Where Is The Pelikan M205 Made?

[JulieParadise]

Coming back to the original question:

 

Having visited the factory in Peine last year, I am pretty sure that almost every part of the pen is made there. Exceptions would be the binde (as stated above) and special procedures like the rhodium plating. We saw the raw material for the plastic (for grips, bodies, caps), we saw how nibs and feeds were made and how it all was assembled.

[Bo Bo Olson]

China has been improving it's pens. Some could say drastically. I don't have any, but Duke is one of their....best.....on the Whole as good or better than old Venus pens. which were a step under the cheaper Wearever pens.

Once Wearever made more pens than anyone....may have made as all the rest combined. They had good second tier pens... h some pre and just after the War ones....but are more well known for the thrid tier ones they made. They would make 4th tier pens for anybody and did.

 

First, Chinese pens have their own market to satisfy............and from my reading, the cheap Chines pens work...buy 5 keep 3 or 2.....for 1/3 to 1/2 the price of the cheapest Japanese pen. & Free Mailing!!!!!

I don't know....cheap ball point pen price??....in one can keep it for years, and not have to buy your yellow BIC stick (if still made) when it runs out ink.

 

 

Whoops...wife bought me a fancy Hero pen at a flea market, In a 'felt' lined cardboard box is a flip top wood and chrome box, with said fancy pen....it's not that it's fully metal that keeps me ever inking it, it is a nails nail....like a Pelikan D nib...

Should ink it, for all I know it could be 'butter smooh'.

A right fancy pen....in a fancy desk display box.

[Freddy]

AMlines.....let us know when you receive your new pen and how it writes..............

Fred

"Boys gotta mouth like a cannon, always shootin' it off." Foghorn Leghorn

[AMlines]

unfortunately, the only pen brand you can basically guarantee will be free from issues from the factory are those made by sailor and pilot. Pelikan's m20x are quire rare to have issues, but their more expensive gold nibs have more. And the more expensive you go, the more often it seems like nib issues crop up.

Interesting. So, why do these two have much better QC, and why would other fairly expensive brands such as Montblanc, Lamy etc. not do the same?

Gold nibs need to be tuned more? Is this an issue inherent to the material? One would imagine that given costs that's the last issue which gold nibs should face! My lowly Platinum F is working fine

I adore the 205's design. I would warn everyone away from the demonstrater model because it stains instantly and scratches on itself within two days of use, but every other finish is great. The ability to fit vintage 400 semiflex 14k nibs is a huge bonus too.

I am glad you like it too! The other one I almost got is the black M200 with that green ink window. But then I was put off by all the gold platings. I am not yet ready to announce to the world that I have an expensive (looking) FP ;p)

Yes, initially I was quite taken with demonstrators. But then I don't want to constantly be looking at the innards of the instrument. I want something that doesn't distract me in any way while writing. That said, if I really like the writing experience with the M205 F, I will likely start saving up for the M200 black-green ;p)

[AMlines]

China has been improving it's pens. Some could say drastically. I don't have any, but Duke is one of their....best.....on the Whole as good or better than old Venus pens. which were a step under the cheaper Wearever pens.

Thanks for bringing up the issue of the quality of Chinese manufacturing. Of late, I've felt that China suffers from an issue of perception. I, like numerous others, assume that manufacturing will be cheap and of mediocre quality. But, I wonder. Aren't there products being made their with high quality of manufacturing, that can rival the German and Japanese? Surely, there are?

My Apple computers come to mind right away, and I haven't seen any obvious issues with them that I could pin down to the low manufacturing quality of Chinese factories.

I for one am waiting, and willing, to be challenged about my perceptions.

Whoops...wife bought me a fancy Hero pen at a flea market, In a 'felt' lined cardboard box is a flip top wood and chrome box, with said fancy pen....it's not that it's fully metal that keeps me ever inking it, it is a nails nail....like a Pelikan D nib...

Sounds fun. Enjoy!

[AMlines]

I had also written to PelikanPens UK and below is there response. This largely tallies with what members have already said. Just thought I'd share it here -

 

BEGINS

Hello,

Thank you for the purchase.

Almost all of Pelikan’s pens are made in their factory in Hanover, Germany. The only pens which are made elsewhere are the very cheapest models of disposable pens which are made in countries with cheaper production costs and which don’t necessarily need to same exacting attention to detail as the more expensive models, such as the M205. Pelikan make all kinds of stationery, from printer cartridges to children’s watercolour paint sets.

I hope that this is helpful.

