Pelikan: steel vs gold nib

[sat]

Despite being very happy with a recent Pelikan M200 purchase (steel nib, gold plated), I am (of course) wondering whether it's worth upgrading to the M400 nib (gold). Pelikans do after all allow for very easy nib changing...

 

How much difference do you find the gold nib makes to the writing? I assume a little more care goes into the making of these units, so they're likely to be even smoother, but are there other noticeable benefits?

 

Edit: apologies if this should be under "Pelikan". It just occurred to me that maybe it should. Administrators please just move this if I've got it wrong.

Edited March 12, 2011 by sat

[Pensfan]

My M405 is much smoother than my M200. The gold nib offers a touch of spring to it, not flex perse, but it is softer and more comfortable to write with. Plus it is very smooth.

 

Given a choice, I will always go for gold nibs.

 

[Calbei]

My M405 is much smoother than my M200. The gold nib offers a touch of spring to it, not flex perse, but it is softer and more comfortable to write with. Plus it is very smooth.

 

Given a choice, I will always go for gold nibs.

 

On the contrary... I tried three M400 nibs and they all felt far more rigid than my M200 nib which is light, smooth and springy.

[Basset]

I don't know that you would feel much difference on the writing surface if each nib is well polished, ground, and aligned. I think the tipping material is the same.

 

I have several "Binderized" Pelikan steel nibs for my M200s (cursive italic and crisp italic of different widths). I don't know that I can feel any difference between those and my M400 nibs that were likewise ground to italic. I just picked up an Estie on the board with a steel nib ground to a CI by Pendleton Brown, and it's smoother than several other gold nibs I've had ground to CIs

 

Spring may be a different issue, but you asked about smoothness.

 

Just about a year ago, this same discussion came up. See here.

 

In October the topic came up here, in a post with nice pix.

 

And a few days ago, thisthread about the different steel nibs.

 

Brian Gray of Edison pens on steel nibs.

[handwriter]

My M405 is much smoother than my M200. The gold nib offers a touch of spring to it, not flex perse, but it is softer and more comfortable to write with. Plus it is very smooth.

 

Given a choice, I will always go for gold nibs.

 

On the contrary... I tried three M400 nibs and they all felt far more rigid than my M200 nib which is light, smooth and springy.

 

Same here.

Modern Pelikan nibs are very rigid. A different matter are vintage Pel nibs, where it is possible to find semiflex and flex nibs.

[Opel]

I must concur.

 

My M400 nib is like it has been carved from slabs of granite and then fashioned magically into beautiful golden nibs, at the hands of battle weary Teutonic Knights. Somehow, their outward exterior and fearsome reputation belie the reality of their softness of touch and supreme dexterity. Such ability resembles that of nymphs, whose mystical abilities are able to produce a nib with the feeling of absolute smoothness in operation, as the point glides firmly across the paper.

 

Not to put too fine a point on it… the (new generation) gold nibs are well ‘ard. I would therefore humbly suggest that such a feature (perhaps) negates any advantage—real or perceived—over the steel variety. Thus, stick with the steel ones. However, the two tone gold flavour are very pretty.

 

This is all very subjective and at the end of the day, go and try all the various possibilities yourself. Then you’ll be confident in knowing that you have made the correct and informed choice, when you finally take the plunge.

 

Best of luck… :ltcapd:

[alvarez57]

My M405 is much smoother than my M200. The gold nib offers a touch of spring to it, not flex perse, but it is softer and more comfortable to write with. Plus it is very smooth.

 

Given a choice, I will always go for gold nibs.

 

 

It depends on the tipping! I have a stiff Esterbrook steel nib that writes like butter. Modern steel nibs, well depends on the manufacturer. Pelikan Fine steel nibs I can tell you I don't like (two I've owned).

[jimhughes]

I've got a Pelikan 2XX series Binderized Waverly XXF in steel, it is as nice or nicer than my Pelikan F and XF in gold. I regularly, daily use an Estie Steel 9555 Gregg Shorthand, because it's so smooth and the line width is perfect. I have 3 Edisons 2 with Gold nibs in XF and one in Steel. All 3 are equally smooth and a pleasure to use. You can't ell one from the other with your eyes shut. YMMV, Jim

[jsroe]

I have both the M200 with steel fine nib, and M400 with 14Kt gold fine nib. They are different, not necessarily one better than the other. The M400 nib is wetter with a broader line, and hence will feel smoother, whereas the M200 is springier with a little more feedback and slightly more line variation because of the springiness. The M400 with it's smoothness is an all around very comfortable pen to write with for page after page of long writing. The M200 yields a little more control and feedback. I think it will be a personal choice as to which you will prefer.

 

If you like the characteristics of the M200 nib, but want to try a 14Ct gold version of it anyway, perhaps the M250 14Ct gold nib, available still from Nibs.com, might be an idea (just under $100). I just got one for one of my M200s, and I am very pleased with it. It is a little smoother.

Edited March 13, 2011 by jsroe

[The Good Captain]

In other replies you will notice that I've bought a M205 and had the nib changed to a 14c gold/rhodium Fine, by the supplier before he shipped the pen. It feels really good but I can only compare it with Parker steel, rhodium plated 14c gold, Waterman gold plate or Mont Blanc gold. The Pelikan comes out on top of the lot.

So, go for the gold or gold/rhodium if you prefer a mainly 'white metal' appearance.

[sat]

Thanks for the thoughts. I guess tipping is the most important thing, but I will likely investigate gold at some point...

[Joe in Seattle]

I sold my gold nibs, and replaced them with steel. Much truer to "size" and write just as nicely for my taste.

