Are You Satisfied With The Pelikan M800 Or M805?

[HoneyCake]

Hi everyone.

 

I know a lot of people love the Pelikan but want to ask one more time before buying it.

 

I'd never used it so I try to buy Pelikan m800 or m805 this time. The first time I consider the other option-Omas Milord between Pelikan m800/805 but decide to buy Pelikan.

(I'm not sure the Omas Milord is good condition)

 

I heard Pelikan is wet and smooth but the quality is different pen by pen.

 

The price of m800/805 is not cheap to me so I come here before paying.

 

Are you happy with your Pelikan fountain pen?

 

+My favorite fountain pen is TWSBI 580 AL.

Edited January 20, 2020 by HoneyCake

[YonathanZ]

I sold my M800 weeks after buying it because it wasnt comfortable due to the short section and noticeable cap threads.

 

It did feel like a well made pen and the nib was juicy and smooth, with a hint of softness and very pretty decorations.

Edited January 20, 2020 by YonathanZ

[praxim]

Never used a TWSBI. I have M800 and M805, M and F, and an M900 which is the same thing underneath. I find that they write well, are very well constructed and reliable so, yes I am happy with them and more than content with the purchases. I can understand that some may find the section a little short so the threads intrude. If that were an issue then I suggest comparing with an Aurora Optima which has a longer section and is otherwise a highly comparable pen.

[Charles Skinner]

WHAT? ----- Not happy with Pelikan? ----- How can that be? ----- I have two or three, and they are a dream to write with! C. S.

[Tseg]

My M800 is a solid, glass smooth writer (I have Renaissance Brown). I probably get equal enjoyment from the lower priced Leonardo Officina Momento Zero that has a very dynamic Fine steel nib, but is not a piston filler. The Pilot Custom 823 is also an outstanding pen in a lower price range and is a plunger filler, with similar weight and size. The Pelikan nib is super smooth and a nail. I prefer a bit more spring in a nib. In summary, the M800 is a good looking, solid performer. But in its price range it is a bit light on writing character for me. I well prefer a Visconti Homo Sapiens or a Sailor King of Pen, but I also prefer heavier, bigger pens.

 

If you like the M800 characteristics, it will perform for you. A well made pen.

 

Disclaimer: I do have a Pelican M1000 with a Pendleton Brown BLS nib treatment from the original Broad and it is one of my favorites.

 

One more note: I have the TWSBI 580AL. That is also a solid pen, but its nib has even less character than the M800 and I find the metal section too thin and slippery for me... the M800 is much more comfortable in hand.

Edited January 20, 2020 by Tseg

[corniche]

I love all of my Pelikans and the sections are shorter than I'd prefer, but the threads aren't so sharp that they bother me, but YMMV.

 

You might also want to consider a 600 series. It's still a full-sized pen with a dreamy gold nib, but it's half the weight of the 800, because it uses a plastic piston mechanism instead of brass- which makes extended writing sessions a lot more enjoyable over the long haul.

 

 

Sean

[Charles Rice]

My 800 has never let me down. It is almost always inked, The only thing I don't like about the 800 is that I don't have more of them

[N1003U]

Welcome to FPN, HoneyCake!

 

From a quality of construction and writing standpoint, I am quite confident you will be pleased with a Pelikan M80x. The problem with the M80x for me has less to do with any particular problems with the pen as it does with whether or not the design and features of the pen appeal to you.

 

Is there any way for you to try out an M800 somewhere before you buy? If so, I would highly recommend that you do. If trying before buying is not possible convenient, you may wish to try to find a seller who will accept a return if the pen is not to your liking. Like you, I find the M8xx is an expensive pen, and I would not be happy to pay so much money and receive a pen I did not like.

 

You can maybe check out other threads in the Pelikan forum such as this one, were the good and bad of the M8xx is discussed at length (and girth, for that matter ).

 

Enjoy your pens, whatever you decide!

 

 

My personal opinion/experience is that I have owned an M800 for a few months now, and I am not sure if maybe I like the M6xx or M10xx better. the M800 in some ways captures good properties of both the bigger and smaller models, but in some other ways is a unique pen in its own ways.

