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How Are Pelikan Nibs These Days? Alternative Piston-Fillers?


hack

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Hi, all,

20 years ago when I was getting into fountain pens, I was a big devotee of Pelikans. I had a "Made in West Germany" (one of the last) 400 I loved and gave away to a good friend on an important occasion, and I had a 200 or 250 body (I can't remember which) with the two-tone 18 carat nib, the best nib I ever owned, until the pen jumped out of my pocket one day and disappeared. Fifteen or so years ago I replaced them with a new 400 and 600, but never liked the nibs as much.

I'm about to need a fat, lightweight pen (e.g. resin, cellulose, carbon, etc., not metal) with a reliable feed and a smoooooth nib and a lot of ink capacity (i.e. piston, not cartridge) for a big project. Is Pelikan the one? If not, what alternatives would you recommend? (I won't say that price is no object, but if I really get what I pay for, then I'm good for a few hundred or slightly more).

Thanks for any input!

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Another option could be (if you don't mind using a hooded nib) a good old Parker 51 either an aerometric or a vacumatic. These too have ebonite feeds, smooth writing nibs and take decent amount of ink.

Edited by mitto

Khan M. Ilyas

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I've had a Pelikan m600 with an 18k nib from the period you describe, and now have two m205 demonstrators, in blue and clear. It took me a while to appreciate the m600's nib but I'm also happy with the m205 steel nibs. The m600 is smoother but also lays a thicker line, they all have fine nibs.

 

There still aren't many piston fillers of the same quality, so I'd just get another Pelikan m205, m405 for the nibs or m605 for the size and nib (mine's a smaller bodied m600), or the iconic blue m120; the one alternative that comes to mind is the Pilot 92 but the last couple of times I could have got one... I ended up with a Pelikan.

"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt."

 

B. Russell

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The medium-large 600 has a fatter blobber nib that is semi-nail. A good nib to make a Stub or a CI out of.

 

The ones you describe having are the '82-97 semi-vintage ones, that are @ 1/2 a nib width narrower than modern and are regular flex....the regular 200's steel and gold plated nibs match that....out side the W.Germany one....it's a hair springier than the '90-97 or 200's.

 

Vintage is '50-65....not counting the '30-40's of course. Those are stub, semi-flex nibs, that give you nice flare to your writing with out doing anything.....they are of course not superflex, just nicely more flexible than a regular flex...........not for fancy writing, but does give nice flair....more than regular flex.

You can put one on a 600 and it works just great. I had my 605 with a B semi-flex nib from that era. :notworthy1: :puddle:

 

There are very many of the somewhat larger girthed, light and nimble and beautiful 600's on the used pen market.

A semi-flex if you don't want to buy a pen for it could be gotten from Penboard.de.

 

Someone named Martinesomething, in Belgium or border of Germany area, also sells nibs.

Perhaps someone can link you.

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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Nothing wrong with a Pelikan m200. If you want something similar, you could try a noodlers ebonite Conrad and and replace it's nib with a Jowo 6 nib of your favourite size (it is an easy enough modification). Don't go for a vegetinal resin noodler's. They evaporate ink and stink

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I forgot to mention the obvious more recent alternative: some people seem happy with their TWSBI...

"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt."

 

B. Russell

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Cleo Skribent

I've read something on the german forums, and estimators there seem to like it as a good alternative to Pelikans (according to my Google Translate interpretation of German)

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You can also order a new Pelikan from a retailer that offers free nib grinding - I think Nibsmith has that option. The new nibs are blobby and insufficiently ground, which is why I've stopped buying Pelikans.

 

Lamy 2000 has a big reservoir and excellent nibs if you don't mind the look and hooded nib

"If you can spend a perfectly useless afternoon in a perfectly useless manner, you have learned how to live."

– Lin Yu-T'ang

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My choice would be a Pelikan M800!

PAKMAN

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Nothing wrong with a Pelikan m200. If you want something similar, you could try a noodlers ebonite Konrad and and replace it's nib with a Jowo 6 nib of your favourite size (it is an easy enough modification). Don't go for a vegetinal resin noodler's. They evaporate ink and stink

 

No modifications needed if you add a Flexible Nib Factory JoWo #6 Friction Fit Ebonite Feed, Part #J6EF, to your favorite JoWo #6 nib.....

 

https://flexiblenib.com/store/standard-replacement-feeds/jowo-6-replacement-feed-friction-fit/

 

....Just swap out the Noodler's nib and feed and your ready to go with a nice lightweight writer that holds as much ink as a M800. And with an ink window.

 

fpn_1539733106__konradjowo1.jpeg

Edited by austinwft
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The 200's regular flex nibs are still semi-vintage and vintage size and not fat and blobby, like the others.

A lot of folks insist on holding a fountain pen like a ball point, and the double kugal/balled nib allows that..........can't scare away noobies by putting how to hold a fountain pen directions in the how to fill instructions.....they could go buy someone else's BP or RB.

Harder nibs mean less repair.

Go vintage!

Edited by Bo Bo Olson

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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Fat light weight piston filler with large ink capacity. Conid Kingsize.

Edited by Karmachanic

Add lightness and simplicate.

 

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Different barrel sizes - different capacity.

 

Conid Minimalistica - 2.5ml

Conid Regular - 2.5ml

Conid Kingsize - 3ml

Conid Giraffe - 6ml

 

Pelikan M800 - 1.7ml

Edited by Karmachanic

Add lightness and simplicate.

 

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Sour grapes of course, in I can't afford a Conid................ :angry: and I bet the used market for them is tiny.

 

Light and nimble, 400nn, many have said it holds 1.95mm....don't know always forget to weigh the pen before filling.

 

There was a Viscounti rated at 2.2 if I recall right.

 

Of course I grew up with lever pens, so one learned to fill one at breakfast for off to 4th grade. ...more than likely after homework....in breakfast was not a time for fiddling around.

 

If one fills in the morning, one's 1.27mm? M400 or 1.37 600/800 or 1.47 1000....or same with the 146...the 149 has the same as a old time Sheaffer long cartridge 1.60.One should have a days worth out of it..................And We are Not in the Day of One Man, One Pen anymore.

 

No one has a desk that locks up one's ink.........sigh cubed.

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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Sour grapes of course, in I can't afford a Conid................ :angry:

 

Me neither, but I have a Minimalistica. I became used to a diet of beans and rice.

Add lightness and simplicate.

 

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Nothing wrong with red beans and rice ;) ...could fly to N.O. for some right now. Learned to like that in the school cafeteria from 7-8th grade. A couple of decades ago, that was first on my list when I flew into N.O..

Was real strange to take a tour bus tour of the city and find out the street I use to walk every day from school as 'normal', was one of the noted streets in NO. :o...pre-tour bus, in no one made a fuss about that street then.

 

.... No ... I think I'll have Zacharaine ship me some............had lots of trouble with German customs last time....with a microscope they found some American chicken in another New Orleans product....so burnt it. :(

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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