What Percentage Of M1000 Nibs Are Bad?

[Keyless Works]

Let me first start by saying that I love Pelikan pens. The Pre-97 M600s with the single tone 18c nibs are some of my absolute favorite pens and I also love the vintage 400s I've had.

 

I've been wanting to buy an M1000 for years now and I have to admit I have been scared away by the nib issues that I read about online. Is this over blown? I am tempted to buy one new on Amazon for $394. Is this the wrong way to buy one of these pens? Should I only consider buying one for a retailer that tests the nib or buy one used from a well-known collector?

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Don't know. Don't know what problems you refer too.

I never worried about the 1000 in it was too big a pen for me............(found out it ain't quite as big as I thought, when I won one in a live auction.)

I had gone there to the live auction going to get come hell or high water a W.Germany 600 OBB. If the 1005 was cheap enough, it too....Thought the 600 was first when it wasn't.

Being too cheap to buy a catalog, (and the two black pens were back to back) and the auction house didn't say that pen I was bidding the house on was the 1005.......E230? was a hell of a lot to pay for a W.Germany 600.

They just said a black Pelikan.

15 seconds later into the next bidding I realized I'd just won a 1005, the next pen up the 600 went to me for the expected 130.....in it was OBB. A bit close to my limit....having spent a small fortune on that 1005. (Yes, I'm a cheapskate, KowTowing at the alter of the God of Cheap......when it comes to pens, but not whiskey, or wine, am too cheap to buy song.)

I did get the 1005 pretty close to dirt cheap, but had I realized what it was, I'd not own it....not at well over E200....for a pen I really didn't want.

 

xxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

From '98 to @ 2012 Bock made semi-flex 1000's nibs.

A very long time ago (8-9 years ago), as almost noobie, with my 8 or so semi-flex pens, I went down to my B&M with a semi-flex pen in my pocket just to test the 1000's nib, which some said were springy, other's semi-flex. That one was semi-flex.

 

Living in Germany I was sitting at the side of the semi-flex well, so eventually had 30 semi-flex and 16 maxi-semi-flex, but that was back when I had fewer. But I knew what a semi-flex was........being dumb.....ignorant of the fact when Pelikan took the 1000's nib back In House, the last of the Bock nibs, they changed the nib from semi-flex to regular flex.

People getting new 1000's were being disappointed it was not semi-flex. I made an assumption....and you know what an assumption does.....that folks living in the states just didn't know what semi-flex was .....as smug as a bug in the rug...knowing the 1000 was semi-flex when it was no longer, in it was Pelikan Made.

 

The black 1005 I have in OBB is springy regular flex. It is half a width wider than my W.Germany 600's OBB.

My 1005 doesn't appear mushy, nor has it baby bottom.

 

Any of the modern fat and blobby gold nibs can be over polished and have baby bottom, mine don't. Luck of the draw.

[encremental]

I have four; one M, two F and one EF. No problems at all with any of them, and the grind of the nib seems to be constant over the last fifteen years at least. I would say they are on a different level to the rest of Pelikan nibs. They run wide and wet, but that is a characteristic rather than a fault. I did wonder whether the EF (M1005 Stresemann) was scratchy when I first got it, but looking through a loupe I saw that one tine just needed popping into line, the work of a second, and I would say it is now one of my five favourite ever nibs, very fine yet delightfully responsive in a way that EF nibs are usually not.

 

In general, as someone with a big collection of Pelikans assembled over twenty years, I have never found any problems. And people do love a good moan

 

 

John

[Keyless Works]

I think the issues that I have read about are mostly related to over polishing and baby's bottom.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/301206-pelikan-m1000-nib-reliability/

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/348470-first-pelikan-babys-bottom/

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/265666-m1000-broad/

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/351551-babys-bottom-explanation-please/

 

There are more threads like this on FPN and on different pen forums and blogs. I am not sure this relates to a certain era of production or not. It is strange that Pelikan wouldn't address this.

 

I am going to give the pen a go and cross my fingers. I've wanted one for long enough.

[TitoThePencilPimp]

I only have one m1000. The nib is a bit softer than the other pelikan models. However, I would not call it semi-flex. I cannot really tell the difference with nibs sometimes. I have a very light touch, something that I developed with using 4b-6b pencils for writing.

[PAKMAN]

The soft nature and wet line inherent to these nibs were the only things that had me hold off for a long time. I bit the bullet and didn't use it too much until I had Mike Matsuyama tune it and decrease the wetness, now I love it.

[Keyless Works]

The soft nature and wet line inherent to these nibs were the only things that had me hold off for a long time. I bit the bullet and didn't use it too much until I had Mike Matsuyama tune it and decrease the wetness, now I love it.

I suppose if there are issues with it can send it to Mike Masuyama. I've always been happy with his work.

[Intensity]

No one can tell you the percentage, because no one buys enough Pelikan pens to make a statistically-significant analysis.

