Search the Community

Hi, I am posting this here to let you know that (at time of posting) there is a UK seller who has an early (i.e. 1988 or '89) 'Made in W.-Germany' M800 with a 14k 'Fine' nib for sale. These nibs are reputed to offer a little bit of 'bounce' while writing, and to have nib-grinds that are a more-interesting shape than the current round-ball-tipped Pelikan nibs. E.g. I have a 1990/91 'W.-Germany' M800 with an 18k 'M' nib on it. The nib on my M800 is a nicer shape and is more fun to write with than is the nib on my 2020 M805. The 'M' nib on my M800 is of a similar width the to 'F' nib on my M805 - do though bear in mind that I am comparing a sample size of only one with a sample size of only one. Bo Bo Olson reckons that the early M800 nibs typically run 'half a size' less-wide than the current ones. The pen that is currently for sale is a green-striped one, and it appears to be in very good condition. And of course, unlike the current production run of M800s, its barrel is translucent between the green stripes. In my experience, this is the best 'ink window' ever made. Discreet from a distance, but explicit up-close. I have no connection to the seller. The title of the listing is "Pelikan Fountain Pen M800 Green Striped, Fine 14k Gold Nib, VGC". Slàinte, M.

I just posted on YouTube my favorite pens of 2022.

If you had the chance, which pen would you get so that you enjoy writing and call it a "keeper"

PILOT x SOMÈS Pen porch Review These photos were taken with my mobile phone in order to save time and make blog-writing easier. Hope the downgraded image quality won't spoil my identity as a professional photographer as well as digital image specialist. I always carry a few pens with me so I have the need to find some good pen porches for them. The pen porch shown in my previous Pelikan M800 Review (Here) caught some friend's attention and asked me about it, so I decided to write this review. This Porch is a "PILOT x SOMÈS" 3-slot pen porch, it's producd by SOMÈS SADDLE for Pilot, SOMÈS is the only and renown maker of leather horse saddles in Japan. http://www.somes.co.jp/ Telling from the exterior, this is an eye-catching, high quality leather article. The hardened leather seems almost bullet-proof, very promising in offering the best protection to our beloved pens, l was sold.It is a good leather article, but it may not be the best all-rounded pen porch. Well, the material, craftsmanship and the eye-catching factor all worth the price, but my little problem with it mainly lies in the design department. The porch has minimal branding, just a stamp at the back. The stitching is very nice, the light brown hard leather looks cool, feels very nice to the touch and sets this one apart from the majority of pen porches that are made of soft leather, but this hard leather may not be the best material for fountain pen porch - it is very absorbent to water, that means it can be easily stained by fountain pen ink. Perhaps the black version is more stain-resistant. Here comes another little problem with the use of hard leather, the cover always bounce back to its closed position(to take this photo, I spent some effort to make it stay open...for merely 1 or 2 seconds). No big deal but if the cover can stay open or be flipped backwards when the pen porch is set on a desk, it'll be more convenient to switch between pens. This pen porch is not a very large/long one. The pen in the left is a Pilot Custom 74, while that in the middle is a Pilot Custom 743. This is a PILOT pen porch but IMO is a bit too short for her own 742/743/823/845 or the Namiki pens, especially if you put these pens in the side slots - which are narrower and shorter because the bottoms are round. If you put a long pen in the side slots, a large portion of its cap will look quite exposed to air and not feel like being very well-protected. I feel much more comfortable to put the shorter Platinum 3776 or Sailor 1911s in the shorter side slots, rather than a Pilot pen. The official photo of the pen porch was taken with some Custom74s clipping to the leather and stay put, however, in reality the leather is too thick for most (including the C74) pens to clip practically, pens with spring-loaded clips can clip easier but they look weird with the clips springing very wide, and the added thickness of the clips makes inserting the porch cover into the belt a lot more difficult. The clips will easily leave permanent marks to the leather too. I'd rather let the pen clips stay inside the slots. While the exterior of this pen porch looks almost bullet proof, the internal partitions are way too short, they extent not more than half-way down the porch. As the leather is too thick for a pen to clip on it and stay put, there's a very high chance for many pens(depending on shape and girth) to wobble and hit/press on each other at both ends, one of my wooden pens had actually been damaged this way, there is a dent on its cap, very likely caused by the clip of the pen next to it. It's better to select short, girthy, rod shape penes which fit the slots perfectly to minimize wobble. I would never put metal pens together with plastic (or precious resin XD) pens in this pen porch. VerdictThis pen porch is very eye-catching and very nice to the touch, the hardened leather seems to offer very good protection from external factors, but pens hitting each other within the porch can potentially cause damage, this is. disappointing especially as it is the most expensive pen porch Pilot offers, in which the price is more expensive than a lot of other luxury brands. It's still a good pen porch but you need to pay serious attention to select the suitable pens for it. I feel that the big problem can easily be solved if the overall length of the casing be extend by just 5mm, and the length of the internal partitions be increase to at least 3/4 of the entire internal length of the porch, this will then be a great pen porch for a lot of pens.

