Pelikan Vs. Montblanc?

[TLMG]

Hey everyone!

I wanted to ask a bit of a unique question. I have been a Montblanc guy since I first got involved in fountain

pens and, at times, had a pretty fun collection. However, I've never really strayed in any sort of way from

my Montblancs

However, I have always heard that Pelikans, marketing aside, are better pens.

I wanted to ask all of you guys and gals in the Pelikan forums on here what you think specifically makes them

better? It would be nice to get some insight. Are they better made? Do they write better? Is the technology

more "advanced" (in terms of filling systems, etc.?)

I would love a discussion about this!

Thanks!

[Driften]

I don't think one is really "better" than the other. It is nice the nibs unscrew easily on Pelikans and some models (m80x/m100x) have metal piston blocks that allow that side to easier serviced as well. But I don't think my m805 is better than my MB 146. I do like them both and actually prefer the balance of the 146 a little bit better. I do own more Pelikan then MB but there are more lower cost Pelikan pens that work well for me of the two brands.

[mana]

Both manufacture high quality writing instruments, Pelikan has Montblanc on the lower price range pens (competing there with Lamy) as MB doesn't operate on that sector. Anyway, their respectively priced models can go toe to toe easily design & performance wise, more of a question of a particular model or pen suiting you. Apples and oranges really.

[Lam1]

I like both MB and Pelikans, which are the two brands that I collect.

 

To me there are two things that give Pelikan an edge: first, Pelikan’s piston is, IMO, much better than MB’s, second, the interchangeability of nibs is a big advantage (besides the obvious advantages, it also makes cleaning and maintenance a breeze).

 

I also like Pelikans balance better than MBs and the M1000 has my favorite nib.

 

But MB offers a lot more options of nibs nowadays and they are certainly not afraid to try new designs, and those are big pluses in my book.

 

Give Pelikan a try. They are wonderful pens.

[Karmachanic]

Only £90 to join the club is better.

[OCArt]

There is no argument that both Montblanc and Pelikan make masterful pens. Beyond this MB spends a lot of money on marketing and bringing out special editions that look quite different than what I consider their core pens---the 146 and 149. Some of the special editions drift far from the brand's core and can appear hideous to some viewers.

 

Pelikans share a basic aesthetic and feel across nearby all models. More money gets you a larger pen not necessarily a better pen. For me Pelikans are about function and their price is generally more affordable.

[carlos.q]

I agree with all the comments above. I have both Pelikans and MB and like them both. The fact that Pelikan has easily interchangeable nib units is a definite plus.

 

 

 

PS. Having said that I detest most of the gaudy MB limited editions.

Edited January 21, 2019 by carlos.q

[Bo Bo Olson]

I prefer the medium-large '50-70 146, better balance and nib than the '70-now Large 146. The large 146 is a lighter more lively pen than the 800.

For modern MB, I have a Virginia Woolf........a Large pen, with a what I think is the modern 'Springy' MB nib. The 800 is a nail............one can get an old Bock nibbed 1000 that is semi-flex, but if one buys a new one, it will be a springy regular flex nib.

Since 1998, the top of the line 400/600/800 and 1000 have blobby fat nibs. I don't know but have heard the blobby fat MB nibs are more stubbish. They are if my Woolf is an example like modern Pelikan a wider nib.

Pelikan (outside of the 200) can suffer from baby bottom. I don't hang in the MB subsection so don't know if that is a problem with modern MB.

I prefer the '50-70 era MB's over modern. Vintage seems to be eye to eye.....with MB having a medium-large and a oversized 149, vs Pelikan's 400.

No money to know about the Pelikan Toledo.

 

Cranking clean only, my MB's are faster by a bit to clean............How ever if one has two rubber bulb syringes....one chopped off to fit the feed and front section, and the other left long. It only takes a couple minutes to clean a Pelikan because the nib screws out. One can get other screw in nibs, to get the width wanted............Pelikan nibs are marked to size.....It is my understanding MB don't mark the pen body any more, much less the nib.

 

The 200/400 & 600 are light and nimble well balanced pens. Which will take semi-flex nibs from the '50-65 era.

I don't have a 800, do have a 1000....but I still feel that is a big pen.

 

 

There are very many beautiful 600's, a medium-large pen with more girth than a 400, less than the 800.

Many of them are only to be had in the used market....some of which cost more now, used, than when new a decade ago.

 

You don't list where you are from, so no one can recommend a local pen possy. Do go to a local brick and mortar, and try them out.

 

I'm not sure if MB makes a pen as 'thin' as the 200/400.....and actually I prefer the springy regular flex steel or gold plated regular flex nib that is vintage/semi-vintage thin, and has a nice clean line over the gold semi-nail wider 400/600 nib.

 

The medium-long 400nn is one of the great pens of the vintage era....holds some 1.95ml ink somehow.........your 149 but 1.60. It has great balance...the slightest bit better than a 400....took me two years to decide so. Will have a semi or maxi-semi-flex nib.

