Pelikan M1000 Nib Reliability

[n2o]

I purchased an M1000 (fine) a few months back but had to return it, as the pen started off writing great but started skipping (and hard starts) after a few days of use. I find that the nib is made of thinner gold than most other pens. I understand that this is why the pen writes with some flexibility, but I feel that the thinness of the nib makes it easier to throw the tines out of alignment and could make the pen less reliable.

 

So just a few days ago I ordered another M1000 and am hoping it writes well right out of the box. Has anyone here had similar issues? If this one doesn't write well would you suggest I return it or send it to a nibmeister for work? I have sent pens to nibmeisters twice (both very well established) and one of the pens came back so so dry and scratchy it never gets any use (I had them work on it a second time and it never got any better).

 

Thanks.

[OCArt]

I had a M1000 broad with "baby bottom" that was easily fixed. Have you thoroughly flushed it?

[n2o]

Yeah I flushed it with a bulb syringe and soaked it over night. I tried a few different inks as well. Is it possible for a fine to have baby's bottom too?

[ink-syringe]

Those mushy (not springy) M1000 nibs are often over polished and sometimes have an inverse taper. My experience is that they are either dreadful or fantastic and there is no telling what you will get. Complete roll of the dice. But that is the nature of the beast. If you are going to have a mushy 18k nib the size of a Buick hood you are going to have to get it exactly right for it to be a good writing experience. You just have to send it back to Pelikan and wait 3 or 4 months but when it comes back they are usually perfect. I have had 3 M1000s. Won't likely ever own another one. I find them too large and too variable. The last one I had was great but I 1. needed money 2. felt like I just enjoyed my M805 more.

 

Or buy an M800 and have no problems at all.

 

(how much you want to bet you can grab 100 random M1000s of the store shelf and a 100 random 800s off the shelf and the 800s will mostly all be very good or great and the M1000s will be all over the map. If I was buying an M1000 and money were no object, I would buy it form a nib tech who could get me a good one right from the word go)

 

YMMV.

[Lam1]

My M1000 EF wrote fantastically out of the box. It is one of my favorite pens.

If you have problems with yours, and you bought it from an authorized dealer, I suggest that you contact Chartpak.

 

It seems that you are correct and the nib on the M1000 is indeed thinner than other Pelikans (in visual comparison with 2 M800's it does look that way). I would expect that any nib this size and this soft would require a lighter touch to avoid misalignment (regardless of the brand). I have been using mine for almost a year now and never had any problems, but it came into rotation about 4 or 5 times only in this period.

 

On the other hand, realigning a nib is such a simple task that I don't send them back, and I am no expert in pens (much to the contrary). You can do a search and you will find the instructions to realign a nib. I learned to do it with the help of the forum about 8 months ago - it also may bring you good luck : before that i had 5 misaligned nibs. After I learned to realign them, not one arrived misaligned .

 

I hope your pen is a good writer right out of the box. Good luck (and let us know if it was to your liking).

[jmccarty3]

FWIW, I have an M1000 and an M1050, plus several nibs ranging from EF to BB, and I've never had problems with any of them.

[Ghost Plane]

Only had to send 1 back. Mine are all the larger sizes, so I can't speak to a fine. They're fabulous for those of us who have feather touches with a pen and awful for the ham-handed smash steel nibs into flexing contingent.

 

I find the 1000 restful to my hand and ended up selling my 800s because the modern nibs felt like rocks and the pens were too short/narrow for a long day of writing.

[sargetalon]

I have not encountered any problems with fine or medium M1000 nibs. If you have a 10x loupe, it can help to identify problems such as baby bottom. Hope that the new M1000 is to your liking. Good luck with it.

[whych]

I purchased an M1000 (fine) a few months back but had to return it, as the pen started off writing great but started skipping (and hard starts) after a few days of use. I find that the nib is made of thinner gold than most other pens. I understand that this is why the pen writes with some flexibility, but I feel that the thinness of the nib makes it easier to throw the tines out of alignment and could make the pen less reliable.

If you are only finding problems after using the pen for a few days, perhaps it is because you are either holding the pen wrong or trying to use too much pressure on the nib.

You are right about the thinner gold in the nib. The nib is not designed to continually withstand the pressure used by BP most users. It is a FP and only light pressure is needed for it to write.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I only tried one 1000 at a B&M, in there was a difference of opinion if it was 'Springy' sort of like the MB & Falcon or semi-flex.

