Pelikan 100N

[High_Noon]

Christopher Godfrey: Thanks, good to know & will do.

[High_Noon]

What do y'all think of the new 101Ns - the M101N? Out of my price range, at the moment, but they sure look nice. Anyone have one they can tell me about?

Edited September 27, 2020 by High_Noon

[Barutti]

Their are lovely reincarnation of Pelikan 101 series (1937-1954). For me, at least three of them- Tortoise brown, tortoise red and latest issue Blue-grey. Bright red and Lizard does not paly for me. Too "synthetic" and don't have charm:)

 

Nice finish, reliable piston mechanic, could be posted, not too "shiny", but:

a. Their are quite pricy, approximately x2 versus vintage Pelikan 100 N.

b. Nibs are nice, monotone gold, but as for all modern pelikan limited in size ("EF" to "B") and quite rigid.

 

It's my opinion.

Giedrius

Edited September 27, 2020 by Barutti

[como]

From design perspective, I really like this modern replica of the vintage 101 etc. I thought about getting one, but since I don't have any vintage Pelikan 100N etc, personally I would probably be better off first getting a vintage 100N. I would be happier with the vintage charm and the nib for sure.

Their are lovely reincarnation of Pelikan 101 series (1937-1954). For me, at least three of them- Tortoise brown, tortoise red and latest issue Blue-grey. Bright red and Lizard does not paly for me. Too "synthetic" and don't have charm:)

 

Nice finish, reliable piston mechanic, could be posted, not too "shiny", but:

a. Their are quite pricy, approximately x2 versus vintage Pelikan 100 N.

b. Nibs are nice, monotone gold, but as for all modern pelikan limited in size ("EF" to "B") and quite rigid.

 

It's my opinion.

Giedrius

 

What do y'all think of the new 101Ns - the M101N? Out of my price range, at the moment, but they sure look nice. Anyone have one they can tell me about?

[Seney724]

Their are lovely reincarnation of Pelikan 101 series (1937-1954). For me, at least three of them- Tortoise brown, tortoise red and latest issue Blue-grey. Bright red and Lizard does not paly for me. Too "synthetic" and don't have charm:)

 

Nice finish, reliable piston mechanic, could be posted, not too "shiny", but:

a. Their are quite pricy, approximately x2 versus vintage Pelikan 100 N.

b. Nibs are nice, monotone gold, but as for all modern pelikan limited in size ("EF" to "B") and quite rigid.

 

It's my opinion.

Giedrius

I agree completely.

There is nothing "wrong" with the M101N. It is a lovely pen. And certainly eminently serviceable if there are any issues.

 

For me, it is all which is "right" about the real deal 101N. Set side by side, the difference is immediately obvious. The vintage pen has the most gorgeous, complex Tortoise coloring imaginable. Sheer beauty. The M101N Tortoise color looks almost "fake" when compared. To my eye, it looks like a computer generated color as opposed to the human genius of the original production.

 

Also, the nibs are completely different. The magnificent flexibility and responsiveness of the vintage nib was not reproduced in the M101N production.

 

Again, I have and enjoy an M101N. It is a nice pen. But, it is just a pen. My vintage 101N is something special which I really treasure.

[mana]

I agree completely.

There is nothing "wrong" with the M101N. It is a lovely pen. And certainly eminently serviceable if there are any issues.

 

For me, it is all which is "right" about the real deal 101N. Set side by side, the difference is immediately obvious. The vintage pen has the most gorgeous, complex Tortoise coloring imaginable. Sheer beauty. The M101N Tortoise color looks almost "fake" when compared. To my eye, it looks like a computer generated color as opposed to the human genius of the original production.

 

Also, the nibs are completely different. The magnificent flexibility and responsiveness of the vintage nib was not reproduced in the M101N production.

 

Again, I have and enjoy an M101N. It is a nice pen. But, it is just a pen. My vintage 101N is something special which I really treasure.

^ This, pretty much. Same shape/form but different behaviour. You get to pry the vintage ones from my cold, dead fingers.

[High_Noon]

Thanks for all the information regarding the M101N. I imagine it will perform very similarly to my M605, which I enjoy immensely; however, I have never tried the original, so I'll keep my eye out for a good 100N.

 

I am watching an auction on a M101N right now. The current bid is $207.50 w/ 4 minutes left. I am tempted.

 

Edit: That M101N sold for $296.00, inc. shipping. I'm holding out for a 100N.

Edited September 27, 2020 by High_Noon

[Christopher Godfrey]

High-noon: I would agree with all written above by Barutti, como, Seney and mana and -- like Barutti -- I have three of them and I do them all; but the vintage pens they are ! They are each lovely in their way; but I have modified all of mine with vintage nibs -- is that, perhaps, another route for you? (Anyone want to buy some 14ct nails?!)

 

I'm not surprised about the price you say the one you were watching went for: I see a brown tortoise (it's the beautiful, green pen, really, with brown ) being offered on eBay for north of 500!

