Frustration With Pelikan Nibs

[Lorna Reed]

I have five Pelikan pens and have never really been happy with any of the nibs. For this reason I have put them aside and not used them for quite a while.

A few days ago I thought I would try again, and inked my M400 with B nib.

This is the result.....

 

I've looked at the nib with a loupe and the tines appear to be aligned properly.

Should I just give up and accept that I just can't get on with Pelikan nibs? (I do love the pens though)

The nib also squeeks!

Edited November 28, 2014 by Lorna Reed

[ralfstc]

Hi,

 

Here's a few questions to get you started:

 

Is it a new pen? Does it have baby bottom (too big a gap where the tines meet together under the nib)? What paper are you using? At what angle to the paper do you hold the pen (how steeply)? Are you rotating it as you write at all? Are the symptoms the same for all your Pels?

 

Certain eras of Pelikans have nibs that are less easy to use than others. In this case it's a flow issue, and looks like it's only on downstrokes, which are usually the juiciest stroke for a fountain pen. Rest assured that Pelikans are mostly wonderful writers, and this can be solved!

 

Good luck,

 

Ralf

[dspeers58]

I would concur about PeliKan nibs. They are quite annoying, and can only think about one or two pelikans that did not need serious adjustment. Baby's bottom seems to be a regular problem. You might want to check out the videos of SRE Brown. I believe he has one on this and if you follow it, it will not seriously alter the nib, just get rid of that annoying little bottom. I bought an m800 italic and the pen would not write. I made adjustments and it did ok, but traded the nib for a fine and that wrote well.

[Bringiton]

Both of my 100n and 400nn had "baby's bottom", the 100n demonstrating more skipping than yours. Solved the problem with solutions provided by the guys here. Now i find the nibs enjoyable.

[sargetalon]

I too have experienced issues with Pelikan nibs not working well out of the box. Many have been great but the ones that weren't are indeed frustrating. Thankfully it's usually something I can solve myself. In fairness though, I have had the same experience with many other manufacturers as well so it's not only a Pelikan problem.

[DrCodfish]

Lorna, I feel your pain.

 

It should not be so but I always think it is something of a gamble when I buy a new pen, or a used or vintage one for that matter. but consider the age we are living in: if you go to the B&M store and buy a ball point pen, or a cell phone or some other device of modern communication, you expect it to work, to actually be demo'd before you walk out the door. That's the modern expectation of the purchase and sale contract, and so it has been for almost as long as man has conducted commerce.

 

Today, we are often one step (or more) removed from the vendor, either via a catalogue, or an ecommerce site and so you can't really experience the product demonstration before you take paossession and hand over your cash. Add to this wrinkle the new age fact that the person you are dealing with through the catalogue or the internet usually has almost no affinity with the product. He or she is a retail worker, not hired for any skills they might have but because they will do rote work cheaply, take the money and send the product. This person might or might not know anything at all about how to make that phone function, the ball point probably.

 

Now, let us lay on another level of complexity; Consider the fountain pen: You can still buy a new fountain pen but not at very many retail outlets. And of those few retail outlets there are even fewer who have on staff someone who could reasonably be expected to demonstrate the fountain pen , and or make the few minor adjustments which can improve its' function from good to great. I happened to be in a Staples store the other day and noticed they have a few upscale pen sets, including a few fountain pens displayed prominently on the end caps at the front of the aisles. I looked at 'Chelsea' and 'Josh' running the cash registers and thought how little they might be able to tell me about these pens, never mind helping me to get them to write smoothly without skipping. As for ecommerce or catalogue sales, probably even les skill on hand. It should not be this way but it is.

 

Time and technology have made the fountain pen obsolete and with it the need for a wide range of talents in manufacture, sales, repair and 'tuning'. Let us not forget, the fountain pen, like the bicycle is really very simple technology. However both of these examples of simple technology rely on just a few minor adjustments to work well. Let those adjustments slip outside tolerances and you are waking, or in the case of your fountain pen, reverting to a 59 cent Bic. As I said it should not be this way, but it is. Our options are simple. Stick with newer technology (take the bus or write with a ball point), Deal with artisans who know how to fix a flat on a bike or smooth a baby's bottom, or as Sargetalon and Bringiton have done, learn some of the simple skills needed for smooth out riding and writing ourselves.

