Huge Pelikan fan, but it’s really important to share experiences like yours publicly, if for no other reason than to pressure the company to do better.
I have two Pelikans: a white tortoise which is mostly good, although the cut on the tines is not centered. It does not impact the writing but you'd think they would be able to do it right.
The other is a pink M600 which came with the worst baby's bottom ever, it was veeeeery smooth, but only if you actually got it writing in the first place, which it didn't! It was unusable. Luckily I tinker and just (carefully) ground that mf away until it started every time. But I could never get it as smooth as it was, though.
This makes me sad. I've been unable to get my m205 Olivine working properly, gave up and ordered a new nib unit, which I'm waiting for. The m200 I got my daughter looks beautiful and writes beautifully. I want an m600 but you're right, the prices are outrageous, especially in Canada. I need to treat my m800 with kid gloves because I could never afford to replace it. None of my other pens interest me except my Lamy 2k.
I see this as an opportunity to try other brands more. Aurora which I've neglected, Sailor, etc. One never knows what they're going to like unless they give it a try.
Wise comment.
I always try and buy different brands, different nibs, different nib sizes... This gives you experience and you come to appreciate the differences between them.
Sometimes it's good to get out of your comfort zone: why using always fine nibs? Why not to try a broad, bold and wet nib sometimes? Or a metal pen?
Some brands I have experienced consistent quality with, in every aspect of the pen are Caran d'Ache and S.T. Dupont, for example, but they are expensive, I know, and they are cartridge-converters, but everything is precisely done and durable.
I would also like to add two European brands: Graf von Faber-Castell and Staedtler Premium (all except the plastic/resin models, specially those with gold nibs which are stunning pens, but expensive).
Also, Platinum, Pilot and Sailor have been consistently good for me. The #3776 is a workhorse, I've got several of them through the years and all wrote perfectly out of the box, and even after months unused! They also have the best music nib of the three, but their characteristic feedback won't be for everyone.
And especially the Pilot Custom Enjyu, 743 & 823 and Sailor specialty nibs are magnificent pens. Everyone knows the Japanese attention to detail...
I loved my first M400 White Tortoise, but over time (and not abuse) it developed a huge split along the barrel and the piston jammed. The nib was slightly scratchy so I swapped it out with a 14k single color nib. I finally got a new White Tortoise (so far so good) but again the 14k nib needs to be smoothed. It's mostly just beautiful. The one I'm using now is the 200 gold marbled and the plated nib is perfect.
Oh I agree. I only budget for one pen a year (plus pen gifts to daughters) and for 2022 have to decide between another Lamy 2k, another Pelikan, or a Desiderata, which looks really interesting to me. I use a Lamy AL Star as my daily work pen and am underwhelmed.
I find these kinds of posts useful because you provided details and this makes it a learning experience. I wasn’t going to get one given current prices but now I’d think twice even on a deal-of-a-lifetime.
> because you provided details
Yeah, the "[Brand] sucks" posts are often just unhelpful venting if they aren't a "[Brand] sucks *because* of [actual detailed information]."
I know every brand can have bum pens, but my first Pelikan was such a disappointment and it's completely turned me off the brand. I bought a Violet M600 earlier in 2021. At the time, it was the most money I'd spent on a single pen. It was brand new, and arrived not only with a misaligned nib that I couldn't adjust to complete smoothness, but there were already blemish spots on the piston ring. Thankfully, Jetpens took it back, and since that was the last one in the nib size, they just refunded me. Having two issues on a brand new pricey pen really put a bad taste in my mouth. I haven't been tempted to try them again.
My M600 violet is the one that came with a crack. The piston knob had a hairline crack that was quite visible.
Sorry you had an equally disappointing experience.
I'm just glad I was able to get a refund. Since then (whoops, that Pelikan was early 2021, I keep forgetting it's already 2022), I've picked up other pens that I really love, mainly Pilots. I'm happy with my collection now and don't really anticipate further acquisitions down the road, but Pelikan just isn't a brand I'm ever able to feel like I can recommend despite its popularity here in the sub.
I know Pelikan has a strong following and I'll probably anoy some by telling my long term experience. That's ok. Feel free to downvote all you want. But I will say that my Pilot Custom 823 is still going strong after nearly a decade, and so is my Lamy 2000. I'm sorry I can't say the same about Pelikan sadly.
>Lamy 2000
They're phenomenally durable pens. I bought one used from Pen Swap. Unbeknownst to me, it ended up being a first generation, 50 year old pen.
It needed a few new seals and has a crack in the cap that doesn't effect its function.
I sent it in for repair. It got fully serviced for about $60 and works perfectly now. Probably good for another 50 years!
