Pelikan M800 Vs. Aurora Optima

[s_t_e_v_e]

You can find both around the same price point but which would be a better buy?

Which one of the two has a smoother nib?

Which one feels more substantial in the hand?

Which one has a more luxury feel to it?

 

I am leaning more towards the M800.....

Please share your opinion.

[gregamckinney]

My 2c:

For context:

- I have had 20+ M800 (or M800-sized) Pelikans.

- I only have one Optima- just got it a month ago.

 

Smoother nib: probably the Pelikan. My Optima is an italic nib, so probably not an apples-to-apples comparison.

(That said, Auroras are known to have 'feedback,' which most folks would not consider "smooth.")

 

More substantial: The Pelikan, particularly if you use posted.

 

More luxury feel: The Optima. Even the higher-end Pelikans seem to have more of a utilitarian vibe. The Optima is sleek and elegant.

 

If I could only keep one, it would probably be the Pelikan. However, I'd prefer to keep both.

 

Regards, greg

[Julio]

No competition. The M800 is superior. I vote for a blue 800 for 150 plus postage.

[PatientType]

No competition. The M800 is superior. I vote for a blue 800 for 150 plus postage.

 

 

Maybe 150 GBP.

[bphollin]

I sold an M800 to buy an Optima and haven't looked back. Full disclosure: my first serious fountain pen was a Pelikan M605, and to this day that remains the ideal size and weight for my preferences. The M800 seemed too big and not very well balanced. On the other hand, the Optima just fits. If it were a contest between the M600 and the Optima, I'd have a much tougher time deciding. Since it is between an Optima and 800, my choice was and remains the Optima. The M805 (blue and silver) left me feeling cold, whereas the Optima just oozes class.

 

Feel free to chalk all that up to one user's very subjective experience! I'll enjoy reading other responses and seeing what you decide upon. The upshot is both are very nice, very luxurious pens. Good luck picking the one that's right for you.

[pavel]

No competition. The M800 is superior. I vote for a blue 800 for 150 plus postage.

 

Julio, are you offering one of yours?

 

Optimas have one thing going for them which is a major plus: their auroloide bodies are breathtaking.

[hari317]

I am leaning more towards the M800.....

Please share your opinion.

 

I have one M800 old style and one Optima sized Asia LE. The F nib on the Asia is superb, very precise nib. The Aurora feeder is outstanding. The Pelikan nib is super smooth but does not have the feedback of the Aurora. That said, I would rather go for a Talentum since they have the same nib units at a lower price.

 

I like the piston filling mechanism of the Pelikan better and also since I know I can service it myself when the need arises. The trim ring at the nib bottom is a source of worry for me with the Pelikan.

[Leftytoo]

I own 2 Pelikans (400, 600) and an Aurora "88". Both Pelikan nibs write perfectly and without emotion or fuss. The Aurora stub writes perfectly with a sort of pleasurable Italian flair. The Aurora is perfectly proportioned and balanced, and seems to have a little more class.

 

Both brands make excellent pens, but I dream of owning an Optima.

 

Bob

[lapis]

Both write equally well. In pens of that league it is possible to get more variation in nib performance among various samples of one and the same pen than it is among the two brands. I know that for sure.

I have no proof, bit I find that my M800 is somewhat more sturdy, unbreakable, long-lasting, universally mainainable, but that the Optima is a notch eleganter and artful.

If you got dough someday, get both.

 

Mike

[tanalasta]

I would perhaps pair the M600 and the Aurora Optima of which I have both. The Pelikan M800 is larger and heavier than the Aurora.

 

Piston: Both silky smooth, easy to turn with good ink capacity. The Aurora has the better ink window for what it's worth although the striated Pelikan barrel is semi-translucent and held up to a bright light, you can tell the ink level after you can get the hang of it.

 

Feel:The Aurora long section and balance posted is perfect for my hands. It' my favourite writer so I'm going to be honest in saying I'd pick the Optima over the Pelikan. I haven't got my Pelikan inked at the moment but the M600 and Optima are both light pens. I think the auroloide in the marbled colours is prettier too.

 

Nib: The Pelikan nib is smooth. The Aurora has feedback. Both stiff, flows well well controlled. Both nib sections can unscrew for cleaning or swapping should you want to. It's a matter of personal taste. The Aurora has an ebonite feed for what it's worth. Both pens were tuned before being shipped 'new' from Mottishaw and Binder respectively.

 

The Aurora Optimas are selling for really attractive prices on the FPN marketplace ...

 

I'd agree with the comments above. At all pens in this price range, dip and test before you buy!

