Pelikan M400 - White Tortoise - Oblique Medium

[tomgartin]

INTRODUCTION

 

http://i.imgur.com/0pkMZQL.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/zeDOs4Q.jpg

 

I found this pen on eBay. The description said "guaranteed used twice" and "excellent condition" but the photos above are all I had to go on. It was $175 so I took a gamble. Did it pay off, keep scrolling...

 

1. Appearance & Design: 10/10

This is a gorgeous pen. I don't know why they don't keep this in permanent production. The honey/green color of the stripes is very pleasing, especially the rust/brown colored bits that are mixed in. The white and gold accents are a fantastic complement to the design, and I think the overall design makes the nib "pop" more.

Otherwise, it's the same shape, and basic form of the Pelikans you already know and love.

 

2. Construction & Quality: 4/10

When I received the pen, it had some scuffing on the clip, around the cap, and on the end of the filler knob. Most importantly, it had four cracks in the cap. None of this was mentioned in the eBay listing. When I asked around in the Pelikan subforum, I found that cap cracking was a known issue with this model--so not necessarily indicative of abuse (though the scuffing suggests some neglect).

The plastic is of fair-to-poor quality, but I'm hoping these cracks stay stable. Maybe this material just needed to settle in and it's stable now? Time will tell. I'll be careful anyway. It's not the hardy makrolon of the L2K or anything like that. As far as I can tell, there is no cracking to the body and no leakage.

FYI, Chartpak offered to replace the cap for $123 (35 service fee + 88 cap price). Ron Zorn also offered to stabilize the cracks when his queue clears up for a little less than that.

 

Pictures of cracks here: http://imgur.com/a/J6d4W

 

3. Weight & Dimensions: 9/10

I don't have a scale, but this is a light pen. It is well balanced and not fatiguing. This pen was made for lots of writing. The dimensions are the same as an M200. For me, this is really comfortable posted, even with large hands, so I'm very happy with it, though a little larger diameter wouldn't hurt.

 

4. Nib & Performance: 10/10

This is where it shines. The price I paid was basically the value of the nib, and ultimately the nib is why I did not choose to return the pen. It's uncommon to find oblique nibs from Pelikan, especially something as practical as an oblique medium. I can actually use this in daily writing, and I didn't realize until I used it that I naturally prefer this type of nib for the way my hand rests and moves.

Nib is very smooth, feed is very wet. That's exactly how I like it. It doesn't hurt that there's some line variation. This is my desert island nib.

 

5. Filling System & Maintenance: 7/10

Piston filler! This is my favorite filling system because it hold so much more than a converter or cartridge, and that's important because a wet pen needs lots of ink.

As with the rest of the M200-400-600 range, the piston mechanism is press-fit, so no tinkering for me except through the section hole. I really like how on the L2K and TWSBI pens you can take it completely apart, so not being able to do that on a pen like the M400 just seems wrong. Full marks for filling type, but minus a few for limited user-serviceability.

 

6. Cost & Value: 5/10

As stated above, I paid $175. That's about the value of the nib alone, plus I got a nice tortoiseshell body. The cap has issues. I'm living with it. If it gets worse, my options for repair/replacement are fairly pricey (per Chartpak, suggest list price for cap alone is $176, though they offered to discount to $123). Since this pen was not produced after 2011, that means we're all past the 3-year warranty period, so whatever you paid for yours, if it breaks you're stuck paying a lot of money to have it fixed. This combined with the limited ability to service the pen as a user seems to mean Pelikan doesn't see the M400 as a lifetime pen, even though it has so much potential. On the other hand, I got a user grade pen that's a fantastic writer for a very good price. So I'm on the fence here. Purely on the basis of what I've invested so far and my satisfaction with its ability to function well, I give it high marks. From a wider perspective, though, I have to give it lower marks due to fragility, lack of serviceability, and prohibitive cost of replacement parts.

 

7. Conclusion: 45/60 = 7.5/10?

In conclusion, I love this pen. I am a recent convert to Pelikans, and as much as I disagree with the slip-shod treatment they give to engineering the M200/400/600 line, I really love the pens. The nib and feed design, coupled with a decent capacity piston filler and easy view of the ink level, makes me a happy user. Since I'm not a collector, I'll bump up the marks to match my true feelings about this pen.

8.5/10

 

Pictures below!

 

http://i.imgur.com/gcEzj5E.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/vPRmkNa.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/iexXusX.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/mLdOb04.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/UZKtKmV.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/rZUws14.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/H54U87G.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/v2CcOoH.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/NR1MV2w.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/WU2go5X.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/WGnRYan.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/xMGDPim.jpg?1

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/JxRbX7i.jpg?1

 

 

 

[carlos.q]

Congratulations on a very beautiful pen! I really like the green tortoise body.

 

But beware! Pelikans are like chips: you cannot have only one!!!

[masterguns]

Good looking pen and very nice pictures. Thanks.

[Joe in Seattle]

Bought the 600 for my wife. You're right - striking colors, great pen.

[inkstainedruth]

  On 4/19/2015 at 12:50 AM, carlos.q said:

Congratulations on a very beautiful pen! I really like the green tortoise body.

 

But beware! Pelikans are like chips: you cannot have only one!!!

Sad but true. The worst part is that, unlike Esterbrooks, they aren't cheap.... It's easy to amass a goodly collections of Esties for not a huge amount of chump change (I have about a dozen J series pens in various sizes and colors, plus about five extra nib units; mostly 2xxx and 9xxx series nibs).

