Open Question On The Pelikan Allure

[MightyEighth]

Here's my question, and then I'll explain why I am asking. What specifically draws you to Pelikan fountain pens?

I only began exploring my interest in fountain pens about 3.5 months ago, but I have found myself particularly drawn to Pelikans and I'm not sure I can articulate why. Specifically, with respect to premium priced pens anyway, it's the only brand so far that makes me want to have multiple versions. In other cases, for example, I'm happy with my one Sailor (1911L black/gold), my Lamy 2000 makrolon, and my Aurora Optima burgundy, and I don't feel any compulsion to branch out to other pen variations under those brands. With Pelikan, though, I started with a 400NN green stripe, then an M605 blue stripe, then an M800 burnt orange. Now, after taking a strong liking to the M800, I want other colors. What's happening here is sort of a mystery to me. I have developed a natural affinity to Pelikan like no other pen maker, but I'm not sure why. Not that it matters, other than I enjoy it, but it's been on my mind.

So, back to my open question to other Pelikan enthusiasts: What specifically draws you to Pelikan fountain pens?

Thanks,

Marc

[Tresconik]

They've got a really cool name, a nice history, sweet looking nibs, very cool barrels, sizes to suit everyone and an awesome filling system.

[abstract49]

They are pretty in an understated sort of way ("classic good looks"), and they are reliable and sturdy. Notwithstanding some negative comments about qc in recent years, I have had no such issues, and all of mine are modern, purchased new in the last ~12 years. Some don't like the firm nibs (M1000 excepted), and some say they have had issues with nib/feed reliability on new ones; the first is a matter of personal preference, not quality, and the second is simply not my experience.

 

They are just good pens.

[mana]

Well... I can only speak for the vintage ones (100, 100N, 140, 400/N/NN etc.) because I haven't had a chance to tinker with the modern ones aside from one steel nib M200 Blue Marble in my possession (which is quite ok).

 

But yeah... those vintage ones (and for example Parker 51 Aerometrics) have that "something" being made in a day and age when how a pen wrote was the primary reason for how they were valued, and also the primary reason for their existence. The fact that they have been going on for 60+ years and are still kicking it is a testament to their quality, both materials, engineering and design wise. They are writing machines par excellence.

[oregano]

Good question! I enjoy the reliability and versatility in terms of Pelikan's color and size offerings--the writing experience is perfect for everyday use (they are my EDC, despite the nibs being too thick for my handwriting, which is saying something). Unlike other brands, like the Aurora Optima, that could vie for EDC, the Pelikan's piston is easy to clean, and usually smooth. Also, while expensive, most of the M600s I've purchased have not been in the Montblanc price territority (or even Aurora), which makes it easier to collect. I have never found a Pelikan I didn't like!

[langere]

I know what you mean!

 

I think there is a partial psychological explanation. Pelikan has pens that look alike, but that have different colors. So, if you like one, you will probably like the other colors. Consistency with slight variability, just enough to hit the pleasure centers of the brain.

 

Of course, I am taking the quality, the writing experience, and reputation for granted in this explanation.

 

Erick

[MightyEighth]

I know what you mean!

 

I think there is a partial psychological explanation. Pelikan has pens that look alike, but that have different colors. So, if you like one, you will probably like the other colors. Consistency with slight variability, just enough to hit the pleasure centers of the brain.

 

Of course, I am taking the quality, the writing experience, and reputation for granted in this explanation.

 

Erick

 

Interesting thought. Other makers have models of different form factors to choose from, which would seem to make someone want to collect variations both within and across different models. With Pelikan the different forms are mainly in size, and it would be natural to pick a size that works best and stick with it. But that's not so easy since the P-folks don't offer all the colors in all sizes. Looks like I missed the boat on getting an M800 red stripe, for instance :-(

 

Marc

[Bo Bo Olson]

As an arrogant American Army Brat in Germany in the mid '60's................MB was fat clunky pens that cost more for gold plated trim that the King of Pens a Sheaffer Snorkel with rolled gold trim .................Pelikan was near the price of a regular Snorkel and UGLY......understanding nothing of market.....that the American pen companies had committed to the cartridge, thought if the piston was any good, we...the Americans would make one...................we could have the Patents had expired................but they cost too much to make....in the height of the Ball Point Pen Invasion.

