M200 with stock italic medium nib??

[Kelly]

Apologies if this is something that is common knowledge, but I got pretty excited a minute ago while looking at the Swisher Pens site, in the "What's New" section. If you scroll about half way down, it shows a picture of a black M200 and indicates that it will come with a medium italic (I'm assuming they'll use oblique?) nib!!! I don't think they've ever offered a medium italic, have they? The sale price is $74.25 (reg. $99) and available in March but you can pre-order now. I have no affiliation with Swisher just a very satisfied customer and was really thrilled to see this. Most companies that offer italics do so in broad nib size so I really hope this is a continued trend, not only with Pelikan but others as well. Now if they would offer the 'standard' M200 with silver furniture, I'd order one pronto.

[Richard]

FWIW, a "medium" italic, at least in my grading system, is 0.9 mm wide. I think you tend to prefer finer nibs, so you might want to ask before buying.

 

Pelikan does not offer an "italic" nib of any size. My guess is that Chuck has found a nib grinder who is willing to work cheap. (I couldn't afford to do this kind of work cheaply enough to make it profitable for Chuck to sell the pen at the price he's offering.) Without intending to bad-mouth Chuck's grinder, I recommend -- until the evidence is in on how good he or she is -- that you be sure you can return the pen if the nib isn't satisfactory. Here's an M800 nib that I worked on after its owner had it reground into a "cursive italic" by a cheap grinder:

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/site/m800_tip_regrinds.jpg

[Kelly]

FWIW, a "medium" italic, at least in my grading system, is 0.9 mm wide. I think you tend to prefer finer nibs, so you might want to ask before buying.

 

Pelikan does not offer an "italic" nib of any size. My guess is that Chuck has found a nib grinder who is willing to work cheap. (I couldn't afford to do this kind of work cheaply enough to make it profitable for Chuck to sell the pen at the price he's offering.) Without intending to bad-mouth Chuck's grinder, I recommend -- until the evidence is in on how good he or she is -- that you be sure you can return the pen if the nib isn't satisfactory. Here's an M800 nib that I worked on after its owner had it reground into a "cursive italic" by a cheap grinder:

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/site/m800_tip_regrinds.jpg

Whoa nelly! Thanks for the enlightenment, Mr. B. I couldn't find any further explanation on their site and assumed (you know where that gets me) that the nib was in fact a stock Pelikan. And you're right, a 0.9 is too large for me but I wasn't considering one for myself as it still has the gold furniture, and I just can't go there . Nice work on resurrecting that butched nib, too

[Roger]

While Richard's analysis is certainly valid IF a "cheap" grinding job is in play, it is all speculative at this point. I would suggest emailing Chuck and asking the questions that you need answered before you feel comfortable.

 

AFAIK, Chuck has an across the board satisfaction warranty and people that I have spoken with have nothing but praise for his business ethic.

[heidi]

The new Fountain Pen Hospital catalog also lists a Pelikan 200 with a cursive nib, and makes it sound like a stock nib...???

 

You can't see the catalog online, but it does list that the italic nib is available for a may delivery from their web-page... I think Kelly may have been right, it looks like something from Pelikan itself?

 

Oh, and Fahrney's has it listed with details:

http://www.fahrneyspens.com/Item--i-363101...-2_307_308.html

 

Here's a quote:

We ve been working with Pelikan over the past year to help them redevelop their outstanding gold-plated italic nibs for the 200 series fountain pen. Our efforts have paid off and we re pleased to offer you this popular and dependable writing instrument at a fantastic price. The 200 black fountain pen will take your writing to a new level of enjoyment with its semi-flexible, gold-plated nib with medium italic point. The piston-fill fountain pen uses bottle ink only and features a transparent ink reservoir. The 200 fountain pen is also available with regular nibs.

Edited May 3, 2006 by heidi

[Bill]

When I first read the description in Fahrney's catalog last month, I assumed it was exclusive to them. I almost posted the info here but figured many FPN'ers get all the catalogs anyway. I mentioned it a couple of weeks ago in a different B&M store who said they expected a shipment of them from Pelikan sometime in the near future, as well as confirming it would be on a black M200 only.

 

Sounds like a factory nib to me.