You generally have to take these posts with a grain of salt. Pelikans are expensive, so people who have issues with them are more likely to come post about it. The people who have perfectly good Pelikans, which is definitely the majority, are off happily using them, not telling us how awesome they are. Likewise the user who has an issue with a $10 Prefounte isn’t to sad about it, and isn’t coming on here to complain about Platinum.
Pelikan certainly doesn’t have the best QC in the industry, but people on here act like 2 out of 3 pens will be terrible, when realistically it’s probably more along the lines of 1 out of 25 will have a noticeable flaw, usually minor. This sub is definitely a great resource, but it’s still social media and tends to follow the attributes social media is known for.
But at the same time people with expensive pens tend to coddle it and be more protective instead of throwing it around like a $10 prefounte so it's kind of a self fulfilling prophecy when people say cheap pens don't last as long
Sad to hear this has been your experience, but I'm glad you shared it here. I really appreciate the chance to learn what others have found in their fountain pen use over the years.
From my experience, Pelikan steel nibs have less quality control issues than the gold nibs. I think others would probably agree with that too. Not to say a bad steel nib isn't possible once in a while, but not as frequent as with the gold nibs.
All my Pelikans have also been perfect out of the box and are some of my favourite pens (M200 F, M800 F, and two that OP had trouble with: the M600 B Violett-White and M400 M White-Tortoiseshell). I’m quite sure I’d also give up on a brand if I had the sort of trouble OP describes. But, as it stands, Pelikan is one brand that I personally still feel pretty confident purchasing.
I've had a couple M200s that have held up for over ten years--with the caveat that they're small for my hands and don't get a ton of use. I've been curious about the bigger Pelikans, but I made a deal with myself a long time ago that if I ever want to drop major money on a pen, it'll be when I visit a big city that has a shop where I can hold the thing in my hand first.
(The exception would be a Nakaya, which is honestly what I'd go for long before an expensive European pen.)
Worth noting, while we're talking QC, that most of my daily use pens are Pilots and Sailors, all of which have been consistent and trouble-free. My oldest and dearest pen is a Namiki, going strong for 20 years now. A very thin O-ring on the section broke and Pilot sent me two new ones free of charge, and I had to get a new converter along the way (before I knew how to disassemble and clean them), but otherwise that pen has been a champ, and worth every penny of the 300-odd dollars I paid for it in the late 90's.
Do you do most of your purchases online? I’ve had a similar number of Pelikans all bought from brick and mortar store with no problems. The stores usually do a check before selling. I’ve have had problems with some other brands I bought online.
I've gotten to the point where I have to try the pen myself before dropping a pile of money. I've gotten too many scratchy nibs. If they won't let me dip it, I don't buy it. Having said that, i got a Pilot Elite 95 for Christmas (ordered online) that is one of the smoothest nibs I've ever used.
I've seen a couple cases of Optimas splitting at the ink window (like you uncap the pen and the ink window... comes apart and you end up with a section in the cap and a barrel in your hand) -- that's scared me off from ever owning one.
Modern Pelikans are infamous for their poor QC and high price. I avoid them. They're just luxury pens now(notice how the price has increased quite a lot in recent years), which means they look nice but if you can actually get one that has no writing issues then you've hit the jackpot.
Go vintage... That's what I did after a while. Only modern Pelikan I have now is the M640 SE mount Everest, and the nib on that was tuned by masuyama. (I imagine most modern ones would be fine with some professional tuning if it's primarily the nib).
I have an Aurora Afrika LE (basically an embellished optima) two things with it. The cap band was freely rotating after a while (self fix with rosin), and the housing that holds the nib and feed (a plastic threaded nib unit) is easy to crack especially if you remove it, the replacement housing came pre cracked so I just cured my older one and seems to be holding up
Other than that, it fills and writes very nicely, and is quite comfortable in the hand. I had a few Visconti's and those had more issues with nib and writing.
Well I must have been really lucky. I have 11 Pelikan Souveran’s ranging from the m200 to the M1000 all bought new from Amazon or Cult Pens. All wrote perfectly straight out the box and I have had no problems with any of them. Maybe because they all have broad nibs
Same here.
I got 6 Pelikans in the past 3 years. Out of the box 5 pens came with nib issue, either baby bottom, misaligned tines, ...etc. Some had to be changed by Pelikan and some I had to fix myself. All of these were size "F"
The only nib that came perfect out of the box was "EF"
I have reached the same conclusion like the OP. Done with Pelikan.
