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Pelikan Souveran M805


AndyHayes

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First Impressions

I had seen pictures of the Pelikan M205 around the net and the fact that no-one had one in stock made me determined to get one. My preferred dealer in the UK is Niche Pens I was browsing their site when I came across the 205 and I excitedly rushed off an email to enquire after the price. They didn't have any, so I had a look around the site until I found something that I liked, a Pelikan Souveran 805. It was a lot of money for me but once I had it in my hand I suddenly realised that I was looking at the brand of pen that I could identify with as effective, solid, reliable and useful.

 

Appearance & Finish

The pen has a black body which is polished. The trim is silver in colour with a silk-screened Pelikan logo on the cap. The pen just oozes quality and style.

 

Design/ Size/Weight

The design is very pleasing to look at to me at least. I believe that it is made from acrylic although I am not an expert on these things. The top is screw off. The pen is 14.2cm capped, 16.7cm posted x 13.1mm diameter so it is a large pen from my point of view. The pens feels comfortable to me with the cap posted or unposted, but it seems to have good balance either way.

 

Nib Design & Performance

Most of my other pens have a medium nib so I decided on a change for this pen and requested a broad from the wide range available. The dealer had had a run on broads so, as I was keen to have the pen quickly, he promised to send a broad and a double-broad when they came into stock. The nib was exactly the opposite of what I had expected. It seemed to be a fine rather than a medium. I tested it against a selection of other pens that I have and the line fell between medium and fine. I knew that this shouldn't be the case but assumed that this one was faulty. As luck would have it a medium nib came up on eBay so I sniped a bid and picked it up for just under 40UKP (80USD) including postage. The nibs are usually 110UKP (220USD) and although I wanted a spare, I didn't want one that badly! The seller got it to me quickly and it was completely different to original nib. Seeing how broad it wrote I decided that an broad might be OK, but a double broad would probably be too wide so I asked the dealer to send me a broad and an oblique broad. In the end I chose the oblique broad. It writes incredibly smoothly. The nib screws out easily if you wanted to replace it. I am very pleased with the nib performance.

 

The Filling System

This is a standard Pelikan piston filler and I like this system because of the amount I write. It holds plenty of ink, so much more than cartridges or ink converters. The filling mechanism looks as though it is going to be long lasting and reliable.

 

Cost/Value

At 200UKP (400USD) this is a very expensive pen for someone who works part time in an administrative job. I consider it to be excellent value though and I have have wasted much more on much less.

 

Overall Opinion/Conclusion

It is rare that anything that I buy excites me as much as this pen did. It was like being a small boy again when the pen arrived. I washed my hands before I took the box out of the jiffy bag and then washed them again before I opened the box. It was like finding the Holy Grail. What a beautiful pen. I had chosen the Souveran because I prefer the silver to gold trim and I was not disappointed in my choice. I have fallen in love with this pen and doubt that I will ever find another pen that I like this much. After the initial glitch with the nib I have settled on thi as my number one pen. If I lost it I would be devastated and have to buy another!

 

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb177/shetlink/DSCF0141.jpg

Edited by AndyHayes

Skype: andyhayes

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Thats wonderful that you like the pen so much - what ink do you run in it?

Lamy 2000-Lamy Vista-Visconti Van Gogh Maxi Tortoise Demonstrator-Pilot Vanishing Point Black Carbonesque-1947 Parker 51 Vacumatic Cedar Blue Double Jewel-Aurora Optima Black Chrome Cursive Italic-Waterman Hemisphere Metallic Blue-Sheaffer Targa-Conway Stewart CS475

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Enjoy your Pelikan. I'll bet you'll still be using it when you're in a management position.

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Lusted after one for several years now, but never had the courage to pony up for one. Hoping to find one soon. Glad you're enjoying yours!

 

For now, this pen with blue stripes and a Visconti Van Gogh are the ones that I'll call the Grail Pens of my collection, from a modern perspective.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1118/726404937_328386ddc6_o.jpg

Brassing Adds Character: Available by clicking on my signature.

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I am using Pelikan 4001 black at the moment, but there are a few bottles of ink to choose from at home including Noodlers Black, Noodlers Red, Noodlers Purple, Quink Black, Mont Blanc Black, Mont Blanc Green and even Noodlers Firefly - It would be a very expensive highlighter though.

 

Sadly I think that I have reached my ceiling in life. If my abilities haven't stopped me then my age certainly will. Perhaps though, if I get the Info Analyst post that I am chasing I might have to celebrate with a new pen!

 

Although it is a fantastic pen I have to say that it is better because of the things that I have had to do without to fund it. Those things that others take for granted. I can understand the warm feeling a wealthy person gets when he adds an expensive pen to his collection, but it is not half the measure of what I feel every time I pull the M805 from its case. The other 19 much cheaper pens now sit in the shade though.

 

My feeling is that life is too short to deny yourself everything. If you really want a decent Pelikan go and buy one. You will feel a long-lasting warm glow of satisfaction!

Skype: andyhayes

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It is rare that anything that I buy excites me as much as this pen did. It was like being a small boy again when the pen arrived. I washed my hands before I took the box out of the jiffy bag and then washed them again before I opened the box.

