Pelikan 100N - A Highly Biased Review

[vPro]

Background: Let it be no secret - I love Pelikan. My love for the brand stems from when I first started collecting fountain pens. I wasn't quite satisfied with my Pilot Metropolitan and I really wanted a vintage pen. I bought a Canadian Parker Vacumatic junior but when I received it, it wasn't restored and the pen could not fill. Since I live in Denmark and I had no experience of replacing the diaphragm myself, there was no viable way of having my pen serviced without spending a whole lot of money on it. At that time, I wasn't prepared to do so, but I knew that my next purchase would be a restored pen.

For the next three months I kept searching and the price of a restored vintage pen was simply too high for me. Now bear in mind that I had no idea where to look, but I remember that I was introduced to two pens which I could pick up "in the wild" and be quite certain they'd work without doing any more than soaking and flushing. And those pens were the Parker 51 and the mid-century Pelikans with the revised plastic seal.

So I started searching on the internet and eventually I found a West Germany Pelikan M400 at a great price. I received it, cleaned it and it worked. Then I bought a Pelikan 140 from German eBay. Then a 90's M400, then a Pelikan 400, then another M400 from the 90's... And what was common for all of these pens was that the price was less than what you'd pay for a brand new 14K pen (let alone a Pelikan) and that they all worked. Sure, I searched for a long time and I was quite picky about my purchases, but if the pen looked good on the outside, it probably has been treated well and thus the piston would work as it should.

A small side comment, all of the Pelikans that I bought on eBay second hand had dried-out Pelikan 4001 Königsblau in them. Talk about conservative ink choices, but if you ever have to let an ink dry out in a pen, it better be Pelikan Königsblau. It's so easy to clean out and even after being in contact with the plastic for decades it cleans out perfectly.

 

Fast forward to early this year, after several Pelikan acquisitons, I decided that I wanted a Pelikan 100/100N. I contacted Guillaume Chappuis from 123stylo.com because I was told he has a lot of Pelikans - and indeed he has. He showed me 20-30 100/100Ns and allowed me to pick the one I liked the best and allowed me to choose whichever nib suited me best by providing a brief writing sample of each nib. That is absolutely excellent customer service and I'm sure it has greatly contributed to my love of the pen. Especially the fact that I chose the nib myself.

I picked the pen that I liked the most, but after choosing it, I was informed that the pen had an engraving on the cap:

 

Papeterie H.Nievergelt
Zch.- Oerlikon

 

I don't care for engravings, but considering the overall condition of the pen I couldn't pass. And I've not regretted it once. Apparently the pen is engraved with the name of a stationary shop in Zürich, Switzerland. A shop which I had the luck to visit when I went to Switzerland last month. I brought the pen with me to the shop, but that's another story for another time

Enough with the background story, now to the actual review of the pen:

 

Build quality and materials: This Pelikan 100N is a later production with the 'modern' seal (and not the old cork seals), gold trims and the two-chick cap logo; all indicating a post-war production. So that would put the age of the pen around 67-70 years old. Yet it's quite difficult to see. The gold plating has held up well, there are no cracks and the piston mechanism works flawlessly. The only part of the pen that gives you an indication of its age is the section and the threads. The pen was cleverly engineered with one piece of transparent green celluloid for the section, threads and the inner barrel. Then they coated the section and threads with some sort of black paint. And that paint is what's worn off on some Pelikan 100Ns. Then on top of that barrel you have the green binde and the piston mechanism screwed in to the inner barrel.

The fact that the pen is at least 67 years old is a clear indication of its build quality. The later Pelikan pistons are incredibly reliable - even the early ones are good, but the cork seal isn't as durable as the plastic one as cork dries out.

Appearance: It's a Pelikan 100N. And it's a green one. And there are thousands of them out there. In itself, it's nothing special. It has a classy appearance but considering how long these pens were produced for, they're really not that appealing. There are 100N's in tortoise celluloid but these are both highly sought after and command very high prices.

 

The exposed part of the green celluloid serves as an ink window when the pen is uncapped. The cap is a long cap, covering roughly half of the length of the pen and hiding the ink window when the pen is capped. Two thin cap bands near the base of the barrel give the pen a classy look and helps the structural stability of the cap - not that I would recommend posting the cap because it is a tight fit and the cap bands still leave an exposed cap lip. Still it can be done, and it leaves you with a pen that is slightly longer than a posted Pelikan M400/400.