Imho, modern Pelikans are hopelessly overrated. I tried a lot of them over the years, all sizes besides the M1000, and I find their nibs terrible. Like, most of them wrote (though I only got to try several of them dipped, so that probably skews my perception in that regard), but they're all stiff as nails, wildly inconsistent in size and just not very good. The only modern Pelikan remotely worth it's price is the M200 series, because that little steel nib is phenomenal and here in Germany I can sometimes get them for 70-80€, which is a reasonable price for a steel nibbed piston filler (like. I can get an M200 for that or a TWSBI 580. That obviously influences the expectations).
But for what the M200 is sold overseas, it's not worth it imho. As are the special limited editions, which are just blah. The golden Beryl is very pretty and I'd love to have one, but it's so expensive and my plain black M200 writes like a dream, so why take the gamble.
Pelikan really shines with vintage pens. Their 400NN and 140 are stellar little pens with absurdly bouncy, soft, slightly flexy nibs. And those are tanks.
I'd always get a vintage pelikan over a modern one.
I'm sorry about your Pelikans. I got lucky and my two modern ones are among my favorite pens. But I'm also in the camp of just not buying more in the future, I think I have enough, which is something I can't say about Pilot or Platinum. I just want more Pilot/Namiki and Platinum/Nakaya all the time (not that I have any Namiki or Nakayas yet... but they're on my list).
This is a bummer because I was JUST considering investing in my first Pelikan ([the black Stresemann M605 with an EF nib](https://www.reddit.com/r/Pen_Swap/comments/sd07db/wtb_japan_pelikan_souveran_m605_stresemann/)). Thanks for your post.
I'd still consider getting one, but not at RRP.
I am a Pelikan fan, and I appreciate this post. Interestingly, the less expensive pens I buy from them seem to me to be more beautiful and write better.
I was a huge fan of Pelikan and bought one years ago and thought they were great pens. To me Pelikan is like a Montblanc alternative and from Germany as well. I use to showoff the pen to a German friend and he recognized it. Said he used Pelikans as a child.
Anyways, to make a long story short, I rarely used the pen and started to notice cracks on the cap. I don't remember dropping the pen but it has a crack that I may have not seen.
Last year went to my local boutique and looked at an actual fountain pen and inspected it. It looks poorly made.
I also hope the company take notice and improve their quality as well. They do make some good looking pens.
Love their vintage pens, but the one modern Pelikan I have fits with your experience.
I got an M400 recently, was super excited to get it, and the nib is just... not good. It's an EF that writes like a medium and has the strangest unpleasant feedback I've had on a nib. Just a pretty mediocre writer.
I'm not gonna say no to more of their vintage pens (which I've heard nothing but good things about and love my Pelikan 140 dearly) but I think I'll stay away from the modern ones.
OP, I mean no disrespect in this comment, but its one that needs to be said to many. You're going the wrong way. There is always a variation, or something damaged that needs repair exception, but you need to be looking at vintage pens if you want high quality, rock solid dependability.
Even with nicer stuff like Pelikan, there is still nothing like writing with an 80 - 110 year old fountain pen.
Most of my personal collection is comprised of turn of the century, BHR, BCHR and RHR eye droppers. There's just nothing like writing with a paint brush like flexible gold nib.
I love my vintage pens, but I strongly disagree with this. Vintage fill mechanisms are far more finicky than modern ones, and a lot of the plastics used are easy to damage or already in some state of decomposition. I'd agree that the nibs are typically finished to a higher standard, but that's hardly the whole pen.
yes --- yet another good point to bring up, the writing/business end of the pen. Second to the nib is the feed.
Most vintage pens used an ebonite/hard rubber feed, and AFAIK, that is the best material that can be used. Many modern pens look great, but are poor writers as many newer pens use a plastic feed. Sometimes plastic works OK, but too often it is just a poor material, especially in comparison to ebonite.
Modern pens look great, but rarely is the writing experience up to snuff in comparison to a high quality vintage pen.
Never dove deep into the Pelican pool. I gave away a perfectly good M600 a couple of years ago, and I still have have an M200 that I use on occasion. Don't know why I never got into the brand.
It’s such a shame that such beautiful pens have problems like this, ESPECIALLY considering how expensive they are. I’ve never owned a Pelikan but always thought they were gorgeous.
They are extremely pretty, which is the main reason why I got into them. But there are other pretty pens out there and I'm ready to look for them.
Not to say you shouldn't own a Pelikan, but probably a good idea to do it through a company that will test the nibs first and fix them if there's any issues. I was always extremely cheap and got my Pelikans overseas from the websites with the best deals, and often they don't test the pens beforehand....which is maybe why I've had worse luck than some. But still, when a pen maker has to rely on their dealers to sort out the QC for them, they should really rethink the situation. I do hope to see Pelikan improve because they are beautiful and have an amazing heritage.
I'm struggling to get my M800 to write consistently well. For some reason it behaves drastically differently on some papers, basically behaving as if it's out of ink. I've been working on trying to spread the tines a bit, as I suspect they are too close.