[N1003U]

My 800 has never let me down. It is almost always inked, The only thing I don't like about the 800 is that I don't have more of them

 

I'll get back to you on this. I am a 15-year M60x user and a 8 or 9 year M100x user, and I love both pens for different reasons. I am new to the M80x and I am slowly warming up to its size and weight. Odds are better than even money that within a year, I will be 100% in agreement with the above comment, but I need more time (and maybe money).

[J_MM]

On the positive side the M800/805 I have are very reliable and wet writers. On the negative the nib is somewhat boring. I prefer Pilot med and soft-med nibs.

I use my Lamy 2k and Pilot 823 much more than my m800 and m805.

[LeakyLandy]

I'm no expert on fountain pens, but I can put in a good word for the M800. Mine is around 30 years old, scratched, and with some corrosion on the trim down by the nib. But it is still glides almost weightlessly across the paper. It writes a tad too wet for my tastes and complains bitterly if it is put to inferior paper. Still, the balance in my hand unposted is unparalleled. I can write for an hour and, to be honest, I don't even notice it is there. It becomes a part of me, and puts out the ink, smoothly, silently, without effort.

[Mercian]

I heard Pelikan is wet and smooth but the quality is different pen by pen.

 

The price of m800/805 is not cheap to me so I come here before paying.

 

Hello

 

I would like to buy one as well, and it is also a very expensive pen for me.

 

I strongly advise you to go to a store that sells them, and ask to try it out in your hand before buying it.

Most stores will let you ‘dip test’ it by writing with it after dipping the nib in to ink. Especially for a pen that costs as much as an M800 does.

I also advise you to sit down to write with it when you are doing this.

I take a folder with me whenever I am doing this - both because doing that enables me to test a pen on my own usual paper, and because I can rest the folder on my knees to provide a surface to write on.

(This is because most pen stores here in the UK do not have enough space on their sales floor for desks at which customers can sit.)

 

You need to find out how the M800/805 feels to you in your hand when you try to write as you would normally do.

 

Is the pen too heavy for you?

Is it too light for you?

Does the pen balance comfortably in your hand?

(Some people find that the M800 feels a bit back-heavy because of the weight of the brass in its piston mechanism. The M600 doesn't have that problem.)

Is it too wide?

Is its grip section too long? Or too short? Or too wide? Or too narrow? Do the threads feel uncomfortable or ‘wrong’ to your fingers?

 

I would also advise you to try out an M600 (or M605) at the same time that you try out the M800 (or M805).

Most sales staff will want to sell you an M800/805 instead of an M600/605, because they cost more, but if you find that you have any doubts when trying the pens out, you should only purchase the one that feels best to you.

Or, if neither of them feels really nice to you, you should not buy either pen.

 

Pelikan Souverän pens are very well regarded, but if you find that they don't feel great in your hand, there are lots of other great pens out there waiting for your money!

Of course, if you do find that an M800/805 or an M600/605 feels lovely in your hand, you should ask the sales staff to let you try out that pen in different nib-widths.

Some people find that Pelikan's nibs seem to be a bit wide. So e.g. someone who usually buys pens with ‘M’ nibs might find that they prefer the Pelikan ‘F’ nib to the Pelikan ‘M’ nib.

Other people like their nib to be as wide as possible. Pelikan used to sell B, BB, and even BBB nibs.

I wish you joy and success in your search

[corniche]

 

Hello

 

I would like to buy one as well, and it is also a very expensive pen for me.

 

I strongly advise you to go to a store that sells them, and ask to try it out in your hand before buying it.

Most stores will let you dip test it by writing with it after dipping the nib in to ink. Especially for a pen that costs as much as an M800 does.

I also advise you to sit down to write with it when you are doing this.

I take a folder with me whenever I am doing this - both because doing that enables me to test a pen on my own usual paper, and because I can rest the folder on my knees to provide a surface to write on.

(This is because most pen stores here in the UK do not have enough space on their sales floor for desks at which customers can sit.)

 

You need to find out how the M800/805 feels to you in your hand when you try to write as you would normally do.

 

Is the pen too heavy for you?

Is it too light for you?

Does the pen balance comfortably in your hand?

(Some people find that the M800 feels a bit back-heavy because of the weight of the brass in its piston mechanism. The M600 doesn't have that problem.)

Is it too wide?