Heh. Glad to see it's not just me, then!

 

:D

Mark Goody

 

I have a blog.

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Andy,

 

Good review, I have an 800 with a medium nib which also writes great and recently picked up an EF nib on ebay at a bargain price which also seems to write well, not had much chance to use it extensively yet.

 

I have also bought pens from Ray at Niche pens and I have always found him very helpful, as your dealings with him suggest and he often has some good offers, make sure you sign up for his newsletter.

 

I hope you enjoy your pen (I know you will). If you like the 800 why not keep an eye open on ebay for a 400 or 600 (although if you like the size of the 800, you may find the 400 a bit small, although I have not had any problems adjusting) as you can sometimes pick up some bargains I know I have.

 

Good luck for the Info Analyst job by the way.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Andy, Just like you, I took the plunge and purchased a Souveran 800 Green, with a medium nib. I love it! Writing is so enjoyable now. I agree with everything you said. The Pelikan 800 series is awesome.

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Sounds like a beautiful pen there, Andy. Nice review--very inspirational. :)

 

Although the Pelikan style of the M2xx, M4xx, M6xx, M8xx and M1xxx series all seem to be the same (just different scales and adornments), when outfitted with the right combination of decor, it can stand out nicely. The silver trim seems to do that.

 

I wonder if it's possible to obtain a silver trim clip and cap top as separate parts? Are the clips all the same size? I'm thinking it could be a nice contrast to a gold cap. :)

[MYU's Pen Review Corner] | "The Common Ground" -- Jeffrey Small

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The Pels aren't pens that attract me, but they're undeniably excellent writing machines. The 800 is probably the single most widely admired pen in production today. You could think about one of those nibs - probably the broader one - stubbed!

- Jonathan

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Andy, Just like you, I took the plunge and purchased a Souveran 800 Green, with a medium nib. I love it! Writing is so enjoyable now. I agree with everything you said. The Pelikan 800 series is awesome.

 

Shall I look forward to your review with pictures then? ;)

Skype: andyhayes

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Sounds like a beautiful pen there, Andy. Nice review--very inspirational. :)

 

Although the Pelikan style of the M2xx, M4xx, M6xx, M8xx and M1xxx series all seem to be the same (just different scales and adornments), when outfitted with the right combination of decor, it can stand out nicely. The silver trim seems to do that.

 

I wonder if it's possible to obtain a silver trim clip and cap top as separate parts? Are the clips all the same size? I'm thinking it could be a nice contrast to a gold cap. :)

 

I only have a couple of 200s and an 800 to look at, but I have to say that the clips are very diferent in size.

Skype: andyhayes

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It is rare that anything that I buy excites me as much as this pen did. It was like being a small boy again when the pen arrived. I washed my hands before I took the box out of the jiffy bag and then washed them again before I opened the box.

Heh. Glad to see it's not just me, then!

 

:D

 

Hahaha! I actually wash my hands too whenever a new pen comes! :headsmack:

 

Evan

Sheaffer all the way!

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It's already painful enough for me to wait for mine to arrive from Richard's.

Do you want me to die? :drool:

 

Have fun with your new baby ;)

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Excellent review...

it really helped me take the leap and decided on the 805 me too!

I choose a medium nib, it was a bit of a risk taking, but reassuring to know you can get an extra nib if you feel like it.

 

Just ordered it, I can't wait for it to arrive...

 

Thanks for the review and for the push!

 

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Great choice of pen, great review and remember- Life is too short to use an ugly pen! Happy basking in the glow.

The Danitrio Fellowship

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  • 1 year later...

Thanks for this review. I know the M800 and its variants are sometimes considered pedestrian. I recently purchased an M800 demonstrator* (unmarked) and just couldn't bring myself to use it. I didn't like the gold furniture but thought I could get past it because the M800 demo is a great pen produced in very limited quantities. And I was given a very fair price on it. Ah, but I didn't love it.

 

I was allowed to return it and ended up deciding on an M805 (blue/black with rhodium furniture). I DO love this pen, though it isn't collectible. This is my first 800-sized Pelikan and it's easily my favorite pen right now. So maybe my tastes are a little more pedestrian than not? I still love my Stipula Etruria, my M200, my Delta Dolcevita, my vintage Parkers and Sheaffers, my Lamys, my impending Aurora, etc., but the M805 seems almost perfect to me. If I scuttled the entire collection, I'd want to hang on to the 805. Can't recommend it enough - classic style, conservative enough for business but with subtle design that makes it feel unique and not-so-boring. Nib is the good ol' Pelikan nib but this is larger than any Peli nib I've used before, and I love it, too.

 

Sorry, I don't mean to gush. I just can't recommend this pen highly enough.

 

 

 

 

 

*from Barry Rubin at Ink - who was exceedingly fair and forgiving when I asked to exchange it because I just didn't love it...no affiliation, etc., just a satisfied customer who is treated like an old friend each time I visit Ink.

Wall Street Econ 101: Privatize Profits; Socialize Losses. Capitalism will survive as long as socialism is there to save it.

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