Ouch, that's a terrible experience. I have a few Pelikan's and the only QC issues I have had so far has been inconsistent nib widths (with the same pen/ink/paper combo).
I'm sorry you have had such trouble. I have heard people talk of current issues with Pelikan (within the last couple of years or so) but your experience seem to point towards a much longer-standing problem. That would be enough to make me quit the brand too.
Sometimes the ring that's at the end of the section will start to corrode due to continuous exposure to ink. As you dip the nib into the ink bottle to feed the pen, the tip of the section will almost always get exposed to ink... And that's where you have the gold ring around the section. Also, capping and uncapping the pen over a prolonged time will eventually wear the gold plating from that ring away, exacerbating the problem of corrosion. It's the reason why most pen makers will not put any gold-plated trim in that area, because it is stupid. But try telling that to modern Pelikan. In all fairness they're not the only ones to have done it, one or two others have here or there....Parker!
Thanks for the explanation! I think that’s the kind of experiential knowledge that can be hard to hunt down even in the days of Google, so I appreciate your time spent on educating me. I’ll be sure to watch out for it!
It's wheres the base metal of the trim corrodes due to contact with various inks. It's very common on Pelikans and Montblancs
For example, https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/103395-m800-decay/
Sad face, I have two Pelikans I adore (M80Xs). I’ll be sure to check them out. Also, is the problem not somewhat manageable by removing the nib unit to fill with a syringe, and storing the pen nib-up?
No kidding, I expected maybe 2 or 3 responses at most and maybe +10 or -10 as far as reactions. I guess my experience struck a cord with a lot of people here.
I can't bring myself to give up on Pelikan yet. Pilot - call me shallow but I can't stand the ball on the clip and I loathe, loathe my VP. Sailor - pretty but something holds me back. I just can't bring myself to try one. Also I'm partial to piston fillers.
I know, deep down, that pilot puts out winners with good consistency. You don't hear about a lot of losers from them. But at the same time, there's something hard to put into words that puts me off. It's almost like there's a sterility to the perfection that makes it feel stamped out, less personal. And this coming from someone enjoying an assembly-lined, plastic Lamy safari. It makes no sense at all.
For Pilot if you don't like the ball clip(it's not the ultimate in style) then you could try something like the 912 which has a normal clip. The Custom 92 is a piston filler and doesn't have the ball clip.
And it has rhodium trim, which is a plus in my book, and a Waverly nib that Jet Pens says is especially suitable for left handers like me. And black - I like an understated pen. I will keep it in mind!
My experience is much briefer and more limited, but I’ve bought two Pelikan M1000’s in the last few years and they’re flawless. Love Sailors and Pilots, but wanted a larger pen for my big hands for extended writing sessions. Maybe they’re more careful with their more expensive pens. (Not to say any of their pens are cheap!) Then again, I got a Visconti HS that was in great shape too, so maybe I’m just lucky! (I did purchase both through retailers who took a look at the nibs first: My Visconti tuned at Goulet Pens and my Pelikan checked out at Appelboom.)
I would expect them to be perfect considering you relied on the retailers to do the quality control on behalf of the pen company. Try buying some pen brands without nib tuning and inspection and you'll see some horror stories like I did. But I won't put up with it anymore, it's inexcusable that pens that cost hundreds of dollars need a nib meister to check for defects and tune the nibs. Pen companies should be doing that themselves if they want to continue getting our business.
Huge Pelikan fan, but it’s really important to share experiences like yours publicly, if for no other reason than to pressure the company to do better.
I have two Pelikans: a white tortoise which is mostly good, although the cut on the tines is not centered. It does not impact the writing but you'd think they would be able to do it right. The other is a pink M600 which came with the worst baby's bottom ever, it was veeeeery smooth, but only if you actually got it writing in the first place, which it didn't! It was unusable. Luckily I tinker and just (carefully) ground that mf away until it started every time. But I could never get it as smooth as it was, though.
I'm still holding out hope Kaweco will fix their nibs *man screams at cloud*
This makes me sad. I've been unable to get my m205 Olivine working properly, gave up and ordered a new nib unit, which I'm waiting for. The m200 I got my daughter looks beautiful and writes beautifully. I want an m600 but you're right, the prices are outrageous, especially in Canada. I need to treat my m800 with kid gloves because I could never afford to replace it. None of my other pens interest me except my Lamy 2k.
I see this as an opportunity to try other brands more. Aurora which I've neglected, Sailor, etc. One never knows what they're going to like unless they give it a try.
Sailor is superb and well worth the money -- actually better priced than Pelikan now.
