M800 Or M600 For Everyday Writing?

[BrandonA]

Medium by definition is the medium and therefore fits most people's need. If mediums do not fit people's requirements they then look to fine or broad.

[akustyk]

Either would be fine. My experience with Pelikan Fine nibs is that they write broad. Really broad. But, I've only had experience with two fine nibs, one on an M400 and one on an M800. The M400 was finer, and it was a better nib, I thought. It had better flow and was softer. The M800 fine nib I recently tried was as broad as Visconti Homo Sapiens Medium, or Lamy Safari Medium. If you want to write on any kind of paper, in the office, at home, I would recommend XF, which will write like a medium-fine, in my experience, anyway.

[pavel]

For me, it would depend how I carry the pen. If I was to use a pen case, then it would be an M800, because I like larger pens.

If I was to carry it in my shirt pocket, it would me an M600 or an M400, because there are not that many short pockets which could accomodate an M800.

I would go for an M nib, because some of them (mainly vintage?) are stubby.

[vondauster]

I have to agree with RitchieMac on the size of the M800 versus modern shirt pockets: it is too big to be easily carried. This is not so much a knock on the Pelikan as it is the cheapness of modern shirt makers.

 

Having said that, I love my M800 (blue). It has a broad nib, which suits my writing style, though a medium would also have been good for me. A smooth nib with responsiveness and more character than most.

 

Will

[liapuyat]

I have both the M600 and the M800, both with F nibs. I'm a woman with small hands. The M600 is lighter, which I like for sustained sessions of prolonged writing. The M800 is fine for short writing sessions throughout the day, but not perhaps for a long stretch, because it is a little heavier. But either one will do, you have to choose according to your comfort level. The smaller M2xx/M4xx size is also quite light and comfortable, but might not be big enough for you.

[UK Mike]

Some reviews seem to suggest that M800 nibs have some flex or at least some line variation - other users say the nibs are stiff. I have an old Pelikan that does have some "spring" even if it is not quite a flex nib. One day I might buy a new M800.

 

Which one is it please?

 

 

PS my take is that it is a Japanese Medium nib that writes finer than Pelikan fine nibs, and NOT, Pelikan writes broader. Being in Europe I judge all nibs by the Euro-widths of Pelikan, Montblanc, Parker, Sheaffer, Conway Stewart, Waterman, Lamy, Visconti etc - so to me these are the standards rather than the Japanese which ARE finer. I guess its a geographical thing.

Edited February 17, 2013 by UK Mike

[torstar]

Some reviews seem to suggest that M800 nibs have some flex or at least some line variation - other users say the nibs are stiff. I have an old Pelikan that does have some "spring" even if it is not quite a flex nib. One day I might buy a new M800.

 

Which one is it please?

 

 

 

 

18K nibs have a tendency to quickly stop unflexing. Then you send them for repair and hopefully learn.

 

Lots of people on the FPN seem to fall in love with a very small number of pens that they possess and keep attributing super-powers to them. Makes them feel good I guess...

[liapuyat]

Some reviews seem to suggest that M800 nibs have some flex or at least some line variation - other users say the nibs are stiff. I have an old Pelikan that does have some "spring" even if it is not quite a flex nib. One day I might buy a new M800.

 

Which one is it please?

 

My M800 has the two-chick cap. It's fairly recent, so I'd say the nib is pretty stiff. However, it's a smooth, wet writer. If you had an 80s era nib, then that would have the spring people are talking about.

[Minty]

Which Pelikan would be better for everyday writing? Which nib would be a better choice? Many thanks for your assistance.

 

Tell us what you like....and maybe we can advise you better

 

What pens do you already have....and what do you like about them?

 

Otherwise, it's what we like....not what you want.. :hmm1:

 

Y'all are very kind with your offers to help. It's like this: I write approximately 5 pages per day on the largest Rhodia pad. Mont Blanc Le Grande #146 with M nib is the one I like best. I like it best because I forget about it whilst writing. Mont Blanc Diplomate #149 with F nib has a tick too much girth. Pelikan M200 nice but too small & light for my liking. There is nothing wrong with any of these pens & I can happily use them the rest of the way out. Just want another pen & it will be a larger Pelikan than the one I have.

 

Hi

 

In hindsight I think my reply was a little 'short' and it may have sounded 'agressive'....honestly, this was not my intention. :embarrassed_smile:

 

I too was looking at a Pelikan 600 a few years ago... (the prices were a lot lower then But, I didn't buy

 

From your reply, I think the M800 is your best choice....I think you will find the M600 a little on the small side...