I found it semi-flex. It's way too big for me and I have many 14 K semi-flex nibs. (I have 26 semi-flex and 15 maxi-semi-flex pens...those are not "Flex/Superflex" nibs. Those are under that.

 

A 1000 is 18 K which is a gold Now that bends and stays bent when pushed a bit.....there were old '50's and before 18 K alloys that had more spring back. Don't press too hard...it may be a semi-flex but it is not a 14 K semi-flex with more springback.

 

Having a 1000 described as mushy is new to me.

 

My first thought when reading and taking a look at 28 posts and a 1000 already, was it being held behind the big index finger like a fountain pen or before it like a ball point?

 

It's a Giant pen, so need not be held rigidly at 45 degrees right after the big index knuckle....and I suggest this to all, let the pen find it's own place in your grip, be that 40 degrees at the start of the web of the thumb, or even in the pit of the web of your thumb at 35 degrees for heavy pens.

By letting it find it's own place to rest, you don't have to fight the pen, and grip it too hard to hold it at 45 degrees if it wishes to lay lower.

 

 

Second was Ham Fistedness at play....I too was Ham Fisted from 35 years of BP use when I came back to fountain pens.....many of us were.

Hold a fountain pen like a featherless baby bird...... do not make baby bird paste.

 

The fountain pen floats on a puddle of ink, so don't have to be plowed through the muddy south forty with out the mule.

 

IMO the triangle pinch of the 10-2-6 'classic' tripod encourages the 'death grip'. It takes many up to 3 months to get rid of the death grip with classic, after they know about it....The Classic equal angle 10-2 encourages pressing like hell on the middle finger joint. IMO, that is why it takes so long to develop a light grip with it. the pressure is a hold over from ball points.

 

There is another way to grasp a fountain pen, a tripod variant, the 'forefinger up' which takes three minutes to learn, and is an automatic light grip. It too is an old grip, that others also use. It was used by writing masters of the 19th and early 20th century. (I am very far from that, but that burning pain at the nail joint of my middle finger is gone. I no longer have hand fatigue, and can write hours with out noticing it.)

 

In I had a computer disaster and haven't had the time to fine tune my smart typewriter....right now I'm in the wrong Email for Photobucket, so you can't see the pictures I've put up.

 

So search for the underlined. Others use the 'forefinger up', method of grasping a fountain pen. I try to use the word grasp....because my connotation of grip when it comes to fountain pens...is like a Vice Grip.....many grip that hard!

 

I post my Standard and Medium-long pens, 'forefinger up' works great. I find a non-posted Large pen too small for 'forefinger up'. To long and clunky posted.

The good news is giant pens like a 149/1000 are big enough un-posted that the 'forefinger up' works just fine.

 

First you want to avoid the dreaded 'Kung Fu Crab Pinch' that many have with the thumb.There is no reason to have the thumb cocked and boring into the pen body.

 

In 'forefinger up', the thumb is just a dam, held at 09:00 on the pen.....flat. And higher up the pen body. There is no pressure applied at all. The pen rests against the flat thumb....no pressure!

 

With the forefinger long and resting on the section, you want your thumb nail even; either just before on the first joint or at the crease first forefinger joint. (If you want the pen to rest a bit higher, go 1/3 of an inch or 1CM past the crease, if lower in your hand at the forefinger first joint crease.)

 

The pen rests of course on the meat of the first joint of the middle finger. There is no reason one can not move it out of the dent or off the callus at the nail junction from BP days, by a third of an inch.....then it don't hurt any more from damaged nerves cause by weight lifting a ball point.

 

The forefinger 'rests' on the section with only enough pressure to keep the pen from doing somersaults, at 12:00, 12:30 or 13:00. I find 12:30 best for me, others might like the other two positions. The forefinger is long, and flat to mostly flat, it is not bent up into the air....pressing down like a steam hammer. Don't hurt the featherless baby bird.

 

That is a three minute cure for Ham Fistedness, and the dreaded death grip.

Let the pen rest where it wants....skate your nib....there is no reason to drag it through the mud like a BP.

You should try to use your arm and shoulder a bit more and not so much 'finger' writing....which the 'classic' encourages. The first 5 or so minutes your script will be larger as you get used to a new system.

After that you will be back close to your old script size.

[jmccarty3]

My perception of the M1000 nibs is that they are springy, not mushy or flexy. I agree with the previous post that the M1000 nib is great for unlearning the "death grip."