 

Bill

[heidi]

Oh! I just found it at oscarbraun.com for $60 and ordered one! can hardly wait!

[Richard]

Oh, goody! I get to talk to my Pelikan rep again. I've tried repeatedly to get him to add me to his list so I'll get sell sheets and other info, and so far it's been a total zero. I have learned about the Piccadilly Circus and every preceding M620 on the boards. I have learned about the M215 and M450 and M625 on the boards. And so it goes. Now I have learned, embarrassingly, about the M200 italic on the boards.

 

I have just now, within the past ten minutes, called Chartpak and found that yes, the pen is real, it has an order number, and it is NOT included in the price sheet Chartpak sent us last week.

Edited May 5, 2006 by Richard

[Betty]

Oh goody!!!!! So it's a 0.9mm size? Cool! I would really love to hear more about this nib from people who have it.

 

Would I be able to send Chartpak one of my Pelikan and ask them to exchange it to this nib? Is this nib gold or steel?

[heidi]

semi-flexible, gold-plated nib with medium italic point.

It costs more than a regular M200, so I'm guessing we can't do a nib exchange...

 

Richard, you were probably a big part of the inspiration of Chartpak to even create this pen - I do wonder how their nib will compare... and if one can even buy the nibs alone from them. (Besides, it's not listed on Chartpak's website.)

 

Will keep you all updated, after I receive mine.

[OldGriz]

I spoke to Kendra at Chartpak today...

There is NO additional charge for trading your 200 steel nib for the new medium italic nib....

She also told me it is a smooth writing nib and does not catch like a sharp edged italic. Not like a stub.. but not like a sharp edged italic either... she mentioned that if you do rotate the nib, it will catch a bit.

 

OK, now here is the bad news..... she has almost none in stock.... in fact she is taking one out of a pen and holding it for me until I get my 200 with the OM nib to her for trade... And I did not ask her to... she offered....

Now, what more could you ask of a company than that kind of service... she has very few nibs and is willing to hold one for me...

 

MMMM, let's see... that will give me a Burgundy 200 with a .8 Binder stub, a 605 with a fine gold nib, and a Green Marble 200 with a medium italic... and a spare .6 stub from Pendemonium.... OOOOPS, that means I have to buy another 400 body...

Dang the luck...

Edited May 5, 2006 by OldGriz

[heidi]

Wow, that IS incredible service, OldGriz! I don't have enough bodies for my Pelikan nibs, so I guess no nib exchange for me right away.

[Elaine]

Chartpak service is indeed amazing. When I received a pen with a medium nib I exchanged it for a fine. When I found that wasn't fine enough, they exchanged again! for the extra fine. Their communication is great. Now if only they'd get information to Richard!

[Sonnet]

Oh, goody! I get to talk to my Pelikan rep again. I've tried repeatedly to get him to add me to his list so I'll get sell sheets and other info, and so far it's been a total zero. I have learned about the Piccadilly Circus and every preceding M620 on the boards. I have learned about the M215 and M450 and M625 on the boards. And so it goes. Now I have learned, embarrassingly, about the M200 italic on the boards.

 

I have just now, within the past ten minutes, called Chartpak and found that yes, the pen is real, it has an order number, and it is NOT included in the price sheet Chartpak sent us last week.

Sorry to hear about the distribution troubles, Richard. Good luck and let us know if things get better!

[Richard]

I just responded to a query on Pentrace about this pen, and I thought FPNers might like to see what I said.

 

It's a black M200 with a standard gold-plated steel M200 nib (not a semiflex, sorry). The tip is big, and it's ground to an italic shape, thick enough to be a stub, and finished a bit roughly. As a Pelikan retailer, I ordered three of them to evaluate. None of the three wrote out of the box. Two would reluctantly give me a fragmentary mark here and there, but the third would not lay down ink even when I pressed with what I consider to be heavy pressure. I could see ink in the slit, but the nib didn't want to give it up.

 

I like Pelikan pens, and I'm not prepared to say that the M200 italics are all bad, but this is one Pelikan I don't think that I, as a nib specialist, want to offer.

Sorry, folks...

[RonB]

I guess that old saying: "You get what you pay for" still applies.

 

Ron