1989 pelikan söveran m800

[georges zaslavsky]

Hi

 

Here is a review dedicated to the older generation of söveran m800s.The older m800s were extremely popular when they were produced till 1996 (pic courtesy of nibs.com)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/georges2/M800OldStyleColors.jpg

Other signs separate them from the newer pelikans m800, like the logo on the cap which is silk-screened onto the black resin on the post 1996 m800s , the old style pen uses a gold plated disc for its cap logo. This signature Pelikan is engraved into the metal on the cap.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/georges2/M800OldStyleEndcapTop.jpg (pic courtesy of nibs.com)

And also the old style M800 features a gold plated disc at the bottom of the piston filler. These discs are not present on the new Pelikan M800's. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/georges2/M800OldStyleEndcapBottom.jpg (pic courtesy of nibs.com)

I bought mine in december for the modest price of 130€. Mine is already a collectible because on the cap it is written w-germany. Now let's review the pen.

 

Apparence/finish:

I own the traditional green striped model with the black cap. Finish is excellent and very sober as well. Despite being 18 years old, the pen is in extremely good condition.

 

Size/Weight:

Somewhat bigger and heavier than duofold. It is an ergonomic pen which is not too light and not too heavy. It never tires the hand to write with it.

 

Filling system:

The traditionnal piston filling system that works flawlessly and reliably. The pen has a very good ink capacity. You are good for 5 days of writing.

 

Nib/Performance:

Mine has an inhouse nib which is extremely smooth and writes perfectly. The inkflow is very good and I must be honest that I can say that my M800 equals easily with my Omases.

 

Conclusion:

The older m800 is already a very good collectible pen. It is also a way of appreciating a fine pen and also a way to go for the bigger pelikan m1000.

[bdngrd]

Thanks for the review- that 800 is very pretty. I like the engraved logo on the cap, mine must be one of the newer ones. The printed logo on the more recent version seems cheaper and less attractive to me. I wish they still made them like the one you described.

Thanks for the review.

[johnr55]

Great review, Georges. Do you notice any other differences between the older series 800's and the newer ones? The new ones always seemed nice to me, but are the older ones noticeably better made, or heavier?

[georges zaslavsky]

QUOTE (johnr55 @ Mar 11 2007, 03:41 PM)

Great review, Georges. Do you notice any other differences between the older series 800's and the newer ones? The new ones always seemed nice to me, but are the older ones noticeably better made, or heavier?

Myself, I own an older m800. The aesthetics are the same on the new models and the older ones except for the details I described above. The only difference between mine and other models is the nib mine is made inhouse but I tried a modern 800 and it was almost the same. Today Pelikans have bock nibs (bock owns 90% of the market of the nib). Unless I haven't heard of problems ongoing with the m800 which is rarely seen for sale in second hand in my country, the m800 is appreciated by many. I even tried a brand new m1000 last time it is just a step above the m800, it is cheaper than many pens that cost twice its price and it has many other qualities. The nib on the model 1000 is more smooth than on the m800, but I can't complain about my m800.

[DilettanteG]

Excellent review!

 

How do you determine if your nib is an in-house or a Bock model?

 

Thanks,

Kate

[georges zaslavsky]

QUOTE (DilettanteG @ Mar 11 2007, 05:48 PM)

Excellent review! How do you determine if your nib is an in-house or a Bock model? Thanks, Kate

Because in the late 80's Pelikan wasn't using bock nibs, I have discussed it with Mr Mora where I bought the pen at his shop. Bock started to be more and more influent in the nib market in the mid 90's probably a period where many pen manufacturers lost their independance. Also the fact that mine has written w-germany on the ring cap is enough sufficient to say that it wasn't made in the 90's.

Edited March 11, 2007 by georges zaslavsky

[Mighty_Pir]

Georges:

 

how does the m800 compare with the MB 146? I have a 146 and a m1000 and have been eyeing the m800s for my collection.

 

regards

 

Farooq

[georges zaslavsky]

QUOTE (Mighty_Pir @ Mar 11 2007, 06:20 PM)

Georges: how does the m800 compare with the MB 146? I have a 146 and a m1000 and have been eyeing the m800s for my collection. regards Farooq

It is a different pen, the 146 being somewhat slimmer but in terms of nibs both are equal. My 146 is not a modern 146 but a vintage 146. The m800 is a must have.