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Pelikan M200 Blue Marble


JonB55198

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Hi Group,

 

If you haven't my original post, please see here: One Red Fountain Pen Post. The premise is that I will be making a series of up-trades starting with a Red Wing Sung 322. My plan is to get to my current Grail Pen: the Pelikan M1000 Green Striated with Triple-Broad, Double-Broad or Cursive Italic Broad nib.

 

Well, I made my 5th trade and I traded my Conklin Endura with Cracked Ice finish for a Pelikan M200 with Steel Medium nib. This one came all the way from Greece. So, as promised in my original "deal" with the FPN, I'm going to review each pen that I receive in trade along the way. This review will be for the M200.

 

Pelikan M200 Blue Marble with Steel M-Nib Review:

Appearance & Design (8/10) – What can I say? This pen looks like a baby version of my grail pen. So, of course I love the design. The black cap, gold trim and contrasting colored barrel are great. I think the blue marble is ok. But, i'd rather have the M200 come in the tradition green striated color that Pelikan is known for. But, the blue marble finish is a now hard to find color, so it's ok. It's a little bit of a disapointment that it does not. This particular pen has the old style logo on the cap end. I kind of like that. Also, another noteworth difference is that it has a gold ring at the base of the blindcap that operates the piston filler. I believe the newer version of the M200 does not.

 

Construction & Quality (9/10) – This pen is a very high quality pen. The piston operates very smoothly. The nib removes very easily. The threading on the cap is very smooth and effortless. But, the piston is plastic and not brass like the bigger brothers of this pen. Not a huge deal, but an issue for which I would deduct 1 point.

 

Weight & Dimensions (8/10) – This is one of Pelikan's smaller pens. But, it is not too small for my hands. Even though I prefer a larger pen, this one is not uncomfortable to write with. It is lightweight and easy to write with for extended periods. My favotie part about it is the balance. The pen is well balanced while posted. I really enjoy posting a pen, so this is a must.

 

Nib & Performance (7/10) – The nib is a little bit springy and gives a comfortable writing experience. The M nib is a little bit toward the broader side. If you push it a bit, you can get some line variation out of it as evidenced in my review scan below. The nib is very smooth. But, I found that it would suffer from dry-out issues once in a while if I left it uncapped for less than a minute. Sometimes it was hard to start and I would have to prime it again. Overall, I thought the nib and writing performance would be better in terms of reliablity. But, when the pen did write, it was smooth and magnificent.

 

Filling System & Maintenance (8/10) - Pistons are my favorite and recieve high marks. The hold a ton of ink, and make it easy to flush a pen. The only way this could have been higher is if it was brass like its older brothers and user servicable like the TWSBI 540.

 

Cost & Value (7/10) – These sold for around $96 new. For that price, it is a good deal. I like it better than some of hte bexley pens that are in the same price range. But, I actually like my TWSBI better which costs about half as much. So, for value, I'd say its a bit above average, but not by much.

 

Conclusion (47/60 = 78%) - Would I buy this pen? As a pelikan fan yes. Would I recommend it if this is the only pen that one could ever have? No. I think there are far better values out there. But, at the same time, I was really impressed with the way this pen felt in my hand and wrote (once it started up). I'm sure that the hard-start issue I discussed is not characteristic of this pen or manufacturer and could be aliviated by adjustment.

 

 

fpn_1319661875__review_-_pelikan_m200_one_red_fountain_pen_trade_series.jpg

 

fpn_1319661715__dscn3804.jpg

 

fpn_1319661758__dscn3806.jpg

 

fpn_1319661783__dscn3807.jpg

 

fpn_1319661808__dscn3809.jpg

 

fpn_1319661833__dscn3810.jpg

 

fpn_1319661900__2011-09-13-194919.jpg

WTT: Conklin Nozac Cursive Italic & Edison Beaumont Broad for Pelikan M1000 or Something Cool (PM me to discuss. It's part of my One Red Fountain Pen trading post)

WTB: 1. Camlin SD

2. 1950s to early 1960s 1st Gen MB 149 with BB nib

3. Airmail 90T Teal Swirl

4. PenBBS 355-16SF Demonstrator

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Thanks for the review. I have the same pen in grey marble, and the nib on it is so wonderful it could easily be an only pen. The springyness is really great, especially with say Caran d'ache Storm ink. I have pens that cost me ten times as much that don't write as well. That said, I left an identical pen on an airplane in Los Angeles in 1998, which had an even better nib as well as old style pressed Pelikan theme tassie. If you found one in a seat back pocket back then please PM me.

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Thanks for the review. I have the same pen in grey marble, and the nib on it is so wonderful it could easily be an only pen. The springyness is really great, especially with say Caran d'ache Storm ink. I have pens that cost me ten times as much that don't write as well. That said, I left an identical pen on an airplane in Los Angeles in 1998, which had an even better nib as well as old style pressed Pelikan theme tassie. If you found one in a seat back pocket back then please PM me.

 

Awww... that is such a shame to lose such a nice pen :(

WTT: Conklin Nozac Cursive Italic & Edison Beaumont Broad for Pelikan M1000 or Something Cool (PM me to discuss. It's part of my One Red Fountain Pen trading post)

WTB: 1. Camlin SD

2. 1950s to early 1960s 1st Gen MB 149 with BB nib

3. Airmail 90T Teal Swirl

4. PenBBS 355-16SF Demonstrator

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks for the concise review. I agree on all points. Two more things to mention (I have the older version w/o the gold ring):

 

- The mechanism operates very smoothly, better than on the 400/600 versions.

 

- You can change the nib unit very easily just by unscrewing it (take a cloth to grip the nib). If you can get hold of a broken Pelikan 400 (vintage version preferred), they have excellent nibs that fit into your M200. They are lovely to write with.

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- You can change the nib unit very easily just by unscrewing it (take a cloth to grip the nib). If you can get hold of a broken Pelikan 400 (vintage version preferred), they have excellent nibs that fit into your M200. They are lovely to write with.

 

This ease of nib change is why I like Pelikan so much. :)

WTT: Conklin Nozac Cursive Italic & Edison Beaumont Broad for Pelikan M1000 or Something Cool (PM me to discuss. It's part of my One Red Fountain Pen trading post)

WTB: 1. Camlin SD

2. 1950s to early 1960s 1st Gen MB 149 with BB nib

3. Airmail 90T Teal Swirl

4. PenBBS 355-16SF Demonstrator

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  • 2 weeks later...

Every time I see a variation of a Pelikan, I want it. Beautiful pen.

 

It is definitely a great pen. :) I traded it to someone for a Pelikan 140.

WTT: Conklin Nozac Cursive Italic & Edison Beaumont Broad for Pelikan M1000 or Something Cool (PM me to discuss. It's part of my One Red Fountain Pen trading post)

WTB: 1. Camlin SD

2. 1950s to early 1960s 1st Gen MB 149 with BB nib

3. Airmail 90T Teal Swirl

4. PenBBS 355-16SF Demonstrator

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That same exact pen but the older model with the domed cap was my first real fountain pen. I cherished it in grade 10 and it made my notes so pro looking. This review brought back good memories, it's a great writer and for the price you can't beat it with the piston filler.

 

Thanks

Brad

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