Honest Opinion Of The Pelikan M200

[Mike_Dowling]

Hello,

 

I posted on another section but perhaps this is better for the Pelikan sub-forum.

 

I recently purchased an M200 after a bad experience with a Staples pen. I want a workhorse and daily writer I can use in meetings and day to day work. Is the M200 a good fit?

 

After I already purchased it I've read a lot of people calling it not a good value, scratchy, under-whelming etc... Should I just ship it back and put that $110 elsewhere?

 

Thanks for any help you can give me.

[seymour]

Hi

 

I have an M200 whose nib is unsatisfactory and an M205 with an excellent nib. The nib is the only question.

 

The body and the filling mechanism are superb

 

Chaim

[jar]

Name the car brand that no one says is underwhelming or not a good value?

[Mike_Dowling]

Name the car brand that no one says is underwhelming or not a good value?

 

Volkswagon?

 

Seriously though, so you think it's a good pen in the $110 price range? I'm not picky, my major concern is obviously it writes when I put pen to paper.

Edited March 5, 2013 by Mike_Dowling

[Nokin]

I had a long absence (abstinence?) from fountain pens, even though I'd been brought up with them as a child, and I only returned to them about twenty years ago. Then, I did buy what I thought might be 'grail' pens and found that some of them did not match my expectations - at that time (an important point!). However, with perseverance, usage, and mostly education, I discovered that they were all excellent pens once I'd mastered their individual quirks and foibles.

 

In other words, a huge percentage of the problems I thought I had, weren't the fault of the pen, but were down to my ignorance of things such as pen / paper / ink combinations, and even my own (lack of?) writing ability.

 

I have a Pelikan M200 and it isn't the best pen in my limited collection, mostly because I tend to prefer heavier, larger pens, but I carry it daily and it writes, and it writes well first time, every time, now that I've got used to it. As with all my pens, I've found that the more use it gets, the more enjoyable it is to use.

[JohnZ]

Not every pen is going to be perfect and meet everyone's expectations. I love my M200, it's my best pen. So, I wouldn't worry about what others say. If you get a lemon, get it fixed/replaced.

[Nibwitz]

You already purchased a M200 and want to send it back because of negative comments?

The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

 

I very much like my M200's. If the are worth the price I don't know. I can not call them cheap. But it CAN be a very good writer, if the nib is OK. There is much variation in factory nibs. But if they did get it right, it's a very nice pen, with a characteristic feel to it. Add to that the flawless piston mechanism, and perhaps it indeed is good value.

[Joker4Eva]

Not sure about you, but I've had the privilege of handling quite a few Pelikan M200s, and each one that passed through me was as close to an ideal to me. Nice nib, functional piston, and they came cheap (they were secondhand), so I'm not complaining. Despite the gold-plating wearing off most of the nibs, they still wrote wonderfully.

[Mike_Dowling]

You already purchased a M200 and want to send it back because of negative comments?

The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

 

 

The easiest fuss free way to return an item is if it's unopened and not used. If the consensus of the more educated users of fountain pens here said "yeah the M200 is not worth the money, get an <insert pen here>", being that I'm not very knowledgeable on this, I would probably go with the consensus if they were all stating that the M200 has problems and doesn't work well. Online reviews are useful in this regard.

[mhm802]

My M200 is my EDC pen, and I've written with it daily for 10+ years...After much trial and error I have learned that I prefer smaller, lighter pens, and my Pel is just perfect. Not the most glamorous pen in my stable, but "old reliable".

[tandaina]

NO Pelikan should be scratchy. I have NEVER come across a properly aligned Pelikan nib that isn't smooth as glass. Period. Steel or gold, no difference.

 

I have an M200 with a B steel nib. It is like writing with BUTTER. An EF nib would obviously be less buttery, just physics, but even an EF should NOT be scratchy. I really like the M200, and since it can take the really nice gold nibs it's a good investment that you can then add nibs to as you wish. (Huge advantage of Pelikan's swappable nib system.) You can buy one pen and then buy nibs to your hearts content.