 

I know this does not solve your problem, and for that I am sorry. Five unsatisfying Pelikans is nearly a crime. Find a technician or consider attending a pen show (where technicians abound). Once those nibs are properly tuned you'll be over the moon about them.

 

I was going to work in a reference to how a Stanley 16 once framing hammer compares to a Pelikan M200 but I just could not find a good fit. Something about how little technology, how few adjustments and how infrequently the vendor has to demonstrate a hammer, but also what a poor job it does of writing, even on really nice paper.

[chas0039]

I have also had to rework both my Pelikans. I have yet to do so on any Japanese brand though.

 

Strange how things have changed over the years...

[Cliff O]

I have a fair amount of experience with modern Pelikan nibs. I can say with certainty that most do not write well out of the box. However, after some tweaking by John Mottishaw (or your favorite nib meister), they write beautifully. I know you shouldn't have to send in a brand new pen to have it tweaked, but the fact is, you do (unless you're satisfied with a skipping nib). As for the skipping. It doesn't matter what ink, what paper, writing style or anything of the sort. A nib that skips will ALWAYS skip.

[dneal]

I too have experienced issues with Pelikan nibs not working well out of the box. Many have been great but the ones that weren't are indeed frustrating. Thankfully it's usually something I can solve myself. In fairness though, I have had the same experience with many other manufacturers as well so it's not only a Pelikan problem.

I think it's a Bock problem. I ran across a factory video recently where one of the workers remarked that the nib should be rounded like a (wait for it...) baby's bottom.

[Barnaby Bumble]

I think it's a Bock problem. I ran across a factory video recently where one of the workers remarked that the nib should be rounded like a (wait for it...) baby's bottom.

 

[henriklinden]

It's a shame that so many seem to have a problems with Pelikan nib - I share the same experience.. My strategy has been to buy from dealers that allowed me to exchange the nibs without any trouble until I was satisfied; in Europe regina martini, missing-pen and niche pens uk all have given excellent service (no personal affiliation with any) - this way I have ended up with pens that work as they should. Also, doing some tweaking by hand helps..

[Matlock]

I have to say that I have only had problems with two Pelikan nibs and they were both second hand. Someone put out on another forum that very few people say anything if they are satisfied with their pen but many are more than willing to complain. There is a problem but I think it is a lot less than some think.

[whitedot]

I have experienced significant problems - grating toothiness, uneven flow, squeaking, baby's bottom - with every single Pelikan nib out of the box (and none whatsoever with my MBs, Pilots and Omases). The only thing that compelled me to keep my M600s and get their nib modified were their SE barrel colours. Thanks, Pendleton Brown!

Edited December 19, 2014 by whitedot

[Matlock]

These threads make me smile. As I said in my previous post most people do not have a problem but the few that do make their presence well and truly felt.

I see people on the MB thread complain about their nibs, people complain about Lamy, Conway Stewart, TWSBI, Pilot, Sailor, Omas, and so on. Some have even said why can't their nibs be more like Pelikan, etc., etc. The best bet is to buy your pen from a reputable dealer who will probably sort out any problems before the pen reaches you.

Edited December 19, 2014 by Matlock

[ZaphodBB]

I'm batting about .500 with my Pelikan nibs, luckily Mike Matsuyama and Dan at FP Geeks work wonders!

 

I have bought a few m400 14K nibs from "The Writing Desk" in the UK (no affiliation) and, even with the exchange rate and shipping, they beat or matched prices here. They inspect all their nibs and each one I've bought has written perfectly.

Edited December 19, 2014 by ZaphodBB

[carlos.q]

These threads make me smile. As I said in my previous post most people do not have a problem but the few that do make their presence well and truly felt.

I see people on the MB thread complain about their nibs, people complain about Lamy, Conway Stewart, TWSBI, Pilot, Sailor, Omas, and so on. Some have even said why can't their nibs be more like Pelikan, etc., etc. The best bet is to buy your pen from a reputable dealer who will probably sort out any problems before the pen reaches you.

Well said.

