Pelikan Fountain Pens

"Sonny" wrote:

... As much as I like to rotate my pens, I find
myself grabbing a Pelikan when ever I need a pen
to carry with me for work or travel. These pens
just seem to be perfect for my needs. Is Pelikan
a great pen in the opinion of most pen
collectors/users? Or is this a less conventional
preference?


Hey Cliff,

Among collectors who post to the internet (lots of groups out there
including Lion & Pen, Zoss, Pentrace, Pen Lovers, Stylophiles, etc.),
I think you'll find a large percentage of hobbyists respect Pelikan
for their quality. I know a bunch of surveys have been done, and IIRC
the Pelikan 800 is a perennial 1st placer. So, Pelikan isn't a less
conventional preference, it's a very popular one. In my experience,
back when I was attending multiple shows per year and participating in
several on-line discussion groups, modern Pelikans were respected even
among collectors of vintage pens (vintage collectors are a tough room
for makers of modern pens), and the vintage ones are highly prized.
It's kind of neat to look at the first 400s that were manufactured in
the early 50s and a modern one and see that they haven't changed much.
I love the 400 and its many iterations (good size for my hand). --
Bernadette

BL,

I'm always thinking that I need to buy pens from a variety of manufacturers;
you know... to be well rounded. But the Pelikan is such a favorite that I
always have one with me. Sometimes two out of the three pens that I carry
daily are Pelikans. I've never carried three Pelikans at once, but it's not
an unpleasant thought.

Cliff

"BL" wrote in message
news:X2JVi.9536$%r.2913@trnddc01...

"Sonny" wrote:

... As much as I like to rotate my pens, I find
myself grabbing a Pelikan when ever I need a pen
to carry with me for work or travel. These pens
just seem to be perfect for my needs. Is Pelikan
a great pen in the opinion of most pen
collectors/users? Or is this a less conventional
preference?


Hey Cliff,

Among collectors who post to the internet (lots of groups out there
including Lion & Pen, Zoss, Pentrace, Pen Lovers, Stylophiles, etc.), I
think you'll find a large percentage of hobbyists respect Pelikan for
their quality. I know a bunch of surveys have been done, and IIRC the
Pelikan 800 is a perennial 1st placer. So, Pelikan isn't a less
conventional preference, it's a very popular one. In my experience, back
when I was attending multiple shows per year and participating in several
on-line discussion groups, modern Pelikans were respected even among
collectors of vintage pens (vintage collectors are a tough room for makers
of modern pens), and the vintage ones are highly prized. It's kind of neat
to look at the first 400s that were manufactured in the early 50s and a
modern one and see that they haven't changed much. I love the 400 and its
many iterations (good size for my hand). -- Bernadette

On Wed, 24 Oct 2007 17:00:41 -0000, AndyH wrote:

On Oct 24, 7:18 am, "Sonny" wrote:
First of all, I am not a fountain pen expert. I have a few pens that are
supposed to be worth collecting. But I own mostly new pens that I have
purchased over the past five or six years. So my comments are my opinion
only.

My first fountain pen was a gift from my mom. She received it in 1946 as a
high school graduation present from her brother. When I received it, it was
literally a bag of parts. My first impression was that I had just received
a bag of junk that my mom just couldn't bare to throw in the trash. I threw
it in the back of a drawer for 15 or so years. When I rediscovered it (some
time in 2002 I believe), I almost tossed it. But somehow, I just couldn't
bring myself to throw something in the trash that has "14K" stamped on it.
After a couple of hours searching around the internet, I found an pen repair
shop in Monrovia, California. As fate would have it, I drive past Monrovia
a couple of times a month on business. So I dropped the pen off in the same
little plastic sandwich bag that my mom gave it to me in. I asked Fred
Crinkle if he could fix it. He gave the bag a grim look, then said, "I'll
see what I can do". On my next trip to Monrovia a week later, I was
astonished to have Fred present me with a whole and completely restored 1946
Eversharp Skyline fountain pen. It looked great! Fred dipped the pen in
Quink blue ink and handed it to me. I'd never written with a fountain pen,
so Fred had to post the cap and show me how to hold the pen for correct nib
orientation. Well... That was the beginning of a great hobby. And I now
write with a fountain pen almost exclusively. I have a nice collection of
inks as well. Although Pelikan Brown is clearly my favorite.

My two latest fountain pen acquisitions are a "first year" shaeffer Snorkel,
and a brand new Krone "Think". They are both fine pens in their own right.
But I must say that I have become particularly attached to one particular
brand of fountain pen. While looking for a good everyday pen that I could
lose without freaking out, I stumbled upon a Pelikan M200 demonstrator
(red). I purchased one with a medium nib. But I soon discovered that I
preferred Pelikan's fine nib. so I ordered a fine nib, and replaced the
medium. I then had a friend give me another M200 with a medium nib. I
ordered another fine nib and installed it on the new pen. I love the ease
with which the M200 fills with ink. And it holds enough ink for at least
two days of note taking. The pen writes beautifully. It's also durable and
inexpensive. In my opinion, it's an awesome pen right out of the box. I
have since purchased another M200 clear demonstrator.

