Pelikan M805 Review

August 14, 2012

I have the identical pen with the IB nib and love it!

August 24, 2012

dashdotdot,

Were did you buy the pen? Were can I have a good deal on this exact same pen? BTW, love your pen. I am looking to buy one.

August 24, 2012

I got a simple black 805 last week with a Fine nib. I've given it a little 'tweak' and it now writes with a slightly wetter F/M line and is just right - for me, of course.

September 3, 2014

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8011/7409826248_6523efd780_c.jpgMy Pelikan Souvrän M805 just arrived in the mail today and what better way to celebrate the start of summer?I chose the blue striped version with rhodium hardware and I find this combination to be extremely pleasing to the eye.After some hesitation over whether to choose a fine or medium nib, I finally threw all caution to the wind and took a chance the IB (Italic Broad) nib.http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8006/7409825840_50ac972f97_c.jpgTaking the pen in hand for the first time, one notices the pleasant heft and girth which both bespeak quality--not surprisingly since the 800 series is the penultimate model, surpassed only by the M1000--but although it's a big pen, it's not huge or bulky and it feels comfortably balanced un-posted in my not-too-large hand. I would only rarely write with the pen posted, as it is just a bit too long for my hand.The quality of the hardware is evident, as would be expected of a pen of this class, and the style is classic Pelikan: the lines are lightly and elegantly curved, the resin feels and looks substantial and the finial and clip with the Pelikan logo in bright silver on a mat silver background give the pen an understated elegance that is highlighted by the striped blue barrel. The piston filling unit is very smooth in operation. I believe it is a brass assembly so it should last several lifetimes. Like all Pelikans, the nib must be completely immersed in the ink in order to fill the pen. http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5112/7409826612_cd3cf61054_c.jpghttp://farm9.staticflickr.com/8166/7409826882_aa2793ec2c_n.jpghttp://farm6.staticflickr.com/5160/7409824066_52e85cca12_n.jpghttp://farm9.staticflickr.com/8002/7409825080_ecb166b6df_z.jpgThe 18 carat nib is fairly large but well proportioned to the rest of the pen and was pretty smooth out of the box, although a later inspection under the loupe revealed that tines were slightly misaligned. This explained the (ever so slight) scratchiness and minor skipping I'd experienced on the first ink-up. Nothing too bad, but it is a disappointment for a nib of this price. Having said that, I acquired this pen at a steep discount, so I don't mind getting my hands a little dirty tweaking it. If you are not comfortable adjusting a nib, you would do well to buy from a supplier who will test and adjust the pen before shipping.http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7117/7409825376_b312b8def7_c.jpgThis pen will challenge your penmanship if you're not used to a broad italic nib. It lays down a nice thick line that requires a goodly amount of space to breath. The nib, once properly adjusted, is buttery smooth, and to accommodate its width, the feed is set rather wet. This pen will go through ink at a good pace, although the reservoir is very generous. The nib also has a some spring which increases the line variation even more with a little bit of pressure. However, it already writes just fine with no pressure at all and the line variation is even greater than I expected. The down stroke measures just over a millimeter on Rhodia paper and the cross stroke is a veritable hairline --which surprised me since I'd heard that these nibs did not present an especially varied line. This is a fat, juicy line that tapers sweetly on the cross stroke. This is a line that commands respect. http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7274/7410671284_e3e4bf66dc_c.jpg
It runs long because I ramble on and on, but you may enjoy it, I know I did.