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M100 Vs. M200?


BergerDM

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I got two pens I'm keen on getting, but the resources to get only one of them.

The first is your poster boy M200, with a F nib, green marbled body.

The other is the "Stormtrooper" M100, also with a F nib.

Is there a reason to choose one over the other? What would that reason be?

Thanks in advance.

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Size. The M100 is noticeably smaller. Thats really the big difference between the two. Otherwise, both great pens.

PELIKAN - Too many birds in the flock to count. My pen chest has proven to be a most fertile breeding ground.

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Size. The M100 is noticeably smaller. Thats really the big difference between the two. Otherwise, both great pens.

 

Thanks!

 

Since you seem very Pelikan-wise, would there be a preference over a new M200 Classic and a W. Germany M200, both with F nibs? They're only a few bucks apart, the oldest being the pricier?

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Thanks!

 

Since you seem very Pelikan-wise, would there be a preference over a new M200 Classic and a W. Germany M200, both with F nibs? They're only a few bucks apart, the oldest being the pricier?

 

Get whatever you like best. Lots of people rave about the older nibs. I like the modern ones just fine. Just do your research and make sure its a reputable seller. I'd steer clear of eBay until you really know what you are looking at. Others can chime in with their preferred vintage Pelikan sellers...

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The springy regular flex 200/100's nib is not a fat and blobby double ball (top, bottom and thicker tip) of the modern post '97 400/600 (semi-nail), 800 nail, 1000 New is regular flex, like the 200. Older 1000's when made by Bock is semi-flex.

 

The tipping of the 200 is a 'tear drop' nib like the '82-97 400, and the '90's 381, and Celebry.

The steel nib of the 200 or the Celebry (have one in steel = to the one I have in gold.)

So the 200 and semi-vintage 400 and other pens just mentioned is @ 1/2 width narrower than modern, and has a clean line.

 

The W.Germany nibs are better, there is a slight tad more spring in them...I have a W.Germany steel 200 OM (swirl grays) and a W.Germany small 18k 600. One might have to have both a W.Germany and a other 200 or '90-97 400 to really notice the difference.

Go for the W.Germany pen........

The then F is a good thin F, from that era........is not quite Japanese, but close enough for government work.

 

There will of course still be tolerance, a Fat F or a Skinny F is with in tolerance...but will be thinner than a modern 400.

 

The 200 is a standard sized pen like a 400. (Very well balanced pens...posted of course.) If you fear mars, wax the pen.

The 100 is smaller. I have a couple 100's and a 151....a made for the Italian market one, that looks much like a smaller thinner 120, with a modern final. IMO the 100/150/151 is for later in your collection of Pelikans.

 

I have a 215....because I got to really like the 200's nib. I trans-mailed 200 nibs to a passed pal in England, because some Germans refuse to ship outside of Germany.

I had some 400's so thought I didn't need a 200. Wanting the nib got the metal barreled/so heavier 215 in M. After a while I got to like an M nib, but that's me. (I do have the rest from OBB to EF....don't count my OBBB in it is a pure signature pen.)

 

Well, then the Amethyst 200 pen of the year came out and I got that in M, and that marbled golden brown 200 came out and I thought I needed a EF for editing, so I got that.(and discovered I had more EF's in semi&maxi-semi-flex than I remembered :doh:. I wasn't into EF. There are a great number of pretty 200's to be had. Picture with permission of Fritz Shrimph.pen shop in Freiburg.

Is prettier than the picture.

DSPqv6F.jpg

......and I had won my grayish W.Germany 200 in a live auction lot..............that was a bonus....

...sadly someone had changed nibs of the '50-54 400 OB.....which I was chasing harder.

There I was unable to see a difference between my 400 OM and OB.....finally had to realize I had two OM's. The nibs were not marked until late '54 and the 400n in '55. The barrel was marked.

 

Get the W.Germany 200. :happyberet:

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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Thanks!

 

Since you seem very Pelikan-wise, would there be a preference over a new M200 Classic and a W. Germany M200, both with F nibs? They're only a few bucks apart, the oldest being the pricier?

No preference aside from aesthetics. Both have nice, slightly springy nibs. The W.-Germany would have a different styling to the cap. It would just be a matter of preference as to the look.

PELIKAN - Too many birds in the flock to count. My pen chest has proven to be a most fertile breeding ground.

fpn_1508261203__fpn_logo_300x150.jpg

THE PELIKAN'S PERCH - A growing reference site for all things Pelikan

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Thanks for all the replies!

