Pelikan M215 Black, rings, F nib

[hecya]

Pelikan M215 Black w. rings pattern

 

Coming from so many years of using cheap disposable pens I felt somehow that spending more than US$10.00 on a pen was overboard but after reading many reviews here I decided to go for a pen on the US$100 range. Shopping for a pen was almost a new experience for me as all my everyday pens are either supplied at work or gifts I have picked up at trade shows or hotels.

 

Browsing for an upscale pen from a traditional manufacturer I found the Pelikan M215 and M205 on the web and decided to go for the M215 with the rings pattern.

 

First Impressions 4/5

The black finish is glossy and the metal parts and rings make a very elegant and nice contrast. The only thing I didn´t like right away is that I found it rather short.

 

Appearance & Design 9/10

The cap screws off and the thread is on the barrel not on the cap so that when posting the cap this does not scratch the barrel. (I was very anxious about this at first).

 

The rings are well engraved and are about 0.5 mm in thickness.

 

The design is very conservative but not outdated. I would say classy and elegant and is perfect for a business meeting but without screaming to everybody in the room that this is a expensive pen.

 

Construction & Quality 9/10

The build quality is impressive. Not a single speck or failure on the rings or metal parts. In a whole, the impression is of a solid, well finished product.

 

Weight & Dimensions 9/10

The pen dimensions are as follows:-

Overall Length Capped = 125 mm

Length Uncapped = 120 mm

Length Posted = 150 mm

Maximum Cap Diameter = 13 mm

Maximum Barrel diameter = 10 mm approx.

 

The pen feels substantial. It is heavier than my Lamy Al-Star and this feels very good for writing. If a pen is too light you must keep pushing the pen down and this is tiresome for the fingers and also requires more force to drag the nib. If a pen is too heavy you still have to use your fingers to restrain the tendency to slide away and this is also tiresome.

 

I find the weight of the M215 just right. The nib glides over the paper and it just requires guidance to write.

 

A bit longer would be fine.

 

Nib & Performance 9/10

The nib is F and is not scratchy at all and writes very smoothly right from the beginning. The ink flow is quite balanced, not dry, not wet. I am using Sheaffer Skrip blue ink now.

 

Filling system & Maintenance 9/10

The filling system is piston and the filling process is quite simple.

 

Cost & Value 9/10

I bought it from 'pensgallery' on ebay for US$78.00 and US$15.00 for shipping to Mexico in March 2010. It took 7 days to arrive (4 days to prepare the shipment and 3 more to aarive). I consider it a very good value as it has a great look and feels solidly built.

 

Conclusion 9/10

This pen has confirmed that my idea to buy a pen on this price range was right. The ease of writing, the design of the pen and the top quality construction is certainly worth it.

 

Now that I have spent nearly US$100 on a pen I am starting to look for a Pelikan M625 ...

[Miles S]

Nice review, thank you for your efforts!

[tuintu]

nice pen. thanks for the review

 

if i wasn't a student, i would have this model or M800, too

[PianoMan14]

I have this exact same model (bought from pengallery, actually) and it is wonderful. I found that one has to post it, otherwise it is a little too short for comfortable writing.

 

Congratulations, and enjoy your new pen!

[monsoonmalabar]

Thanks for the review - I'm also a big fan of this pen.

 

That is a very nice folio in the pics. What is the name of it and where can we get one?

[sargetalon]

Great review. I have one if these myself with an M nib. Wonderful pen. I have an M425 and its awesome. I'm sure you'd be happy with the M625.

[hecya]

The brand of the leather purse is Wilsons Leather. I bought in in England many years ago for a Palm Pilot III. The space reserved for the PDA is exactly the same as one standard size of cardboard cards that are available at stationary stores. So I use it for carryng business cards and taking notes at meetings. It also fits a jacket external pocket.

[Safari_Camo]

I have the same hardware (Lozenge model) with the same nib size.

I just realized that I like a lot the Pelikan performance, writes very well and looks awesome, very comfortable in size also; I admit that another Pelikan wouldn't hurt so I'm waiting a m205 (Black).

 

Just want to have one inked in blue (M nib) and another inked in black with an F nib.

[VladDracule]

I have this exact same model (bought from pengallery, actually) and it is wonderful. I found that one has to post it, otherwise it is a little too short for comfortable writing.

 

Congratulations, and enjoy your new pen!

I agree on the posting. For me however the pen is too light and too thin. I tend to get hand cramps when writing with it so unfortunately I dont use it much

[kpyeoman]

I have the same issue with the girth of the pen. I tend to hold it higher at the threads to compensate a bit, but it still doesn't feel very comfortable, unfortunately. It's a really nice looking and writing pen, and each time I ink it up, I want to like it more than I do. I think it's going to be carried in my jacket pocket for quick notes and its length will work well for that.

 

It really is a shame -- it's such a sharp looking pen and I was really excited to get this when it was given to me as a gift. I think an M600 might be just what I'm looking for, though.

[Pterodactylus]

The M600 is exactly the same size as the M215

Also the threads are in the same position.

Only the M600 cap is about 5mm longer than the M215.

 

To be honest, this size is not small (for me), it's nowadays a quite common mid-size pen, and posted it is a quite large pen.

If somebody gets cramps during writing, I would first take a closer look at how you hold your pen, or if you using mainly your fingers to write. IMHO this is a more likely root cause than the pen.

[Bemo]

Since I have one of these enroute to me now, isn't the m215 thinner than an m600?

[Pterodactylus]

There is almost no difference in the girth.

[Sasha Royale]

It is a conservatively handsome pen. The pattern is subtly extravagant. I have the Lozenge and Rectangular

patterns. It writes well, and the brass construction makes it settle nicely into the hand. Delicious pen !

 

I use Noodler's Eel Blue in mine.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I have the Lozenge. The ringed model never interested me; it looked sort of blaaa in the photos.

 

However, I'm trans-mailing a 215 w/rings pen for a pal in England, in some fool Germans refuse to mail out side of Germany.

The ring model looks much better in life....just is not photogenic. I was surprised how classy it looks.

[fly_us]

I have the Lozenge. The ringed model never interested me; it looked sort of blaaa in the photos.

 

However, I'm trans-mailing a 215 w/rings pen for a pal in England, in some fool Germans refuse to mail out side of Germany.

The ring model looks much better in life....just is not photogenic. I was surprised how classy it looks.

Indeed. It is a very nice pen on hand, not on photo. I'm still not sure whether i love it or not. But it is also my first upscale pen, and more importantly, the first Pelikan that brought me the bird madness.

 

I still remember how i enjoy to write it when received. But when the bird madness hits me hard and after 10-15 Pelikans more, i found out that i rarely touch it again, except the weekly scribbling sessions to make sure inks are not dry out. Most of the time i pick the old style and vintage birds with me instead of this one.