Pelikan M205 V Pilot Custom 74

[TSherbs]

If you have had experience with both of these, and if you had to chose one, which would it be?

 

Pelikan M205:

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x231/larkin31/Pilot%20Pelikan%20comparison/Screen%20Shot%202016-04-06%20at%207.02.05%20PM_zpsoqfm7i1o.png

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pilot Custom 74:

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x231/larkin31/Pilot%20Pelikan%20comparison/Screen%20Shot%202016-04-06%20at%207.01.04%20PM_zpstx7vc7hq.png

[swanjun]

I have experience with both pens in a broad nib. I like both very much—they write beautifully and are both easy to clean. You'd be happy with the Pilot, I'm sure, but I do so love the way the Pelikan writes that I am going to have to cast my vote in its direction.

 

ETA: Aesthetically, I find the Pelikan more pleasing, too.

Edited April 6, 2016 by swanjun

[LuckyKate]

I have both and love both. Both are very well balanced, although for my smallish hands the 205 feels better posted while I prefer the Custom 74 unposted. The Custom 74 is a bigger pen than the 205 and I find the shape of the barrel and section (pretty thick with a tapered section) remarkably comfortable. The 205 is also comfortable, but slimmer through the body of the pen so for me--with carpal tunnel and lots of hand issues from years of grading and writing-- the 205 isn't as comfortable as the Custom 74.

 

The nib on my Custom 74 is one of my all time favorite nibs. Again I like the 205 but I find myself using the C74 much more often. I have a medium nib on the C74 and it writes about the same maybe a bit finer than the 205.

 

The advantages of the 205 are the screw in nibs (I have a bunch of different sizes and like to use the Binder italic nib I have as well as my preferred grading nib, a fine). The 205 is prettier in my opinion and very durable. The C74 has a flimsier, less well made quality about it than the 205. The piston on the 205 holds a lot of ink, and the con-70 on the C74 is a touch annoying. Mine gets air bubbles easily (the trick I've learned is to pump it really fast several times and then leave it in the ink to fill up).

 

To sum up I use the C74 every day and really prefer it to the Pelikan for the nib, but the Pelikan is more solid in the long run and if I am using a broader nib I prefer the Pelikan.

Edited April 6, 2016 by LuckyKate

[J_MM]

I'd go with Pilot 92. I like this pen better than the other two and there is a blue demonstrator version.

[shawndp]

The Pilot is a finer pen and the pun is intended. I alas can not stand the blue or the orange that the pen is frequently seen in but that may just be a personal preference.

 

Functionally, both work very well. I have written with the 74 and own the 205 and would likely buy a few more Pelikans because the way it puts ink on paper really does it for me. That said, the 200 / 205 is nothing to look it - I was almost disappointed when I first got mine and it did take some writing to convince myself that I liked it. Posting makes it a usable length, and the steel nibs are smooth - almost as good as the Faber Castell ones that are my favourite.

 

It really comes down to what you want - Pilot's F gives Pelikan's EF a run for the money and if a fine line is important to you, then the Pilot lays down a more controlled one. Or if you must have a gold nib... But if you want to experience glorious inksanity and a pen that floats on a river of ink, the 205 is your weapon of choice... All the best!

[Witsius]

I agree with shawndp. It depends more on how you want the pen to write. Pelikans tend to be really juicy, and the nibs run a bit on the broad side. If you require a finer line, go with the Pilot. If you want a gusher with a more generous nib width, go with the Pelikan.

I have the M200 Cafe Creme with a 14k fine gold nib tuned by John Mottishaw. When I got this pen, I was basically trying to make the same choice you are. I was hemming and hawing between the M200 and the Custom 74. I really love my Pelikan, but it took a while for me to adjust to the juicy nib and the broader line.

[Danny Kaffee]

I have both pens. While they are both fine nibs, the C74 will be much finer--comparable to an EF in the Pelikan.

 

Personally, I prefer the C74 in terms of comfort in the hand. The Pelikan, for me, is too small and the grip section is too small so the threads lay uncomfortably on my middle finger.

Edited April 7, 2016 by Danny Kaffee

[TSherbs]

Thanks for all this great feedback, everyone. I also have a bigger hand, but I like a wetter nib, but I don't want a broad, but I love nibs that float on paper in buttery smoothness,....

[Lam1]

Thanks for all this great feedback, everyone. I also have a bigger hand, but I like a wetter nib, but I don't want a broad, but I love nibs that float on paper in buttery smoothness,....

It would seem that you "need" both!

 

While it is true that Pelikans put down a broader line, for steel nibs I find the difference to Pilots to be very small. Pelikans do tend to be wet pens in general, and this makes the pen look a little broader, but a dry ink will take care of that (Pelikan 4001 line is good for that).

 

In my experience, most Pelikans give a wee bit of feedback (which I like), while Pilots are absurdly smooth (which I don't enjoy too much).

 

I also find that I can write with the M200 unposed very comfortably, even though I like large pens. Posted the M200 is excellent too.

 

In the end, like many have said, it depends on what you want on the pen. Either way you'll have a great pen.

 

Good luck!

[Runnin_Ute]

Have had two M205's and have two M200's currently. The nibs? M205 (black) Fine; (red) Medium; M200 (blue marbled) OB; Cognac Fine.

 

I got the M200 Cognac through a Japanese seller on Amazon. I paid about $40 less than I would domestically, and get this - the fine at least seemed finer than the fine I had in the M205 I had. I can't verify that because that pen was lost last summer. I find them all to be wonderful writers, and I'm sure the C74 is too.