 

Another bird that showed up in the radar with a similar price to the vintage 200 is a 120 with a KEF nib. Is the verdict still the same, as in the 120 will be smaller than the 200? And if anyone knows, what would be the difference given by the K in writing from a "regular" nib?

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Posted a 120 is half a nib shorter. About the same width. The 120 is a very slight tad shorter.

The regular flex 120 nib is no better than the '90-modern 200.

IMO it is Not as springy as a W.Germany 200.

 

KEF .....well the bottom has a half a ball (on my 120...others may have a full ball, don't know)......the top will have a full ball.........why not buy a 400 EF and get the fat and blobby nib in full.

A K nib having a ball on top of the nib, writes wider in the cursive letters.....in you are pushing a ball and a half across the paper. (Noticed that in my two stubbed semi-flex KM nibs....and those pens are only pushing the ball on top of the nib..)

The K nib was made for those who held a fountain pen like a pencil, or one of them newfangled ball points.

 

IMO The modern the fat and blobby, double ball, thick tipped nib of the 400/600/800/1000 was so the ball point user didn't have to do anything complicated like spend three minutes learning how to hold a fountain pen.

 

A 200 will write with a cleaner line due to nib geometry. Get the W. Germany 200!!!!!!

 

I don't know what price range you are chasing, but if you Hunt instead of pushing the Buy Now Idiot button in German Ebay. Ebay.de......it is possible to find semi-flex 140 (90-100(, 400& 400nn 100-110, and I'd not spend more than E120 for a 400nn.....the price of tortoise is the same!!!!).

Professional sellers have formed a Cartel, putting pens in the pure auction section for German Ebay for E10 less than they sell to idiots to drive up the prices............seems to be working.

 

Then you will be spoiled and won't need any W.German nib.

A passed poster Piembi. told me not to chase a W.Germany nib for my 400 in I was already spoiled with my 140&400nn. She was right.

But you have no 200, no semi-flex......so chase that W.Germany nib.

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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Thanks for the info on the 120!

The 120 seems to have been made in the 50's, and the KEF is a 14k gold nib, which I don't know if it's common or not - or if it's worth paying the price for!

As for price range, well here in my country there is really almost zero fountain pen culture, so they're always promoted as luxury items and their price inflated to accord. Most pens are double, triple what I'd pay if I was, say, in the US. These are around E120 all, the green marbled 200 around E105, but I can pay in installments - which is a good thing since I'm in college and just yesterday had my paid internship cancelled.

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Gold or gold plated nib? A 120 has a gold plated nib, only, as far as I know.

 

E105 is a fair price for a W.Germany 200 :headsmack: (What happens when I compare old 400's with old or even newer 200's.) ....used 200 W.Germany go for E48, under E35 and E25 and a few other prices similar. Those are the ones in Gray.

I was pleasantly surprised the prices were lower than I expected......but a new 200 goes for @ E90.

So that is logical.

 

Ebay.de

The seller has to take pay pal and ship to your location...Brazil. Many refuse to pay extra to sell with Paypal and others refuse to ship out of Germany............that is what makes the Hunting so hard. But Hunting = half price....and paying more for a used 200 even a W.Germany than a new one is not fair...........

HUNT...there is a lot of fun in Hunting..............think for E48-35 instead of E105, you can get 4-5 good inks, and some good to better paper.

 

Erweiterte Suche = advanced search....where you go to see what items sold for. So you have a true basis.

Verkaufte Artikel = sold items. Sold is Green.

 

Some folks are thieves there was a new 200 and the guy wanted only E130 for a E85 pen. That's one of the Cartel, driving up prices so noobies offer their old pen for a small fortune and get the suckers use to a new modern high price.

There were few 200's in the pure auction....in the Buy Now....some were super expensive :yikes: , others more reasonable...... B)

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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Thanks for all the replies!

 

Another bird that showed up in the radar with a similar price to the vintage 200 is a 120 with a KEF nib. Is the verdict still the same, as in the 120 will be smaller than the 200? And if anyone knows, what would be the difference given by the K in writing from a "regular" nib?

There were two versions of the 120 which defer from each other. Regardless, they will perform similar to the M200. Again would boils down to personal taste between these two options. K is just a ball nib. It is more forgiving.

