Best Pelikan Pen?

[freshcinnamon]

In search of the best pen.

Which pelikan pen do you think matches up or is better than the parker 51 pen?

no price limits

thanks lots!!

[Cliff O]

Easy. The M1000.

[pelicanachic]

I prefer all gold nibbed souveran line and 400 line to parker 51

 

and I don't think parker 51 is the best parker pen ever produced.

 

I put lots of other company's f.p ahead of parker 51

[rcmirani]

I think Pelikan M215.

It is made of metal, hence it is sturdy. Its nib writes smooth.

Moreover it takes the same size nib as M200. So there is a wide variety of nibs like OB, OBB etc.

[piembi]

The Pelikan that matches the Parker 51 is IMO the vintage 400 or 400NN.

 

400(NN) and 51 are completely different pens but both are great everyday users and I have always inked at least one of each.

[1000km]

Any piston-filling Pelikan beats a Parker 51. Best-selling pen of all time? Most over-rated pen of all time IMHO.

Edited January 30, 2011 by 1000km

[Juventino]

IMHO, it depends of your hand, writing, taste...

 

For myself, the M800

[elmer1950]

M800 (or M805). Nice size and wonderful behaviour.

[Rick Propas]

For what it's worth, the Pelikan pen I think of as the equivalent to the Parker 51 is the M800. Full-sized, good steady workhorse available eitheer in everyday trim or fancy.

[Silvermink]

"Best" is such a subjective term. I like my M1050, but the M10xx is too big for a lot of people.

[christof]

Best Pelikan in my opinion? Pelikan 100, of course!

[blbjdtny]

I agree with christoph, pelikan 100 & the Ibis, I only have one Ibis with Ibis nib and it is awesome in every way, I think and may be wrong, but I think it is a 100 cousin.

[Martius]

100 from the 30's or 100N c. 1950 with the fluted clip and older style nib imprint. We're talking REAL pens here - you can't quite match one of these at full song. The nibs on these pens are some of the best ever made. I love all the green in Pelikan pens; a nice change from the dull black of most other German pen manufacturers.

 

If you prefer modern pens, I like the weight of the M600 best. The M800 and M1000 are excellent but too heavy toward the back end to provide good balance for me. The modern nibs can't really hold a candle to the older nibs, though they tend to be smooth and functional.

Edited January 31, 2011 by Martius

[Bo Bo Olson]

The Pelikan that matches the Parker 51 is IMO the vintage 400 or 400NN.

 

400(NN) and 51 are completely different pens but both are great everyday users and I have always inked at least one of each.

 

The P-51 is a medium large sized pen. The 400NN though a tad smaller than the P-51 is still a medium large pen.

The 400 Sovereign is a standard sized pen. I have a '90. So I don't know if that is the vintage 400 meant, or if the '50-54 400 is meant.

 

I'd go for the 400NN, in it holds more ink than a 800 and a 1000.

You got a great chance at a semi-flex nib....Mine has a 'flexi"/Slightly Flexible nib. Mine is an OF.

 

There are also semi/slightly flexible Oblique nibs to be had, along with the regular semi-/slightly flexible nibs.

[penspouse]

The Pelikan that matches the Parker 51 is IMO the vintage 400 or 400NN.

 

400(NN) and 51 are completely different pens but both are great everyday users and I have always inked at least one of each.

 

+1

[rhr2010]

I think the P51 was a breakthrough in design, minimalistic. I like best the P51 vacumatic, not so much the aerometric ones. I am not a big fan of hooded nibs and generally the P51 nib is pretty firm, one line serves all. Good to write checks or taking quick notes. You can find stub or italic 51 nibs, but getting a full flex with a small hooded nib is I guess impossible. But the P51 was a son(daughter) of his(her) times, when pace of life was speeding up and people probably were spending less time flexing their nibs...

 

The Pelikan 100 was a breakthrough in design too. Small, minimalistic, a colored binde to make it more appealing, holding a lot of ink with an efficient piston filler, and becoming a comfortable pen when posted. Small in your pocket, right size in your hand. I think it is an iconic pen, extremely well designed, elegant, simple but sophisticated. I love all Pelikan pens, including modern ones, but in my opinion nothing compares to the Pelikan 100. Vintage Pelikan nibs are generally fantastic, at least semi-flex.

[seasterl]

For starters, it's the model that fits your hand the most. Secondly, I think it's the one that is more aesthetically appealing to the owner. Lastly, the nib should suit the intended purpose, whether it's a modified custom nib from a nibmeister or just a stock nib. The Pelikan that has these characteristics is the "best" pen for the user. IMO, it's the M805 with a "F" nib. It has classic, timeless looks that will never go out of style, is the perfect for my hand, and accomodates all of my favorite nibs, holds lots of ink, works reliably, and is servicable. It's not to heavy and balances perfectly with the cap unposted. (I never post my caps.) The silver-sectioned pens are too slippery, and the M1000 is just too big. So the Pelican M800 / M805 is the ideal FP!

 

EDIT: I just realized that I misread the OP's question! I thought the question was about which Pelikan FP is the best! Sorry about that.

Edited February 3, 2011 by seasterl

[mr goldfink]

An early Pelikan 100N with hump section

[Bronze]

- Of the new Pelikans I prefer the M1000, but it doesn't really have much in common with the 51.

[Silvermink]

I should add that the main reason I like the M10xx is that the nib has a nice springiness to it that the other modern Pelikans don't.

 

I have an M640 Sahara, too: I love the body, but find the nib a little boring. I'm going to get it customized to a fine stub in the not-too-distant future.

Edited February 3, 2011 by Silvermink