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I just bought one online. Noticed that not too many have it in stock. A couple of retailers did not carry it any more, and I could only find an EF nib at appelboom. Is it that it's not a very popular model, or Pelikan not making them any more? Just curious

Pelikan Souverän M815 Metal Striped I did not plan to buy it. Only when Pelikan announced M1005 I got more into M805 Stresemann and M815. And so it is. On pictures it is very similar to Stresemanns – black, silver stripes on barrel, palladium plated rings and clip. But to naked eye it is a different species. Or maybe an alfa-male example of the species. It is like Stresemann but on steroids. It is not the first M815 – the previous one was M815 Wall Street, released in 1995, and was a limited edition. The difference between Special and Limited edition ? “Limited” is limited in NUMBER of pieces (ie. Wall Street was limited to 4500 worldwide). Special Edition is also limited but in TIME – it is produced only in a certain year or period. So it is hard to say how many copies was produced. M815 is one of Pelikan 180 Anniversary line– “180 years of passion Speccial Edition”. BASICS (10/10) Well, it is a modern Pelikan and M8xx and Souverän series. A rather large pen, 141.5mm long capped, and 127.2mm uncapped, rather light but due to brass piston mechanism (and size) slightly heavier than other Mxx Souveräns. And heavier then MB 146 too (M800 is 5g heavier then MB 146 and M815 ads even more - 12g total difference). A lot was written about those pens in many different reviews - filling mechanism, ease of nibs removal, general design etc. so I concentrate on differences. PACKAGING and DESIGN (9.5/10) Souverän M815 comes in a striped box (surprise . It is a paper/carton box, nothing more sophisticated. After opening a flap held by tiny magnets the pen is presented diagonally, “hovering” in the box. Initially unboxing was slightly different as the pen was in a plastic sleeve and with price/model tag on the clip, but of course, I removed it for pictures. As mentioned before, it is similar to Stresemann but only In general design and on pictures. I do not have a Stresemann now, but compared them side by side in my local ( and very friendly) pen shop “Pióroteka”. Stripes on M805 Stresemann are very different: more subdued, not as sharp and shiny, grey stripes on Stresemann are wider then black stripes. M815 is the other way round – silver stripes are thin, black space between them wider. Stripes are sharper, metallic, and elegant. The difference is really much bigger to the naked eye then on any picture I saw before. The stripes on the barrel are brass and palladium coated. One cannot feel them with touch – after fusing them with barrel material it is coated with lacquer, and gloss finished. As in other Mxx5 trimmings are obviously “silver” – in this case palladium plated. Nib exactly the same as in M800 but rhodium plated. In my case it’s medium. A difference with other M80x series pens is ink window. The barrel is not translucent so just before the threads, there is an ink window. In my opinion, it complements the pen both practically and visually. WEIGHT and HANDLING (9,5/10) It is heavier. Heavier than M800/M805. To be exact – the barrel is heavier. Cap weights exactly the same as in my M800 – 9g. The barrel (without ink) weights 27,6g and is 7g heavier then M800 and even heavier then M1000 (2,5g). Weight difference is obviously due to brass stripes. Wight is distributed differently than in M800 – a centre of gravity is moved 3 to 4 mm to the front. And that is why it handles perfectly. If you have a M800 and wondered if a heavier M815 would suit you – the answer is YES. It is very comfortable even in long runs. Of course, it is a big pen so could be pain for someone with small hands. NIB and WRITING (8,5/10) Another area without real differences to M80x series. 18c-750, monotone, rhodium plated nib, available in F, M and B, and EF with additional charge. Very slight spring but do not expect line variation. In my pen there is a medium nib and its very reliable, very smooth, rather wet and slightly broader than typical medium, and I like it. I have M800 with a fine nib and it is one of my workhorses but I usually skipped it then wanted to write for pleasure, for “steam of consciousness” writing etc. This one will be much better. Other Pelikan nibs I’m using are gold fine in M250 “old style”, gold OB in M250 “old style”, fine in M400 (modern) and bunch of vintage nibs – most of them with different levels of flex. And I do like them all, sometimes due to differences. SUMMARY Well it is my first review on FPN. And I’m glad that is a review of a pen not yet reviews (according to review index and search). And I’m glad that it is a Pelikan review and a pen I really wanted, and it did not disappoint me at all. It is great Pelikan, a great pen. At the same time it is elegant and bold. Its realizable as all Pelikans, VERY comfortable (for me even more then M800). I do recommend it - grab it while it is still available in some places. (PRICE: well it is expensive. But I will not discuss money I got a good deal and I’m happy. I would probably buy it even for a full price.)

Within two days Pelikan is announcing another fascinating fountain pen. Due to be released by mid June the Pelikan Special Edition Souverän M815 Metal Striped fountain pen is up for pre-order at our shop. The M815 has an acrylic body adorned with metal stripes shining in silver. The M815 features a grey ink window behind the section. Further information can be found (in German) here: https://www.fritz-schimpf.de/Neuheiten/Pelikan-Special-Edition-Souveraen-M815-Metal-Striped-Kolbenfuellhalter.html Best regards Fritz Schimpf