[dspeers58]

Matlock,

 

I would agree with your last bit of advice, get it from a reputable dealer who will make sure it writes before it comes to you. Binder, Mottishaw et al are all good for that. (Binder is now moving out of retail sales, I believe). But the reason these threads get so much traction is that these pens made of precious resin, gold etc, and priced very robustly, should be able to produce a product that *writes* out of the box! Montblanc claims hand work on nibs before they are sent out. Can you blame someone for being annoyed? When I worked in quality control/quality assurance, a basic fact is you can lose a customer pretty easily if you have regular problems with quality and getting them back is very difficult. It costs your operation more than you can ever hope to save from being less than conscientious. Beyond that, those customers you lose will also be a negative advertisement for you, much more than satisfied customers will provide positive comments. Some of us are amazed that someone who is trying to sell pens for premium prices, does not seem to be able to fix a problem that many of us have struggled with over and over again. Many people love the design of Pelikan. They can be beautiful pens, but should not need adjustment out of the box. Comparing them to the Japanese pens, Pilot, Platinum, Sailor, the german pens just seem to fail. The repeated fail has caused me to wait on purchasing any others. Hoping to hear that they actually have gotten it right, and not just on a hit or miss basis. Maybe, just maybe, they pay attention to public criticism like this and actually investigate the process. I have lodged my complaints with Chartpak in the USA, long ago.

[Matlock]

Matlock,

 

I would agree with your last bit of advice, get it from a reputable dealer who will make sure it writes before it comes to you. Binder, Mottishaw et al are all good for that. (Binder is now moving out of retail sales, I believe). But the reason these threads get so much traction is that these pens made of precious resin, gold etc, and priced very robustly, should be able to produce a product that *writes* out of the box! Montblanc claims hand work on nibs before they are sent out. Can you blame someone for being annoyed? When I worked in quality control/quality assurance, a basic fact is you can lose a customer pretty easily if you have regular problems with quality and getting them back is very difficult. It costs your operation more than you can ever hope to save from being less than conscientious. Beyond that, those customers you lose will also be a negative advertisement for you, much more than satisfied customers will provide positive comments. Some of us are amazed that someone who is trying to sell pens for premium prices, does not seem to be able to fix a problem that many of us have struggled with over and over again. Many people love the design of Pelikan. They can be beautiful pens, but should not need adjustment out of the box. Comparing them to the Japanese pens, Pilot, Platinum, Sailor, the german pens just seem to fail. The repeated fail has caused me to wait on purchasing any others. Hoping to hear that they actually have gotten it right, and not just on a hit or miss basis. Maybe, just maybe, they pay attention to public criticism like this and actually investigate the process. I have lodged my complaints with Chartpak in the USA, long ago.

 

I can't disagree with anything that you say except,and this is the rub, if they are that bad why is Pelikan still selling their pens in vast numbers?

You say "When I worked in quality control/quality assurance, a basic fact is you can lose a customer pretty easily if you have regular problems with quality and getting them back is very difficult." So where have they all gone?

Sorry but the facts don't stack up. As I said before, if you read the various threads on FPN (and others) you would never buy a fountain pen from any manufacturer (and that includes MB).

One thing that I notice is most, but not all, complaints come from the USA. I wonder?

[Barnaby Bumble]

Many people love the design of Pelikan. They can be beautiful pens, but should not need adjustment out of the box. Comparing them to the Japanese pens, Pilot, Platinum, Sailor, the german pens just seem to fail.

 

I have found no correlation between nationality or cost and likelihood of needing adjustment right out of the box. Most pens these days come from the factory in need of adjustment, regardless of cost or origin. It's just a sad reality.

 

I've had to do at least minor nib adjustment on most of the pens I own -- Italian, German, British, or whatever. I don't like it, and I'm all for raising an uproar against it, but it's not unique to Pelikan or to German pens in general.

Edited December 19, 2014 by Barnaby Bumble

[Matlock]

Recent posts on the Japanes pen forum.

Sailor nib writes like a "rusted hypodermic needle".

"In my experience Pilot and Pelikan nibs have been the best out of the box".

Interesting how people's views vary.

Out of interest I love Sailor nibs, they are probably the best available (with a price to match). I have one Pilot 74 with a F nib and it is superb. As I have said before, the only 2 Pelikan nibs that I have found "below par" were second hand. My new Pelikan pens have been bought from dealers in UK, Spain, Japan and Germany and have all been excellent.