Pelikan M805 - A More Honest Re-Review

[LuckyKate]

Thanks for the thoughtful review. I have a Pelikan 800 and agree with a lot of what you have to say, especially about being back heavy. I got an M800 a couple of years ago with an Italic nib that wouldn't write at all. I sold the nib, bought another nib from Richard Binder, had it made into a .9 cursive italic. It is a dream nib, reliable, somewhat soft, smooth as can be and can write as thin or as thick as I want, on narrow lines or wide. I really really love that nib.

 

And the pen is almost perfect, sturdy with just enough heft and width, and a great section for me. But the back-heaviness is the thing that always gets me going back to the M600 (mine is blue and had a perfect out of the box nib).

[jandrese]

Thanks for the honest review. I've been collecting Pelikan for over 20 years now. Can't remember a pen body issue. Nibs, however, are another matter. For me these days try before you buy is a must. This applies to Pelikan and Dani Trio and Visconti....well, everybody except Platinum. Never had a bummer Platinum nor a Nakaya ordered directly from Japan for that matter. It really is kinda weird how something seemingly grossly overpriced can so dramatically fail at its basic function. Obviously, the market is not correcting the issues. Perhaps we should stop buying from companies that can't get it right. And/or we should relentlessly send back nibs instead of learning to fix ourselves or using a nib meister.

[mulrich]

And/or we should relentlessly send back nibs instead of learning to fix ourselves or using a nib meister.

 

 

Shipping a pen for repairs still costs money, even if under warranty. And if you're already paying for shipping you may as well pay the extra few bucks for a nibmeister to fix a nib rather than rolling the dice with a manufacturer. I've decided to just factor in post-purchase nib work into the price of a pen. If a pen doesn't end up needing it all the better.

[inkstainedruth]

I have only one modern Pelikan (well, it's the second one because I lost one) -- an M200 Café Crème. The second one was used, and came with an IM nib on it, which was a gusher even with iron gall ink. I had the nib tweaked, and also just bought a replacement nib over the weekend for the pen, a B nib that was tuned on the spot over me. The first Café Crème, which did come with a B nib, also had to have the nib tuned because it was skippy -- no matter what ink I put in it. But after that it was great, and I cried when I lost it.

My other Pelikans are older (2 from the 1990s, one from the 1980s, and one from the 1950s). And yes, the M400 from the '90s is also a gusher, but I bought it mostly for doing drawing, and while wet and an ink spreader, that's okay because the nib also has some spring to it). OTOH, it's wetness made Noodler's Walnut -- which IMO is exceptionally dry) into a tolerable ink.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[stephanos]

... It really is kinda weird how something seemingly grossly overpriced can so dramatically fail at its basic function. Obviously, the market is not correcting the issues. Perhaps we should stop buying from companies that can't get it right. ...

 

That's more or less what I've decided to do.

 

But the new models are often very pretty, and some people clearly don't mind paying for post-sales work (or even tinkering with their new pen themselves).

 

For me it's really a matter of principle - if I have bought a product that doesn't work, then there has been a breach of contract and the manufacturer (through the seller) should make that right.

Whilst good sellers are of course happy to take care of their customers and offer excellent after-sales service, I really strongly disgree with the buyer having to bear the cost of returning a faulty item. As far as I'm concerned, the seller should get the manufacturer to pay for the cost of postage. But either way, if I have paid for a product that then doesn't work, there should be no question of my having to pay (being reimbursed later is fine).

 

So my policy is that if I do get a pen that has a problem straight out of the box, and the seller requires me to pay for the return, then I won't buy from that seller again. Is this entirely fair on the seller? I leave that to you to decide, but 1) it means I save myself money and avoid getting high blood pressure, and 2) if enough people do that, and explain their position to the seller, then this will have a feedback effect on the manufacturers, as sellers start getting shirty with their distributors.

[jimrie]

For some reason, I can't really see the ink in the pen like some people describe. Great review!

[dunc3862]

Very thorough review. The Pelikan M800's are my favorite daily carry \ writers. M1000 for daily journaling. Fun to read other peoples reviews on writing instruments I use. Thanks!

[CaliforniaJed]

Great and honest review. I am with you on just about all of it. I have a bunch of M80x pens -- 6 to be exact. They are all gorgeous pens. One , a blue striped M805, has a noticeable flaw in the stripes. The rest, to my eye, are picture perfect. The pistons are all smooth as silk. The nibs, all fines and mediums, are simply stunning, but some were problematic out of the box. Though I had no tine alignment issues, most came over polished, one with baby's bottom issues. I now prefer a little bit of feedback so I have roughed them up a bit.

 

While the M80x is my favorite size Pelikan, my favorite nib is that of the M1000, for its flex. I have one that came as a B that Greg Minuskin re-ground for me to a .50mm medium that is really, really fun to write with.