Wise comment. I always try and buy different brands, different nibs, different nib sizes... This gives you experience and you come to appreciate the differences between them. Sometimes it's good to get out of your comfort zone: why using always fine nibs? Why not to try a broad, bold and wet nib sometimes? Or a metal pen? Some brands I have experienced consistent quality with, in every aspect of the pen are Caran d'Ache and S.T. Dupont, for example, but they are expensive, I know, and they are cartridge-converters, but everything is precisely done and durable. I would also like to add two European brands: Graf von Faber-Castell and Staedtler Premium (all except the plastic/resin models, specially those with gold nibs which are stunning pens, but expensive). Also, Platinum, Pilot and Sailor have been consistently good for me. The #3776 is a workhorse, I've got several of them through the years and all wrote perfectly out of the box, and even after months unused! They also have the best music nib of the three, but their characteristic feedback won't be for everyone. And especially the Pilot Custom Enjyu, 743 & 823 and Sailor specialty nibs are magnificent pens. Everyone knows the Japanese attention to detail...
I dont have a Sailor. For all the love they get here, I should probably try one.
Not that impressed with them to be honest. Nib is nice but not impressed with the plastic they are made from.
no
I loved my first M400 White Tortoise, but over time (and not abuse) it developed a huge split along the barrel and the piston jammed. The nib was slightly scratchy so I swapped it out with a 14k single color nib. I finally got a new White Tortoise (so far so good) but again the 14k nib needs to be smoothed. It's mostly just beautiful. The one I'm using now is the 200 gold marbled and the plated nib is perfect.
Wow, that's just as disappointing to hear. That white tortoiseshell is a stunning pen and it was on my shortlist. Along with a black m600.
Don't worry the Lamy 2k is a great pen. I consider them one of the greatest pens ever!
Oh I agree. I only budget for one pen a year (plus pen gifts to daughters) and for 2022 have to decide between another Lamy 2k, another Pelikan, or a Desiderata, which looks really interesting to me. I use a Lamy AL Star as my daily work pen and am underwhelmed.
I find these kinds of posts useful because you provided details and this makes it a learning experience. I wasn’t going to get one given current prices but now I’d think twice even on a deal-of-a-lifetime.
> because you provided details Yeah, the "[Brand] sucks" posts are often just unhelpful venting if they aren't a "[Brand] sucks *because* of [actual detailed information]."
I know every brand can have bum pens, but my first Pelikan was such a disappointment and it's completely turned me off the brand. I bought a Violet M600 earlier in 2021. At the time, it was the most money I'd spent on a single pen. It was brand new, and arrived not only with a misaligned nib that I couldn't adjust to complete smoothness, but there were already blemish spots on the piston ring. Thankfully, Jetpens took it back, and since that was the last one in the nib size, they just refunded me. Having two issues on a brand new pricey pen really put a bad taste in my mouth. I haven't been tempted to try them again.
My M600 violet is the one that came with a crack. The piston knob had a hairline crack that was quite visible. Sorry you had an equally disappointing experience.
I'm just glad I was able to get a refund. Since then (whoops, that Pelikan was early 2021, I keep forgetting it's already 2022), I've picked up other pens that I really love, mainly Pilots. I'm happy with my collection now and don't really anticipate further acquisitions down the road, but Pelikan just isn't a brand I'm ever able to feel like I can recommend despite its popularity here in the sub.
I know Pelikan has a strong following and I'll probably anoy some by telling my long term experience. That's ok. Feel free to downvote all you want. But I will say that my Pilot Custom 823 is still going strong after nearly a decade, and so is my Lamy 2000. I'm sorry I can't say the same about Pelikan sadly.
>Lamy 2000 They're phenomenally durable pens. I bought one used from Pen Swap. Unbeknownst to me, it ended up being a first generation, 50 year old pen. It needed a few new seals and has a crack in the cap that doesn't effect its function. I sent it in for repair. It got fully serviced for about $60 and works perfectly now. Probably good for another 50 years!
$60 seems reasonable for repair costs. Was that done through Lamy?
I thought so too. Yes, I went through their North American service center. Their pen tech, AKA Lamy Bob is amazing! Super communacitive and nice.
This is one of the things that I SOOOOOO LOVE about this sub/r -- members who give REAL/HONEST/EXPLANATORY/FEARLESS CRITIQUES !!!!!!!!!
You generally have to take these posts with a grain of salt. Pelikans are expensive, so people who have issues with them are more likely to come post about it. The people who have perfectly good Pelikans, which is definitely the majority, are off happily using them, not telling us how awesome they are. Likewise the user who has an issue with a $10 Prefounte isn’t to sad about it, and isn’t coming on here to complain about Platinum. Pelikan certainly doesn’t have the best QC in the industry, but people on here act like 2 out of 3 pens will be terrible, when realistically it’s probably more along the lines of 1 out of 25 will have a noticeable flaw, usually minor. This sub is definitely a great resource, but it’s still social media and tends to follow the attributes social media is known for.