 

 

 

Comfort: This is a small pen both in girth and length, measuring about 0.9mm in girth at the section and a total length of 121 mm. While the section girth is comparable to the section of a Pelikan M400, it's a shorter pen if you don't post the cap. I have relatively small hands and the pen fits me perfectly unposted. Due to its long nib, I can hold the pen directly on the section and not touch the threads. But even if you were to hold the threads they're quite shallow and nothing to worry about.

Writing experience: The nib isn't special in a way that'll make people go . It isn't a wet noodle, nor is it a stub. But that doesn't mean it's characterless. I think we've become too obsessed with flex, and the fewest of us have actually tried a true wet noodle. We chase the 'wet-noodle' nib characteristic and we're often not content with a good semi-flex nib. For daily purposes, a wet noodle is barely usable and for flex writing you need to have the lightest touch and an immense amount of control.

Control is what this nib gives me. It's not incredibly flexible, but it's responsive, it's soft without being too soft and it lets you master it. I love how the ink pools when write with this nib, as the tines open up ever-so-slightly on the downstroke. I love how the lines are extra fine in width on the upstroke and spread to a humble, yet super wet fine line as I make a downstroke. It gives such an amazing end result and that's one of the biggest reasons why I cherish this nib as much as I do.

Do I want more flexibility? Not really. As much as I love flexible nibs, I've learnt from my mistakes. And the most important lesson is that It doesn't matter how wide the strokes get - what matters is how you control the pen as it skillfully dances over the page and create a visually balanced piece of art. And I think that if we all took a moment to appreciate the vintage flex nibs that we have instead of mashing them so hard to do olympic splits beyond their capabilities, we'd be so much more satisfied with them - even if it is 'just' a semi-flex nib. But I think that we may have to lose a good nib to truly appreciate it's value. That's what happened to me anyway.

Value: The pen can be had for around $110-220 depending on condition, color (we're not talking tortoise or lizard here!) whether it has been restored or not. You may even be able to find one for significantly less than that on German eBay if you're patient. Regardless, it's a pretty great value for a true vintage writing experience. Yes, the design isn't anything breathtaking and the size may be too small for some people. But if those two do not bother you, absolutely go for it. They're really not much more expensive than an entry-level gold nib pen.

 

Conclusion: This is a great pen that has stood the test of time. And I love my pen. I love it for its history, its writing experience and for its comfort. And it's a Pelikan.

 

Edited September 29, 2017 by vPro

[thegrasshopperliesheavy]

Love the look of these pens and have always wanted one. Might have to finally look around on the bay...

[Albert26]

As a big Pelikan fan myself I couldn't let pass your review without reading it. Good job!

I own a later tortoise Pelikan 400NN, from the late 50s, and it is one of my all time favorites. It has a semi-flexible nib which is suitable both for calligraphy writing and for everyday use. I would love to own one of these pre-war 101N from the 30s, especially the one with the lizard pattern. If they weren't that expensive...

[jips123]

wow, nice pen and good review.

[biancitwo]

I have a 100 and two 100Ns. They are wonderful, just as they have been for many decades.The review says their looks are nothing special. I disagree. They are gorgeous. I love writing with them, and looking at them.

Edited October 1, 2017 by biancitwo

[da vinci]

Great review thanks

[Bo Bo Olson]

Green ink window is post WW2.

Mine is first stage of superflex, Easy Full Flex.

I was a Somegi.....I went right from our table in an indoor flea market. When I got back, my wife told me to look at the next table....someone told her her Pelikan was worth money. I at first couldn't believe it was a 100/100n....never expecting to get one....much less in near mint........after hard bargaining I got it for E-20. Had I turned right from my table..... I'm sure I could have gotten it for E5.00.

 

Yours might well be a stub nib, in I expect all War to '65 to be stub nibs....and often Pelikan has a nice real flat stub.

Pelikan 120 is not really stubbish. The the American Bump Under on my almost unused 120 has a flat spot on the bump under. The Geha School pens also have the American Bump Under but from the 7-8 Geha School nibs I've seen all were rounded....not flattened on the bottom like the 120.

 

The D nib on one 400, is stubbish.....is not a perfect stub....but flat with rounded corners. It is after all the nails nail.

