Impressions On A Pelikan M215 After Several Years

[thoddomas]

Hey Pelikan peeps of FPN,

 

I'm in the midst of writing an article (blog post or what-have-you) about my Pelikan tradition m215 fountain pen (in blue/black, fine nib) as a testimonial of how it has held up over the last 3 years that I've owned it. I have plenty of positive (and just a few negative) things to say about this pen that I have always come back to, despite adding several other pens to my collection.

 

I am wondering if anyone can share their opinions on the tradition m200, m215 or m205 after putting in a few years of mileage? Do you feel it is an old-standby after switching to other pens? Are you having any technical trouble that needed to be repaired? Will credit your replies when I write the post.

[smoothquill]

Hi

I have been a user of Pelikan m200 series for years (I have an m200, one M205 and one M215) and all I can say is that Pelikan M215 pens are reliable, comfortable to write with and fit for daily use and abuse. I'm a fountain pen user for over 25 years and in terms of quality and value for money Pelikans beat many prestigious and even more expensive pens.

 

You might experience certain lubrication problems with the piston mechanism (some inks are more aggressive and the piston might not run smoothly) in my case it happened 'cause I left the pen filled with ink in a drawer for a long time and the ink clogged it. It had a easy solution, I removed the nib, washed the pen with water and applied a bit of pure silicone grease to the walls of the ink reservoir (the kind of silicone grease you find in a scuba diving store. Other than that I never had any mechanical problems and my m215s run great. I handwrite everything and the type it on a word processor, it's an old habit of those who value handwriting and were taught to respect it. I used my first m215 for about 4 years, then gave it to a friend who still has it and uses it on a daily basis.

 

One interesting aspect is the big capacity of the ink reservoir and the transparent viewer: you never run out of ink in the middle of an important writing with this pen.

 

 

I prefer broader strokes, so I always use M or B nibs, in both cases, they run smoothly. The pen has a very balanced weight, even posted, which grants writing comfortably for long periods of time.

 

This is the pen I would honestly recommend to anyone. I hope I have been of help. BTW Niche Pens is a fine site for Pelikan pens.

 

good luck

 

 

 

[thoddomas]

Thanks for the reply, Smoothquill. I definitely agree with you on all the points you mentioned. I am very happy with the fine point myself, as I do prefer a more fine or extra-fine nib for my small writing style. Shortly after my post on FPN, I did the blog write-up on my reflections of the Pelikan m215 on my blog, which you can find here : http://goldspotpens.blogspot.com/2011/06/after-3-years-my-favorite-bird-pen.html

 

[The Good Captain]

I have F or EF nibs in my M200/400 series pens too. The steel ones are very pleasant to write with and I prefer the F over the EF in the 14c gold/rhodium ones.

[VanRocket]

Thoddomas - I looked at the picture of your M215 on your blog and that is the one I have been looking for. I assume it has been discontinued or was a limited release? I prefer the look of that one over the currently offered line of M215's. Do you know if it is still available anywhere?

 

Nice write up of a great pen. I, too, like a finer line for my small handwriting but the overall feel of the pen in the hand and the excellent nibs make up for the moderately heavier lines. I have an M205 and use it daily.

 

Jeff

[thoddomas]

Thoddomas - I looked at the picture of your M215 on your blog and that is the one I have been looking for. I assume it has been discontinued or was a limited release? Do you know if it is still available anywhere?

 

Nice write up of a great pen. I, too, like a finer line for my small handwriting but the overall feel of the pen in the hand and the excellent nibs make up for the moderately heavier lines. I have an M205 and use it daily.

 

Jeff

 

Hey Jeff,

 

Thanks for the comment on the write up! Unfortunately, the 215 in blue/black that I have is a discontinued style that Pelikan decided was not going to be produced with their current lines. I believe they did the same thing with the M200 blue and green marble finishes. Sorry to say that we at Goldspot do not have any of them left at all. You may want to check with other online pen retailers to see if anyone may have a stray piece left in-stock.

[Bijesh]

Thoddomas - I looked at the picture of your M215 on your blog and that is the one I have been looking for. I assume it has been discontinued or was a limited release? I prefer the look of that one over the currently offered line of M215's. Do you know if it is still available anywhere?

