Pelikan M400 (F) Nib

[casualmerlinconstant]

Pelikan nibs are extremely wide. I've exchanged extra fine nibs 4 times (they were all defective) and all of them I would barely classify as fine enough to be a "western" "fine".

[Matlock]

Pelikan nibs are extremely wide. I've exchanged extra fine nibs 4 times (they were all defective) and all of them I would barely classify as fine enough to be a "western" "fine".

 

The only defective Pelikan nib I have ever experienced was on a second hand pen (I think the previouse owner had been using it for dart practice). My first Pelikan was a M400 which I bought in 1990 it had a "fine" nib which I found was a little wider than a Parker "medium", still a great pen and I am still using it as my day to day pen. If I need a fine nib I use my Sailor with a "H-MF" or my Parker 75 with a "needlepoint" nib.

[sannidh]

About 5-6 years ago, when I started back with fountain pens, Waterman was considered a wet ink.

The perception change rapidly due to many using wet Noodler's inks. I think of Waterman as a wetter ink; they have a thinner=dryer nib..

Perhaps it could be rated as a medium-wet ink?

 

Do try the dry Pelikan 4001 blue-black or black. Blue has a tendency to fade. Brown is sort of red-brown. Green is a very nice shading ink. It started me on an 11 green ink splurge in only a year.

Because 4001 is a dry ink, Pelikan makes a wider-wetter nib.

Thanks. Sure I wil try with a 4001 ink. Had given one 4001 bottle away since I felt it had a light faded shade (even before it fades). (All I have now are multiple 4001 catridge packs which came as freebies with pens!)

Edited August 9, 2014 by soniknitr

[Bo Bo Olson]

Each company has it's very own standards....that has nothing to do with any other company at all. Never has.

 

As it has been from the days when there were pen stores on every other corner.

The original market survey was among it's very own customers, ie Parker's...not Sheaffer's.

Why should Parker make a Sheaffer width nib....folks might get confused and buy a Sheafer rather than a Parker.

 

A Conway Stewart is the widest nib widths I've seen in charts by far....yet they make what They Call a F.

It is an F compared to their wider nibs.

 

When you compare one company's nib width with any other company....much less Japanese, you are comparing apples and pineapples.

 

My suggestion is to sell all your non-Pelikan pens, then you wouldn't be confused with width sizes.

 

As stated above, if you are using wet inks...in a wetter writing nib designed for dry inks, you will get a wider line.

Get some dry 4001 inks....some better paper, and see if the line is narrower.

 

Best is to get a semi-vintage or vintage F, it is a bit narrower than modern.

Edited August 9, 2014 by Bo Bo Olson

[Matlock]

I agree with Bo Bo (at least in part). All pen makers have their own standard and it matters not a jot if that nib says XF F M or B, Still less if it is a nail or flexy. The only thing that matters in the end is "Does it suit you?". If "yes" then it is a great nib, if "no" then it is not (even if everyone else thinks it is the best available). The only way to get the nib that you require is to try it out with the paper and ink that you intend to use. I accept that is a little difficult for those who are not close to a reputable pen specialist, but in the end it is the only way to achieve the nib grade that you need. Many people buy pens on the recomendation of others and, as in all things, YMMV.

I know that I have bought items because a friend has told me that they will be "just what I want" only to find that they are not. I suppose we all learn by our mistakes but good research and "hands on" use can lessen those mistakes.

I think Bo Bo's footnotes sum it all up .

[dave-]

I have a F nib on a 205 and it is wide line but not as wide as yours thats for sure. I also have a BB nib for it and I wont even mention how stupidly wide and wet that thing is.

[Bo Bo Olson]

A BB is a very wide nib.

I have a modern BB Pelikan 605...it is real wide a BB 1/2...measured on Richard's chart.

My MB Woolf's B=BB is almost as wide.

My vintage Osmia OBB nibs are narrower...say OB 1/2....but most nibs were narrower back then.

Edited August 10, 2014 by Bo Bo Olson

[sannidh]

Pelikan nibs are extremely wide. I've exchanged extra fine nibs 4 times (they were all defective) and all of them I would barely classify as fine enough to be a "western" "fine".

 

I did have this one M400 fine misaligned out of the box. Though it was reasonably "scratchy-wet" writer out of the box, I did adjust the tines later with a loupe, and I am finally happy about it . Though I disliked the width at first, but now with a different ink (check Bo Bo's advice) and approach, it is extremely pleasing.

Though I am now anxiously waiting the next pelikan m405 with an EF nib.

 

You can find my revised take on it @ http://iwonder-thecartographer.blogspot.in/2014/07/pelikan-souveran-m-400-review.html

Edited August 11, 2014 by soniknitr

[sannidh]

Just the pelikan 14C F vs EF nib comparison, since I received the new m405 today

For this relatively cheap paper, a bit of feedback is felt for all the nibs (pelikan EF is more pronounced than others)

 

http://s16.postimg.org/op04xokv9/IMG_2552.jpg

[maverink]

congrats on the addition to the flock soniknitr hope buy a pel soon

[sannidh]

congrats on the addition to the flock soniknitr hope buy a pel soon

Thanks maverink. Keep us updated

[Azura]

I have an old Pelikan 400NN with a fine nib, and it certainly writes like a medium. Nice smooth medium. At the moment I have sent it to Greg Minuskin for him to do a re-grind to an italic. I loved the smoothness of the Pelikan original nib....I just wanted something with a little more flair!

Sort of like giving your girlfriend a Porsche!

Interesting, my 400NN with KF nib writes identical to Japanese EF. A little bit to FINE to me, however, my modern m600's F nib writes like medium, and funny enough, it seems to write boarder and broader.

[Bo Bo Olson]

My OF 400nn writes like an OF.

My Geha EF writes like an EF, my other vintage F, M or B nibs of the era, are also like most of my vintage pens that seem quite with in western standard, then.. (@35-40 pens)

Sigh, one of my Osmia OBB's writes too skinny, only a OB 1/2. ...sigh...

My semi-vintage '90's Pelikans are also, close enough for pony-shoes, the M is a M, the F's are F..

 

But then I don't have any Japanese pens miss-marked F to compare them too. My Mark 1 Eyeball is calibrated western, in those were my first pens.

I can understand some one having started with Japanese pens having their Mark 2 Eyeball calibrated to Japanese there for, all other nibs are too fat.

To my Mark 1 Eyebrow...Japanese nibs are too skinny. You know....the Japanese B's are only M's.

 

Of course there is going to be variation in tolerance/slop....a skinny M can be exactly as wide as a fat F.

Ron Zorn over in the Sheaffer subsection has the Sheaffer tolerances from Janeville. It is worth a look. A fat M can be exactly as wide as a skinny B.

Grading and sorting was done by humans.

 

Back in the day, that fat F satisfied the live customer at the pen shop. He checked out a few nibs, picking also did he want semi-flex or 'flexi'/maxi-semi-flex. That F was what he was looking for, or he'd taken an M or an EF.

Edited August 29, 2014 by Bo Bo Olson