I just did the math, looking at my inventory list. All the Esties & nibs (plus a vintage dip pen set, still on the original display card that I happened onto up in Boston last winter) adds up to about $325 US. Total. Slightly more than what i paid for the M400 Brown Tortoise *plus* the new M200 Café Crème.... And less than what a new M400 would cost for the most part.

And yes, my flock is still increasing.... (I'm up to 5 at this point).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[sargetalon]

Thank you for your review tomgartin! Hopefully this won't be your last Pelikan as they are such wonderful pens. The pictures that you provided are very nice. If you are looking for a very fitting ink to pair with this pen, might I suggest Rohrer & Klinger's Alt-Goldgrun. The M400 white tortoise is a special pen and it's a shame that the early run was marred by the cap cracking issue. While I expect your cap is likely one of the ones prone to this, I don't think neglect by the prior user can be ruled out either given the scuffing that you noted. Pelikan did try and make the situation right at the time by replacing these caps but, as you said, the warranty period has passed and any exchanges today will be out of pocket.

 

I'm afraid that I don't agree with many of your conclusions but it is nice to have a difference of opinion and you are certainly entitled to yours. I would caution you against making broad statements though such as your reference to the "slip-shod treatment they give to engineering the M200/400/600 line" because, as a whole, I don't find that to be the case at all (based on my experience with 100+ Pelikans). Also, the fact that the piston is press fit really is a non-issue as these birds do not need to be taken apart for anything outside of a repair (which is very infrequent). The only maintenance they require, in general, is proper flushing periodically and an occasional lubing of the piston seal which is accomplished from the section side by unscrewing the nib. The piston mechanism is quite reliable and aside from a failed seal, should never need to be intervened upon. I have found most Pelikans to be durable and, with proper care, certainly expect them to last a lifetime. Again, there is plenty of room for a difference of opinion and I can certainly understand where you are coming from given the damage present in your cap. I hope that you are able to enjoy your tortoise for many years to come and that the crack issue can be resolved to your satisfaction at some point in the future. Take care.

[tomgartin]

I'm not saying it's bad, I'm just giving honest critique that the press-fit mechanism seems like a poor decision from a longevity standpoint. Obviously, disassembly is far more gentle on the pen if it's threaded. It may not be necessary on a routine basis, but I'm thinking long-term and Murphy's Law. Perfectionism is my major hangup. That's not to say this isn't the best pen I've used.

 

The scuffing makes it look like it was tossed into a bag or drawer with other pens. It was very clean when I flushed and scrubbed it, so I believe the seller's claim that it was only inked a couple of times. The cracks appear to be the result of faulty material, under reasonable use, not abuse.

 

I've already got my sights set on another Pelikan. Have mercy on my wallet....

[random_display_name]

"I found this pen on eBay. The description said "guaranteed used twice" and "excellent condition" but the photos above are all I had to go on. It was $175 so I took a gamble. Did it pay off, keep scrolling...

4. Nib & Performance: 10/10
This is where it shines. The price I paid was basically the value of the nib, and ultimately the nib is why I did not choose to return the pen. It's uncommon to find oblique nibs from Pelikan, especially something as practical as an oblique medium. I can actually use this in daily writing, and I didn't realize until I used it that I naturally prefer this type of nib for the way my hand rests and moves.
Nib is very smooth, feed is very wet. That's exactly how I like it. It doesn't hurt that there's some line variation. This is my desert island nib."

______________________________________________________________________


I applaud your leap of faith. The photos the seller posted were just terrible. Two photos showing the pen capped and one with a lot of motion artifact would make me wonder if indeed the pen had a nib at all.

Your observations on the nib and your writing sample are making me reconsider my single-mindedness about only going after EF round nibs. That is a great writer you have there!

[KBeezie]

  On 4/25/2015 at 3:22 PM, tomgartin said:

I'm not saying it's bad, I'm just giving honest critique that the press-fit mechanism seems like a poor decision from a longevity standpoint. Obviously, disassembly is far more gentle on the pen if it's threaded. It may not be necessary on a routine basis, but I'm thinking long-term and Murphy's Law. Perfectionism is my major hangup. That's not to say this isn't the best pen I've used.

 

The scuffing makes it look like it was tossed into a bag or drawer with other pens. It was very clean when I flushed and scrubbed it, so I believe the seller's claim that it was only inked a couple of times. The cracks appear to be the result of faulty material, under reasonable use, not abuse.

 

I've already got my sights set on another Pelikan. Have mercy on my wallet....

The longevity on one with a user-removable piston (such as with the TWSBI tool) is probably shorter than one of the press-fit ones considering the stuff that can happen according to murphy's law when an end user starts taking it apart.

 

Other than the possible annoyance of having a stain just behind the piston gasket, they seem to last quite a while, and my 1956 Pelikan 400NN and 1950s Pelikan 140 are still going strong (though they were of course recently restored for sale, mainly in terms of greasing up the piston and replacing seals as needed), that is to say the part that 'could go wrong' such as barrel cracking, has yet to happen. Also one of them (the 140), has a friction fit nib/feed, as opposed to the threaded unit.

 

Needless to say, they were (mostly, outside of cases like the white M400) built to last.

[Anders23]

This is a lovely pen...I read (some review here) that Pelikan Germany serves lifetime warranty on the pen and replaces damaged parts free of charge. Did you try contacting them?

[DrDebG]

I purchased my first Pelikan last month. It too is a M400 (circa around 2007), only my is the black-blue striated pen with just a medium nib. I purchased mine on eBay for around the same price, but mine was in much better shape - almost new. It is a wonderful pen! I can't wait to get another. I have my eye on the M600 next. I would love to get a white and pink one, but they are priced way over my budget.