Is its grip section too long? Or too short? Or too wide? Or too narrow? Do the threads feel uncomfortable or wrong to your fingers?

 

I would also advise you to try out an M600 (or M605) at the same time that you try out the M800 (or M805).

Most sales staff will want to sell you an M800/805 instead of an M600/605, because they cost more, but if you find that you have any doubts when trying the pens out, you should only purchase the one that feels best to you.

Or, if neither of them feels really nice to you, you should not buy either pen.

 

Pelikan Souverän pens are very well regarded, but if you find that they don't feel great in your hand, there are lots of other great pens out there waiting for your money!

Of course, if you do find that an M800/805 or an M600/605 feels lovely in your hand, you should ask the sales staff to let you try out that pen in different nib-widths.

Some people find that Pelikan's nibs seem to be a bit wide. So e.g. someone who usually buys pens with M nibs might find that they prefer the Pelikan F nib to the Pelikan M nib.

Other people like their nib to be as wide as possible. Pelikan used to sell B, BB, and even BBB nibs.

I wish you joy and success in your search

Well said.

 

 

 

Sean

[PAKMAN]

Of all my pens the Pelikan M800 is my favorite, I think I have 8 of them now!

[Lam1]

I have 17 or 18 M80x (have to check), at least 4-5 always inked. It is my main EDC pen.

So, yes, I am very satisfied.

 

Just an observation: Pelikans are famous for being wet. But not my M800 (my M600, M400, most M200 and certainly M1000 are wet). I have all nib sizes and all the M80x have very neutral flow (in fact, it is the only thing I'd complain about, since I like very wet pens).

[praxim]

I agree with Lam1, that I have not found any of my M800 style pens to be unexpectedly wet, unlike the M1000. I have two F and one M. No-one is going to call the F "bordering on EF" though.

 

I sometimes think to myself about a pen, "If this were the only pen you had, would you be content with it?", and the answer for Pelikan 8xx is certainly yes. That is a different question from "Is this your favourite pen?", for that is where we get into idiosyncratic views.

[jvr]

I like my M800 but it’s not much different, except in size, from my M600 or many other pens. All my Pelikans are solid performers but writing-wise only my M1000 offers a unique experience.

[Lam1]

I sometimes think to myself about a pen, "If this were the only pen you had, would you be content with it?", and the answer for Pelikan 8xx is certainly yes. That is a different question from "Is this your favourite pen?", for that is where we get into idiosyncratic views.

 

That is a very wise way to put things.

 

Agreed about the nib widths.

I've yet to see somebody complaining "This Pelikan F is way too thin! It's more like a needlepoint!"

[OMASsimo]

Like most of the other posters here, I like my M800 as a very solid and reliable and well made pen. The short section doesn't bother me. Mind the more pronounced step in the OMAS pens of the Milord and Paragon series. If such a step and the threads irritate you, you better be careful with all of them.

 

My M800 is an older version and the nib is very nice for a "modern" fountain pen. It still lacks the character of vintage nibs. It's an OB nib and I have several vintage Pelikans, mostly 400NNs with OM, OB, OBB nibs, which are way more interesting. That said I'd consider the OMAS a more interesting pen regarding the nib. The thing that would spoil it for me is that the Milord is a cartridge/converter pen which I don't appreciate too much, at least for that price. If you're not sure what you want, testing the pen is the only way to find out. All the statements here by experienced users are necessarily highly subjective.

[kestrel]

I bought one in 2000 to celebrate a major life milestone. I replaced the original medium nib with a Binder 0.9 mm Italifine after a second major life milestone several years later. It has been inked every day since original purchase except for two vacations it took. The first was to Chartpak to replace the blue striped sheath around the barrel which cracked after the warranty expired. Expensive pen for that to happen and the fix was expensive and took forever. It was not a happy experience. The second time was when it went off to Indy Pen Dance to have the bent nib repaired said nib having become bent when a pet cat played roll the pen when I wasn't looking and sent it from desk to floor. Most of my pens are vintage and I prefer vintage but this pen is a perfect fit for my hand and it always writes when I put nib to paper. It is fun to use and I missed it when it was off on holiday. It is fun to use with the Italifine and was fun to use with the plain old vanilla medium it started with. The step and short section do not bother me. It is the only pen I own that is never out of the rotation