Pilot Vs Pelikan For A Daily Carry

[sirach]

SO, I am torn. I have a decent collection of nice pens to use at home for journals and letter writing. I will even occasionally take a Pelikan 805 or MB 149 to work as well. I use a Pilot 78G for my Waterman Blue ink, and it is always inked. I have a TWSBI 540 with PR Plum for grading. My question is this. Between a Pelikan m205 and a Pilot Vanishing Point which would you carry daily filled with black ink. I need black ink with some regularity, but I don't get excited about it, so I need a good pen that I can leave inked a bit longer than my normal rotation, and I don't mind using regularly.

 

Thoughts?

 

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31Twjae78JL.jpg

Edited September 26, 2015 by sirach

[Tas]

My VP was a little picky with inks. Pilot Black and Blue Black are it's staple diet and with those it behaves impeccably.

 

I've yet to be bitten by the Pelikan but I'm sure others will add their voice . . .

[sirach]

The diet will be Aurora Black.... if that makes a difference...

[Tas]

Ahh, one of the few mainstream blacks I've yet to try. I hear good things about it . . .

[prf5]

SO, I am torn. I have a decent collection of nice pens to use at home for journals and letter writing. I will even occasionally take a Pelikan 805 or MB 149 to work as well. I use a Pilot 78G for my Waterman Blue ink, and it is always inked. I have a TWSBI 540 with PR Plum for grading. My question is this. Between a Pelikan m205 and a Pilot Vanishing Point which would you carry daily filled with black ink.

 

 

1. Which pen do you like better? 2. Must you use Aurora ink? 3. What will you be doing with the pen (a signature or longer text; using it throughout the day or only once or twice)? 4. What will you do with the pen you don't choose?

[masterguns]

This. ^^ #1. ^^

Which pen do you like better? That should be your answer.

Me? I would choose the Pelikan. I have a VP and don't really care for it. Its a fantastically utilitarian pen that is perfect for an environment that sees many pauses and starts between writing. Sadly, it just doesn't "do it" for me, so it sits in my pen drawer. Life is too short to use pens you don't really love.

[sandy101]

I use cartridge convertors - but find cartridges work better for carrying, as most pens with converters are more likely to have nib creep, where some ink leaks into the cap, and it gets all over my fingers.

 

So, by all means try the Pelikan, and see how you get on. If your fingers turn black more often than you would like, then switch to a cartridge pen.

[brunico]

most pens with converters are more likely to have nib creep, where some ink leaks into the cap

 

No, that's a leaky pen. Maybe the converter's not seated properly or there's a crack in the section?

[sirach]

I probably "like" the Pelikan over the Pilot, but I enjoy the utility of the Pilot. The pilot has a gold nib, the Pelikan has steel. I "technically" own more black inks, but Aurora is the one I like. I am a teacher, so much of the black ink use is for short use, signatures, and such. For long use, I have nicer pens. Either one, will go in the inside breast pocket of my suit coat. I own several dozen pens, at this point, I don't buy too many cheap pens, and I buy about 1 expensive pen a year, and 1 mid-priced pen a year. This is the mid-priced one, and so the other could always be one of the finalist next year.

[rdh]

If signatures are the main thing, look at italic or bold nibs. I don't have those specific nibs, but I believe the Pelikan will put more ink on the paper. Italic nibs are great fun.

 

Dave

[langere]

I'm a teacher too. Why don't you do the Salomonic thing (well, not literally - that would be cutting each pen in half) and just use one and then try the other and see which one is in fact more practical? I suggest you start with the Pilot, as you will run out of ink much more faster and thus can experiment with the Pelikan sooner.

 

Erick

[prf5]

I probably "like" the Pelikan over the Pilot, but I enjoy the utility of the Pilot. The pilot has a gold nib, the Pelikan has steel. I "technically" own more black inks, but Aurora is the one I like. I am a teacher, so much of the black ink use is for short use, signatures, and such. For long use, I have nicer pens. Either one, will go in the inside breast pocket of my suit coat. I own several dozen pens, at this point, I don't buy too many cheap pens, and I buy about 1 expensive pen a year, and 1 mid-priced pen a year. This is the mid-priced one, and so the other could always be one of the finalist next year.

 

So your answer is the Pilot, with a qualification. Tas's experience and mine is that the VP works better with its own ink, and its cartridges hold more than the converter. Do work on those happy quotes.

