Pelikan M200: Worth The Price?

[lsagers]

A couple of buds and I are relatively new to fountain pens. We each did our research, and I decided that the Pelikan M200 would be the pen that fits what I'm looking for: a classic fountain pen with good aesthetics and reliability.

 

I looked around online, and I've seen nothing but positive reviews for this pen, save a few people who thought it was too light - but I'm indifferent to this aspect. However, my friends disagree completely and say that I wasted my money. I think they're full of poop, seeing as it's the ten or so reviews I've read versus their unfounded opinions.

 

Anyway, the point is that I am aware this is a quality pen, but does its quality match its $116 price? Could I get just as good quality from, say, a Pilot Metropolitan, costing around $15?

[LeonardoDV]

Sorry for the double post of my comment!

Edited March 12, 2013 by LeonardoDV

[LeonardoDV]

Yes, it does and no, you couldn't!

[lurker]

You'll get responses across the board. If it is your first fountain pen, maybe start with the Metro and go from there. It'll be different feel for sure, but you can cheaply use that as a starting point to get to know what you might or might not prefer about that pen or fountain pens in general. I didn't spend much on my first pen and kinda glad I didn't.

[lsagers]

Solid advice. Perhaps I should have turned to forums before my purchase. This was more of a reassurance post than anything. Perhaps a see-if-I-should-try-to-return-it post if the evidence was overwhelming, but I didn't think that would be the case, and insofar, I'd say it isn't. Thanks for the advice, though.

[carlos.q]

Yes, it does and no, you couldn't!

+1

[msolok]

Whether or not it is worth it is up to you. If you like the looks of the pen, like the way it writes and feels, and are happy with the price you got it for, then it is a great pen for you and worth the price. It's a very subjective matter, and only you can be the judge.

 

Personally, I would not go for the M200. I personally wouldn't justify the current price when compared to the rest of the Pelikan range, and other pens around the same price. For example, the Lamy 2000 can be had for around the same price as the M200, but I find it a much more pleasant pen. To me the M200 does not complete with some other pens in the same price bracket, but that doesn't mean it's not a good pen.

[Jimmy James]

If the pen were the size of a M600 instead of a M400, it might justify the current price. As it is, I can buy more than two TWSBI 5xx models with the money for one Pelikan. Nope. I like them a lot, but at the current pricing I feel this bird has flown.

[Mike_Dowling]

In the grand scheme $100 isn't very much money, I really like my Pelikan m200. The piston mechanism is very nice and the look is very crisp and classic. The thing I really like about it is that it's understated, I can take it out in a meeting and isn't a huge attention getter but still has a ton of style, it sits really neat in my shirt and writes effortlessly. As for the size, I have a fairly large hand and I think the size is fine. I'll own larger pens too, but I'll always have this m200 in my shirt pocket, just too convenient and easy to have around.

Edited March 12, 2013 by Mike_Dowling

[Mike_Dowling]

If the pen were the size of a M600 instead of a M400, it might justify the current price. As it is, I can buy more than two TWSBI 5xx models with the money for one Pelikan. Nope. I like them a lot, but at the current pricing I feel this bird has flown.

 

 

And you can get two Lamy pens for the price of one TWSBI 5xx model, but at some point you have to factor in things like style points when it comes to these pens, and I don't think the TWSBI pens have much style, they may write every bit as good as a Pelikan but the Pelikan has a ton more class and style, aesthetically speaking the Pelikan is on another level than the TWSBI, but that's just my personal opinion. I don't think any pen looks as nice as a Pelikan pen though so I'm admittedly biased.

[Laura N]

There's never a straight-line correlation between cost and quality. Buy what you like, and can afford, and don't worry what anyone else thinks. If you can, go to a store where you can choose your pen in person.

[Runnin_Ute]

I don't own one, but was seriously considering one when I bought my last pen. Ended up with a True Writer Silver Anniversary that was depending on where you got the M200 $9-19 less. And it is a cartridge/converter pen not a piston filler like the M200. Writes great. Thing is do YOU like it? Value is something that you place on it. That is why you get so many opinions in a thread like this.

[Jimmy James]

If the pen were the size of a M600 instead of a M400, it might justify the current price. As it is, I can buy more than two TWSBI 5xx models with the money for one Pelikan. Nope. I like them a lot, but at the current pricing I feel this bird has flown.

 

 

And you can get two Lamy pens for the price of one TWSBI 5xx model, but at some point you have to factor in things like style points when it comes to these pens, and I don't think the TWSBI pens have much style, they may write every bit as good as a Pelikan but the Pelikan has a ton more class and style, aesthetically speaking the Pelikan is on another level than the TWSBI, but that's just my personal opinion. I don't think any pen looks as nice as a Pelikan pen though so I'm admittedly biased.

 

It is just your personal opinion, as mine is just mine. I don't say that defensively. It's just that I think you hit on what this is -- it's a very personal thing. It's true that I can get as many as 30 Hero pens for the TWSBI or what something like 10+ TWSBIs for a Montblanc 149.

 

I think what bugs me is that the Pelikan not very long ago cost half of what it does now. At that point, it was a nice value. At this point, it's a real stretch. That's why I suggest if they had wanted to justify that sort of increase, giving us something different would have been a much better option. That goes double when there is a very compelling new entrant in the piston market with more and more products getting introduced. Are they refined like Pelikan? Not yet. I'd focus on the yet. From another perspective, I'm sure there are plenty of reasons why the price isn't so terrible and why they're still the pen to get. It really all is a matter of perspective.