[nostalgic]

I recently acquired an M200 with 2 nibs, the original gold-plated medium nib, and a M400 duo-toned 14K fine nib--so I got to try both in the same pen. Liked them both and, as others have said, they are different, not necessarily better. I preferred the M400 nib which writes much like a fine-medium over the original M200 nib which writes a fairly heavy medium. Matter of individual preference.

 

I ended up installing the M400 fine nib in my M605 which came with the 14k duo-tone medium nib. That 's now one of my very favorite pens. Restored the M200 with its original medium nib. (In case you're wondering the M605 nib will not fit well in the M200 according to Richard Binder because it's just a little too long for the cap.)

[Bipedallou]

I don't know that you would feel much difference on the writing surface if each nib is well polished, ground, and aligned. I think the tipping material is the same.

 

I have several "Binderized" Pelikan steel nibs for my M200s (cursive italic and crisp italic of different widths). I don't know that I can feel any difference between those and my M400 nibs that were likewise ground to italic. I just picked up an Estie on the board with a steel nib ground to a CI by Pendleton Brown, and it's smoother than several other gold nibs I've had ground to CIs

 

Spring may be a different issue, but you asked about smoothness.

 

Just about a year ago, this same discussion came up. See here.

 

In October the topic came up here, in a post with nice pix.

 

And a few days ago, thisthread about the different steel nibs.

 

Brian Gray of Edison pens on steel nibs.

 

 

Thank you, Basset, for the links to previous FPN threads and the external link to Brian Gray's article. I have been fighting the desire to buy a M215, fine nib, (or perhaps the EF?), and these discussions only serve to increase that desire. I really enjoy using my M400 (EF) and so, of course, an additional Pelikan will only result in less use of the one I have, which is not what I want to do. The internal struggle goes on; the desire to possess weighs in against the desire to be practical.

 

Lou

 

 

[redisburning]

If you want a gold pelikan nib get a used one with a pen attached.

 

Ive only had Pelikan's gold nibs, btw. I havent quite had the "ah ha" moment yet.

Edited March 18, 2011 by redisburning

[paul91hughes]

Compared to the stainless steel nib on the 150; the gold nib on the M400 is smooth. Buttery smooth.

 

 

I find that the steel nib feels a bit more "tactile" giving more "feedback" from the page.

 

 

I'd splash out (just as I did) on a M400...

 

 

...you know you want to.

Edited March 19, 2011 by paul91hughes

[rollerboy]

In terms of writing performance it's not worth upgrading. It may not *be* an upgrade. Whether or not you see/feel a difference depends on the instance of the M200 nib you have now and the instance of the M400 nib should you acquire one. The M400 nib is mighty purty though.

 

You may as well go ahead and buy the M400 nib though. I'm pretty sure the possibility the gold nib is better will eat away at you until you do.

[The Good Captain]

I've just ordered another M205 but this time with it's 'supplied' steel nib, in F as well. As I plan to use them with different journals/papers/uses, I'll make damned sure they both get their fair share of writing. That just leaves me with the dilemma of when to use the Sonnet or the Mozart?

Edited March 19, 2011 by The Good Captain

[Inka]

If you want to upgrade from steel to gold, I'd personally not do it on a M200 unless there was something unusually special about the pen body that grabs you.

As has been said, get yourself a new or gently used M400 with a nice 14k nib already attached, they're not that expensive as compared to buying a new gold nib separately.

 

As far as material smoothness and handling goes, it really depends more on the alloy-blend/ hardness/ manufacturing/ finishing and so on than any material differences I've found.

I have a stainless steel LAMY 1.5mm Italic that writes slick & smooth, a LAMY Medium and EF in black that also write like a greased ball bearing, whereas I've read many never have this great experience with their LAMY nibs so I count myself fortunate.

I also have a sweet Pelikan M800 Old Style with 18k Fine gold nib that's just as smooth as the S/S ones that are like greased bearings, as well as an M800 OM that's just as smooth when held at the correct left-footed degree of angle.

So there's little difference between materials, as long as the tips are properly shaped/ smoothed/ polished, and since there's no "tipping" per se at all on my LAMY 1.5mm CI nib [it's only cut/ shaped/ polished, no iridium nor tipping of any kind!] it's also not always the tipping although that certainly makes a huge difference in most cases.

You can have hard/ stiff/ inflexible gold nibs despite having higher gold content [depending on the alloy contents], just as you can have a super-flexible carbon steel nib, or visa-versa, it all depends on factors that go beyond the nib [or tipping] material itself but not totally inclusive/ exclusive thereof either.

[pajaro]

My M405 is much smoother than my M200. The gold nib offers a touch of spring to it, not flex perse, but it is softer and more comfortable to write with. Plus it is very smooth.

 

Given a choice, I will always go for gold nibs.

 

 

I believe that you are referring to the M405 that I traded to you for the Parker 51 with the stub nib.

 

That pen and nib are nice, but I also have a M200 with F and B gold-plated steel nibs. These steel nibs are actually very slightly smoother than the EF gold nib in your pen. Sometimes I use the fine gold-plated steel nib in my M400 White Tortoise.

 

I used to feel that gold nibs are better. Experience has shown me that the difference is slight, and varying from one nib to another, regardless of type, but that the size ratings of Pelikan steel nibs seem to be more accurate. It is kind of revolting to think that a more valuable nib might not offer operational advantage, but it might be so, varying nib to nib. It is also revolting to find your Pelikan fine gold nib writes like a medium-to-broad. I think it's all machts nichts.

 

By the way, neither cap was correct for the Parker. Luckily I had a blue diamond cap acquired decades ago with a 51 special in an antique place. The world of 51s has a lot of mix and match stuff floating around, and I had to do a lot of research to figure out what cap belonged.