Edited September 28, 2020 by Christopher Godfrey

[High_Noon]

Christopher,

 

I viewed the M101N that sold for $296.00 as a very good price. I would have probably pulled the trigger on it, but I'd really rather have a vintage 100N in excellent condition. I want to try out that vintage flex broad nib as well. To answer your question, yes, a M101N with a vintage nib could certainly be an option for me, but I think I'd rather the 100N at this point. The new M101Ns are definitely nice though and if I found one for a great price, I'd be hard-pressed to pass it up. Thanks.

[High_Noon]

Just a quick update. A fellow member has generously offered to send me his 100N broad for a trial run with the option to purchase, should it meet or exceed my expectations. I'll let y'all know the verdict once I receive it and get a chance to put it through its paces. It's shipping out from overseas, so it may be a while.

Edited October 3, 2020 by High_Noon

[brokenclay]

How exciting, and how community minded of the potential donor!

[Glenn-SC]

How exciting, and how community minded of the potential donor!

You mean "Potential Seller".

The pen is not being given for free.

[High_Noon]

You mean "Potential Seller".

The pen is not being given for free

Indeed. You are correct. I will be paying for it should I choose to keep it, which is highly likely.

[brokenclay]

I stand corrected - thank you.

[High_Noon]

No sweat.

[mana]

Just a quick update. A fellow member has generously offered to send me his 100N broad for a trial run with the option to purchase, should it meet or exceed my expectations. I'll let y'all know the verdict once I receive it and get a chance to put it through its paces. It's shipping out from overseas, so it may be a while.

Awesome, can't wait to read your comments on the pen.

[stoen]

Please, dont mind posting few photos, once it arrives. 100N are among my favorites. I own and enjoy writing with two of them: a 1937 red tortoise with B nib, and a 1952 black green with F nib. Both nibs are moderately flex. IMHO, 100N is a true classic, and there are still quite a few of them around. I wish you a great writing experience with this pen.

[High_Noon]

stoen: Thanks & Will do.

Edited October 13, 2020 by High_Noon

[High_Noon]

UPDATE:

 

Due to the forum being down for several weeks, I was able to extensively test the 100N that was loaned to me by a fellow member of this forum.  

 

Now that the Fountain Pen Network is finally back online I have a few brief observations I’d like to share with all of you.

 

I believe that the 585 broad flex-nib is the best feature of this 100N, though it’s not nearly as broad as I thought it would be - more like a modern Pelikan M nib.  I can, of course, thicken-up my lines/letters with more pressure, but such a style of writing is a bit cumbersome for sustained use.  Rather, I use the flex-feature to obtain a certain amount of line variation in some of my letters, though I haven’t mastered this technique yet.  The nib has ample feedback, which I would describe as scratchy, to a certain extent, but it is pleasing to write with.  The 585 nib of this 100N is far different from the medium nib on my my more modern M600, which is incredibly smooth with just a hint of feedback, which I would describe as having more of a tactile feel rather than the scratchy sensation of the 585.  I could say that my more modern M600 nib feels a lot more refined than the broad/flex nib on the 100N.  This is not a criticism.  I view both of these nibs as totally different animals and I can enjoy each of them for their specific attributes.  I also think that, perhaps, the 585 nib has improved my script though it may not be apparent to the casual observer.  This phenomenon might be attributed to the fact that the 100N seems to be more nimble than my M600.

 

Regarding ink flow with both Pelikan 4001 and Parker Quink, neither is overly wet or dry, rather ink flow is just about right but a hair more on the wet side for both.  I also found the piston-filling mechanism to work very well, not as well as my modern M600, but quite well, nonetheless.   

 

Specific issues I noticed with the 100N are as follows:  I found the barrel/section to be too short for my hand unless the pen is posted, but therein lies another problem.  The cap would not stay posted unless I used more force than I believe is necessary on such a vintage pen; otherwise, the cap repeatedly popped off.  Although this issue is not a deal-breaker, it is rather annoying.  

 

I think the 100N is a fine pen, but I wouldn’t consider it for every day use; rather, I view it as more of a nice addition to the collection that would largely remain in the pen case, getting sporadic use.  I think the short barrel length coupled with the fact that the pen will not stay capped for any length of time would preclude it from daily use for me, which was my objective when I set out to find a vintage Pelikan.  

 

I have therefore come to the conclusion that the 100N is, regrettably, not for me, so it's on its way back to the owner.  I want to sincerely thank both the owner of this 100N for allowing me to test his very nice 100N and extend my thanks to all who have participated in this thread.  

 

I did find a nearly perfect 400NN in OM, for a great price, which I am looking forward to testing.  I will start another thread regarding this 400NN once I get a chance to run it through its paces.

 

Next pen will be a tortoise 400 in B, BB or OB.   

 

100N:

[Christopher Godfrey]

<Next pen will be a tortoise 400 in B, BB or OB>

 

In which case, Rick Propas will almost certainly have something for you!  He invariably has stock of this sort and I don't mind betting that he will have just the nib that your heart desires...somewhere...

 

He has been dealing in Pelikans for ages and thus has plenty spare nibs of all sorts.  You might, of course, find something on eBay; but Rick's pens are always adjusted, tested and pretty-much perfect.  It is my observation that there seem to be plentiful pens on offer from countries in the old eastern bloc and they often seem to have inflated prices attached to them -- watch out.