[n2o]

Bo Bo, thanks for the pen grip suggestions. I think I'm going to spend some time learning alternate grips and seeing which I prefer for fountain pens. I currently use a weird grip style that I have used since learning to write (see below). I use the 2-6 position with fingers and my thumb crossing the pen much higher up. It causes the pen to write sideways on the page. I have been practicing with the standard 10-2-6 grip, but I need to work on that a bit more to get comfortable with it. I think my grip is exactly what is meant by ham fisted...and yes it could totally mash a small bird.

 

[Bo Bo Olson]

Ham fisted is more the pressure used to push the nib down, when no pressure is needed. The 'tipping floats in a small puddle of ink...that you have not been allowing to happen.

 

First, turn the face of the nib so it faces the paper away from you pointing up...I have to admit I've never seen anyone with his nib 165 degrees out of true before.

 

Cap the pen.

Put the cap in the pit of the web of your thumb with the clip in the middle and pointing out/down.

Place your thumb flat on the barrel at 9:00, there will be a slight slope of the thumb.

 

If you were to put the thumb at 10:00 and place the pen on the last joint of the middle finger...it will feel very secure....from too much pressure. It is a start.

 

 

In a 09:00 thumb placement you are only using the upper 1/3 of your thumb as a dam...the pen rests against. You do not press against the pen.

 

Right now, just place the forefinger on top of the pen, you can even bend it....because first we got to get the last three fingers into working as a unit.

 

The three last fingers ....think of them as one, once you have placed them.

The little finger is tucked half way under the ring finger....bend your middle finger out a little bit, so your ring finger is a 1/2 to a full fingernail longer.

Lift your wrist, roll your 'fist' down and a bit to the right. Your bottom two fingers are now flat on the paper. The middle finger 'rests' 1/3 to 1/2 fingernail up on the ring finger from the end.

 

For right now rest the pen at and on the nail junction of your middle finger. (after it becomes more familiar, 1/3 of an inch out of the nail joint, in that is sensitive...the 'fat' of the finger is not....don't worry about that Now.)

 

Now just extend your index finger down the barrel until it is almost flat at 12-12:30 or 13:00 which ever feels comfortable.

The pen will be at about 45 degrees right after the big index knuckle.

Practice that 10-12 times until it is easy to do.

 

Now open the pen and post it...put the cap on the back.

 

Now uncap the pen, post it, so it is long. It will be out of balance because it is a Giant pen, and normally you won't post it. Right now I want you to have something in your hand with enough weight that the pen 'lies' back into the pit of your thumb....resting there.

I don't want you holding it up! Fighting pressure.

 

The whole idea is to have the forefinger only resting on the top of the pen, posting brings the weight back, so there is no need to use pressure to hold it somewhere.The pen 'rests' on the meat just before or at middle finger nail joint. It rests in the pit of the thumb.

 

The thumb just lays there doing nothing, doope do, doop de do. The pen rests on the upper third of the flat thumb, which is a dam. No pressure....You don't need it. The very light pressure of your forefinger keep; will keep the pen from doing wild somersaults around the room.

Yep, when you got ink spots on the ceiling, you are only using a two finger grip.

 

To write you must move your hand...helps to move your arm just a bit at the same time. Just make some lose large e type circles across the page. Just moving the hand and arm across the page.

Finger writing is a no no...ends up having to use lots of pressure, hand gets tired, writing looks cramped....the death grip sneaks up on you.

 

It's going to be a bit odd with the back of the nib in the 'wrong' place. I do want you to be using the bottom of the nib....therefore the posting. Instead of the side of it like you have been.

 

Spend some three to four minutes just lightly scribbling 'at nothing'....not making letters...circles, looping e's and so on. You are learning how not to 'use' your fingers....but learning to use your hand and arm to move the pen.

Then take the cap off the back of the pen....stop posting and continue scribbling. After a minute just write like script. If it's a tad large at first....don't worry it will shrink very soon.

 

 

Just don't pinch your fingers 10-2-6 ....let the forefinger rest long. Pinching fingers = force and pressing too hard to write....Ham Fistedness. No Dreaded Kung Fu Thumb Pinch.

[n2o]

I got my new M1000 in the mail after waiting for 3 weeks (slow shipping from Japan) and it was DAMAGED!! It looks like the pen was dropped or mangled at some point. Also, the tines were pretty misaligned and the pen came in a very small Pelikan box with no white envelope.