 

Nice write up of a great pen. I, too, like a finer line for my small handwriting but the overall feel of the pen in the hand and the excellent nibs make up for the moderately heavier lines. I have an M205 and use it daily.

 

Jeff

 

I'm also looking for one. It seems to be out of stock everywhere.

Edited July 14, 2011 by Bijesh

[checkmate]

I am not in any way related to this seller, but as I am just buying an M215 myself, I happened to stumble upon what you guys are looking for... here it is.

 

 

 

Thoddomas - I looked at the picture of your M215 on your blog and that is the one I have been looking for. I assume it has been discontinued or was a limited release? I prefer the look of that one over the currently offered line of M215's. Do you know if it is still available anywhere?

 

Nice write up of a great pen. I, too, like a finer line for my small handwriting but the overall feel of the pen in the hand and the excellent nibs make up for the moderately heavier lines. I have an M205 and use it daily.

 

Jeff

 

I'm also looking for one. It seems to be out of stock everywhere.

[The Good Captain]

I'm quite happy with the black/ring version I bought last week. A nice writer and just that little bit of extra weight over the M200/400 which makes a change.

[stevlight]

I have a M215 at my computer for notes and stuff and it always writes first touch to paper. It is a little small for me to draw with or use everyday. I wish Pelikan would make a 800 sized version!

[DAYoung]

The M215 is still my daily writer. I've other Pelikans for other jobs, e.g. signing books, editing, diary entries. But the M215 is best for sustained writing.

 

I've recently picked up a vintage 140, which has a beautiful nib. But it's still too light/small for long drafting sessions.

[VanRocket]

I am not in any way related to this seller, but as I am just buying an M215 myself, I happened to stumble upon what you guys are looking for... here it is.

 

 

 

Thoddomas - I looked at the picture of your M215 on your blog and that is the one I have been looking for. I assume it has been discontinued or was a limited release? I prefer the look of that one over the currently offered line of M215's. Do you know if it is still available anywhere?

 

Nice write up of a great pen. I, too, like a finer line for my small handwriting but the overall feel of the pen in the hand and the excellent nibs make up for the moderately heavier lines. I have an M205 and use it daily.

 

Jeff

 

I'm also looking for one. It seems to be out of stock everywhere.

 

Thanks for the referral checkmate. I placed an order for one yesterday. Now I will have an M215 added to my collection!

 

Jeff

[liapuyat]

I have two M215s, a lozenge design and a rings one. In them I have an F and a B nib - really outstanding steel nibs, springy and wet writers. I've had the lozenge one for three years now, and it has never failed me. When the rings design came to me secondhand, I snapped it up because M215s are such reliable pens.

[GeekyGirl]

I realize that this is a new response to an older thread but I've read your review several times before and just felt like commenting. It's a very nice, and honest, review and I agree with your point about posting the cap potentially scratching the end of the barrel. I post very lightly but somehow marred my brand new M205. Thankfully I have fried who restores vintage pens so he got it buffed out. I love these pens but I think the material of the solid ones is too delicate–I'd never carry one in my pocket. My M205 blue demonstrator seems much more resilient.

 

I prefer F and EF nibs but I bought the M215 Rings version on eBay with a M nib. I didn't expect to like it as much as I do as I don't really like black pens, but I find that I really do love this pen, precisely because of the additional weight. It just feels great in the hand. As for the nib, I prefer Pelikan steel nibs over Pelikan gold nibs. I could barely tell the difference between the M and the F nibs I have on my two M205s. I had Pendleton Brown grind this M nib and one of my F nibs to a "Butter-Line Stub," which is sort of a stub/italic hybrid. It's fantastic and gives me just a little flair to my writing that I don't get with the rounded-tipped nibs.

 

Thanks for sharing your review. And what a cute little girl in your photo. Precious.

Edited June 9, 2014 by GeekyGirl

[Bo Bo Olson]

Wax the pen=no mars.

 

Mars can be easily removed if already mar'ed with a bit of light finger polishing and flannel cloth buffing with semi-chrome polish.

 

I buy old used pens...not a lot had mars....only a couple. None have a mar now due to waxing them every couple of months, and I post everything but my Large pens and have been known to post them too.

[Chuckie]

I love my M200 and have been using it for almost a year. A little light, but man can it write!