 

Furthermore, what one person might find troublesome, another person might find to be just fine, as paper, ink, orientation / pen grip are all factors, as well as personal preferences. Some people also do fine tuning to their nibs, such as using brass shims, micromesh, etc. Some buy from stores that offer tuning and checking service before shipping a pen, or even nib grind modification with purchase.

 

One of the more commonly reported issues seems to be overpolishing/baby's bottom. That might also be more or less noticeable with various inks, paper, and holding orientation. Offcenter-cut slit may or may not result in writing problems.

Edited July 25, 2020 by Intensity

[sargetalon]

Your question has no meaningingful answer. You will find threads about nib issues because the disgruntled take to forums to share their frustration and seek help. The larger percentage of satisfied users tend to be relatively quiet. I have 8 M10xx nibs and none have had any specific issues. They are wet and generous with a significant amount of spring. The writing experience is very pleasant. No way to guarantee you won't have an issues but I don't feel issues are so prevalent that it would keep me from buying another M10xx pen. As far as buying on Amazon, you do take a bit of a chance. You should understand who the actual seller is and expect the pen to come without a fancy gift box. Provided returns are handled through Amazon should you be dissatisfied, really no downside. Good luck.

[max dog]

I've had 5 Pelikans over the years purchased brand new. 2 M600s, 1 M400, 2 M200s. Never had baby bottoms or any other issues. And to Sargetalon point I never posted on the forum to proclaim they wrote perfect out of the box. So I think the issues reported of baby bottoms tend to get overblown.

Edited July 25, 2020 by max dog

[Keyless Works]

Your question has no meaningingful answer. You will find threads about nib issues because the disgruntled take to forums to share their frustration and seek help. The larger percentage of satisfied users tend to be relatively quiet. I have 8 M10xx nibs and none have had any specific issues. They are wet and generous with a significant amount of spring. The writing experience is very pleasant. No way to guarantee you won't have an issues but I don't feel issues are so prevalent that it would keep me from buying another M10xx pen. As far as buying on Amazon, you do take a bit of a chance. You should understand who the actual seller is and expect the pen to come without a fancy gift box. Provided returns are handled through Amazon should you be dissatisfied, really no downside. Good luck.

Fair enough. I've noticed more issues reported with this brand than with others, of course this is my perception. I don't for instance see similar issues reported with the Montblanc 149 or at least not in the same volume.

 

I ordered the pen. It was sold by Amazon's Global Store UK...it will ship from the UK but has Amazon's standard return policy. This is the box that is pictured (I suspect this isn't the fancy gift box you are referring too) :

 

I've had 5 Pelikans over the years purchased brand new. 2 M600s, 1 M400, 2 M200s. Never had baby bottoms or any other issues. And to Sargetalon point I never posted on the forum to proclaim they wrote perfect out of the box. So I think the issues reported of baby bottoms tend to get overblown.

I haven't had a bad nib from Pelikan but the only new pen I have bought from them was an M205 demonstrator. The rest were all older or vintage models.

[TitoThePencilPimp]

Fair enough. I've noticed more issues reported with this brand than with others, of course this is my perception. I don't for instance see similar issues reported with the Montblanc 149 or at least not in the same volume.

 

I ordered the pen. It was sold by Amazon's Global Store UK...it will ship from the UK but has Amazon's standard return policy. This is the box that is pictured (I suspect this isn't the fancy gift box you are referring too) :

 

I haven't had a bad nib from Pelikan but the only new pen I have bought from them was an M205 demonstrator. The rest were all older or vintage models.

 

If you can maybe cancel this order, and see if the pen you purchased is available through cult pens at a cheaper price. Maybe read this article that one of the posters wrote on his blog.

 

https://thepelikansperch.com/2020/07/20/pelikan-chartpak-changes-repair-policy/

[Karmachanic]

 

If you can maybe cancel this order, and see if the pen you purchased is available through cult pens at a cheaper price. Maybe read this article that one of the posters wrote on his blog.

 

https://thepelikansperch.com/2020/07/20/pelikan-chartpak-changes-repair-policy/

 

Cult price is higher.

 

From the link:

"The pendulum has once again swung, this time in the consumer’s favor. For the past several weeks, Chartpak has been in the middle of a soft roll out of a policy that now has them accepting all Pelikan warranty repairs regardless of where the pen was purchased. That means the three year warranty that normally accompanies Pelikan’s pens will now be honored for US consumers, even when a pen was purchased from authorized retailers overseas. The new policy officially kicked off on July 15th."

Edited July 26, 2020 by Karmachanic

[TitoThePencilPimp]

 

Cult price is higher.

 

From the link:

"The pendulum has once again swung, this time in the consumer’s favor. For the past several weeks, Chartpak has been in the middle of a soft roll out of a policy that now has them accepting all Pelikan warranty repairs regardless of where the pen was purchased. That means the three year warranty that normally accompanies Pelikan’s pens will now be honored for US consumers, even when a pen was purchased from authorized retailers overseas. The new policy officially kicked off on July 15th."

