Advice on new imperfect Pelikans

[helius]

Got my new Pelikans today - a green m800 in fine and a honey m400 in medium! I rushed them to my desk, inked them with Pelikan inks (turqoise and brown), and scribbled with them for quite awhile. After the initial rush of excitement wore off, I'm now not quite sure what to think of my new Pelikans. I've written on both Black n' Red notebook paper and cheap copier / laser printer paper.

 

On the positive side, the pens themselves look rather pretty, especially the honey m400. The piston mechanisms work just fine, and the fit and finish is flawless. The medium nib is rather smooth, and the fine nib is decent. Not as smooth as my sailor, but that's probably not a very fair comparison.

 

And now the problems.

 

Hard starting.

The medium nib some times refuses to write after it's been capped for 5-10 minutes. It takes 1-2 strokes before ink starts flowing again. And by a stroke, I mean one line the length of a lower-case 'ell.' It happens much less frequently with the fine nib, and when it does, all it takes is half a stroke to start writing again. This problem happens much more with the cheaper paper.

 

Skipping.

I tend to write fast, and there are actually line variations (not in a good way) when I do! As expected, it happens more with the medium nib than the fine. I've read that Pelikan inks run rather dry, but I've never had any problems with Pelikan's violet and turqoise in my other pens.

 

I got these because of the glowing reviews these pens always get (besides the complaints of scratchy fine / extra-fine nibs). The impression that I got from reading the posts here is that Pelikans are supposed to be workhorses, and that means pens that start right away, and put ink to all sorts of paper without any complaints. Are my expectations too high for these pens/nibs?

 

Can this all be blamed on baby-bottomed nibs? Dry-writing nibs? Should I perform some nib flossing? Or am I doomed to send these to chartpak? These were brand new and have never been inked. Could soapy water put things right?

 

:bonk: :bonk: :bonk:

 

Edited to add: They both some time skip entire strokes on cheap paper, always after the nib has left the paper.

Edited December 5, 2006 by helius

[Sonnet]

Hi Helius. Congrats on your 2 new Pelikans. When I purchased a medium-nib Pelikan Place de la Concorde last May, it had severe hard-starting and skipping problems. I contacted the seller, Pam Braun [www.oscarbraunpens.com] and she exchanged the faulty nib for a replacement medium nib. Works like a charm and that pen has become a daily writer. So my advice: if your seller can't exchange the nibs for whatever reason, then you should definitely call ChartPak. They helped me out when one of my Pelikan M200s had a hairline crack in the barrel. ChartPak's employees were very helpful and friendly. And Pam Braun was a joy to deal with as well. Good luck with your new pens!

[RyanL27]

Hey helius,

 

I'm sorry to hear that the new Pels are performing as they should. These nibs should really be excellent writers, and if they're not, send the pens to Chartpak. It only takes 1-2 weeks to get them back.

 

But, Pelikan ink is known to be a bit thick - so you could always try some Waterman, Aurora or Quink ink to see if you get any better results.

 

My advice: stick with them, send them to Chartpak (multiple times if necessary) because when they're good....they're oh so good!

[sonia_simone]

I have had no hard starting or skipping issues at all with any Pelikans. No matter what paper, no matter what ink. I'd give them a rinse in soapy water in case they have residual oils, and if that doesn't work I'd contact the seller or Chartpak for replacements. Chartpak is amazingly fast.

 

They should be perfect. It's so annoying when they aren't!

[helius]

I've just read Richard Binder's article on "baby bottom" nibs, and it appears that my medium m400 fits that description perfectly. In fact, if I get the pressure just right, I can "write" or more precisely have the nib come in contact with paper without any ink coming out. The fine nibbed m800 seems to suffer the same problem, to a lesser degree. Oh well, I have another Pelikan coming. Maybe third time's a charm... or something.

[girlieg33k]

Hi helius,

 

I experienced the same thing with my new M600 and M400 Pelikans. When I did the soapy water rinse a few times, I didn't have any problems. I did the same thing when I acquired the M200 and M150. I haven't had any starting or skipping problems after I did the soapy water rinse. Don't put too much liquid soap -- just a drop or two in an 8oz. glass ought to work.

 

Also, keep an eye on the M400 cap. I have the White Tortoise as well, and like others here, I noticed a tiny hairline crack when I was cleaning it the other day. I have to contact Chartpak about exchanging the cap, but I'm sure I won't run into any problems doing so.

 

Congrats on your Pelikans. They really are workhorses.

Edited January 22, 2007 by girlieg33k

[sonia_simone]

If you think it's baby-bottom, march them straight to Chartpak--they will get things right really very quickly. Or your vendor may be able to send replacements even fast. (But Chartpak very often sends the replacement the day after they get the pen. Sometimes I think they even send the same day they receive.)

 

I know it's a bummer on a brand new pen, esp. a pretty one.

[helius]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I realize that it was a very whiney post, but I was so looking forward to these pens.

 

I've given up on the medium/m400 as a bad baby-bottom nib, and I've just sent Chartpak an email. Maybe the fine/m800 can be fixed by the soapy water trick. I'm gonna have to try it tonight.

 

By the by, how does one pack one's pens to send to Chartpak to ensure they arrive safely?

[rroossinck]

Pack 'em in the Pelikan box that they came in, and ship 'em to Abi and Kendra...they'll take good care of 'em. That's what I did with my 360 Epoch last week. It's probably what I'll do if I can't find someone with a spare XF nib for my M150.

[Taki]

I ususally pack a pen in bubble wrap and either put it in a box (priority mail video box is good) or put a cardboard over bubble wrap. Presentation boxes are often heavy and not necessarily secure. If you want to send it in the presentation box, I would add packing material like bubble wrap around the pen so that it won't move inside the box.

