Pelikan M400 Review

[bjcmatthews]

Pelikan M400 Review (no pictures, as any more photos of pelikan’s on this site and it will have to be renamed the pelikannetwork.com)

 

Introduction:

I wanted a pelikan. However, you need a special bird license for one in Australia, so I had to make do with a similarly named fountain pen. Everyone on this site swears by Pelikan fountain pens. Those who don’t swear like them too. I decided to buy an M400 because I couldn’t afford anything higher (numerically). I should have checked what the numbers actually stood for ( I bought this pen when I was less well acquainted with fp's), but even so I wouldn’t have had the cash for even an M600. Made for some interesting first impressions though.

 

The Box: This pen arrived in a container of sublime subtlety, and a box. The box is plain and simple, and hence I give it a ten out of ten. Nothing superfluous, just a nice little pelican logo, and a two tone rippled lid. Very nice. Need I say more? Nah, I only deliberate over negative points in my reviews (like the ends of batteries, electrodes etc.) so I’m not going to stay on the box any longer. I've already flattened it with my body weight.

 

First impressions:

I bought the pen brand new, so there were no impressions, or markings of any kind on it. The pen was so much smaller than I expected that when I opened the box I had such an acute attack of vertigo that I would have fallen head first into the box (and hence to my doom) but fortunately my head didn’t fit. My problem with the size of the pen is my fault, so I’m not going to harp on about it. Besides, I don’t have a harp. And harmonising complaints on a computer keyboard doesn’t have the same effect.

Appearance/Finish:

If someone told me they wanted a pen wearing a pin-striped suit, I would say:

“Don’t be ridiculous. At the very least a pen lacks the fundamental no. of appendages to even hold any form of garment upon itself (save for a sock). It has no limbs!”

 

If someone asked me to recommend a stripey pen though, I wouldn’t tell them about the all black souveran by pelikan.

 

Also, as though the brand of Pelikan is not significantly represented on the box, the pen sports the pelikan name on the cap band, the pelikan logo on the top of the cap, and on the back of the nib. This pen is truly an aviary of symbolism for the absent minded bird enthusiast.

 

The design is simple. One thing I have to say for the Pelikan company is that they have stuck to the same designs as furiously as the skin bacteria that plagues the birds themselves. It's not bad, but I'd like to see some more structural variation, not just sticking interesting designs on the same body and calling it a limited edition.

 

The gold rings make the piston knob and the cap are a nice touch, and nice to look at as well. I noticed after about two weeks of writing with this pen that the clip has the beak and eyes of a pelikan incorporated into it. I wonder where the bill of the pelican got to? Can’t say it’s like any other clip on the market, next most interesting one I’ve seen is a snake coiled around the cap.

 

The pen is fairly shiny. 10/10 for shiney-ness. I recall a popular quote on this forum being “A good pen is 1/3 ink, 1/3 paper, and 1/3 shineyness”

 

One thing I don’t like about the stripey finish (I would have preferred an all black one in retrospect) is that the stripes actually twirl about the pen slightly. I’m not a calculus enthusiast, but the degree of swirling is not enough to imply that the swirl was an intended effect; of aesthetic significance, if you will: it looks more like the plastic was unintentionally twisted as it set. Makes the pen look a little cheaper than I’d like. I’d give it 3.5/5

 

Weight/Comfort: I am of moderate weight, and at the moment very comfortable.

 

This pen is lighter than if I shone a torch on my hand and tried to write with the radiance in my palm. With ink in it, it weighs about the same as a miniature salami stick. One of the downsides of this is that I have had to stop eating those while I write with this pen, because of the threat of mixing up which hand is holding what, and ending up wondering why Heart of Darkness isn’t coming out of my somewhat flaccid pen, and why my salami stick is crunchy and tastes like metal.

 

I don’t post pens, I only post envelopes. However, when I put the cap on the back of the pen, it becomes just long enough to write with comfortably. The cap weighs almost nothing, and fits the pen as smoothly and snugly as cash notes fit my wallet. For a small light pen (two qualities that don’t like me as much as I dislike them) its a comfortable 4/5

 

Clip:

Looks interesting, and is very strong. Impressive, because the cap is only thin plastic, but very good quality 5/5 for novelty, and functionality.

 

Threads:

Darn smooth, but have the same problem as my space pen. These are the only two pens I have ever owned that respond so noticeably to heat changes when I write with them too long. If the pen is cold, the threads slide over each other perfectly. If the pen is warm, the threads are stiff and stickier. They are also very fine, so tiny little bits of grime (that only seem to collect on pens with very smooth finishes) can make turning them more difficult. They still get 5/5 though (a point for each thread)

Nib/Writing Performance:

The pen has an M 14k nib, and the writing performance is terrible. The pen can’t write at all. It’s completely reliant upon me to operate it. The nib is fairly decent though. It had a little tooth when I first started using it, which was unusual because Pelikans don’t usually have teeth. I was told by the seller they take a little while to wear in, (although I never wear pens, I’m content only to write with them) and after two weeks the scratchiness resolved. This nib didn’t particularly like Pelikan 4001 blue, which made it squeak. Or not so much squeak, as chime. It made a sound much like when someone runs a wet finger around a wine glass. It was also at exactly the right pitch to make the pen vibrate in my hand for an instant. The note it plays is B flat. Incidentally exactly the same note that a pelican’s mating call isn’t. This doesn’t happen with smoother, more lubricated inks, like HOD, or # 41 Brown. It does occur with Pelikan inks and Noodlers Red-Black. 3.5/5

 

Filling-System: The pen is a vacuumatic.

 

(just kidding) If you listen carefully you can hear the exploding pulses and gargantuan gasps of some of the more intense fp collectors who just read that sentence.

