Pelikano Up

[BillH]

A short time back I saw on Instagram that Pelikan was releasing a new version of its Pelikano school pen to be called Pelikano UP. I haven't found it on the company website yet but UP most likely intends to imply upgrade, which this new version seems to be, at least to me. Available in two finishes, champagne and anthracite, I found it on offer on eBay from Seitz so I ordered the anthracite for my Pelikano flock.

 

The pen came so quickly I haven't had time to make room for it in the box! For those of you who don't collect the school pen line, here is a photo showing a rough history of the Pelikano series.

 

 

And to show the progression of the nibs and grips

 

 

 

This new version features a wide metal clip and a nice anthracite colored barrel which makes to my eye the most attractive Pelikano in years, losing the plastic look of the past couple versions. It does keep the triangle grip section, and while I don't mind Lamy's triangle grip, the Pelikano grip is much shorter and I don't find it as comfortable to my hand. But I prefer M600 and M800 size pens so take that with a grain of salt, these grips will be just fine in a youngster's hand.

 

 

 

I'll leave it to others to speculate about the change to the triangular grip section, but this new model continues the triangular grip but it is slightly larger and a bit more comfortable than last year's model. The section does have one other change however. This new model pen has the Pelikano name on the barrel rather than the cap and the section has a key slot cutout that ensures the name on the barrel always lines up with the nib. Kind of fun to play with trying to trick it.

 

 

 

So, how does it write? I took mine out of the box, removed the section and gave it a quick flush with a bulb and warm water, then plugged in the blue cartridge it came with. A little moist paper towel wrap on the nib to get the flow going and it was off to the races. This pen came with a Medium nib and it is smooth and forgiving as you would hope a school pen to be. It's a great little writer right out of the box and I like it. As soon as my grandsons get to writing, they're going to get one of these from their grandpa.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[chromantic]

Ah, you have an orange 460 - what a beauty! I'm jealous.

 

I'm curious, though, about the Rose Pink; that clip is very long. I have 2 Roses and the clips are the same length as on your white one.

[sargetalon]

Thanks for sharing some pics and your impressions. I may have to add one of these to the flock at some point.

[BillH]

Ah, you have an orange 460 - what a beauty! I'm jealous.

 

I'm curious, though, about the Rose Pink; that clip is very long. I have 2 Roses and the clips are the same length as on your white one.

 

 

My understanding is that the long clip came as a requirement by some governments that the choking hazard of the earlier short version clip be "fixed". Dominic's excellent website has the story (jump down to the 7S)

https://www.pelikan-collectibles.com/en/Pelikan/Models/Cartridge-filler/Pelikano/index.html

 

I almost swapped the orange one out for a blue or green for the picture but decided the world doesn't have enough orange pens sometimes so I left it in there.

Edited March 7, 2017 by BillH

[chromantic]

^^ BillH - Thanks for the link, I have visited that page before but only lightly perused it. I have red, pink and purple 460s (could have bought a blue but passed on it) but I am keeping my eye out for an orange and a green.

[Bo Bo Olson]

In I have no Pelikan school pen other than my vintage regular flex 120...that still has all the gold plating...what flex has the nib?

Regular flex like a 200 or stiffer?

 

I don't expect to own a Pelikano....though I could in there is a school kid/toy shop and newspaper shop some 15 minute walks from me. I live in Germany.

It's like I don't expect to own a second Safari....in that I gave away the one I had last month to start a 'noobie' in the apartment house. I'd not expected to own a Safari in the first place but was given it.

I still have a Joy...the only difference is the tail.

[BillH]

Flex? No. Nail.

[Bo Bo Olson]

regular flex...is not 'flex' be that the 120 or the 200...it's what was once the normal issue of many pen companies.

Actually semi-flex is not the "Flex" that many toss around either.

 

I wonder if you know if the Pelikano was a nail before they ruined the 400/600/800's nibs in '98.

 

I don't see any reason why it should not have been...a nail is a great nib for the company not too many are bent and have to be repaired.

