Pelikan Ductus

[RevAaron]

The Pontiac Aztek of nibs! [Apologies to non-North Americans for the reference to probably the worst-looking car of modern times.]

 

Hahaha, that got a laugh from me! The Aztek is the fugliest car around. Though, I rather like the look of this nib. The C/C thing is a deal-breaker for me. I've had universally bad luck with international-sized C/C pens. I've had no problems with wide mouth cart formats, though. Piston filling only adds $1-5 to the engineering and materials per pen all told, so I've no more of a beef-by-default with a $400 C/C pen than a $410 piston filler. *shrug*

 

I'm one of those folks who does point and go "ewww" at most of the hideous Pelikan LEs that come out... Sometimes, folks say that's because they're breaking from tradition. This is a pen which breaks from tradition but that I like. Can't say I'd ever buy it- looks a bit formal and heavy- but it is pleasing to the eye, at least mine.

[HDoug]

Not to get OT but I actually liked the Pontiac Aztek. It had that Mad Max kind of look...

 

Doug

[saintsimon]

There is a market for expensive cartridge pens, and that's businesspeople who don't have time to mess around with bottled ink and/or don't want to appear in meetings or at the customer with inky fingers or shirts. Carts are more practical for traveling and international carts (originally Pelikan carts, after all) these days are available - internationally.

 

Pelikan serves both the piston and the cart markets, as MB does (MB 147 Traveller, some Bohèmes etc.), they know their customers.

 

Many lovely colours are available in international size cartridges from PR, Herbin, Diamine, Visconti and many more, even iron gall registrars ink by Diamine.

 

My personal problem is : I have many cartridge fps, but only one working one that accepts int. carts, an uninked CdA Hexagonal, while more and more pretty carts pile up as freebies with every factory purchase from Diamine or out of curiosity for a colour short of a full ink bottle purchase.

 

I don't mind the filling system on the Ductus, but the ugly nib is a deal breaker for me.

Edited March 4, 2009 by saintsimon

[mstone]

I kinda like the nib, and I'm not entirely opposed to a C/C system, but why on earth did they find it necessary to do this weird converter-on-a-stick instead of a normal implementation? I don't see that it provides anything other than gee-whiz factor.

[lovemy51]

PEN REVIEW: Pelikan Ductus (silver trim P3100, B nib)

 

If you can look beyond the shortcomings of the nib and the filling mechanism, and find one for sale at half the ludicrous list price, then this is a pen you will not regret acquiring!

 

what's the use?... it lacks every thing that make pelikan what it is (beautiful nibs and piston filler)!!

[Richard F]

I have the gold-trimmed Ductus and love how it writes. The nib which so many find "ugly" is reminiscent--to me at least--of a pelican's bill, which may be aesthetically ugly (as bird beaks go!) but is perfectly formed for its intended function and therefore a thing of beauty. I agree that the filling system is a marketing gimmick, but the cartridge system is fine for someone traveling who doesn't want to have to fuss with ink bottles and airport security. The pinstripe finish of the Ductus is beautifully done, high quality all around, and for me the pen's heft and size suits my hand.

[JonDoh]

So many times I looked at this pen and so many time thought about buying it but for me the filling system of cartridge only simply is a deal killer.

Yes the nib is not very attractive but this is somthing I can live with but cartridge only ? come on Pelikan how disapointing is that!!! Never the less the pen is stunningly beautiful and if you can look beyon the cartridge only then I envy you as it looks like you are going to have a lot of fun with such a gorgeous pen.

 

I agree totally. The nib is not a deal breaker to me, in fact it goes with the rest of the pen in setting different from the other Pelikans. But it's the filling system that's a deal killer. Cartridges for a $50 pen, sure. But for a pen in this price range it's unacceptable.

[adam11]

I didn't realize that Ductus is so big. I like the pen and I think this is successful modernized version of classic pen. Thank's for the review!

Edited July 10, 2009 by adam11

[Silvermink]

I don't mind the nib or the look of the rest of the pen, but I think the filling system is needlessly complicated. If you want to make a cartridge pen, use the standard section-unscrews-from-barrel model - there's no need to mess with that.

[hecya]

I never noticed this model until reading this thread. I really liked the pen design and even the nib but the filling systems is hard to believe for the price. It reminds me the Level L5 on this regard. I wonder why so much effort in creating a new more modern and generally less practical filling system.