 

I started back into fountain pens with a hand full of inherited pens one of which was a pretty Osmia that sat in my wife's aunt's drawer for fifteen years.....the same for our drawer. I was able to get use to a 'flat top' with the Osmia.

 

Had I been more aware as a 'noob' I'd known it was a semi-flex nib....but I had no idea about that other than the nib wrote with a nice wet line that was so admired by all the noob's of a decade ago.

 

The first semi-flex pen that I 'had' was the 140 Pelikan in OB...................

Pelikan was too expensive for me...who was in the Pen of the Week in the Mail Club...E15-20.

I'd swapped a Robert E. Lee Franklin Mint pocket knife for that Pelikan 140, and three other cheap pens......I'd no need of that as a pocket knife. As soon as I had tested that semi-flex 140's nib on my thumbnail.....I knew what all the fuss was all about.

 

I was at a live auction with my wife and there were some three fountain pen lots....the first was two ugly brick orange Lamy 99's or 27's...it's been a while. What the hell, start bid of e20...shoulder shrug.....I'll go up to 30-40....had the bidder paddle up...By the time you can take a quick deep breath and let it out.....bidding had hit E70 by the time my hand actually got down...I'd started dropping my hand at 50..... I think they went for E85.

Next up was a '50's Pelikan Tortoise.....and me so 'noob' I'd not even checked the nibs.....it was way out of my price range at a start bid of E70....to start with.....much less the way a pretty pen would go for considering them ugly brick orange Lamy's.

When you go to a live auction.....often a bidder will wait....going once.....no bid.......going twice.....no bid.!!!!

I tore that paddle out of my wife's hand so fast it left blisters........then come the hard part....going once....going twice.....going gone..!!!!!!! E70 to me . A pretty tortoise 400!!! A 'Flex' Nib!!!!! Like my 140.....

 

So I soon learn...(Where's the flex?????)...it was a only a regular flex '90's M400... not a fifties. ...so the pen collectors/dealers didn't want to buy a common pen, at that high a start price.

 

 

That was almost back in the good old days.....a 140 cost @ E50-60....a 400 of any type...70-80....

I was at a live auction after that semi-flex nib of a 400nn in a four pen lot....and I'd figured if I could sell the Pelikan 450/455 BP&MP and the ugly MB pen....my 400nn wouldn't cost me much more than 80-90 Euro................... :gaah:The nib was either friction or the broken enough it did work like a friction pen.....so much for Plan A....which was to use the very nice semi-flex OF in my '90's tortoise M400.......(How was I to know that nib was a maxi-semi-flex.......I'd not invented the term yet.)

 

I paid E170 of that lot of pens plus an etui........................never did sell the ball point and mechanical pencil......in fact the 450 became the only MP I ever used that I liked....even used it for six weeks pure....no fountain pens.

 

That ugly MB 234 1/2 KOB semi-flex....became my top pen best balanced....my 400nn my second....fourth best balanced.

As soon as I got Lambrou's book, I found out that ugly MB was the refined but standard sized version of the pre-war 139. Meisterstuck clip....different cap ring....(It was the Deluxe version '52-54 only)

As soon as I found out what it was, the price way back then...was $200 a few years later....$500 ...............That is Nothing!!!!! Just this year I saw it offered on "Buy Now Idiot" for only $900 .

I will sell it to any idiot that wants to pay $950 in I just had Fountainble re-cork it properly.....OK, OK, just for you.....$920.

Edited December 18, 2017 by Bo Bo Olson

[DrCodfish]

For me the answer is pretty simple.