[kreinhard]

I have a boatload of fountain pens from vintage to modern. Since re-discovering my addiction passion for fountain pens, I picked up an Al-Star, Safari and Pilot VP. Oh, and another Safari tonight, but don't tell anyone. The VP was something of a novelty purchase; I just wanted to see what it was all about. And I'm fascinated by mechanical design, so there's that. Anyway, to your question: since getting the VP it has become my EDC fountain pen. The VP functionality is just so damn useful. And fun.

 

Edit to add: I've used my VP exclusively with Noodler's Habanero since day one. Nary a problem with the combination.

Edited September 26, 2015 by kreinhard

[sirach]

I have a boatload of fountain pens from vintage to modern. Since re-discovering my addiction passion for fountain pens, I picked up an Al-Star, Safari and Pilot VP. Oh, and another Safari tonight, but don't tell anyone. The VP was something of a novelty purchase; I just wanted to see what it was all about. And I'm fascinated by mechanical design, so there's that. Anyway, to your question: since getting the VP it has become my EDC fountain pen. The VP functionality is just so damn useful. And fun.

 

Edit to add: I've used my VP exclusively with Noodler's Habanero since day one. Nary a problem with the combination.

 

Part of what I worry about is that I would get a VP simply for the novelty of it... Nothing else really strikes me about the VP, but is it worth it? Oh, I'm sorry... prf5, I should say ... but is it "worth" it?

[PabloAU]

This seems like a comparison of an apple to an orange. If you prefer the one-handed retractable function of the VP, go with it. If you prefer the more traditional form for the M200, then you could perhaps consider a Pilot Custom Heritage 91 as your alternative. It's similar in size, has many gold nib options, uses the wonderful con-70 converter, and can be found cheaper than the Pelikan.

[fplover01]

I have carried various M20x pens over the years, have only the best to say for them, their elegance, durability, and writing quality. I have never really babied them, washing them off once a year has proven enough. This is the one pen that works 100% for me. I love the M800 but I never forget how consistently these pens have served me for a decade.

 

I do not think you can compare the vanishing point to it, since the one has a cap, the other hasnt. if the idea of having a pen with a retractable nib is important to you then, the VP is kind of oneway street. if having a cap is an option, a M20x pen is a workhorse.

Edited September 27, 2015 by fplover01

[casualmerlinconstant]

I've had the m200 as a daily carry for years. Extremely reliable. No worries in keeping it inked for ages. Recently, it was untouched and inked for three months. Picked it up and it wrote fine.

 

I wouldn't go for the VP but for an invalid reason which I don't think applied to you since you're considering it for an EDC -the clip placement weirds me out.

[prf5]

 

Part of what I worry about is that I would get a VP simply for the novelty of it... Nothing else really strikes me about the VP, but is it worth it? Oh, I'm sorry... prf5, I should say ... but is it "worth" it?

 

I cannot judge how you value a pen, but I can say that the VP is not a novelty. It is a serious pen. The pro's and con's of the VP have been discussed at length on this board, but I don't recall even the most severe critic regarding it as a toy.

[Lam1]

This is between one of my favorite pens, the VP, and a pen from my favorite brand, Pelikan (I have and love to use all the Pelikans, from the M20xx up to the M1000). Both are great pens and both have advantages and disadvantages. I would also recommend that you look at the dimensions of the pens if that is important to you.

 

I have several M2xx and they are reliable, understated and lightweight (9 g uncapped). They take a fair amount of ink, write wide and wet (compared to Pilot) and I never picked one that didn't start right away. The steel nibs have a nice spring to it.

 

The VP, is reliable and practical. But they are big and heavy pens, which I like. Many people say that they are just utilitarian, but in my opinion their soft nibs offer a superlative writing experience (similar to the feeling I get from the nibs in my M1000 and Homo Sapiens). Their only inconvenience for me is that they really don't take much ink (and if you go with a broader nib, this may be an issue). There is also the position of the clip which doesn't suit everyone, but which I really like.

 

At the moment, if I were to buy another of these I would most likely go with the VP, but that is just me (well, in fact, as soon as I can decide between a Raden VP and the 2015 LE one, I WILL buy another VP ).

Edited September 27, 2015 by Lam1

[Mastiff]

Perhaps VP for the convenience factor?

Unless of course you don't mind having to uncap and deal the the cap in the other hand while writing.

And yes! VP is a serious pen!