 

I see. Just looked on amazon.com. The cheapest m1000 I see is the black/gold (b nib) for $379 + $14 shipping. It would roughly come out to the same price as the pen from Cult Pens provided that the original poster lives in a state that charges tax. So purchasing from Cultpens gets you a pen case for the new m1000 (free promotion) and warranty. So cult pens is the better option in this case.

[TitoThePencilPimp]

I have purchased 4 Pelikans on Amazon with no issues. All wrote perfectly fine, with my m215 Rings and Rhombus (?????) having the best nibs on all my Pelikans. So you should be okay If you proceed with your amazon purchase...

[Karmachanic]

 

I see. Just looked on amazon.com. The cheapest m1000 I see is the black/gold (b nib) for $379 + $14 shipping. It would roughly come out to the same price as the pen from Cult Pens provided that the original poster lives in a state that charges tax. So purchasing from Cultpens gets you a pen case for the new m1000 (free promotion) and warranty. So cult pens is the better option in this case.

 

 

My bad. When I think of M1000 I always "see" a Stresemann due to my predilection for white furniture.

[Keyless Works]

 

If you can maybe cancel this order, and see if the pen you purchased is available through cult pens at a cheaper price. Maybe read this article that one of the posters wrote on his blog.

 

https://thepelikansperch.com/2020/07/20/pelikan-chartpak-changes-repair-policy/

I did the math and with Amazon I get 5% cash back so with tax the both workout to be $418 USD (give or take a bit on the exchange rate). Cult Pens doesn't have the green ones in stock (only the black) and the big benefit for me with Amazon is I can easily return it for free vs Cult Pens where I will be charged a fee and have to wait through a month long process.

 

If there is a problem with the pen I will just return it with little hassle. Of course you do get a free pen case from Cult Pens and a warranty as well as the ability to participate in their nib exchange program.

 

I would be curious to see if Chartpak would honor a warranty from a pen bought from Amazon seeing as they provide no information on authorized dealers. I am sure the answer is "no" but I don't see the value in obscuring the ADs from the customer.

[TitoThePencilPimp]

I did the math and with Amazon I get 5% cash back so with tax the both workout to be $418 USD (give or take a bit on the exchange rate). Cult Pens doesn't have the green ones in stock (only the black) and the big benefit for me with Amazon is I can easily return it for free vs Cult Pens where I will be charged a fee and have to wait through a month long process.

 

If there is a problem with the pen I will just return it with little hassle. Of course you do get a free pen case from Cult Pens and a warranty as well as the ability to participate in their nib exchange program.

 

I would be curious to see if Chartpak would honor a warranty from a pen bought from Amazon seeing as they provide no information on authorized dealers. I am sure the answer is "no" but I don't see the value in obscuring the ADs from the customer.

 

Chartpark would not honor a warranty from amazon. I have been a Pelikan user for 10 years now, with about 17-20 Pelikans give or take. Never have I needed to use the warranty. Never had problems with my nibs. Except being a bit disappointed with a steel nib I purchased, thinking it would preform similar to the ones I have on my m215's. The spare steel nib was stiff and did not smoothly reverse write. The m215's nib reverse write smoothly and there is a softness to the nib. However, the spare nib writes perfectly fine. Maybe the nibs on the m215's are older????

[Keyless Works]

 

Chartpark would not honor a warranty from amazon. I have been a Pelikan user for 10 years now, with about 17-20 Pelikans give or take. Never have I needed to use the warranty. Never had problems with my nibs. Except being a bit disappointed with a steel nib I purchased, thinking it would preform similar to the ones I have on my m215's. The spare steel nib was stiff and did not smoothly reverse write. The m215's nib reverse write smoothly and there is a softness to the nib. However, the spare nib writes perfectly fine. Maybe the nibs on the m215's are older????

Good to know. The chances of needing the warranty are low. If there is a problem it would likely make itself known with in the 30 day return window. I don't actually think I've ever used the warranty on a new pen. I have done nib exchanges from Montblanc and Waterman. I broke the piston knob off of an Aurora Optima once but that was my fault.

Edited July 26, 2020 by Keyless Works

[Matlock]

 

Chartpark would not honor a warranty from amazon. I have been a Pelikan user for 10 years now, with about 17-20 Pelikans give or take. Never have I needed to use the warranty. Never had problems with my nibs. Except being a bit disappointed with a steel nib I purchased, thinking it would preform similar to the ones I have on my m215's. The spare steel nib was stiff and did not smoothly reverse write. The m215's nib reverse write smoothly and there is a softness to the nib. However, the spare nib writes perfectly fine. Maybe the nibs on the m215's are older????

Chartpak have changed their policy as of July 15th, so it may be worth having a word with them about warranty cover.