It is the 'one pen to take with me at the end of the world,' holding so much ink, nib swapping, great balance etc. The medium-long 146 from the same era would be in the discussion. Both are well balanced light and lively pens.

 

I have three MB's from that era, a 234 1/2 Deluxe (52-54 only) semi-flex KOB, a gold plated 742 with the only nib I have out of 28 semi-flex and 16 maxi-semi-flex that lays right in the middle between semi&maxi. I really like the medium large 146 I have with a maxi-semi-flex nib.

Out side Osmia, getting a maxi-semi-flex is pure luck of the draw, be that Pelikan, MB, Geha..................don't know enough about Soennecken be able to say a word.

 

I would suggest a 600 with a vintage semi-flex nib. I had a semi-flex B on mine until I had the BB nib stubbed to 1.0....perhaps I should have had it stubbed to 0.80, I had swapped in a great M for the baby bottom BB, knowing come the day, I'd make it a CI or Stub, and wanted to have enough nib to let me pick.

 

One IMO in I prefer the semi-vintage regular flex or vintage semi/maxi-semi-flex if one buys a modern 600, get it made into a CI or a stub. Vintage and semi-vintage nibs will fit this pen. They won't the 800 or 1000.

A 200's steel or gold palted nib for @ $30+ will fit the 600 and give it a semi-vintage width regular flex.....that is as good as the gold regular flex '82-97 nib. ( I was once a gold nib snob.....learned better after a while.)

 

If you prefer your 149, then you will need the 1000....look around in the used market for a semi-flex nib.............in that will be better than the 'Springy' MB nib. 'Springy' = good tine bend but only 2 X tine spread like a Falcon....but MB is not as good as the new and great 'Springy nib' of the Lamy Imporium.

Which is very close, but not quite semi-flex.

 

Semi-flex has at least that good a tine bend, with 3 X tine spread with less pressure.

 

From '98 I guess to 8 or 9 years ago Bock made all Pelikan's nibs. There was much complaining....baby bottom. Pelikan took the nibs back in house, the 1000 last .....the very same complaints.

But because Bock still made the 1000 as of 5-6 years ago, you can look here in the sales section for a semi-flex 1000 which I'd rather had on my 1005, but I got a great deal at a live auction, so am happy enough with a OBB in regular flex. One sees a whisper, but not quite the real thing.

 

Ah, do not buy anybody's oblique that is not semi- or maxi-semi-flex....'50-70 era only. I have many rants on that.

 

Anyway you want to look at it, it's a Bentley vs a Rolls.

 

It will depend on how heavy you like a MB pen, to how heavy you will be comfortable with in Pelikan. If you don't like a 144 you might not like a 600.

200/400/600 should be posted for best balance. (I find I can post a large 146, and do the medium-large one I have.)

 

I do not find the 200/400 to be too small, but I post, most that say that they are too small don't....so then they are right.

But the 200/400 like the old medium-large 146 were designed to be posted for best balance.

 

Yes you need a Pelikan, and an Osmia/Osmia-Faber-Castell with a Supra nib....that is a sure maxi-semi-flex. (All others are pure luck of the draw....my WAG, one in 5 was maxi, outside of Osmia.)

 

According to Lambrou, Soennecken made the best pen in the '50's ..............but those were always out of my price range.

And I can remember when none of them were known out side of cheap DM Germany.

At least by us Americans back when the Dollar was Almighty.........Benz and BMW were small underpowered cars, and no one knew what a snowflake was. The Snorkel was King of Pens, the P-51 the Prince.

Hummm 50-60 years has not cured American Ignorance.....odd that.

Edited January 21, 2019 by Bo Bo Olson

[BillH]

+1 to everything Driften and Lam1 said. Love them both, for different reasons, and currently have both inked for daily use. I think I'm preferring MB nibs but both are good. Pelikans are a bit easier to work on and maintain unless you purchase proper MB tools (and why wouldn't you? ).

[GutSchrift]

It isn't a competition, is it? In any case, I love both. Pelikans have a great classic look with excellent pistons and interchangeable nibs, along with a very wide variety of core models across price.

 

Even so, Pelikan's prices have climbed so far that the until recent value proposition which made Pelikan a strong brand with lots to offer to a wide number of consumers, seems to have fallen behind. MB offers and delivers luxury. Pelikan didn't really get into the luxury game until recently and at that tier -- it doesn't come close to offering what MB can. I'm thinking about all those special and limited (and ultra limited) editions that MB produces which while some people revile, many, many others find absolutely appealing and attractive. A good example are the WE.

 

I have far more Pelikans than MB and love them, but I also love MB. Different strengths, different appeals, but I can't say one is objectively and completely better than the other. IMHO

[Uncial]

Pelikan is much better than Montblanc at providing a full range from cheap right through to very, very expensive. I don't really 'get' a lot of the very expensive Pelikans to be honest. Lots of the expensive Montblancs can be incredibly beautiful pens and nine times out of ten still cheaper than most top of the range limited Pelikans. The M1000 gives the 149 a run for its money and I suspect MB know this; hence their upcoming new nib release. I find the M200 range a tiny bit too small for my hand.