 

Thanks for the honesty. Enjoy the pen!

[Trom]

Thanks for the honest review. And you know, in spite of the bad rep that FiFi is getting, I can't stop thinking fondly of the cat )

 

Yes, I agree. To blame a cat for misalignment is quite discourteous. Cats are not interested in our sense of 'perfection': 'the world should be this way'.

[MYU]

Great review, with honest representation. I also find the latest offerings from Pelikan FAR overpriced for what you get. Their vintage pens are terrific and to me, the only worthwhile pens to get. A well cared for vintage Pelikan will have either been adjusted and restored, or will be revealed as such and priced accordingly. And the opportunity for easy nib swapping is a phenomenal advantage.

 

For me, the 400NN and 400N are beautifully sized and just so attractive in design. For the price of a new Pelikan M805 I'd much rather go with a tortoise shell bodied 500NN with gold cap.

[biancitwo]

You guys are enjoying you "honest" assessment too much. Thousands have bought Pelikan pens without quality control issues. My honest assessment is that Pelikan is the only pen I consider. You might look to your seller before you complain of universal overcharging and poor quality. I have experienced neither.

[dspeers58]

I love the look of the Pelikan M800 line, and when I had a chance to get one for a good price I went for it. However, it had some quality issues, especially with the nib. I do not think that this should be. But, when that is fixed, the pen is indeed a lovely writer and looker. Chartpac in the US is very good to work with.

[Lam1]

I enjoyed reading your review.

I'm a great fan of the M80x and it's always refreshing to see different perspectives.

 

But I have to say that I do find two points of your review a bit surprising though.

 

The easiness of exchanging nibs on Pelikans is a great advantage, but it is also all too easy (even for someone used to do this) to misalign the nib if the process is not done with proper care - as I know from my own experience. So, since the nib was swapped by the seller, it does not seem possible to assign blame with any margin of certainty in this particular case. I would add that due to the easiness of causing misalignment in the process, I personally expect that a seller would check for alignment, before shipping the pen, if the nib was swapped (at my request or otherwise).

 

I was also surprised by the statement "a pen that relies on a design of perfectly aligned stripes". As Jar mentioned, the process by which these pens are made prevents uniformity and, in fact, I believe that most Pelikan collectors will say exactly the opposite of your statement (as a search indicates). It seems to me that what you see as poor QC regarding the binde is actually an effect to be expected, and that most Pelikan collectors would say that this is the beauty of the brand's striped pens (no two of them are the same).

Edited June 26, 2016 by Lam1

[biancitwo]

Since my last comment, I have purchased an M800, and an M600. Both pens are superb. Quality control was masterful on both. Pelikan remains the only pen for me.

[Anders23]

Thank you for sharing this informative review - both good and bad things. I love the looks of m805 blue!

 

Thanks,

Andy

[Harry R]

Thanks for your comprehensive review! I have a green and a black M800. I bought both from brick and mortar specialist pen dealers who quality controlled their pens. They adjusted the nibs in store to match my preferences. As a result both wrote flawlessly and beautifully out of the box. I know there are cheaper prices to be had online, but I'm prepared to pay the extra to get a product that will work the way it is meant to. I do the same with musical instruments (bass guitar and drums). I also really enjoy the relationship aspect of these interactions and learning from people passionate enough about an instrument to dedicate their career to it. In the end, because of that relationship and the fact that I am a repeat (and future) customer I never pay full price anymore, so there's even less incentive for me to buy online.

 

I'm with those who like the idiosyncrasies of the celluloid stripes. I don't have a vintage Pelikan, but based on the photos I've seen, there may have been even more variation in those pens. Having said that, I also really enjoy the elegant simplicity of my black M800.

[aurore]

Great review. Thank you very much.

Just have recieved my M805 Stresemann. A nice pen... but the nib misaligned just as in your case. I have already adjusted it, which is not so difficult if done carefully... but a real shame in case of such an expensive pen.

[MHBru]

All of my pens are pelikans and I've only had one nib issue and it was on a 205.... The only non-800 series pen i own. I tried a Faber castel and the company manufactured converter consistently got stuck in the barrel. Seriously stuck. Now THAT is a quality control issue. I love my birds and wouldn't trade them for anything

[aurore]

Well, in fact I haven't had a Pelikan that was not quite usable out of the box. This last one M805 was usable even before adjusting the tines, nevertheless with (at least for me) an overly percetible feedback feeling.

 

Ironically, I haven't had such an issue with any of my M200/M205 except my old M250 with 12c/500 EF nib that not only was scratchy but also the problem (the cause of scratchiness) was unadjustable (in a DIY way) since one of the tines was a tiny bit longer than the other hence the problem was not an easy upside down case as usual...

Edited February 27, 2018 by aurore