Greetings to everyone guys. I am planning for a big pen purchase but I am pretty confused between the two. I will be buying the pen from the Nibsmith because most probably I am getting a grind on it. My main concerns here are: Quality and construction: I know both pens are expensive and well constructed. But every once in a while, I come across a thread about the auroloide in Auroras cracking. I have also come across threads where the bindes in Pelikan split. I want to know if this is a recent issue or a thing of the past. Nib performance: I know I said I might go for a custom grind. But just in case I opt otherwise, I need some opinions on how these nibs compare with each other. I will be getting a medium in the Aurora but I am not sure about the Pelikan because all the m800s I have tried, each nib is so different in the same nib width. Balance: Balance is very important to me as I am a student and I may need to write for hours with these. Can you guys tell me how they compare with each other in terms of balance? Aesthetics: As this is a big pen purchase, looks are definitely important to me. I need a very good and elegant looking pen. I am looking at the Blue Auroloide vs the Blue Gold Stripes. Can you show me a comparison photo between these? Thanks, Adit

I currently have two pens I use very consistently: a Pelikan M800 with cursive ital. nib that I ground and a PFM III, also with a cursive italic that I ground. Both pens are very smooth, wonderful writers. This is the perfect size for me, and I tend to like the M800 better in terms of weight. OK, so what might be a 3rd large pen to add to these two? I have a modern, very slightly used Aurora 88 that I plan to sell—can't go with the play of the nib on the paper. I can, of course, get another Pelikan, and I am open to a vintage pen. So what might be next? Thanks in advance for the help. George

x

Hello everyone. I had the camera out and was taking a few photos on a lazy Sunday so I thought that I would snap and share a pic of my M8xx collection. I'm really leaning towards the M8xx sized pens as some of my favorites of the flock. Enjoy! s Green Demonstrator, M810 Blue Ocean, M915 Hunting, M815 Wall Street, Concerto, Golf, Genesis of the Olympiad, The Spirit of Gaudi, Red striped, Green striped, Clear demonstrator (without engravings), Black, Blue O'Blue, Tortoiseshell Brown, Burnt Orange, Grand Place, M805 Solid Blue, M805 Stresemann, M805 Clear demonstrator (with engravings), M805 Blue striped, M805 Vibrant Blue, M850 Green striped, M850 Black, M900 Toledo