 

First;

The Pelikan was my first 'real' fountain pen, something apart from the Schaeffer cartridge pens of high school. My first Pelikan was a green and black 120 which I bought in the early 1970's, a time when I thought I had a shot at becoming the next Hemingway or, .... Jack Kerouac. I still have that pen by the way and it's a better writer now than it was new. I however am no better at writing than I was then. But that longevity is a good seque to reason number two.

 

Second;

Longevity, these pens last, they just work and work, and are generally easy to repair if and when needed. They have been so popular for such a long time that it is no life quest (or budget buster) to find a great looking and working Pelikan from the 1940's or 50's.

 

Third;

They are user friendly. The mechanics of these writing instruments cannot be beat. You can get a new or vintage nib and easily put it in your Pelikan, so simple. You can clean the pen so thoroughly and easily that it confounds you at first. WHY DON'T ALL BRANDS ADOPT THIS SIMPLE SCREW IN SYSTEM? Ease of use continues to filling and cleaning. I am also fond of old Parker Doufolds and Vacumatics, but I am NOT fond of trying to get those pens completely clean.

 

Fourth;

Variety. They have been producing pens long enough that for those with the penchant for collecting, thee is plenty to keep you occupied. On the other hand they have not fallen victim to the trend of producing a LE or commemorative pen for ever conceivable event or whatever known to man. I will admit I do wish from time to time that they would loosen the collar button just a bit and take a chance on producing something 'different'. Credit where due, I think they ae trying, change can be such a hard thing for some of us.

 

That's it, sorry there is not more pixie dust and mysterious aura for me.

[Runnin_Ute]

Not sure what attracted me initially to Pelikan. But my first two were a red M205 (M?) and a green/black 120 Merz & Krell (EF). The M & K was NOS. I paid a great price for the pair. ($120 shipped from Australia) I later picked up a M205 black and a M150. Then one day I lost all four, plus four other pens between home and the office. By that time I was more than hooked on Pelikan as a brand.

 

I gradually replaced them after a fashion. A M200 blue marbled old style, a 120 M & K, then a M200 Cognac and a M150. My most recent purchases were a 140 and I have a M200 brown marbled at the post office to pickup tomorrow morning. All were purchased previously owned except for the Cognac and Brown Marbled. I fell in love/lust with the 140 after I got the 120 M & K.

[sargetalon]

When I started using/collecting fountain pens, I had a little of everything. It gave me a lot of experience but nothing really stood out to me as a must have. Then I got my first Pelikan which led to another and another. For me, its the subtle, understated looks, the world renowned piston filing mechanism, and the variety of sizes. The Pelikan pens are beautifully balanced and very comfortable to use. The nibs are beautifully styled and there is usually an ink window which I appreciate. Despite all of the above, I think there is still something intangible, some mystique or allure that keeps drawing me in. So much so, it was enough for me to forsake all others and dedicate my collection solely to the Pelikan brand. I haven't regretted it for an instant.

[BillH]

+1 for what sargetalon said, although I have grown to appreciate a number of Montblancs and have added a few to my otherwise Pelikan obsessed collection (everything from M1000 down to Pelikanos and P10's).

[amk]

Tortoise, tortoise, tortoise.

 

And a few other things. I love the more extrovert bindes but most often they are sobered up a bit by the cap and piston knob in plain material; lots of colour, like Italian pens, but without the bling.

 

Nibs in the modern pens I find nicely bouncy, in the vintage pens sometimes marvellously flexy.

 

Swap-in swap-out nibs, though I wish they would bring back the BB. Plus, interchangeability over time. Not many pens retain a nib and feed system for over 40 years.

 

Pistons that work smoothly. (The one disadvantage in my book: lack of robustness in the 200-600 mechanism insertion, so if you need to take the piston mech out for any reason, the barrel may never let it fit tightly again)

 

Also, Pelikans R Cute. The fat waddling birdies on my Toledo always make me laugh.

 

.....And tortoise.

Edited December 19, 2017 by amk

[oregano]

Tortoise, tortoise, tortoise.