The rest of them seem to be a flatter edge to edge stub nib.

Most of my nibs of any kind of that era are semi-flex and stubs....even the maxi-semi-flex nibs.

Semi-flex, my two 140s, three 400's.

Maxi-semi-flex, my Ibis, 500 and 400nn.

 

 

This is a limited survey....Sargetalon has more to run a survey with.

Edited September 30, 2017 by Bo Bo Olson

[MarcinEck]

@vPro thanks for your review

Welcome to other Pelikan fans

Please find below is my modest collection of poultry

 

 

[biancitwo]

@vPro thanks for your review

Welcome to other Pelikan fans

Please find below is my modest collection of poultry

Modest by some standards, but beautiful, and to be envied by the rest of us.

[vPro]

I have a 100 and two 100Ns. They are wonderful, just as they have been for many decades.The review says their looks are nothing special. I disagree. They are gorgeous. I love writing with them, and looking at them.

To say that they're nothing special doesn't necessarily mean they aren't beautiful But I'm sorry if I gave the impression that the pen isn't beautiful, for it is. What I was saying, however, is that the pen is so common with the green binde that it doesn't give you the feeling that you're holding something special. But I absolutely love the looks of it, I love proportions of the pen and the design is fantastic. I'd love to add a regular 100 to my collection one day.

[MarcinEck]

@vPro what you mean by "regular" ? Pelikan 100 from 1929-1944?

[vPro]

@vPro what you mean by "regular" ? Pelikan 100 from 1929-1944?

Yes exaclty I love the flat piston turning knob

[biancitwo]

vPro: you need to add a Pelikan 100. Every time you write with it, you feel the quality and importance of it. They are superb pens. You would also enjoy the hunt for it.

[vPro]

vPro: you need to add a Pelikan 100. Every time you write with it, you feel the quality and importance of it. They are superb pens. You would also enjoy the hunt for it.

Oh I do. If I were to choose, I'd prefer an early one with a hard rubber section - even though the celluloid ink window often is ambered But I do absolutely agree that they're great pens. I don't think I'd have to hunt, I know exactly where to get them

[amk]

Lovely pens. I've been lucky enough to pick up a 100 and a 100n at Vanves flea market, 10 euros each time! The 100 had a bust tine on the CN nib - I've stubbed it, and it works fine, and the piston needed no help at all. The 100n still needs a new piston cork, which I will get round to eventually.

 

I love the slight stubbiness of the pen. It feels robust, solid, unpretentious. And it does its job beautifully well. I can't imagine many beat-up 70 year old pens that would start up first time like my 100 did once I'd got the nib sorted out.

[MsRedpen]

vPro - thank you for sharing your impressions - undersigning all what you wrote!

I am even more biased, mine survived as 2 generations school pen (with Koningsblau, naturally) - still in perfect order

[LanceSaintPaul]

Great pen. I have a similar one just purchased this year - not quite in as nice condition, but close. Normally engravings turn me off, but this is the sort I would easily say "yes" to. By my reckoning via vintage Pelikan catalogs and other online timeline resources these are 1949 - 1954 production. The last of the 101N's.

 

Mine immediately became one of my favorites. I want a few more.

 

Lance

[limt]

Very good review - thanks for sharing

[mana]

I looooooves post WWII Pelikan 100Ns! <3 Absolutely my all time favorite pens which I intend to keep on hoarding in different nib sizes and finishes (the flock just keeps on growing...) I have large hands but for some reason that pen hits the right spot even when unposted. But yeah, thanks for the review!

[LanceSaintPaul]

Great pen. I have a similar one just purchased this year - not quite in as nice condition, but close. Normally engravings turn me off, but this is the sort I would easily say "yes" to. By my reckoning via vintage Pelikan catalogs and other online timeline resources these are 1949 - 1954 production. The last of the 101N's.

 

Mine immediately became one of my favorites. I want a few more.

 

Lance

 

Who stuck that last 1 in there? Certainly it wasn't me, but it was my own fingers - talking on their own, again. Of course I meant last of the 100N's. Didn't catch that until it was too late to edit my post.

 

And once again we can all see who's vying for the rest of these...and why. Good taste, people, only we're driving up the prices with insatiable demand.

 

The pelicans of northern Minnesota should be about done migrating back to the South.