Hi, I learnt a lot from this forum and here is my payback...I want to share my comparison of couple of my Italic pens/nibs. Enjoy... The pens/nibs are: 1-Pelikan M800 BB Cursive Italic by John Mottishaw. Line variation ~x4 (1.0mm/0.25mm) 2-Lamy 1.1mm (standard calligraphy pen). Line variation ~x1.8 (0.9mm/0.5mm) 3-Nakaya Decapod Twist Aka Tamenuri BB Cursive Italic by John Mottishaw. Line variation ~x3.6 (0.9mm/0.25mm) 4-Montblanc Boheme Oblique Medium (original Montblanc nib; no customization). Line variation ~x2.0 (0.8mm/0.4mm) The meaning of the sentence in the pics is "The biggest pleasures become mundane if they are repeated excessively" Observations: John Mottishaw's Cursive Italic nibs are similar to Osmoroid/Manuscript calligraphy pens in terms of nib sharpness but feels not as cheap. They are definitely sharper than Lamy Italic nibs but not so much as to bother for daily writing. Nib is sharp but not too sharp to catch paper. Given that stubs are too blunt for me Cursive Italic is definitely perfect for my taste. These pens can perfectly be used for daily writing. I asked John to make Pelikan 1.0mm and Nakaya 0.9mm. Based on my measurements they are exactly as I wanted... Finally, for daily note taking, 1.0mm seems little bit too bit. My miniscules are getting too big for my taste. On the other hand 0,8mm is too small to some enough line variation. Therefore, for me 0.9mm is the optimum nib size for daily note taking. Let me know what you think... Thanks

Hi guys, I am trying to select my next Pelikan. I have reduced down my choices to three: 1-M800 Burnt Orange and M800/M805 Blue Striped. Burnt Orange has a very attractive warm color which I really like. 2-M800 Blue Striped with Gold Trim 3-M805 Blue Striped with Rhodium Trim Which one would you choose and why? Thanks

I hope I'm not breaking rules here. If so, mods please tell me and do what needs to be done. Not sure about the legitimacy of these, but I think these are potentially good deals. The companies seem to be all based in Japan. Black M800 (no nib size specified) ~$350 Green Striped M800 (also no nib size specified) ~$370 Green Striped M800 (apparently a fine nib) ~$350

OOPS I er WE did It Again Well that has nothing to do with this http://i1286.photobucket.com/albums/a617/Morbus_Curiositas/LCC%20M800/oops_zps3fyya1rv.jpg As You might know I am a great Birdfan... I love Marbre de Canard (DuckBreast), Guinee Fawl and Filet of Ostriche But PELIKANS ARE MY FAVORITE no not the ones that can fly (wonder how they taste with a sauce of Maury wine ) But More like these ones http://i1286.photobucket.com/albums/a617/Morbus_Curiositas/LCC%20M800/m800%204%20times_zpsgn7zvbvc.jpghttp://i1286.photobucket.com/albums/a617/Morbus_Curiositas/LCC%20M800/m800%20green%20uncapped_zpsvt0ybjna.jpg or this lovely Pelikan http://i1286.photobucket.com/albums/a617/Morbus_Curiositas/LCC%20M800/m805_zpspfbnozos.jpg It is so lovely well balanced buttery smooth exquisite and elegant that I would make love to it if it wasn't a Fountain Pen No Just kidding guess the Love of my life Sabine would not fancy that But here is a video review of the M800 By Lord SBRE BROWN the David Attenborough of Fountain Pen Documentaries http://i1286.photobucket.com/albums/a617/Morbus_Curiositas/LCC%20M800/m805_zpspfbnozos.jpg Well all Very Nice but.... OOps we did it again.... WHO are WE and WHAT did we DO again??? We Are http://i1286.photobucket.com/albums/a617/Morbus_Curiositas/Sailor%20Bung%20Bocx%20espresso/Saint%20Richard%20et%20Saint%20Denis%20ICOON%20small_zpsgdcy9nic.jpg of the Divine Heaven of Fountain Pen excellence called http://i1286.photobucket.com/albums/a617/Morbus_Curiositas/LCC/DSC01564_zps8ffcbb0b.jpg click here for a guided tour through heaven>>>https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/277861-fountain-pen-heavenlivela-couronne-du-comte/ after the saints' most excellent offer on the M1000 last year THIS is WHAT they http://i1286.photobucket.com/albums/a617/Morbus_Curiositas/LCC%20M800/LCC%204%20M800_zpssotat0bp.jpg http://i1286.photobucket.com/albums/a617/Morbus_Curiositas/LCC%20M800/lcc%20805_zps0xxw6dbt.jpg DID AGAIN So if you always wanted a most excellent Fountain Pen... a Pen that the great Fountain Pen Specialist SIR Peter Twydle of The Fountain Pen museum called the PERFECT FOUNTAIN PEN http://i1286.photobucket.com/albums/a617/Morbus_Curiositas/LCC%20M800/wisselkoers_zpsuzw75rfe.jpg I guess now is the perfect time to get one... ... or more Here is the shortest way to the goodies http://www.lacouronneducomte.nl/webstore/main/pelikan-c-1_271.html So allow yourself or your loved ones the happiest X-mas in the history of mankind I guess my green Pelikan will soon feel not so lonesome anymore Hope this was Helpful Regards Peter