 

An M200 is a great starter pen. Or you can go with an antique M400 for about the same cost on eBay and use modern nibs in it as well. If someone has a scratchy Pelikan nib they've got a badly aligned nib that needs to be sent back to the retailer, period.

[Machoo]

Well I will say it like this. I WOULD NOT sell you my m205 for $100! I love mine. It writes wonderfully. Of course the 14K nib on my m400 is a little smoother but my 205 is usually my EDC pen. I reach for it just as much as my m400. I always have tell myself that I have other pens to use. Wouldn't want them to feel left out! Poor Lamy. Sitting in a case with a Pilot Prera right now....

 

One last point. The 205 is nice and light. It is perfect for a shirt pocket. I thought I liked heaver pens but they don't sit as nice and tidy in a shirt pocket as the 200/400 does from Pelikan. Very well behaved little birds!

Edited March 5, 2013 by Machoo

[jar]

You already purchased a M200 and want to send it back because of negative comments?

The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

 

 

The easiest fuss free way to return an item is if it's unopened and not used. If the consensus of the more educated users of fountain pens here said "yeah the M200 is not worth the money, get an <insert pen here>", being that I'm not very knowledgeable on this, I would probably go with the consensus if they were all stating that the M200 has problems and doesn't work well. Online reviews are useful in this regard.

 

I would place very little weight on the "consensus" of the membership here at FPN, particularly anyone making claims such as "so and so is not good value" or "not worth the money".

[KrazyIvan]

Value is in the eye of the beholder. I have a modern M200, M215, a 90's M200 and an M100. I have owned a 140 and played with an M800. All of them are excellent writers.

Edited March 5, 2013 by KrazyIvan

[ethernautrix]

As others have pointed out, the only way to find out what pens are of value to you is to try them.

 

I think Pelikan is a good risk. If you don't like the nib, the nibs are easy and inexpensive to swap out (I haven't confirmed the price, but I bought a couple of them for $25 each from isellpens). It's a piston-filler (I generally prefer c/c), but if the piston breaks (and none of mine have), I could unscrew the nib and fill the pen with a syringe (which is what I usually do anyway).

 

It's a lightweight, comfortable pen in hand. The only thing I would be wary of is clipping the pen to your collar. The cap untwists easily, and I lost a couple of pens this way (although I still had the caps... which I eventually threw out). (Sometimes I don't learn the first time, cos one time doesn't a pattern make.)

[Nibwitz]

Just dipping the nib and try it does no harm, if you wash the nib with cold water it's still a new pen.

 

The problem with 'consensus' and reviews is that what one looks for in a fountain pen can differ a lot between people. Some will dislike a light weight pen, some just will want a golden nib, some regard 'butter smooth' writing the grail, some love a bit of tooth/feedback. It''s all up to personal preference.

 

You can compare it with cars; if your neighbor loves his large sized automatic SUV, it may well be that you prefer driving a 6-speed manual geared two seat sportscar... Both good cars in their own right...

[Mike_Dowling]

The Pelikan should be here tomorrow, I also ordered a Lamy Safari so I can compare them side by side and see how it goes. If they're both duds I'll go back to my gel pen.

[KrazyIvan]

Also look at how you hold the pen and do not bear down on the nib. Fountain pens require only the lightest touch to work.

[The Good Captain]

I use mine almost daily and although I've a 'few' Pelikans, the 200/205s are great pens to begin with and get used the piston-fillers. And also great pens to just keep on using.

[Desfeuilles]

I have never been disappointed with any Pelikan pen. I sold an M215 to fund the purchase of an M805, which is my favorite pen. My girlfriend has an M200 and an M205, both of which work flawlessly.

 

It's all in the nib, so it might be worth the money to purchase from someone who will tune your nib for you. I have a heavenly .5mm cursive italic on my M805 from Richard Binder. I can't imagine a better writing experience. My girlfriend uses a fine M400 nib from Richard on her M20x pens — smooth does not begin to describe the writing experience.

 

Like others have said, you could buy the best and get a lemon, but Pelikan makes high quality pens. Buy from a reputable dealer who will check it out or tune it for you before you receive it. I would never sell my M805, and I'm pretty sure my girlfriend feels the same way about her Pelikans.

 

Good luck.

Christian