Help me decide: Pilot Custom 845 F, or Pelikan M800 XF?

[pandemonium]

I recently got a promotion at work, and want to celbrate by getting a new pen for myself at approx $500. At this price I expect a very high-quality pen, moderately fancy, but most of all a truely superb nib. I've been looking around, and basically narrowed it down to either the red Pilot Custom 845 fine-nib (which seems to be available from Japanese retailers at this price) or a Pelikan M800 extra-fine in the red stripes. So far so good, but here's my dilemma: I really like the design of the Pelikan, but I don't really know what to expect from it in terms of nib. OTOH, I know from a few steel-nib Pilots that I own, that the Pilot-fine is right at my perferred sweet-spot of smoothness and fineness, but the design of the Pilot is sort of meh for me. I don't really like the design of any higher-end 'classic' Pilot, and the custom-845 in red is sort of the least bad design in in my mind.

 

Can anyone here with expereience with both can help me understand the differences in writing feel between a Pelikan M800 XF and a Pilot 15-size F?

And please don't tell me to get both. I don't expect to spend that kind of money on a pen again any time soon 🤣

Thanks!

[Doc Dan]

This is such a matter of personal taste. Personally, I love the way Pilot pens write. I think they are beyond the others for smoothness and quality of writing. I also like that Pilot pens, as a rule, are not overstated. They are elegant without being gaudy. 

 

Take that with a grain of salt, for this is my opinion only. The Pelikan is a great looking pen and a good choice.

[arcfide]

I can't speak to the XF and F nibs, since I have experience with the B nibs from both brands. My experience says that when tuned properly, I think the Pelikan nib is actually a little smoother in the sense of having a velvety feel, while the PIlot is more glassy smooth versus velvet/silk. The Pelikan nibs that I have received did require me to make some little adjustments, but I get the impression that this might be a bigger issue with the broader nibs than the narrower nibs. I also like the wetness levels of the Pelikan more than the way that the Pilot nibs deliver ink, in particular their feeds. 

 

Personally, if you don't like the look of the Pilot, my suggestion would be the Pelikan. You can always have the Pelikan nib worked on, and it's easier to replace the nib on a Pelikan than it is on a Pilot. I personally also think that the design of the Pelikans is a little nicer, and I think the cellulose acetate that they use is a little more engaging. So, my vote would be the Pelikan. I think I like the feel of the Pelikan nibs more than the Pilot in general, though. 

[jmccarty3]

The Pilot F nib will write more finely than the Pelikan EF, unless you get an unusually narrow Pelikan nib. Both nibs will be smooth and will give a great deal of writing pleasure. The Pelikan is a piston filler, which some people really like, but it's more tedious to clean. Both pens are very well made, so it is a difficult choice. I have two Custom 845s, both the red and the black urushi, and numerous M800s. The feel of the urushi in the hand is more luxurious than Pelikan's resin. My personal choice would be the Pilot, but not by much. You really cannot go wrong with either pen. I hope you enjoy whichever you choose.

[lascosas]

100% agree with jmccarty3.  But personally, more than the larger Pelikan or Pilot nibs, I would recommend the Sailor King of Pens nib, and currently you can buy those from the seller Amazon Japan on amazon.com for $371, but only in a medium.  Then send it to a nibmeister to get exactly the nib width you want.  All of that will take 2-3 months, but will be under $500.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001TCGP2U/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3GZEOQINOCL0Y&th=1

 

 

[Lam1]

I've had a Pilot Custom 845 Black with a B nib and sold it, since it didn't do much for me (I'm considering buying a red one with an F nib because I like Pilot's F nibs). I don't consider it particularly luxurious, but it is a very nice pen indeed.

I do have some 20+ Pelikan M800's and I really like them (of course 😊). But the EF will be broader than the Pilot's F. Also, Pelikan's nibs sometimes need a little tuning.

But if you don't like the Pilot's design, I would suggest that you go with the Pelikan and if the nib is not to your liking, send it to a nibmeister: it costs $40, but you get the nib of your dreams (I really like the work of Mike Masuyama).

[USG]

On 11/3/2023 at 8:14 PM, pandemonium said:

I recently got a promotion at work, and want to celbrate by getting a new pen for myself at approx $500. At this price I expect a very high-quality pen, moderately fancy, but most of all a truely superb nib. I've been looking around, and basically narrowed it down to either the red Pilot Custom 845 fine-nib (which seems to be available from Japanese retailers at this price) or a Pelikan M800 extra-fine in the red stripes. So far so good, but here's my dilemma: I really like the design of the Pelikan, but I don't really know what to expect from it in terms of nib. OTOH, I know from a few steel-nib Pilots that I own, that the Pilot-fine is right at my perferred sweet-spot of smoothness and fineness, but the design of the Pilot is sort of meh for me. I don't really like the design of any higher-end 'classic' Pilot, and the custom-845 in red is sort of the least bad design in in my mind.