[AndyLa]

I've got 3 pelikan m200s and 2 m400s. I absolutely love them. Had I tried an m200 early on in my accumulating I would have saved myself quite a few headaches. Like someone mentioned earlier, experiences are subjective. With that being said, i wouldnt hesitate to recommend the m200. Enjoy your new pen!

[RobW]

All Pelikans are reliable, well made pens and the 200 just happens to be a lot cheaper than most of its siblings. So I would rate it a good buy. Whether it's a better deal than two Lamys, six Heroes or 200 dip nibs is irrelevant. All that matters is that it meets your needs.

[Mike_Dowling]

I think what bugs me is that the Pelikan not very long ago cost half of what it does now. At that point, it was a nice value. At this point, it's a real stretch.

 

I agree it's a matter of perspective completely, to me some of the pens I see seem outrageous and not a "good value" at all, particular the pens running near $1000, it's doubtful they write $900 better than a $100 Pelikan. But I'm sure it's the aesthetics, look and feel that make the buyer comfortable with the purchase. I think at some point it comes down to pure aesthetics and what the "flavor of the month" is on the board.

 

Some folks said "don't get the Pelikan m200, for $20 more you can get a Bexley Corona" but why is the Bexley Corona worth $20.00 more than the Pelikan? Is it just the size of the pen? I've had plenty of large pens that were terrible. So I'm curious why the Bexley Corona is a "good value" at $140 but the Pelikan m200 would be a stretch at $110? From reading about the Bexley corona I've read several people who had the pen disassemble when unscrewing the cap (poor design and QC), the Bexley doesn't post well while the Pelikan posts perfectly, people have lost caps on the Bexley due to the poor posting of the pen. The solution to this appears to be write with the pen un-posted and people are OK with this? When posted, the Bexley Corona looks odd to me, while the Pelikan looks really sleek. They're both piston fillers with Pelikan's having the leg up in regards to their piston mechanism. I don't know how the Bexley Corona writes but I imagine comparable to the Pelikan m200. I'm sure the Bexley Corona is a fine pen, but I'm not sold that it's a better value than the Pelikan m200 (admittedly just from reading about both pens online, I could be completely wrong).

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/217049-bexley-corona-self-disassembly/

Edited March 12, 2013 by Mike_Dowling

[frenchy82]

I own an M200 demonstrator and i'm very happy with it. Surely the fine nib it's not really fine , not even comparable with a japanese F , but is very smooth and confortable.

Out of the box , the m200 need a lot of running , it's not a ready to use pen like a Safari or a Pelikano.

But after two or three tanks, it writes really well, without false starts .

[lsagers]

I have yet to actually receive said pen yet. I've handled a few, "amateur" pens, including some pretty neat disposable ones, and a Lamy Safari with a fine nib. The nib, I thought, made it too difficult to get a natural flow when writing, and as it's been mentioned, aesthetics do play in, and it kind of just looks like some mass produced, block-ish pen. So I will post back with my impressions of the M200 once I receive it, and thank you all for your helpful opinions!

 

Feel free to continue debate, if you so wish. I don't know how heated these things get.

[icevic]

The M200 is overpriced at $116, no doubt. It shouldcost half that. There isn't anything special about it; it is just a reliable piston filler that works well, writes well, has interchangeable nib/feed units, and is backed by a reputable company.

 

The frustrating thing is, there isn't another pen that ticks all those boxes. With all the cartridge/converter pens, there are actually very few piston fillers and for a long time the M200 was the cheapest of the bunch. Pelikan (the company) has been around a long time and will still service pens bought decades ago. You know what to expect from a Pelikan pen, they hold their value on the resale market, and any problems with them are well known. You can't compare them with startup companies or low-quality Chinese or Indian pens, because those pens haven't proven their reliability and commitment to long-term customer service.

 

TWSBI is a great example of how a competitor to the M200 can spring up with a better product at half the price, but we need to wait to see how the long term quality and service is before I can say they are as good as a Pelikan. Plus, TWSBI doesn't manufacture their own nibs like Pelikan does.

 

I bet that Pelikan could sell the M200 for $20 and still make a good profit on them, but they won't because it would comparatively devalue their expensive collector pens, where the margins are huge.

 

In summary, the M200 isn't worth $116, but it is still the cheapest quality piston filler you can get from one of the major top-tier manufacturers.

 

Personally, I hope companies like Noodlers and TWSBI eat their lunch until Pelikan has to lower their prices. Until then, I will still recommend the M200, even if I think it is a poor value.

[Joker4Eva]

This matter has really been discussed quite a few times, and seeing quite a few M200s have passed through my hands, I thought I'll just give a comment on this. But before that, I think I should make clear that I've never bought a NEW Pelikan M200 before. All those that I've gotten and including the one I'm using now are secondhand pens.

Now that I've got that settled out, I still must say that that range of Pelikans are one of the best workhorses one can find. Wonderful nib, large ink capacity, reliable refilling mechanism, being able to take a beating, I don't think many pens can come close to that record. Add to that the fact that secondhand Pelis can be gotten for almost half the price of new ones, and sometimes write a lot better, even secondhand Pelis are wonderful, and perhaps even more wonderful than new ones.