 

 

So back it goes. I guess I'll have to try a THIRD time to get an M1000 that meets my expectations. Anyone have any advice on a reputable seller? The Amazon marketplace now sells the pen at an additional $75 to what I paid a few weeks ago.

[n2o]

Thanks for the advice. That picture was actually from last year so I'm actually a little better lately (after a year of using FPs). I still rotate a bit though, and will spend some time practicing the correct grip. Even the way i was holding in that picture I apply very little pressure on the page (that's what I love about FPs). My old grip doesn't allow any stub/italic or flex stylized writing though.

[Lam1]

... Anyone have any advice on a reputable seller?

There are many reputable sellers out there that have much better prices than you pay at Amazon. Personally, Japan is the last place I would look for a Pelikan - their prices are good, but not really competitive in most cases, and shipping takes too long in general, unless you pay a lot more for expedited shipping (of course, they are the primary source for Japanese pens).

 

There is Martini Auctions, which you usually get very good prices in the auctions (do a search in her site and see the prices they are usually selling). One thing to pay attention there is that if it doesn't say that the pen is "boxed", it usually doesn't come with the box (but it is certainly legit, this is just to cut costs with most of the savings passed to the customers).

 

There is La Courone du Comte, which once you discount VAT and use a coupon for 10% off (a Google search promptly finds it), has very good price and service. For a pen of this price, shipping is free and usually takes about a week to the US (depending on Customs, of course).

 

There is Zeichen Center Berlin, which has excellent price and service. I never had them ship anything to me (but I know they do it, you just have to contact them), but I had an excellent experience with them.

 

These are just the places that I have purchased from. I'm certain there are many more.

 

Also, I've seen that Chaterlley Luxuries recently had the M1000 for a very good price. They are out of stock now, but their website says to contact them, and I would do that if I were in the market for a M1000 now ( I wish I had the cash available ). I never bought from them, but I know they have a very good reputation here (FPN) and personally I would buy from them without any doubts.

 

Please, keep in mind that the fact that I had a good experience with a seller is no guarantee that the same will happen to you, of course.

 

Good luck.

Edited January 1, 2016 by Lam1

[n2o]

Great advice, thanks. Here is what I found from your recommendations:

 

Martini Auctions: $462 (need to wait 4 days for auction to close, extra $27 to purchase instantly)

La Couronne du Comte: $444

Zeichen Center Berlin: $402 plus shipping

Chatterly Luxuries: Email sent for price

Original Amazon Marketplace (3 weeks ago): $470 shipped

Current Amazon Marketplace: $550

nibs.com: $780

 

**** I purchased from Zeichen Center Berlin because of their low price. When viewing the total they showed shipping at 0.00 so I figured it was free. I didn't even have a chance to provide credit card info before the order was finalized. Their confirmation email said they will be calculating the shipping costs (manually) and emailing me the new total. So this is probably still the cheapest option, but the website it pretty hard to use.

 

Lam1 - Thanks for saving me $70 over the Amazon marketplace costs. I just made a $5 FPN donation in your name.

[Lam1]

Thank you so much for your generous act.

 

I hope this time you will have a good experience and love your pen.

My experience with Zeichen Center was excellent, but I bought in their store - it would be cheaper to have them ship it to me, because of VAT, but I happened to be there and wanted to have the experience of buying in a B&M store since I never have that opportunity. The owner hold several pens for me for two months, including one that was the last one he had and was out of production (he most likely would sell it much earlier). I'll definitely buy from them again. By the way, I learned about them from another member here on FPN (unfortunately I forgot from who).

 

If you don't mind, please let us know how much is their shipping.

 

Good luck.

[mulrich]

I got lucky a couple months ago and found an eBay seller that was selling off a ton of new in box M1000s (I assume a going out of business type thing). I think I paid $350 but I saw others that went for $250-300 (too many to track and bid on at once). The nib needed a little work when I got it but still an amazing deal.

[Lam1]

I got lucky a couple months ago and found an eBay seller that was selling off a ton of new in box M1000s (I assume a going out of business type thing). I think I paid $350 but I saw others that went for $250-300 (too many to track and bid on at once). The nib needed a little work when I got it but still an amazing deal.

Wow! That's one amazing deal! Congrats.

 

As for nibs needing a little work, I believe that is something common with every brand (I believe the nibs are finished by hand, aren't they? That would certainly explain it.)

I have been pretty lucky lately, the last 20 Pelikans I bought were all great out of the box. But no M1000 among those , I hope to "fix" that by adding a green M1000 to my black one in 2016.