I don't think (from what I have read here that you will notice much of a difference between the Fine and the Medium nib...but personally, I would go with the Fine...you may want to buy from a dealer that offers a nib swop if things don't work out....

 

Your preference in pens and nibs sounds very similar to my own....if only I had the funds

 

Dear 51ish, You are neither short nor aggressive. Your writing is clear & to-the-point which is a delight. You & all the others who have answered my query are very kind with your knowledge & experience. I appreciate it. Maybe I'll just go ahead & get both an 800 & a 600 & be done with it.

[dduran]

Some reviews seem to suggest that M800 nibs have some flex or at least some line variation - other users say the nibs are stiff. I have an old Pelikan that does have some "spring" even if it is not quite a flex nib. One day I might buy a new M800.

 

Which one is it please?

 

My M800 has the two-chick cap. It's fairly recent, so I'd say the nib is pretty stiff. However, it's a smooth, wet writer. If you had an 80s era nib, then that would have the spring people are talking about.

 

I think it is attributed to the fact that the original M800 nibs came in 14 carats instead of 18 In my experience though, 14k won't really flex (people also attribute the springiness of the M1000 as flex, but it is not!) but has a little give, but it still is different for each nib.

 

M800 or M600? The answer you'll get would mostly likely be our own preference. Me, it's the perfect size and weight (I don't post), the M1000 and 149 are too big for me, M400/600 are smallish but perfect for travel.

 

If you like something smaller than the 800 (just a tad smaller), with more curves, and a bit heavier? Consider the M640 series..

TBH, with Pelikan there's a pen for everyone, well except the extreme Oversizes

[UK Mike]

Thank you for your replies - yes I agree that my older Pelikan has spring rather than flex - and it is a very wet and superbly smooth writer. All helps in the next purchasing decision - or maybe the one after that .......

[moylek]

I bought an M800 with an F nib two weeks ago - my first *fancy* pen and my first pen of heft: before I bought the M800, I generally left the house with a Parker 51, 61 or 45 or a Lamy Safari and my main pen for the day.

 

I was worried that the M800 would be too big and almost bought the M600. It ends up that I find it quite comfortable: it just sits in my hand and I find the weight quite comfortable. In fact, I now find that my Parker 45 and Montblanc 144 feel almost too skinny; I find myself gripping them too hard.

 

As for the nib - I got the F, which feels sort of Mish to me. I sometimes wish it were finer, but I've not swapped it (yet).

[The Good Captain]

Paraphrasing the words of football supporters chanting '2, 4, 6, 8, which do you appreciate?' I would now answer: all of them! My latest was an 805 and I don't find that overly heavy at all. When I do decide to take a pen to the office my choice is actually determined not by pen weight or nib, but by the depth of the shirt pocket. I have mainly F nibs when they are 14k or 18k and some F or M with the steel/gold plated ones.

in answer to your initial question though, then I really couldn't make a distinction between the two, bearing in mind my own personal nib/ink/paper preferences.

[Edwaroth]

For me, the 600 is one of the most perfectly sized pen ever made! I prefer the Pelikan Extra-Fine nib.

[max dog]

I read somewhere in this forum the m600 and m1000 are springy whereas the 400 and 800 are not as much.. My 600 is springier than my 400 which supports this. I haven't tried an 800 yet. Anyone care to chime in re 800 springiness compared to the 600?

[georges zaslavsky]

pre 1997 m800 with eitehr f or m nib

[nm4]

I don't notice any difference in springiness between modern m400/600/800. They're all very firm. I've tried all at least 3 times before coming to that conclusion.

 

The pre-1997 nibs do have a little spring but really aren't even close to what I would call semi-flex. I actually prefer the modern nibs because they lay down a more consistent line and feel smoother to me. I *love* the old semi-flex Pelikan nibs though - far better than any of the modern nibs.

 

Cheers,

NM

[muskokabrian]

I have both the M600 and the M800, both with F nibs. I'm a woman with small hands. The M600 is lighter, which I like for sustained sessions of prolonged writing. The M800 is fine for short writing sessions throughout the day, but not perhaps for a long stretch, because it is a little heavier. But either one will do, you have to choose according to your comfort level. The smaller M2xx/M4xx size is also quite light and comfortable, but might not be big enough for you.

 

Can u compare to the m200?

[oronet commander]

I've also found a Pelikan's M600 F nib way too broad and had to ask for a free exchange. I made a quick pic of how it compared to a Parker Duofold (current model) F nib:

 

 

Black is the Pelikan and blue the Parker, of course...

[Garageboy]

The M800's heavy brass piston assembly always felt like it was fighting against my grip (If I relaxed my fingers, it felt like it wanted to rotate out of my grip rather than rotate towards the paper)