[Runnin_Ute]

Don't have any MB pens. Looked at getting one once in the secondary market, but didn't pull the trigger. Not sure why. I do have several (7) Pelikans. From a 120 Merz & Krell student pen from the 70's to a M400 White Tortoise. My favorite might be my 1950's 140 though.

[Bo Bo Olson]

If one is willing to go used, MB made nice second tier pens in the 2xx, and school level pens of a better level in the 3xx. There are many 2xx and 3 xx pens that are affordable.

The old post war 14X nibs are real nice.

 

I do prefer vintage nibs to newer.

 

And just to be even, I was very pleasantly surprised the Ibis had such a great semi/maxi in this case nib. :headsmack:Sometimes one can pinch pennies at the wrong time. I had had the opportunity to buy an Ibis before but thought it more like a 120 than the 140 it was the predecessor of. I lucked out with my Ibis, in it was in a lot of four pens. I had been surprised when I tested the nib at a live auction, and was happy to have won it.

 

Pelikan has different levels, more than MB..............out side the secret 20 or so MB sub brands including the Monta Rosa? Something like that.

 

I like the late '90's Celebry/381 thin, large coated metal Large cartridge pens, that are well worth the E30-50 one costs. I like the regular flex nibs....and the gold is as good as the steel nib.

 

If one wants a heavier pen the 2007-2014 Ductus is a good one. It just never caught on here.

Review: Ductus P3100 (2007-2014)

Don't know if that will link, but can be pasted to get a look at one. And they are now used, could be had at a nice price.

[carlos.q]

Don't have any MB pens. Looked at getting one once in the secondary market, but didn't pull the trigger.

Be sure to take a look at www.penboard.de for some nice vintage MB at reasonable prices.

[Andreas Smith]

I go everywhere with 3 pens: an MB 146 with fine nib that I bought used several years ago and two Pelikan M800s, both with fine nibs that write like mediums. I use and like all three, though I've settled on one of the Pelikans as my daily writer. The M800 has a sturdy feel to it, whereas the MB 146 feels almost delicate by comparison. As the MB 146 is a true fine, I of course find it ideal for when I need to write in a small hand. The M800 piston is superior to that of the MB 146, but I would say that the latter's nib is slightly better. Both are excellent writers and equally reliable, though the MB 146 is the more beautiful, in my eyes anyway. Mine is from the early 1980s, bought as almost new on ebay for a song after it sat in a drawer unused for 30 years. By the way, as I've not been on FPN for ages, it's a great pleasure to read Bo Bo Olson's post, full of passion and knowledge as always, and a reminder that some things stay constant in our ever-changing world!

[ingolf]

Hello,

 

regarding Pelikan vs. Montblanc, I recommend the videos of SBREBrown for some comparisons,

 

Pelikan Souverän M1000 and Montblanc Meisterstück 149

 

Pelikan Souverän M800 and Montblanc Meisterstück 146

 

Regards, Ingolf.

[japinder_888]

You can easily swap the pelikan nibs and disassemble it.

[sargetalon]

I think that it is never productive to declare anything the best or better. Its a very subjective evaluation based on personal preferences. Both companies make great pens and posting in this forum will result in an inherent bias. That said, I have used both and find that Pelikan is the better pen FOR ME. As Ive said before, these instruments are more than just the sum of their parts. The user replaceable nib and the piston filling mechanism are really the standouts. I think that company engagement evidenced by the hub event is also something that helps set Pelikan apart.

[Runnin_Ute]

Be sure to take a look at www.penboard.de for some nice vintage MB at reasonable prices.

I may have to do that someday. It was just long enough ago I don't recall the details.

[Bo Bo Olson]

You can easily swap the pelikan nibs and disassemble it.

Only the 800 & 1000, the rest are plastic and are not made to take apart like an Ahab or Twsbi.

One can and will damage the pen, if one yanks it apart all the time. It's not made for that.

And WHY?

 

If a gasket is shot....yes, repair it. An old Plastic Gasket 1.0...'39-55 might be shot, sooner than a Plastic Gasket 2.0...'55-now. (If a pen is old enough and sat in a drawer half a century....the cork might be shot. That is repair....and really piston pens don't need repair but once in a life time...and most have pens that thier grand kids can worry about . If one is going to replace the gasket, have someone competent put in a properly sized, boiled in oil&beeswax then slathered with silicon grease. Even before adding the silicon grease cork is the smoothest gasket. What ever you do, do not ever put O rings in it. They need to be greased every year.....yanking the pen apart, and can cause pens to bludge. O rings is not something to cheap out with.

 

I read of so many suspect there might be dirty old stinking ink hiding behind the piston.....yanking apart their Pelikans..... (could be some moisture seen in demonstrators....which is par for the course.) And so what if there is!!!

It don't effect function.........I have no idea my self, (snide remark removed) why folks think they have to clean out the back invisible end of a perfectly functioning piston pen. That is as harsh as it sounds is the only logical reason I can come up with this urge to yank apart a plastic pen not designed to be so.

Then after having ruined the pen, it's put up for sale.