PELIKAN - Too many birds in the flock to count. My pen chest has proven to be a most fertile breeding ground.

fpn_1508261203__fpn_logo_300x150.jpg

THE PELIKAN'S PERCH - A growing reference site for all things Pelikan

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K is a ball on top of the nib...in normal stubbed semi-flex the bottom is flat........The 120 should have at least 1 1/2 balls if FK.

 

....outside Geha's school pen FK, and that is just the normal tear drop ball under the nib.

 

The 120 has a nice regular flex nib.................the W. Germany is nicer.

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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Gold or gold plated nib? A 120 has a gold plated nib, only, as far as I know.

 

E105 is a fair price for a W.Germany 200 :headsmack: (What happens when I compare old 400's with old or even newer 200's.) ....used 200 W.Germany go for E48, under E35 and E25 and a few other prices similar. Those are the ones in Gray.

I was pleasantly surprised the prices were lower than I expected......but a new 200 goes for @ E90.

So that is logical.

 

Ebay.de

The seller has to take pay pal and ship to your location...Brazil. Many refuse to pay extra to sell with Paypal and others refuse to ship out of Germany............that is what makes the Hunting so hard. But Hunting = half price....and paying more for a used 200 even a W.Germany than a new one is not fair...........

HUNT...there is a lot of fun in Hunting..............think for E48-35 instead of E105, you can get 4-5 good inks, and some good to better paper.

 

Erweiterte Suche = advanced search....where you go to see what items sold for. So you have a true basis.

Verkaufte Artikel = sold items. Sold is Green.

 

Some folks are thieves there was a new 200 and the guy wanted only E130 for a E85 pen. That's one of the Cartel, driving up prices so noobies offer their old pen for a small fortune and get the suckers use to a new modern high price.

There were few 200's in the pure auction....in the Buy Now....some were super expensive :yikes: , others more reasonable...... B)

 

It's advertised as gold nib; in it is written 14c-585 in the lower part of the Pelikan symbol in the nib.

 

And yes, the postal black hole of Brazil is a place many, many avoid. I'll be patient and dilligent in my search to try and get a good price.

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Then that is a Frankenstein pen, :crybaby: the nib could be W. Germany 400???? A rare and worthy nib...???why being sold for so little????.......

......could be '90-97 400...pretty good springy regular flex nib, but not quite as springy as a W.Germany or horrors of horrors a modern 400 semi-nail nib. :wallbash:

 

 

Look at semi-flex 140/400/400nn. A weekly Hunt.......... is one there? Does he take paypal, does he ship world wide?

Looking at E90-100 for a 140, 100 for a 400 and a max of 120 for a 400nn, and they can be found for 100 Euro. and tortoise is the same price in 400/400nn.

Unless you want to pay more, and pay for not waiting to see if you won, the buy now idiot button is always open.

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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Just between the two you originally asked about, I'd go with the Stormtrooper, it's a discontinued model (though not too difficult to find NOS) that seem to show up rather erratically, sometimes a lot at once then nothing for long stretches, whereas the green marbled M200 is a current model that's in no danger of disappearing from the catalogue so you can be sure of getting one whenever you want.

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

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I have both. Enjoy writing with them both. I have the M nib in the M201 and an F Stormtrooper.

 

I bought my Stormtrooper as NOS and have used it ever since.

 

Oddly enough, the nib widths are about the same between them.

 

Get the Stormtrooper first as they are getting harder to come by. Also, most nibmeisters will not touch the black nib other than fix it. Most will not grind it.

Peace and Understanding

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Tolerance allows a skinny M to exactly = a fat F.

Then 1/1000 inch into tolerance on both sides can't really be seen either.

 

Such comments we see here often.

Seldom see my M is in the middle of tolerance...............often one company or regions standards are compared to another.

 

Imo half the nibs must be 1/2 sizes, an M-B, M and M-S.

Does it right well, and sort of middle, or fine.

Don't see complaints about wide nibs often. :rolleyes:

 

If you buy in a B&M do take your own paper with you. I read that MB ran wide, so the M tested to the B I wanted in the shop............at home on better paper,the nib was only an M.

If one swaps a nib.....insist on the middle of tolerance.

I didn't, so my B replacement nib, is more a stubbish BB. :unsure: :headsmack:

Wider MB nibs from my reading are sort of stubbish.

 

I do like my eyes only bling of the Virginia Woolf nib (the rest of the pen is pure bling :rolleyes: )........with permission of Pentime.

3zrdy3P.jpg

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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