagara Falls, Polar Lights, that sort of thing. I have held the M640 polar version and it is not only beautiful, but has much more heft than a standard M600. They have been discontinued and can be quite hard to find, but they do come up from time to time.

 

One other thing. FP-writing has three crucial elements: pen, paper and ink. I want to address the ink component.

 

Others have said that Pelikan nibs tend to run wide and write wet, which has been my experience also. So, you might consider trying inks that are known to be dry or extra-quick-drying (or investing in an ink-blotter, as suggested above).

 

Diamine is an excellent, affordable option in the UK, with lots of colours available. On the other hand, they are not always the dryest. of inks. My brother is a lefty and he was unable to use the pen I gave him when it was loaded with Diamine's oxblood, for example. One Diamine option would be Registrar's Ink (it's a modern iron-gall ink and behaves reasonably well. If you've ever signed anything in a registry office, you'll have used the ink).

 

If you want a dry purple ink, try Rohrer & Klingner's Scabiosa (also an iron gall).

 

Both of these have the advantage of being quite sober inks - perhaps relevant to you given that 80% of your use is for work purposes. And you could use the wet inks you already own for private purposes.

 

An alternative would be to look at the Pure Pens website (no affiliation): AFAIK, they are the only sellers of Noodler's products in the UK (Europe). In particular, see whether they have any of the Bernanke series in stock - these were formulated to be super-fast-drying.

 

Finally, you could trawl around looking for other dry or quick-drying inks. Parker Quink is apparently fairly dry.

[Celar36]

Weird. M600 seems slightly too small, while M800 slightly too big. Shame they don't have something in between. If I need to chose between that two, I will say M805

Edited June 9, 2016 by Celar36

[Lam1]

Weird. M600 seems slightly too small, while M800 slightly too big. Shame they don't have something in between. If I need to chose between that two, I will say M805

Sometimes it takes a few hours of writing for the hand to get used to a slightly large pen. At least that was my experience with the M1000, which initially I found to be slightly too large but now I love it (but I cannot adapt to pens that are a bit too small).

 

But Stephanos suggestion of the M640, which is in between the M600 and the M800, is excellent (he seems to have predicted your experience!!). Just keep in mind that the M640s do not have an ink window.

Edited June 10, 2016 by Lam1