 

The only Pilot I have owned is a Metropolitan. I came thisclose to ordering a Platinum 3776 Century when I got the Cognac, but decided to get something I knew I liked size and weight wise. If I had had a chance to try the 3776 I may have ordered it. I still may get one someday.

[Arkanabar]

I have experience with the Pelikan M200 Fine, which differs from the M205 primarily in that it is mostly covered with an opaque, sparkly blue swirl binde. (Somebody else's review here.) It was my first Pen of a Lifetime. It originally had a derby, rather than the tassie and jewel setup of the linked pen.

I bent the nib against my sink, trying to get inky water out of it. I sent the nib to Pelikan SRW for exchange with nibs other dissatisfied customers had sent in, along with at least five successors. (Chartpak, the successor to Pelikan SRW as the US Pelikan distributor, is every bit as good about warranted repairs, which appears to be all of them.)

When I bought it, it was because I was unhappy with the two pens I owned at the time: a blue Waterman Phileas (also fine, but even so I found the ink capacity insufficient), and a charcoal Lamy Safari (again, fine; I disliked the narrowness of section, the facets, and the rough finish on the pen). I was extremely happy with it, and it has been my primary writer ever since. It has gone out of the rotation a time or two, but this has always been rather rare.

I delight in its dimensions. The only pen I've ever encountered with a better form factor is a Noodler's Ink Konrad, and that poor beast will dry out in a few hours to the point that it needs a dunk in water to get going, even when capped. I love its light weight. And its capacity for ink continues to captivate me. It doesn't get a lot of cleaning, but that's because it does so well with the Noodler's Red-black that has been a default ink for me ever since it was PIFed to me some seven or eight years ago. It has some spring in the nib, and that isn't something that many of my other pens have, including its gold-nibbed sibling, my blue stripe M400. The line is quite fine, more so than the M400 fine, and juicy.

And its visual aesthetics are pleasant, though I suspect I'd prefer the M205. I do love me some rhodium /chrome /stainless trim.

Edited April 7, 2016 by Arkanabar

[jay.is.here]

well both pens are very different. Pelikan is a Classic pen company where as Pilot custom 74's are modern pens. Nib on 74 would be smoother and there would be less feedback, Nib on 205 would be smoother but with little bit of feedback. Personally I like nibs with some feedback. Springiness is in both the nibs, I liked 205's springiness much more than 74. If price is not a barrier for you then I would say go for Pelikan 205.

[Bluey]

well both pens are very different. Pelikan is a Classic pen company where as Pilot custom 74's are modern pens. Nib on 74 would be smoother and there would be less feedback, Nib on 205 would be smoother but with little bit of feedback. Personally I like nibs with some feedback. Springiness is in both the nibs, I liked 205's springiness much more than 74. If price is not a barrier for you then I would say go for Pelikan 205.

Which nib is that on the 74?

[TSherbs]

More great info, thank you!

[vojtahlad]

I own both of them and I love both of them. You are not going to make a mistake by purchasing any one.

A picture is worth a thousand words - here are the nibs:

http://s24.postimg.org/lrl72h6hd/pelikan_m205_pilot_c74.jpg

 

The C74 nib is definitely more springy because of physics - its shape and its material. And you can make it even more springy when you purchase a soft nib. Actually, the M205 is fairly stiff. It is not an absolute nail but don't expect much in this department.

 

The C74 is also a bit larger. Its size is perfect for my hand, the M205 is a bit smaller than I would prefer.

 

And yes, I prefer the M205 because we are humans and we are irrational sometimes

Edited April 8, 2016 by vojtahlad

[ink-syringe]

Had both still have the C74. All my m2xx pens are long gone (though that was because I got an M805)

 

Imo C74 crushes the M205.

 

M205 is nice pen. Looks nice. Little small but great filler and classic good looks. Not hating on it but on performance it isn't even close.

 

The C74 sports a much nicer nib, the c/c is usually going to lose out on a piston fill but the Con70 is no ordinary converter, it is about as good as a converter can be and hold plenty of ink.

 

The C74 also wins on ergonomics and likely QC (that would be hard to prove admittedly). Personally have a soft spot for that art deco clip and the nib design too. I think the C74 is pretty much the ultimate everyday carry and find it robust, a great writer, and cozy in the hand.

 

Surprised there is so much love for the 205 here. It is a good pen but the C74 is several notches above in my experience. Again, not hating on Pelikan, I have a small army of them but Pilot just stomps allover the C74, I'd pick the C74 every day of the week and twice on Sundays.

 

AND THE NIB OPTIONS.... I know it is matter of taste but a C74 with a con70 and your nib of choice, SFM? SM, Stub? Goodness doesn't even seem like a fair fight.

 

YMMV.

Edited April 8, 2016 by ink-syringe

[TSherbs]

Thanks for your continued responses. These have seemed VERY thoughtful.

[inkeverywhere]

I own both pens, however my 74 is in black. I have a fine and medium nib for my Pelikan and a soft fine, fine and fine medium nibs for the Pilot.

 

My 74 is the one pen that never seems to leave my rotation and is a pen that I really enjoy writing with. Ironically it is filled with Pelikan 4001 red ink at present.

 

Whilst the Pelikan is a pen I also enjoy using I'm afaid the Pilot 74 stands head and shoulders above it - another vote for the 74.

 

 

Greg

[BillZ]

I have both models but my M205 is an EF nib. It is the equivalent to the F in my C74. The Pilot nib is 14K but writes no

better than the regular steel nib in the 200.