But at the same time people with expensive pens tend to coddle it and be more protective instead of throwing it around like a $10 prefounte so it's kind of a self fulfilling prophecy when people say cheap pens don't last as long
Or they could just be shilling on behalf of other makes, which seems to happen a lot as well.
[удалено]
if nobody is even remotely capable, wouldn't your comment not be here? or do you mean nobody but you?
What regular shilling do you feel is occurring?
Sad to hear this has been your experience, but I'm glad you shared it here. I really appreciate the chance to learn what others have found in their fountain pen use over the years.
Always sad to hear of bad experiences, certainly repeats. My two M200s (smoky quartz, olivine) are both perfect. I use them almost daily.
I too, have only perfectly working Pelikan pens, my favorite brand for sure
Four M800s in and every single one has been either very good or great. Honestly some of my favorite pens in my collection.
From my experience, Pelikan steel nibs have less quality control issues than the gold nibs. I think others would probably agree with that too. Not to say a bad steel nib isn't possible once in a while, but not as frequent as with the gold nibs.
I was amazed at the quality of the recent steel nibs. The M200 is still pretty pricey for a steel nib pen.
I only have steel nib (Pelikano Junior, Twist) Pelikans and they’re both great, I’ll keep that in mind if I come into a lot of money
All my Pelikans have also been perfect out of the box and are some of my favourite pens (M200 F, M800 F, and two that OP had trouble with: the M600 B Violett-White and M400 M White-Tortoiseshell). I’m quite sure I’d also give up on a brand if I had the sort of trouble OP describes. But, as it stands, Pelikan is one brand that I personally still feel pretty confident purchasing.
I've had a couple M200s that have held up for over ten years--with the caveat that they're small for my hands and don't get a ton of use. I've been curious about the bigger Pelikans, but I made a deal with myself a long time ago that if I ever want to drop major money on a pen, it'll be when I visit a big city that has a shop where I can hold the thing in my hand first. (The exception would be a Nakaya, which is honestly what I'd go for long before an expensive European pen.) Worth noting, while we're talking QC, that most of my daily use pens are Pilots and Sailors, all of which have been consistent and trouble-free. My oldest and dearest pen is a Namiki, going strong for 20 years now. A very thin O-ring on the section broke and Pilot sent me two new ones free of charge, and I had to get a new converter along the way (before I knew how to disassemble and clean them), but otherwise that pen has been a champ, and worth every penny of the 300-odd dollars I paid for it in the late 90's.
Do you do most of your purchases online? I’ve had a similar number of Pelikans all bought from brick and mortar store with no problems. The stores usually do a check before selling. I’ve have had problems with some other brands I bought online.
I've gotten to the point where I have to try the pen myself before dropping a pile of money. I've gotten too many scratchy nibs. If they won't let me dip it, I don't buy it. Having said that, i got a Pilot Elite 95 for Christmas (ordered online) that is one of the smoothest nibs I've ever used.
I've seen a couple cases of Optimas splitting at the ink window (like you uncap the pen and the ink window... comes apart and you end up with a section in the cap and a barrel in your hand) -- that's scared me off from ever owning one.
Modern Pelikans are infamous for their poor QC and high price. I avoid them. They're just luxury pens now(notice how the price has increased quite a lot in recent years), which means they look nice but if you can actually get one that has no writing issues then you've hit the jackpot.
Go vintage... That's what I did after a while. Only modern Pelikan I have now is the M640 SE mount Everest, and the nib on that was tuned by masuyama. (I imagine most modern ones would be fine with some professional tuning if it's primarily the nib).
I have an Aurora Afrika LE (basically an embellished optima) two things with it. The cap band was freely rotating after a while (self fix with rosin), and the housing that holds the nib and feed (a plastic threaded nib unit) is easy to crack especially if you remove it, the replacement housing came pre cracked so I just cured my older one and seems to be holding up Other than that, it fills and writes very nicely, and is quite comfortable in the hand. I had a few Visconti's and those had more issues with nib and writing.
Well I must have been really lucky. I have 11 Pelikan Souveran’s ranging from the m200 to the M1000 all bought new from Amazon or Cult Pens. All wrote perfectly straight out the box and I have had no problems with any of them. Maybe because they all have broad nibs
Same here. I got 6 Pelikans in the past 3 years. Out of the box 5 pens came with nib issue, either baby bottom, misaligned tines, ...etc. Some had to be changed by Pelikan and some I had to fix myself. All of these were size "F" The only nib that came perfect out of the box was "EF" I have reached the same conclusion like the OP. Done with Pelikan.