[sciumbasci]

I fail to understand why Pelikan abandoned the Pelikano roots for the more childish look. The hooded nib, and semi hooded nib, would make a perfect school or office pen.

[Olya]

I fail to understand why Pelikan abandoned the Pelikano roots for the more childish look. The hooded nib, and semi hooded nib, would make a perfect school or office pen.

 

This is exactly what I always say.

Part of why the Lamy Safari is so iconic and remains a best seller, is because the design never changed and it comes out in loads of (fun) colours.

The Pelikano should never have changed (too much). Originally it even had the classic Pelikan clip, why did they do away with that? Starting with the design of the orange pen in the pic above imo the downfall started (in the ca 2000s). Up until the 1990s it was mostly fine. Then it became super childish. I would love to purchase a Pelikano (loads even, in many colours) for sentimental reasons, but the Pelikano I once had is no more. Lamy Safari users on the other hand can return to their adolesence/ childhood any time, the design is the same, their special colour is only maybe not available anymore.

Had the Pelikano not changed in design it could be used by pupils, students, professionals, collectors and hobbyists alike. The old Pelikano design was less childish than the Safari, it would not look off in an office (esp when kept to conservative colours). Now they seem to want to get sales up with the UP, but it can't work imo. They should go back in design to past decades and keep the price low and I bet anything the pens would fly off the shelves. I even wrote them the same in a lengthy email, but never received a reply.

I really don't know what the people at Pelikan where thinking with the Pelikano and when looking at their competition at Lamy the solution seems pretty easy and clear...

 

ETA If they returned to the old design, young and old alike would buy the pen.

The Pelikano is so childish that I bet not even 10 year olds really want to use it. Prepubescent kids are still kids, but the want to be grown-ups and don't like to come across as childish, so why the heck would they put up with such a kiddy pen?

Edited March 10, 2017 by Olya

[Sailor Kenshin]

Because they write really, really well?

[Olya]

Most kids don't care about how well sth functions, they want what's "cool". My cousin would rather freeze and look cool than wear a proper warm jacket. I was in a stationery shop recently and a kid was nearly on the floor because they wanted an Al-Star because "everyone has it" over the Safari, the parents wouldn't have it though (saying that the Safari can take more of a beating in the classroom than the Al-Star).

As parent I choose what is working well/ best for my child, likewise for anyone else; as kid you choose what looks best and what is "in", you don't care about quality...

 

Pelikan's selling spiel is that "every cool kid wants a Pelikano!" (eg their website), but sadly that's not quite true...

[sciumbasci]

Now that you mention cool kids and the Safari versus the Al-Star, I wonder if their styling has something to do with the reverse acquisition of Pelikan

 

As far as I know, Pelikan now has it's headquarters in Switzerland, factory (I think?) in Germany where some Fountain Pens are made but it is owned by Pelikan Malaysia. And since I believe the new Malay owners will likely focus on their market as focus for their school products, it is entirely possible that in Asia such designs are, in fact, trendy.

[BillH]

If you squint the Pelikano UP does have some of the "cool" that the Al-Star has . It looks kinda "grown up". And it does write well.

[Lam1]

Bill, that's a lovely collection you have there. Thanks for sharing.
I do like the "Up" and may get one down the road.

I find the discussion of Pelikano vs. Safari/Al Star very interesting, because it reveals a characteristic that, from reading the forum, I believe most of us Pelikan fans have: we are very conservative when it comes to design (this is no criticism, I'm as guilty as the next person). Whenever Pelikan comes out with a pen that deviates from the status quo, it doesn't sell well and we criticize it. Example, the M640 was the entry of many people (including me) to Pelikan pens, but at the time I bought mine and saw the reviews I could not understand the criticism about the curved body, lack of ink window and the clip. I must confess that I rarely use mine now, despite it being gorgeous, for exactly those reasons. I mean, why on earth didn't they keep the traditional clip?

Edited March 12, 2017 by Lam1