 

It’s a piston filler. It’s smooth, but I have noticed that its gets stiff when the pen is out of commission for a little while (is pist-off, so to speak), and un-inked (although well washed before being stored away).

 

Ink window:

Not so much a window as an ink-venetian blind. On sunny bright days you can hold the pen up to the sky and make out the ink level, and even see the silhouette of the piston in the pen. On cloudy days, the sun is hidden and there is a threat of rain.

I find it easier to judge the remaining ink by the weight of the pen. A marvellous skill that my numerous opaque demonstrators and piston fillers have taught me. Might come in handy one day when I’m stuck in a cave with no light and need to inject somebody with an exact volume of medicine.

Conclusion: I like this pen. But it isn’t my daily writer. It is my daily tertiary writer, i.e. the pen that contains my red ink for jotting down specific points in my notes. I like the idea of trading it with a couple of other pens some day and acquiring a larger Pelikan. It’s post-decessor might make it to my daily secondary writer i.e hold my black ink. It would have to be a superb pen to replace my primary writer, my P.C 823.

 

All up, I think everyone needs a pelican, unless your allergic to poultry, or are afraid of bird-flu.

[alvarez57]

:clap1:

 

I will tell you this is the first time I enjoy so much a review with no pictures at all of a pen that I'm extremely familiarized with (between the M200 and the other 3 M400). All your points regarding the pen are true for they take good observation and impartial description. I like your sense of humor.

p.d. You can visit us for we were left with a few pelicans after the largest oil spill in the history of USA -but our seafood is safe to eat....

[Calbei]

Thank you for that amusing review! :clap1:

 

I sold my M400 but I think an M600 might be on the cards at some point in the future...

[FlatCactus]

I read the first sentence of the introduction and just about fell off my chair laughing, whether the joke deserved it not is another story.

Nice review, I've got my eye of an m400 striped myself.

 

Seriously though, if you still want your pelikan I've got contacts in... useful places.

[PDW]

Some people will find this an annoying review. At least, the people who are startled by my repeated howls of laughter while I'm reading it will.

 

Good one!

[thaugen]

Well done and well said...very funny!

[breaker]

very funny review.thanks!

[greencobra]

Ah, we have a humorist in our midst. :roflmho: Too funny, too cool, a welcome change to reviewland. And it worked w/o pics for sure. I found the 400 too small, ended up selling mine shortly after I received it but it sure lived up to it's name, fantastic little pen. And oh, before I forget, loved reading the review, nice.

[hulya]

As a Pelikan lover, I have to say this is the best pen review I have ever read.

[ru32day]

Love the review.

[SlipyNaricis2112]

Pelikan M400 Review (no pictures,

 

Forgiven. That was delightfully entertaining review.

[empyrean]

loved this review But I thought the 400 was a good sized pen. Just how small is it? When I saw the Montblanc mozart, that IS what I call a small pen!

[RedSox04]

Have you had a chance to compare this to a Custom 74?

 

How do you compare this to your 823? Woops, saw the last line just now.

I'm guessing that the "plasticky" feel of the 823 is superior to the Pelikan?

Edited April 3, 2011 by RedSox04

[777]

Okay, I like reviews with pictures and I resisted reading this one for a while. When I did, I was very glad I did...

 

This is the funniest review I have ever read!!! It's just ridiculously funny! Good job. You kept me entertained with no pictures, and that's not an easy task...

 

 

THANK YOU!

 

Seriously though, it was a very good review and I liked it a lot. Keep up the good humor.

 

Regards,

777

 

[dzg]

Nice review.

Having tried both the 600 and 800 vs. Aurora, Omas and Sailor I will concur that the Pelikan nibs are hopeless.

 

If anyone is going to buy a factory Pelikan its best to do so through Mottishaw or Binder as the nib will then be adjusted and corrected.

 

Its a shame that solid German engineering is let down by the most important part ... the nib. Thats why I won't buy one ... too many better makes out there.

[plc123]

a most entertaining review! thanks!!!

[soleilo]

My new Pelikan pen nibs don't squeak, no fair (Special Ed. teacher who likes to irritate others at times). It's probably because they're fine and extra fine.

 

Humorous review, thank you.

[Fuzzy123]

Nice review.

Having tried both the 600 and 800 vs. Aurora, Omas and Sailor I will concur that the Pelikan nibs are hopeless.

 

If anyone is going to buy a factory Pelikan its best to do so through Mottishaw or Binder as the nib will then be adjusted and corrected.

 

Its a shame that solid German engineering is let down by the most important part ... the nib. Thats why I won't buy one ... too many better makes out there.

:crybaby: Someone please tell me that this is not always true--the m400 or m600 is my DREAM pen..........

 

 

I just got my dream pen, a M400 white tortiose, from The Writing Desk in England. Those folks adjust them, too. Interesting that I couldn't find that particular pen here in the US. BTW, it's my third Pelikan, and I wouldn't even consider another brand of fountain pen. Am still kicking myself for not having gotten a Shanghai when they first came out.

[Moppeh]

Nice review.

Having tried both the 600 and 800 vs. Aurora, Omas and Sailor I will concur that the Pelikan nibs are hopeless.

 

If anyone is going to buy a factory Pelikan its best to do so through Mottishaw or Binder as the nib will then be adjusted and corrected.

 

Its a shame that solid German engineering is let down by the most important part ... the nib. Thats why I won't buy one ... too many better makes out there.

:crybaby: Someone please tell me that this is not always true--the m400 or m600 is my DREAM pen..........

 

I just got a m400 white tortoise with a factory nib and it writes perfectly. And it's an extra fine!

 

And this was a fantastic review. Very funny!

[bunnybaby]

Very interesting, very funny

 

A nice review like this is gonna make my decision-making a tough one if I were to choose between M400 and M600.