[cutechocobos]

Goodness; did they misspell 'duck's arse' when naming this one?

 

And as for the Pontiac Aztec, surely there must be worse cars out there (*trots over to 'World's Worst Cars' book, trudges back*), my God, you're right; never have the scales fallen from my eyes so dramatically!!!

:roflmho: I completely agree. The nib is the ugly of ugly, the filling system is the terrible of terrible.

 

I'd rather drive a Prius than an Aztec

[razr]

I was OK w/the external appearance of the body but I too was turned off by the nib. I never knew that the filling system was such a crappy one. I hope this product bombs and Pelikan learns from this mistake.

[djpyle]

I actually like the way the nib looks, and the pen has great heft (I got the chance to handle one in Arkansas), but there's no way I'd spend that much on a pen that will only take cartridges. If it were a piston-filler, it would top my wish list. Such a waste.

[shane27]

When looking at it closed it looks like it might be worth $300...but then you uncap and try to fill it...haha

 

I agree with most of what everyone has said about it. Thanks for the review!

[lovemy51]

When looking at it closed it looks like it might be worth $300...but then you uncap and try to fill it...haha

 

I agree with most of what everyone has said about it. Thanks for the review!

shaaaane, shaaaane... i knew you could do it, shane... i knew it just as well as anything....

 

i know, off topic! cool name!

[Apotheosis]

This is one of the more "unique" pens where you either hate it or love it - had one, never inked it and eventually sold it (Regretting it now but oh well..).Loved the weight and feel of the pen tho.

 

leo

 

Anyone happen to have a writing sample ?

Edited April 23, 2010 by Apotheosis

[RMN]

Thank you ParkerBeta for the review.

 

It takes a long international cart, so it should take a Waterman converter, that being just 1 mm longer than the Waterman long cartridge.

And you could just fill that converter fom the bottle. Same as you wipe the nib after filling normally, now you wipe the converter. Actually great for removing those last remains of an almost empty bottle. So no problem there.

 

I know the Pelikan squadron here is rather conservative, but really a pistonfiller is great sitting at home writing beautiful letters to your aunt Florrie, but out there an empty pistonfiller is rather inconvenient if you are sitting in your practice taking notes and the darn thing decides to announce empty in the middle of the conversation. Then a cartridge is changed in about 30 seconds and of you go again without spilling a drop.

Many great brands only do C/C these days, knowing that the vast majority of people out there are going for convenient rather than stylish (which I agree the piston filler is) When I started collecting Fountainpens I too thought C/C to be inferior, but I have changed my mind during the last few years. I now have a collection of both types and I see the merits of both systems.

 

As for the nib: it goes with the style the rest of the pen conveys. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, or: "you can't argue about taste" as a Dutch proverb translates (yea I know, most debates are about taste)

 

I own one Pelikan (Majesty 7005) and I am not really interested in getting another Pelikan as I like a heavy pen, but I make an exception for this Ductus.

 

D.ick

[Bo Bo Olson]

Thanks for breaking the silence with your review. I actually like the look of the pen (although I've never seen it in person), but not at the price of an M800. And the only thing that really bugs me is the cartridge-only filling system. That doesn't accommodate the inks I like, and I really like the inks I like.

 

Doug

 

 

I'm still an ink noobi, I want to like the inks I'm going to get. But there are a lot of people who like cartridges only.

I don't like cartridges, because of the idea to try lots of inks in a nib to find perfection. I am of course far from perfection with five inks, but I am starting on the search.

 

I guess I could change cartridges, though some have written, that the inks in the cartridges do not match the color of the ink in the bottles.That I don't know for sure and will now start a thread on it.

 

I thought it was a neat looking pen.

 

Come to think of it I've not seen any on German Ebay, where I look for Pelikan's once a week. so If they sell any,the people like them.

Edited April 28, 2010 by Bo Bo Olson

[fabrimedeiros]

I am a Pelikan fan and a Piston fill addict. IMHO this pen is a Pelikan's mistake.

 

Fabricio

Edited April 28, 2010 by fabrimedeiros

[tekkie]

A great review. All the points I was considering before buying this puppy. I think the filling system is the major issue for me. The nib looks I can get used to if it writes well.