[Bill]

I got pretty cocky with continued success with Pels out of the box, often not even cleaning them before use. The couple that were a bit grumpy started behaving fine after a load or two of good ink.

 

But I got a M205 clear demonstrator and guess what...you can clearly SEE the oils inside! Doh! Even my thick skull passed on the message to my brain. In the future, I will thoroughly clean all new pens first.

 

If the sonia_simone/girlieg33k treatment does not work, get the pens (or the nibs) replaced.

 

Bill

 

[edited to repair the Queen's English]

Edited December 6, 2006 by Bill

[helius]

It's official. Either I'm jinxed when it comes to Pelikan nibs, or they need better QC.

 

I'm now batting 0 for 3. Soapy water didn't work for any of them. Just tested out my third pen with a broad nib. Perfectly smooth nib, but horribly dry at the angle I hold my pens (40 to 50 degrees). After playing around with it for awhile, I found that this nib indeed does function perfectly, with an incredible sweet spot... but only if you're willing to hold the pen at between 80 and 90 degrees!

 

The darndest thing about all of this, is that these problems would probably have not manifested themselves if the pens were only dip tested the way I normally do at a B&M store.

 

These are going straight to Chartpak later this week. :bonk: :bonk: :bonk:

Edited December 6, 2006 by helius

[KCat]

It's official. Either I'm jinxed when it comes to Pelikan nibs, or they need better QC.

 

The darndest thing about all of this, is that these problems would probably have not manifested themselves if the pens were only dip tested the way I normally do at a B&M store.

 

These are going straight to Chartpak later this week. :bonk: :bonk: :bonk:

that's why I think it's important that Chartpak get involved in checking flow on new nibs in this situation. it isn't as if you aren't going to ink it right up when you get it. Were you able to talk to them about this?

 

i've been fortunate thus far but from what I'm hearing, Pelikan QC is slipping a good bit. Sometimes it makes good sense to spend a little extra and get a tested nib from the nibmeisters.

[Phthalo]

They need better QC.

 

I bought three new Pels and the EF/F nib on each sucked. I live in AU and bought them in Asia, so Pelikan AU won't touch them. I have had them supposedly swapped by the vendor in Asia, but they are all still duds. I have no option but to sell them or get the nibs re-ground, which I'll do shortly.

 

My experience put me off Pelikan for life. I don't spend any money with them any more, which is a shame, because I really like the Pelikan colours.

 

You are lucky you have such a good Pelikan agent to help you with your pens, Chartpak seem to make it right for many people who have issues.

[helius]

that's why I think it's important that Chartpak get involved in checking flow on new nibs in this situation. it isn't as if you aren't going to ink it right up when you get it. Were you able to talk to them about this?

 

i've been fortunate thus far but from what I'm hearing, Pelikan QC is slipping a good bit. Sometimes it makes good sense to spend a little extra and get a tested nib from the nibmeisters.

I'm going to email them again and include in my note that it's not the smoothness of the nibs, but rather the flow that's the problem. Since I'll be sending the entire pens, hopefully they'll check it. I can't remember her last name, but Nancy responded within a few hours of my sending my first email. The pens will probably go out tomorrow.

 

As far as getting Pelikans from the nibmeisters, at the price points that Levenger was clearing them out, the three pens came up to less than what an m800 usually goes for on the web-based stores. Of course, I bought them knewing about Chartpak's reputation.

 

Still, the initial impressions I've had with Pelikans have not been that great, to put it mildly.

[helius]

I was rinsing out the pens before packing it up, and thought what the heck, I'll give the fine nib (the best of the bunch) another chance. So out came the Parker Quink washable blue, mostly because I don't really like the colour and won't miss the few mLs, and also because I've read that it's supposedly more free flowing than most.

 

Surprise of surprises, the pen actually writes rather well without skipping! In fact, I rather like the feel of it - somewhat smooth, not glassy smooth, but with pleasant feedback. If only Quink washable blue wasn't such a boring colour.

 

So now I'm faced with the dilemma of either sending this one back and risking another dud, or keeping it and using it only with wetter inks. Wow, never thought I'd sink to this level with a higher-end Pelikan. :rofl:

[*david*]

Shouldn't be that way. You might leave the Quink in for a while, keep the pen in use for a few days, then try some other inks again to see if something has gotten rinsed out or whatever. Or, just send it back.

[Johnson]

Helius, your unpleasant situation makes me sad for you . Three bad Pelikans in a row, ugh! I am very sorry to hear about this.

 

Having said that, my first Pelikan was a stinker as well. I kept trying to convince myself it was fine, but it just wasn't. I sent it off to Chartpak, got it back in about two weeks, and immediately the pen wrote fabulously.

 

It's not just in your head, send 'em all off, it will be worth it once Chartpak works their magic.

[DavidM1]

I wish to add to the chorus of disapproval for Pelikan's quality control with its nibs.

 

I have bought two Pels in the last month. The first was perfect; an m215 with a beautifully smooth and predictable steel F nib. The rest of the pen was also faultless. On the strength of this I bought an m800 which arrived yesterday but unfortunately had to be returned this morning. The F nib was the scratchiest I've encountered yet in a new pen. I have confidence that the retailer will put it right with a substitute but there is no excuse for a any pen to have nib problems at this price level.

Edited December 7, 2006 by DavidM1

[Green Maned Lion]

Reading about this makes me feel a little better about what I was thinking was a bit of a mistake spending $305 on an M800 with Richard when Levenger had them for $108. Admittedly I could have had a white honey AND an M800, but frankly its sorta worth the extra money to know its going to be right (and WRITE) when I take it out of the box.