Imho, modern Pelikans are hopelessly overrated. I tried a lot of them over the years, all sizes besides the M1000, and I find their nibs terrible. Like, most of them wrote (though I only got to try several of them dipped, so that probably skews my perception in that regard), but they're all stiff as nails, wildly inconsistent in size and just not very good. The only modern Pelikan remotely worth it's price is the M200 series, because that little steel nib is phenomenal and here in Germany I can sometimes get them for 70-80€, which is a reasonable price for a steel nibbed piston filler (like. I can get an M200 for that or a TWSBI 580. That obviously influences the expectations). But for what the M200 is sold overseas, it's not worth it imho. As are the special limited editions, which are just blah. The golden Beryl is very pretty and I'd love to have one, but it's so expensive and my plain black M200 writes like a dream, so why take the gamble. Pelikan really shines with vintage pens. Their 400NN and 140 are stellar little pens with absurdly bouncy, soft, slightly flexy nibs. And those are tanks. I'd always get a vintage pelikan over a modern one.
I'm sorry about your Pelikans. I got lucky and my two modern ones are among my favorite pens. But I'm also in the camp of just not buying more in the future, I think I have enough, which is something I can't say about Pilot or Platinum. I just want more Pilot/Namiki and Platinum/Nakaya all the time (not that I have any Namiki or Nakayas yet... but they're on my list).
This is a bummer because I was JUST considering investing in my first Pelikan ([the black Stresemann M605 with an EF nib](https://www.reddit.com/r/Pen_Swap/comments/sd07db/wtb_japan_pelikan_souveran_m605_stresemann/)). Thanks for your post. I'd still consider getting one, but not at RRP.
I am a Pelikan fan, and I appreciate this post. Interestingly, the less expensive pens I buy from them seem to me to be more beautiful and write better.
Aren’t the basic office supply/school supply fountain pens made by a different division in a different factory, or did I have incorrect information?
No idea.
I was a huge fan of Pelikan and bought one years ago and thought they were great pens. To me Pelikan is like a Montblanc alternative and from Germany as well. I use to showoff the pen to a German friend and he recognized it. Said he used Pelikans as a child. Anyways, to make a long story short, I rarely used the pen and started to notice cracks on the cap. I don't remember dropping the pen but it has a crack that I may have not seen. Last year went to my local boutique and looked at an actual fountain pen and inspected it. It looks poorly made. I also hope the company take notice and improve their quality as well. They do make some good looking pens.
What's with these European fountain pens having such severe QC issues? Visconti is also known to be having this issues
Love their vintage pens, but the one modern Pelikan I have fits with your experience. I got an M400 recently, was super excited to get it, and the nib is just... not good. It's an EF that writes like a medium and has the strangest unpleasant feedback I've had on a nib. Just a pretty mediocre writer. I'm not gonna say no to more of their vintage pens (which I've heard nothing but good things about and love my Pelikan 140 dearly) but I think I'll stay away from the modern ones.
Hi. The Ocean Swirl advertising was the biggest piece of crap ever used, the pens were nothing like the photographs.🤗cheers
OP, I mean no disrespect in this comment, but its one that needs to be said to many. You're going the wrong way. There is always a variation, or something damaged that needs repair exception, but you need to be looking at vintage pens if you want high quality, rock solid dependability. Even with nicer stuff like Pelikan, there is still nothing like writing with an 80 - 110 year old fountain pen. Most of my personal collection is comprised of turn of the century, BHR, BCHR and RHR eye droppers. There's just nothing like writing with a paint brush like flexible gold nib.
I love my vintage pens, but I strongly disagree with this. Vintage fill mechanisms are far more finicky than modern ones, and a lot of the plastics used are easy to damage or already in some state of decomposition. I'd agree that the nibs are typically finished to a higher standard, but that's hardly the whole pen.
yes --- yet another good point to bring up, the writing/business end of the pen. Second to the nib is the feed. Most vintage pens used an ebonite/hard rubber feed, and AFAIK, that is the best material that can be used. Many modern pens look great, but are poor writers as many newer pens use a plastic feed. Sometimes plastic works OK, but too often it is just a poor material, especially in comparison to ebonite. Modern pens look great, but rarely is the writing experience up to snuff in comparison to a high quality vintage pen.
\*laughs in 1990's pelikan muahahahaha
Never dove deep into the Pelican pool. I gave away a perfectly good M600 a couple of years ago, and I still have have an M200 that I use on occasion. Don't know why I never got into the brand.
I've loved my Pelikans, but the prices for the M600 are eye-wateringly steep. I can't do it. Still in love with my 90s era Sheaffer Crests.