Well, I figured if the M200 was a great pen, Pelikan must make other great
pens. So I ordered an M800 with a fine nib. What an awesome fountain pen!
As much as I like to rotate my pens, I find myself grabbing a Pelikan when
ever I need a pen to carry with me for work or travel. These pens just seem
to be perfect for my needs. Is Pelikan a great pen in the opinion of most
pen collectors/users? Or is this a less conventional preference?

I have only got 5 Pelikans so can't consider myself an expert. The
people at www.fountainpennetwork.com would have a better idea. The
800 series are one sweet pen though!

Those lamers on FPN don't know up from down. Pelikan would be a cheap
pen on FPN. Low class for an FPN'er.

If you think the people on FPN know anything about pens and ink, go
check out their site

In ,
The Drunken Lord wrote:

Those lamers on FPN don't know up from down.

Blowing off some steam after too much FPN browsing?

If you're talking about the sort of FPN'ers who anxiously wring their
virtual hands and ask the general public whether they should buy fuschia or
magenta ink, and what the consequences might be -- that does get tiresome.

Brian
--

Brian Ketterling wrote:
If you're talking about the sort of FPN'ers who anxiously wring their
virtual hands and ask the general public whether they should buy fuschia or
magenta ink, and what the consequences might be -- that does get tiresome.

I figure buying them all solves that problem quite neatly. Then I can hand-wring
in the privacy of my own home.

Still, the number of ink reviews on FPN does make it worth checking, though
I'm not sure it's as useful as actually trying the ink.

--
_Deirdre web: http://deirdre.net blog: http://dsmoen.livejournal.com/
"Memes are a hoax! Pass it on!"

On Tue, 23 Oct 2007 23:18:32 -0700, "Sonny"
wrote:

First of all, I am not a fountain pen expert. I have a few pens that are
supposed to be worth collecting. But I own mostly new pens that I have
purchased over the past five or six years. So my comments are my opinion
only.

My first fountain pen was a gift from my mom. She received it in 1946 as a
high school graduation present from her brother. When I received it, it was
literally a bag of parts. My first impression was that I had just received
a bag of junk that my mom just couldn't bare to throw in the trash. I threw
it in the back of a drawer for 15 or so years. When I rediscovered it (some
time in 2002 I believe), I almost tossed it. But somehow, I just couldn't
bring myself to throw something in the trash that has "14K" stamped on it.
After a couple of hours searching around the internet, I found an pen repair
shop in Monrovia, California. As fate would have it, I drive past Monrovia
a couple of times a month on business. So I dropped the pen off in the same
little plastic sandwich bag that my mom gave it to me in. I asked Fred
Crinkle if he could fix it. He gave the bag a grim look, then said, "I'll
see what I can do". On my next trip to Monrovia a week later, I was
astonished to have Fred present me with a whole and completely restored 1946
Eversharp Skyline fountain pen. It looked great! Fred dipped the pen in
Quink blue ink and handed it to me. I'd never written with a fountain pen,
so Fred had to post the cap and show me how to hold the pen for correct nib
orientation. Well... That was the beginning of a great hobby. And I now
write with a fountain pen almost exclusively. I have a nice collection of
inks as well. Although Pelikan Brown is clearly my favorite.

My two latest fountain pen acquisitions are a "first year" shaeffer Snorkel,
and a brand new Krone "Think". They are both fine pens in their own right.
But I must say that I have become particularly attached to one particular
brand of fountain pen. While looking for a good everyday pen that I could
lose without freaking out, I stumbled upon a Pelikan M200 demonstrator
(red). I purchased one with a medium nib. But I soon discovered that I
preferred Pelikan's fine nib. so I ordered a fine nib, and replaced the
medium. I then had a friend give me another M200 with a medium nib. I
ordered another fine nib and installed it on the new pen. I love the ease
with which the M200 fills with ink. And it holds enough ink for at least
two days of note taking. The pen writes beautifully. It's also durable and
inexpensive. In my opinion, it's an awesome pen right out of the box. I
have since purchased another M200 clear demonstrator.

Well, I figured if the M200 was a great pen, Pelikan must make other great
pens. So I ordered an M800 with a fine nib. What an awesome fountain pen!
As much as I like to rotate my pens, I find myself grabbing a Pelikan when
ever I need a pen to carry with me for work or travel. These pens just seem
to be perfect for my needs. Is Pelikan a great pen in the opinion of most
pen collectors/users? Or is this a less conventional preference?

Enjoy!

I have five Pelikans which I really like. The only other pen I have
and like as much are four Namiki Falcons with different nibs.

Don

On Apr 6, 2:23*am, Don wrote:

I have 6 or 7, and think that Pelikans are about as close to
perfection as one can achieve. They never clog, never leak, the nibs
are terrific, and can be completely disassembled for cleaning (very
important if you change ink colors with any frequency. If I don't use
one of my Pelikans for a couple of months, when I pick it up, it
writes perfectly immediately. I can't say that about any other pen
brand.

And their customer service is fantastic. At some point I damaged one
of my M800's; one of the seals came slightly loose and began to leak.
Since it was my own fault, I brought it to a reputable local pen shop,
who failed to fix the problem twice (and charged me both times). I
then visited the Pelikan website, and after reading their
instructions, mailed the pen to them; they fixed it in a couple of
weeks *for free*, despite the fact that it wasn't a particularly new
pen, and I had no proof of purchase.

I use other pens, but when it comes to my M800's, the phrase "from my
cold, dead hand" applies.

Bill