 

 

Absolutely, +1 how could I have left this off the list?! Being a late comer to Pelikan, I first saw the white tortoise and it was love at first sight for me. Then I discovered the brown tortoise. Nothing beats it.

[chravagni]

History and love are my reasons.

 

My mother was the first of her family owning a Pelikan (400nn I think, in the sixties; the rest of the family were using more Aurora or Omas). Black, wonderful. She did buy for me some cartridge Pelikans and Pelikanos for the school, between '70s and '80. In 1987 I discovered the dark red Steno (p470): love. Totally.

 

In the decades after I used mostly Pelikanos and Steno, until 2008, when I bought a m215 and an old 140: piston filler discovery. Again love. Since then I have collected and used several (805 Stresemann, 620 Shanghai, 605 Karstadt, 450, 400 white tort., various 215, 205 and 200). And I use them, inked in rotation, more than any other fountain pen brand.

 

That's it 😊.

Chiara

[inkstainedruth]

I came to Pelikans a slightly different way: Pelican (with a C). Specifically the SCA's Order of the Pelican (equivalent to SCA knighthood, but for service rather than martial prowess). I had seen images of the pens and they looked, as someone earlier had said "classy". But they were expensive, even the used ones. But when I got inducted into the Order a few years ago, I decided I needed a splurge gift to myself. I had been eyeing the striated blue models, but a older model M400 Brown Tortoise crossed my path on eBay first, and I won the auction. And was absolutely floored when I got it -- the binde is beautiful, the F nib is wet and expressive, with some give to it, and I'm really starting love piston fillers just in general. When I bought it, it was the most expensive pen I'd *ever* bought. That was followed by a couple of M200s, a cute little M100 from the 1980s, and, this year, a couple of M405s. Which are now the most expensive pens (by far) that I've ever bought. The M200/M400 size pens are a perfect size and weight for my hand, and piston filler system holds a lot of ink. They're high-end (for me) pens without being in the category of "unobtanium" and they just plain write well.

So, the answer to "What's the allure?" All of the above.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[biancitwo]

Once I tried a Pelikan, I have purchased Pelikan 14 out of the next 17 pens. I love the look, feel, and performance of each of the Pelikans. The other 3 were an Omas (love the look and feel, but not the titanium nib. Waiting for Motishaw to replace that nib, with a gold Omas nib), a Franklin Christoph (too dry), and a Delta Dolce Vita over size (that was inexpensive and fun for short periods). They do not compare with even my humble Pelikan 120. My 1933 100 is superb, as are my 100Ns, 140s, 400, 400NNs, M400s, M600, M605, and M800. I rotate them all, and they all satisfy immensely. I must provide an asterisk: Pendleton Brown took my new round nibs that wrote beautifully, and italicized them. They are now even better, wonderful in fact. I won't rule out other brands, but I rarely look at other brands. I've not written with any better than Pelikan.

[GutSchrift]

Pelikans are reliable, relatively interesting though generally somewhat modest designs. I liked Pelikans at first because they provide a range of options in terms of size, nib grades, and colors/variations at relatively reasonable cost for a solid and dependable piston-filled fountain pen that would likely last a lifetime. Since then Pelikan's pricing has really taken away some of their shine in my eyes as they moved away from being the sort of conservative but dependable and charming brand they were know as to a more focused competitor in the luxury writing instruments market.

[Matlock]

Since then Pelikan's pricing has really taken away some of their shine in my eyes as they moved away from being the sort of conservative but dependable and charming brand they were know as to a more focused competitor in the luxury writing instruments market.

 

In the UK a Pelikan M800 costs £290 whilst the Montblanc Le Grand 146 (it's nearest equivalent) costs £490. I think Pelikan have a very long way to go before they can be accused of focussing on the luxury writing instrument market per se.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I have to admit.....when I read the heading....I was wondering Pelikan has a new pen line called 'Allure' and I don't know about it.........

I have to admit I'm glad Allure is not a new pen series....I can't afford the ones I want from the old ones any way.