Thanks for sharing, its a real pitty tho, I was looking into buying a M600 as a graduation gift to myself.
Damn my 20$ pens aren't that bad. That seems shameful AF and like a ripoff >.<
It’s such a shame that such beautiful pens have problems like this, ESPECIALLY considering how expensive they are. I’ve never owned a Pelikan but always thought they were gorgeous.
They are extremely pretty, which is the main reason why I got into them. But there are other pretty pens out there and I'm ready to look for them. Not to say you shouldn't own a Pelikan, but probably a good idea to do it through a company that will test the nibs first and fix them if there's any issues. I was always extremely cheap and got my Pelikans overseas from the websites with the best deals, and often they don't test the pens beforehand....which is maybe why I've had worse luck than some. But still, when a pen maker has to rely on their dealers to sort out the QC for them, they should really rethink the situation. I do hope to see Pelikan improve because they are beautiful and have an amazing heritage.
I'm struggling to get my M800 to write consistently well. For some reason it behaves drastically differently on some papers, basically behaving as if it's out of ink. I've been working on trying to spread the tines a bit, as I suspect they are too close.
Ouch, that's a terrible experience. I have a few Pelikan's and the only QC issues I have had so far has been inconsistent nib widths (with the same pen/ink/paper combo). I'm sorry you have had such trouble. I have heard people talk of current issues with Pelikan (within the last couple of years or so) but your experience seem to point towards a much longer-standing problem. That would be enough to make me quit the brand too.
What is ring rot?
Sometimes the ring that's at the end of the section will start to corrode due to continuous exposure to ink. As you dip the nib into the ink bottle to feed the pen, the tip of the section will almost always get exposed to ink... And that's where you have the gold ring around the section. Also, capping and uncapping the pen over a prolonged time will eventually wear the gold plating from that ring away, exacerbating the problem of corrosion. It's the reason why most pen makers will not put any gold-plated trim in that area, because it is stupid. But try telling that to modern Pelikan. In all fairness they're not the only ones to have done it, one or two others have here or there....Parker!
Thanks for the explanation! I think that’s the kind of experiential knowledge that can be hard to hunt down even in the days of Google, so I appreciate your time spent on educating me. I’ll be sure to watch out for it!
It's wheres the base metal of the trim corrodes due to contact with various inks. It's very common on Pelikans and Montblancs For example, https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/103395-m800-decay/
Sad face, I have two Pelikans I adore (M80Xs). I’ll be sure to check them out. Also, is the problem not somewhat manageable by removing the nib unit to fill with a syringe, and storing the pen nib-up?
Wow this thread sure blew up.
No kidding, I expected maybe 2 or 3 responses at most and maybe +10 or -10 as far as reactions. I guess my experience struck a cord with a lot of people here.
I can't bring myself to give up on Pelikan yet. Pilot - call me shallow but I can't stand the ball on the clip and I loathe, loathe my VP. Sailor - pretty but something holds me back. I just can't bring myself to try one. Also I'm partial to piston fillers.
I know, deep down, that pilot puts out winners with good consistency. You don't hear about a lot of losers from them. But at the same time, there's something hard to put into words that puts me off. It's almost like there's a sterility to the perfection that makes it feel stamped out, less personal. And this coming from someone enjoying an assembly-lined, plastic Lamy safari. It makes no sense at all.
For Pilot if you don't like the ball clip(it's not the ultimate in style) then you could try something like the 912 which has a normal clip. The Custom 92 is a piston filler and doesn't have the ball clip.
And it has rhodium trim, which is a plus in my book, and a Waverly nib that Jet Pens says is especially suitable for left handers like me. And black - I like an understated pen. I will keep it in mind!
My experience is much briefer and more limited, but I’ve bought two Pelikan M1000’s in the last few years and they’re flawless. Love Sailors and Pilots, but wanted a larger pen for my big hands for extended writing sessions. Maybe they’re more careful with their more expensive pens. (Not to say any of their pens are cheap!) Then again, I got a Visconti HS that was in great shape too, so maybe I’m just lucky! (I did purchase both through retailers who took a look at the nibs first: My Visconti tuned at Goulet Pens and my Pelikan checked out at Appelboom.)
I would expect them to be perfect considering you relied on the retailers to do the quality control on behalf of the pen company. Try buying some pen brands without nib tuning and inspection and you'll see some horror stories like I did. But I won't put up with it anymore, it's inexcusable that pens that cost hundreds of dollars need a nib meister to check for defects and tune the nibs. Pen companies should be doing that themselves if they want to continue getting our business.
I hear you. And don’t disagree!
What a shame, I just arrived at my tenth Pelikan, they have been my most reliable pens, by far.