Kind Regards

ENDS

[AMlines]

Coming back to the original question:

 

Having visited the factory in Peine last year, I am pretty sure that almost every part of the pen is made there. Exceptions would be the binde (as stated above) and special procedures like the rhodium plating. We saw the raw material for the plastic (for grips, bodies, caps), we saw how nibs and feeds were made and how it all was assembled.

Thanks for the confirmation! As you will see from the reply I got from Pelikan Pens UK that they haven't indicated if all the parts are made in Germany. But, I gather from your post that that is indeed the case, and key components such as the piston and nib are certainly made within that country.

[JulieParadise]

"key components ..."

 

Not only the country (Germany) but that very production site = factory. The German word for it which the nib meister Detlev Köhn proudly & repeatedly used when giving us the tour was "Fertigungstiefe", i.e the surprisingly deep degree to which parts are made in-house.

[Honeybadgers]

Interesting. So, why do these two have much better QC, and why would other fairly expensive brands such as Montblanc, Lamy etc. not do the same?

Gold nibs need to be tuned more? Is this an issue inherent to the material? One would imagine that given costs that's the last issue which gold nibs should face! My lowly Platinum F is working fine

I am glad you like it too! The other one I almost got is the black M200 with that green ink window. But then I was put off by all the gold platings. I am not yet ready to announce to the world that I have an expensive (looking) FP ;p)

Yes, initially I was quite taken with demonstrators. But then I don't want to constantly be looking at the innards of the instrument. I want something that doesn't distract me in any way while writing. That said, if I really like the writing experience with the M205 F, I will likely start saving up for the M200 black-green ;p)

 

There is no good known explanation why a pilot 14k nib and a lamy 14k nib, both made in house, suffer wildly differing levels of quality control. Especially for hand finished nibs, which lamy's gold nibs are. Even weirder how pilot's steel nibs are almost always absolutely perfect in their finish, whereas the lamy z50 is, once we get to the F and EF, relatively (bleep).

 

MB nibs are usually reliable enough to be called good. Pelikan can be prone to over-polishing and creating baby's bottom. Visconti is notorious for overpolished palladium nibs. Aurora is usually okay. But the number of QC fails in pens that as if you're buying a pen from a major manufacturer that isn't made by pilot, sailor (and generally speaking, platinum is fine, and if not, their customer service is totally painless and easy to work with) you should be ready to return it once or twice until you get a good one, or just factor in an extra $40 for a nib customization (or just buy from nibs.com and have it pre-tuned and ground, nibs.com will tune every pen you buy from them for free so if you're paranoid, you can just buy from them, though they are one of the more expensive retailers)

 

I just mentally add 40 bucks to the cost of any pen over $200 that I look at. If it arrives and doesn't need tuning, great. if it does, my world isn't shaken.

 

There is no material explanation. Just laziness and expectations that customers will live with it. Pilot and sailor just seem to have higher standards

 

Platinum is a close second to pilot and sailor, but they do occasionally let a nib slip through that isn't quite right, though it's usually one of the specialty kinds like the soft fine (sometimes can be too tight and dry but the grind is fine) and the UEF, which is hand ground to a needlepoint can sometimes be just all wrong.

Edited September 10, 2019 by Honeybadgers

[pararis]

I have one word to say about Chinese manufacturing:

 

 

Apple

[BaronWulfraed]

I have one word to say about Chinese manufacturing:

 

 

Apple

 

A company I avoid as a money sucking plague carrier...

[AL01]

I have one word to say about Chinese manufacturing:

 

 

Apple

 

(Designed in California.)

[Freddy]

 

I should be getting the pen tomorrow,

Did you?

Fred

Hicks St & Atlantic Ave 8:46 AM Tempus fugit

[AMlines]

Did you?

Fred

Hicks St & Atlantic Ave 8:46 AM Tempus fugit

 

Not yet It's free delivery and seems to be taking time. Stuck it NY, by the looks of it. Hopefully by Friday...

[AMlines]

AMlines.....let us know when you receive your new pen and how it writes..............

Fred

 

I finally got the M205 a couple of days ago. It was a free delivery and took its own sweet time in reaching me.

I've started using Visconti blue ink with it.

 

First, it's got a really nice feel to it. Many consider it light, but the weight feels just right for me. The quality is obvious, albeit - given the colour I chose - in an understated. The slight shine, I love.

 

I had never liked caps that screw on, thinking that it would be a pain. This is so simple and precise - it closes firmly with just a half twist of my fingers

 

However, I have some mixed reactions about the steel nib (Fine). It's working fine, except right away, I can tell that it's fairly scratchy. On both regular A4 sheets and my Rhodia dot notebook, the Plaisir nib (Fine) feels, dare I say, somewhat smoother to write with.

