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What's The Pelikan Fuss?


dukkimoon

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I'm hoping people can school me on why Pelikan has such a loyal following? They are very nice pens, and I've written with them. They are nice, but I still can't wrap my head around how crazy people seem to get about their Pelikans? On my end, it seems like they are a bit expensive for steel nib pens, with their gold nib entry levels much more expensive than, say, a Lamy or Japanese option (Pilot, Sailor, Platinum, etc.).

 

Can the Pelikan posse chime in on why I should give it another serious look?

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I can only answer for myself. I have four of the (3 200s and 1 800) and the style is classic. Some people go nuts for BMWs, some can't live without Ford F150s.

 

Do they write better than my other pens? Not if I'm honest. I like the way they look, and they way they feel. (Hmm, I could say the same about my wife)

Edited by Charles Rice
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I have only owned one and I had two different nibs in it. I am a retired mechanical engineer and these things are just beautifully made and designed. As just one example, a filling lasts for months and the pen writes immediately every time -- even if left unused for months. I think Pelikans are the best working pens by far. That said, I was not crazy about either nib, so the Pelikan has flown away.

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Joshua (sargetalon) really articulates it well. If you read all the comments you will notice, that some of the things he mentions,are things the commenters mention as well. I think many of us (myself included) hadn't really sat down and tried to do so, until reading his post.

 

I love my Pelikan's (all six), but I also like variety. Maybe that is why I have seven Esterbrook's and ten Parker's as well as a variety of other makes and models. (roughly 10)

Platinum

Lamy

Waterman

TWSBI

Pilot

Kaweco

True Writer

Jinhao

Noodler's

 

The Pelikan's seem to be the most reliable as a group.

Edited by Runnin_Ute

Brad

"Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind" - Rudyard Kipling
"None of us can have as many virtues as the fountain-pen, or half its cussedness; but we can try." - Mark Twain

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+ 1 for Joshua’s article.

My reasons for accumulating a few birds are very similar to what you’ll read there. But, I’ll summarize mine below anyway.

 

- Like Charles Rice, I like their looks and feel. This is very subjective, of course.

- They are made to last and sure can take a beating (but I treat mine very carefully :) ).

- They are made to write. As already mentioned, you can leave them inked in a drawer for months and, when you pick it up, they write immediately, like you had used them yesterday. In my experience, only Montblancs and Parker 51s come close (but do not equal).

- Leave a FP uncapped for about 5 min and try to write with it. Odds are, if it is a Pelikan it will write without problems (again, P51 and MBs do very well here too).

- Their filling system is the best there is. Not only for being piston filler, but THE best piston filler, by far, in my experience. Did I mention they introduced the piston filler system?

- very user serviceable.

- don’t like the nib? Grab one from a different era and just screw it in.

- Cleaning is a breeze.

 

In the last 4 items Pelikan literally gives a beating at the other pens that I mentioned as standing their own in some points (P51 and MBs) - again, my opinion.

 

But, not everything is perfect. I would like to see more nib options and nibs with more character in the current offerings.

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Having bought Pelikans later than some other brands, I could not say I was in a fuss about them. Rather, they are thoughtfully designed pens which perform excellently (dare I say, without a fuss) and which I at least find attractive. I have three new ones, all vaguely M800s, and one each from the 1930s (100), 1950s (100n), and 1980s (M400). If you choose to buy Pelikans then it will be hard to be unhappy, whatever your normal usage.

X

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Pelikans are one of the very few brands that make me stop tweaking and just write. To 'just write' may be a simple thing, but many other fountain pens make it difficult for me.

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To respond to the OP's question, while I prefer fine nibs, I find the aesthetic of Platinum and Sailor too functional and plain for me. Pelikan has just the right amount of bling and variety of design (stripes :) , transparency) to make them fun to use. Plus the greatest reason is probably what has been mentioned several times above--they write even after a long absence (I tend to keep ink in my pens for a long time). As the person above mentioned, I like that I can just write with them and stop thinking about the aesthetics, flashiness, or status symbol of the pen (MB and Aurora, I'm looking at you).

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I tried a couple of Pelikans early on in my FP collecting career and didn't like them much. But I got into other piston fillers - nice cheap little Eros and Senators and no-name German PFs, and the Aurora 88 (a real classic, but spoilt by incredibly nasty nibs, until you commit some nibtweakerama upon them).

 

And then what happened? I found a couple of beater Pelikan 100s, and I was bought an M600 as a Christmas present, and they kind of grew on me. And.... tortoise :-)

Too many pens, too little time!

http://fountainpenlove.blogspot.fr/

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I have a fair number of fountain pens (around 70) of many different brands, nib types, filling mechanisms, styles, etc and the vintage Pelikans are my go-to pens, for many reasons (in no particular order):

 

1. Reliable - tough, simple mechanism that lasts decades without maintenance. Nib / feed doesn't dry if you leave them inked (unless you have a poor cap fit or use a "gunky" ink). For example, my black 400NN I last used 2 months ago just writes immediately the nib touches paper (Rohrer & Klingner Scabiosa ink). Likewise my Brown Tortoise 400 with Pelikan Brilliant Brown ink.

2. Ink capacity - the vintage 400 / N / NN can hold 1.95ml of ink. That's a huge amount for the size of the pen.

3. Understated, elegant looks - suits any situation.

4. Size, weight, balance - When posted, a 400NN hits the sweet spot on all these for me and the 140 feels surprisingly good in the hand when posted, considering its diminutive size.

5. Nibs - the vintage 14k nibs all have some softness / flex, to varying degrees (although the "D" nibs are hard, made for use with carbon duplication paper). The pre 1954 "Script" nibs are my favourites. Makes a comfortable, smooth writing experience and the ST nibs are great for Spencerian or other script writing. I do have softer / more flexy nibs (Mabie Todds, Eversharp and an Omas desk pen), but none have as much control when flexed as the ST. Then there are the oblique nibs (something like an angled stub nib) which give beautiful character to everyday writing (and easier to use than an italic).