So here is the thing. I have over the years moved up from the M20xs to M80xs pens. I discovered i liked the size of the M80x so much that I decided for fewer and more expensive pens and sold my 60xs and my 20xs (apart from one m205). I bought this M800 on ebay... It was advertised as never used and was clearly the old style. it was cheaper than buying a new pen and while it is not what exactly i would like to have (I do prefer the silver trim of the M805 over the M800 and the green stripes are not my first preference, I like the blue ones, furthermore I love the newer style with the all metal cap end, I know most people like the old one but I never appreciated it really), I bought it to have a cheaper M800 pen to use without feeling guilty of carrying 300 Euros in a pen case in my pocket. Now when the pen came... I discovered first it was not ununsed, the reservoir was clean of ink but there was dried royal blue ink in the feed and the typical marks from screwing the cap on the binde (although light ones). I flushed the pen and run it through a cheap ultrasonic cleaner I have and the nib came out like new. Examining it closely, it is a very well preserved sample and what more, the cap has the W. Germany mark on it. That would place production in the time of late 1989 to 1992 or a bit later. I think it is not a frankenpen since the seller had a set of matching ballpoint etc... So this pen is almost as old as I am.... And realistically I could not have been around to buy it at th time That said despite all my initial expectations I fell in love with it. I filled it with pelikan Blue Black and wrote with it, it gave me a very nice feeling. Nib is different than my modern 805s, a bit less wide or should i call it more precise, still it gets a wider line down the paper than most pens. Thats no problem, I like wide wet nibs, this one is not better or worse than my modern ones, just has a different feeling. i discover I like this pen a lot and now I am torn between using it as i originally thought (well not carrying it but using it as a desk pen to write on my diary) and cleaning it up and putting it away as a collectors piece. What do you people think of this? Would you use this one? And do you think that the Pelikan Blue Black might eventually damage the pen due to the irongall it contains? I dont have enough experience with irongall inks (this blue black is a recent addition to someone loving black and blue), much less on an already old pen. I do take care of my pens, but I am not the kind of guy who cleans them up every week. i tend to write with them and keep them inked for long periods, filling up once a week. Clean my writers two times a year, before christmas and before in august, but all this with simple lamy blue and black inks.

Hi to all, I'm a bit new to the fountain pen "arena" and I just bought from an antique dealer a Pelikan M800 but I just noticed something in the pictures that concerned me. I did this purchase remotely as I live on the other side of the Country but I have acquired things from him previously and was always happy with the service, so I risked and went forward with the purchase as I thought the price was quite attractive and he assured me the pen was in very good conditions. My concern is that I just noticed something strange in one of the pictures of the pen (which are of very poor quality, sorry for that but as I have not received the pen yet I just have the mobile phone pictures he sent me). The pen has a golden disk in the top of the piston filler. And from the pictures I'm used to see from M800's I never seen such disk... Is this a "real" Pelikan? Probably an old one? Should I be concerned? I paid 150€ for it... I would appreciate your feedback to understand if I just got burned... By the way, the ink bottle in the picture is also included in the purchase, do you think that is safe to use? It looks quite old... Thanks a lot. Best regards. Here are the pictures:

Has anyone come across a m800 body that looks like below? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Replacement-barrel-for-Palikan-M-800-/271836242626?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f4ab3e2c2 I know the m800 versions of today do not have a ink window like the one shown in the pictures. older m800 perhaps or does the "palikan" speak volumes? thanks

I have just received a delightful Pelikan M800 Tortoise from Rolf Thiel in Germany. I cannot praise his excellent service enough! Germany to my hot little hands in under a week plus a gift of a delicious box of chocolates, bliss. The usual disclaimers, although I do wish he lived next door to me! Many thanks Rolf

Was this nib a special, or will it continue as a stand offering from Pelikan? I'm hearing conflicting news on this?

Is it possible to re grind an M800 nib and get a similar experience as one would with an Aurora 88 with a factory stub? I recently bought an Aurora 88 from John Mottishaw, not customised but just a factory stub which he tuned, which has completely blown me away. I've been using M800s almost exclusively for work for about six years now and just wanted to see what all the fuss was about concerning feedback with Aurora nibs. I just find it a fantastic nib to write with, and seems to work with almost any kind of paper that I encounter (I work in a hospital, where paper quality varies a lot!). The trouble is I love the M800 in terms of design generally, but love the Aurora stub nib. Is it possible to regrind a Pelikan M800 to feel like an Aurora? I had a BB M800 nib reground to cursive italic by John Sorowka, and have been mightily impressed with the result. Just wanted to know if I can achive something more like the Aurora by having a regrind, and what would that be? Any help would be very much appreciated...!

Hi Folks ! I can't plug the cap in its proper place after leaving my new Pelikan M1000 barrel in a clean water for cleaning for a night. I checked the diameter of my M1000 with calliper comparing with my friends M1000 barrel diameter. My Pelikan's barrel diameter was 1mm bigger than my friends Pelikan barrel diameter. I checked my new M1000 under the microscope and I see the water penetrated between the tortoise shell layers just on the threads side where cap is screwing. I put the M1000 body in a towel and left for two days under the indirect sun light. After two days slow evaporation now everything is ok. I can screw the cap in its normal place on the barrel. Can anyone meet with same problem. Because one of my friends told me about the same issue in his M800. It seems to me like an issue of Pelikan tortoise shell manufacturing.

Hello from Wilmington, Delaware, USA. I have two fountain pens that were in storage for a few years and both need repair: 1. Pelikan M800 (Green) Medium 2. What I believe is a Waterman Gentleman Fine (Black with pretty engraving around the barrel and cap) The Pelikan looks to be in fine shape but writes VERY poorly: skipping, and scratchy. After lots of reading in your forums it seems to need some nib meistering. The Waterman was writing pretty nicely using a blue waterman cartridge until the nib assembly came off when I removed the cap. After watching hours of youtube pen tuning videos, reading through forum posts (including the all important What NOT to Do), I figured posting an SOS would be a good start. I found Nibs.com but the thought of sending off my pens for 6 months just seems ludicrous. The idea of working on these pens myself intrigues me but after reading the list of DON'Ts, I want to avoid making pen-foo-young of these two pens. I know I could just send each back to it's manufacturer but the impression I get from the reading I've done is that though they will be "fixed" - the pens may or may not be properly "set up" and thus will not necessarily write in a manner to delight a fastidious lover of precision. (I sharpen knives and build and true bicycle wheels for fun.) I was hoping to find a pen person or repair shop locally (Philadelphia area) so I could discuss the issues and hopefully learn something along the way. It's clear that a well tuned fountain pen is a joy to write with so I'd very much like to get these pens sorted out. Any help and advice appreciated. Also - I looked for a "search" option for the forum and couldn't find one. Am I missing something. I was hoping to find posts using search rather than scanning through 500 pages of Repair Q&A. Regards, Joel .