 

Obviously, I've hardly written with it yet, and hope to write out several pages and see how I feel about the nib.

 

Meanwhile, I would appreciate if you suggest some way in which I can check the working of the nib. Are there some quick tests one could perform? Is it normal for steel Pelikan nibs to be scratchy enough for you to hear them (in quiet conditions) out of the box?

 

Thanks!

[TSherbs]

A visual inspection with a loupe and a quick pull across paper is about the only thing you can do without risking your return and reimbursement rights. If you put ink in the pen or even dip it, you are taking some risk. I don't buy many pens over $100, so I am willing to put ink in them and smooth the nibs a bit. But a close visual inspection when a pen first arrives is essential.

 

On the comparison with the Plaisir, not that many pens are that much smoother out of the box than Plaisir (0.5mm) or even the Pilot Varsity. Just the way the nib tips are made. We buy these other pens for (mostly) other reasons.

[Honeybadgers]

I have one word to say about Chinese manufacturing:

 

 

Apple

 

I have a better one.

 

Cross.

[Honeybadgers]

You've got a few options.

 

First, you can send it back, no pelikan nib should be scratchy. But adjusting tines is easy and pretty risk free unless you go nuts.

 

If you're in this hobby, spend a few bucks on a 30x loupe. cheap is just fine.

 

Hold the pen upright and look at the nib from the writing angle (essentially the angle from the POV of the paper) and see if the tines are aligned. If not, gently lift the tine that is too low, not too far, and recheck. If nothing changed, go a little farther, recheck. And go until the tines are aligned. it should barely need anything, so start gentle (the nib on a 205 is kind of soft so it will need to be bent further than you'd expect, but just start with input that does nothing and go a little harder each time)

 

If you overshoot and feel like you messed it up, if you live in the USA, PM me and I'll fix it for just the cost of shipping.

 

Alternatively, you have the option of buying replacement nib units for $25. That's one of my favorite things about the 205, the screw in units. Or just hunt for the occasional $60 replacement 14k nib for a vintage 400.

[AMlines]

You've got a few options.

 

First, you can send it back, no pelikan nib should be scratchy. But adjusting tines is easy and pretty risk free unless you go nuts.

Oh, I see. Going by what you say, it's pretty clear that something's wrong here. I can hear it scratch at the same volume that you see in these reviews that take the mic within a few inches of the pen.

If you're in this hobby, spend a few bucks on a 30x loupe. cheap is just fine.

Well, I am not. On the other hand, I could always try. I've been reading how nibs, especially the gold ones, need adjusting, so I have to say I am not too surprised. That is not to say I am happy about the nib.

Can you send me a link as to which one I can buy? Inexpensive is obviously preferred.

Hold the pen upright and look at the nib from the writing angle (essentially the angle from the POV of the paper) and see if the tines are aligned. If not, gently lift the tine that is too low, not too far, and recheck. If nothing changed, go a little farther, recheck. And go until the tines are aligned. it should barely need anything, so start gentle (the nib on a 205 is kind of soft so it will need to be bent further than you'd expect, but just start with input that does nothing and go a little harder each time)

Thanks! Sounds like fun. I have big hands, but I am pretty gentle when I needed. I may just end up trying this if I get a loupe.

If you overshoot and feel like you messed it up, if you live in the USA, PM me and I'll fix it for just the cost of shipping.

So nice of you, thanks! I may actually just end up doing this

Alternatively, you have the option of buying replacement nib units for $25. That's one of my favorite things about the 205, the screw in units. Or just hunt for the occasional $60 replacement 14k nib for a vintage 400.

Not at the moment. What if the replacement also has an issue? I'd like to have the one I have tuned.

Is, there some way to figure out if there may be another defect with this nib? I mean, what if it's not the tines, but some other issue?

Thanks!

[essayfaire]

 

Thanks. I should be getting the pen tomorrow, but I'll keep these sellers in mind next I am buying a pen

After getting a pen that didn't work as expected, I now ask the seller to dip-test pens before they're sent to me. I haven't had a problem since. I've mostly ordered from Pen Chalet but I presume most FP specialty shops would be happy to do this.

 

And I hate to burst anyone's bubble (actually, I'm neutral on the bubble-bursting thing), but I had to send a pen back to Sailor in Japan when I finally went to start using it and it was scratchy as heck. The retailer I had bought it from was no longer a Sailor distributor (Levenger's). Sailor was very good about fixing it and it is now one of my most-used pens, but it did not show up that way from the factory!