6. Feeds - the feeds can be adjusted relatively easily for flow (but hardly ever need to be, controling wetness with ink choice). The flow is very well controlled in flex writing, far better than my Mabie Todd feeds (which tend to leave the the flow too wet when releasing pressure).

7. Modularity - You can fit a vintage nib and feed (120, 140, 400/N/NN) into a modern M150, M200/5, M400 or M600 and vice versa (except the 120/140), giving you the option to match your favourite nib to your favourite looking body.

8. The vintage pens are worth what you pay (no extra "brand" cost).

 

Bottom line is that I have yet to try a vintage Pelikan that has been a disappointment, although I'm not as much of a fan of the modern nibs (but I can swap in a vintage unit, so...).

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I think I agree with just about everything that has been said. As far as modern nibs are concerned they are smooth and efficient but, as been stated, lack character, they do the job for everyday note taking etc. though. The ability to write when stored is one of the very strong points, I mislaid a pen for over a year and it wrote first time, not many other brands can match that although MB come close. But one of the strongest points is that Pelikan have not lost touch with pen users (as opposed to pen collectors or status seekers), Whilst MB produce some fantastic pens and still provide a wide range of nibs, they are rapidly pricing themselves out of the "normal" pen market.

Peter

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The basic design is simple, functional and reliable. Elegantly understated looks (as oregano says, just bling-y enough), they feel good in your hand and are wonderful to write with. The interchangeable nibs are just icing on the cake.

It's hard work to tell which is Old Harry when everybody's got boots on.

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I bought one from the nineties, a M600 black that was sold me as an M400. I tought that the brand was overpriced, but this pen works perfectly despite the years, very soft and never skips. In general, all the german pens I own are worth of each cent: Pelikan, Montblanc, Faber Castell and Lamy.

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I've owned various Pelikans, from the tiddlers, right up to the M1000. Settled now on an M800. Aside from taking a lot of time (and plenty of money) finding the right nib for me, it's a very well made pen, although rather dull. But it writes beautifully - and seemingly forever on a single fill. I do believe them to be overpriced though. But then, so are most of the 'big name' pens where the name commands a premium.

Edited by Aysedasi

http://www.aysedasi.co.uk

 

 

 

 

She turned me into a newt.......

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Why Pelikans? Why indeed... ;) There was actually a thread about this very issue quite recently, you can find it here > https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/330799-open-question-on-the-pelikan-allure/

My answer is the same as in the previous thread:

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. :)

 

Things worth a mention on top of that? Pretty much everything here:

 

I have a fair number of fountain pens (around 70) of many different brands, nib types, filling mechanisms, styles, etc and the vintage Pelikans are my go-to pens, for many reasons (in no particular order):

 

1. Reliable - tough, simple mechanism that lasts decades without maintenance. Nib / feed doesn't dry if you leave them inked (unless you have a poor cap fit or use a "gunky" ink). For example, my black 400NN I last used 2 months ago just writes immediately the nib touches paper (Rohrer & Klingner Scabiosa ink). Likewise my Brown Tortoise 400 with Pelikan Brilliant Brown ink.

2. Ink capacity - the vintage 400 / N / NN can hold 1.95ml of ink. That's a huge amount for the size of the pen.

3. Understated, elegant looks - suits any situation.

4. Size, weight, balance - When posted, a 400NN hits the sweet spot on all these for me and the 140 feels surprisingly good in the hand when posted, considering its diminutive size.

5. Nibs - the vintage 14k nibs all have some softness / flex, to varying degrees (although the "D" nibs are hard, made for use with carbon duplication paper). The pre 1954 "Script" nibs are my favourites. Makes a comfortable, smooth writing experience and the ST nibs are great for Spencerian or other script writing. I do have softer / more flexy nibs (Mabie Todds, Eversharp and an Omas desk pen), but none have as much control when flexed as the ST. Then there are the oblique nibs (something like an angled stub nib) which give beautiful character to everyday writing (and easier to use than an italic).

6. Feeds - the feeds can be adjusted relatively easily for flow (but hardly ever need to be, controling wetness with ink choice). The flow is very well controlled in flex writing, far better than my Mabie Todd feeds (which tend to leave the the flow too wet when releasing pressure).

7. Modularity - You can fit a vintage nib and feed (120, 140, 400/N/NN) into a modern M150, M200/5, M400 or M600 and vice versa (except the 120/140), giving you the option to match your favourite nib to your favourite looking body.

8. The vintage pens are worth what you pay (no extra "brand" cost).

 

Bottom line is that I have yet to try a vintage Pelikan that has been a disappointment, although I'm not as much of a fan of the modern nibs (but I can swap in a vintage unit, so...).

 

So yeah, there is that and Joshua's excellent article linked earlier too. :)

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Reading between the lines, Pelikans probably are the best working pens you can buy. Whether you like the style or feel is pretty subjective. I don't think they are meant to be exciting, just to work;-)

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most of the commens are just spot on

I have many pens, for pleasure, but when I need a pen that I am sure will not let me down in the hour of need (typically when travelling on business) I just grab an M200 (or two) and forget about it...

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I prefer the look, quality of construction, and feel of Pelikans, especially vintage ones. Most of mine are over 60 years old, and in great condition. Wonderful nibs. And, there are so many of them available, the prices are reasonable. My five modern Pelikans all have italicized nibs. They are great writers. They are all fun to use. I occasionally buy another brand, Sailor, lesser Montblancs, Aurora, Parker, Delta, Franklin Christopher, Waterman. To date, the others do not compare.

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