[eric47]

Probably a closer comparison would between the M800 and the 88 because the 88 is a longer pen. As Tanalasta indicated the flat-top Opima is a shorter pen, making the M600 a closer comparison if overall size is the key factor. Both the Optima and 88 use the same smooth piston mechanism, same nibs, and even the same sections and probably ink windows as well. Both are considered the top-of-the-line Auroras, so nothing wrong with comparing either against one of the top-of-the-lines Pelikans.

 

To your questions:

- Which one of the two has a smoother nib?

Out of the box one could be smoother than the other, nibs vary. The general characterization of the Aurora nibs is that they're toothy. That said, I've experienced some that were as smooth and smoother than Pelikans out of the box. I tend to use Pelikan F, which is on my M800. I think Pelikan EFs are mediocre at best; I own and have tried some that were toothier than even my toothiest Aurora before that one got smoothed. Yes, all nibs were probably adjusted etc.

 

Some of this depends on the nib size. Aurora nibs run thinner than Pelikans -- bear that in mind. I tend to use Aurora M and Fs. An Aurora F is close in width to a Pelikan EF, and given the choice I would take Aurora.

 

If you can I would try someone to try both nibs. The nib overall nib characteristics are different. And in both cases, the age of the nib has an impact on the softness of the nibs and how they're tipped.

 

- Which one feels more substantial in the hand?

Depends what you mean by substantial. Both don't feel cheap by any means. The Aurora 88 and Optima are lighter and more balanced in the hand unposted. The M800 has brass in piston mechanism, and even unposted the pen is a bit tail heavy and thereby unbalanced in my smallish hands.

 

Some people equate substantial with weight, and light pens with economic and cheap pens. So if that's what you meant, then the Pelikan with feel more "substantial" because of its weight. I think the lighter Auroras feel more solid (built-like-tank) in the hand; I can flex/squish a Pelikan cap, I can't do that with an Aurora.

 

All that said, both are well built pens with probably the best piston mechanisms on the market. You can't go wrong with either.

 

- Which one has a more luxury feel to it?

Both do. I think this is a matter of taste. I prefer the Italian flair of the Auroras, particularly the Auroloide Optimas.

 

- You can find both around the same price point but which would be a better buy?

Depends on you, what feels best to you in the hand, etc. I prefer light(er) balanced pens, so I would take the Aurora because I would use it more than I would the tail-heavy-in-my-hand M800. A pen bought for daily-use that doesn't get much use because it doesn't suit your hand or taste isn't a great buy, no? Normally I wouldn't own an M800 because of weight/balance, but mine was a sumgai.

Edited June 2, 2010 by eric47

[FrankB]

I have multiple examples of both, and like both very much. For me choosing between the two would be difficult. A few of my impressions -

 

Which one of the two has a smoother nib? - I think the Pelikan. As the others have said, Optimas have some feedback. I like that feedback since it is different from many of my other pens. But, I do have a nib smoothing kit which I did use on one of my Optima italic nibs because the feedback was too pronounced even for me.

 

Which one feels more substantial in the hand? - Again, I think the Pelikan. I like to use FP's unposted. The M-800 fits my hand perfectly unposted, but the Optima must be posted. The M-800 feels built for utility.

 

Which one has a more luxury feel to it? - Here the Optima wins. As already said (here and above), the Pelikan is built for utility, which enhances its feeling of substance, but seems to diminish any feel of luxury.

 

As tanalasta said, the piston mechisms on both pens function excellently. The fit and finish on both is excellent. So you will be getting a great pen either way. I will add that the nib units can be unscrewed from both pen models, so you may have more than one nib point size. However, only the Optima has a factory italic nib, if that (issue) is at all important to you.

 

Good luck.

Edited June 2, 2010 by FrankB

[PinarelloOnly]

Optima. Want smooth? Optima with Aurora ink.

 

I owned a M805...been there done that. Pelikan pens are just another pen with a Bock nib, take your pick, there are worse

pens to bore yourself to death with.

 

Do you want a smooth nib which you can get on any pen or do you want a writing experience which you can get with the Aurora.

[Garageboy]

You'll eventually own both, but I like the optima. It's a little better balanced (that brass piston makes it a bit top heavy) and the nib writes vintagey for me

[wspohn]

Hard call. I own both and like both.

You will probably wind up with one of each, so flip a coin, or pick a favourite pattern/finish and buy the first one that comes up in your price range.

 

Pelikans will usually be tha basic green (FWIW I prefer the M1000 to the 800), but Optimas have several nice variations (I have a sterling and a green, a red and a yellow Sole model)