 

Can anyone here with expereience with both can help me understand the differences in writing feel between a Pelikan M800 XF and a Pilot 15-size F?

And please don't tell me to get both. I don't expect to spend that kind of money on a pen again any time soon 🤣

Thanks!

 

I have both an M800 fine and a Pilot 743 SFM with a #15 nib.  (please excuse my cell phone pics)

 

 

The Pelikan is by far the Classier looking of the two. I have 3, Red, Blue and Green.  IMHO there's no comparison if you're looking for a pen that LOOKS high quality.

 

The Pilot red plastic is, well you know, kinda blah.  I love my black cigar shaped Japanese pens.  I have as many of them as the German and Italian pens but as far as looks go....

 

 

My Pelikans all write beautifully with wet, soft, bouncy, smooth nibs.   Another feature of Pelikan is that you can purchase an additional nib and have two pens for the price of one.  There might be times when you want a broader nib, and you can do that with Pelikan without buying an entire pen.

 

(here are some of the pics I've posted)

 

 

But the Pelikan has a flaw.  If dropped the wrong way, it can break at the section.  I've had 2 Blue Pelikans break and my Red one is cracked.  But don't let that scare you, I wasn't as careful as I should have been, but it can happen.  There are people who repair them but I bought a new Blue barrel which is the one above.  Replacement parts are another feature of Pelikan.

 

 

 

The only other problem with the Pelikan is that it's a Piston filler and a nuisance to clean when you want to change inks, which is why I got the 743 cartridge version of the #15 nib.  I wanted the large nib but I didn't want to deal with cleaning the piston filling system.

 

What I have found is that the nib on my Pelikan fine is the same width as my Pilot SFM (soft fine medium).  So you are right that a Pilot fine might be the equivalent of a Pelikan EF,

 

 

 

As far as the high end Sailor King of Pen goes,  I really like them and there are some great deals around, but I don't think that's what you're looking for.

 

Best of Luck !!!!!

 

EDIT:

I just compared the Pilot #15 SFM to the Pelikan F and there's really no comparison.  The Pelikan has a much softer, bouncier, and responsive nib.      (YMMV)

[alfaberlina]

I have an 800 Pelikan F and a Pilot Custom Urushi FM nib. I think the Pilot Custom is close to the 845, just larger.  I would without question purchase the Pilot pen.  The Pilot company has the best or at least the best quality control in the business.  If they say it is a FM it will be a fine medium.  Pelikan ,not so much.  I had to have my Pelikan sent to a nibmeister to modify a fine nib (which was in  reality a medium nib) to be a fine nib.  Lousy quality control.  

[dms525]

I think you can see that both of your options are good. Which is better is a matter of personal preference. I have one Pilot Custom 845 Urushi and numerous Pelikan M800's. I write almost exclusively with custom cursive italic nibs though. I like the Pilot nib a lot, but I love how my M800's write. Again, you might agree or not. Since both pens will almost certainly be wonderful writers, I would go with your aesthetic preference.

 

David

[antares1966]

My $0.02 would be, if you already own some Pilot pens, and you like the aesthetic of the Pelikan, go with the Pel.  I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with the writing experience.  Be aware that Pelikan nibs are very wet writers and oftentimes write significantly broader than advertised.  If you tend to like Japanese F or M nibs, you’ll probably want to aim for an EF in a Pelikan.

[AceNinja]

Am very curious if OP has decided to go with Custom 845 or M800.

 

Reading OP's post, i would say go for Pelikan.  Since you don't really like the aesthetic design of Pilot.  Imagine every time you look at it, even before you pop up the cap, you'll lay your eye on the pen, and you'll start to feel meh, even before you write with it.

 

As for a Pelikan M800, you'll feel happy everytime you look at it, and as you uncap and write, the nib will be just as good as the Pilot's.  So with this logic, you should go for the Pelikan, in my opinion.

 

 

[pandemonium]

Hey all, and sorry for leaving this hanging for a bit.

 

First, great content here! Thanks a lot, all, for the insights and info. Really great stuff!

I do also have an update: I did get that promotion, but my company is also now saying that it will be downsizing during 2024, so I decided to wait with the self-gifting until the end of the year. If I still have a job until then - I'll probaby get both 😅

If I do have to choose, I think this thread gave me clarity: If I wanted to have a reliable good writer that probably won't need any tweaks and will gave me a known writing experience, I'd go with the Pilot. If I wanted something a bit more 'exciting' but also a bit of a wild card that may require tweaking, I'd go with the Pelikan. I think my takeway is than that I can order the Pilot with confidence, but may wait to get to a pen show or a real shop for the Pelikan. I don't like uncertainty so much with pens, so this should eliminate most of it, and if I get a used one, I may save a few bucks plus maybe also get an M800 that still has the semi-transparent celluloid. I understand this is solid on the newer ones.

 

Thanks again!

[lukeap69]

So which one did you end up getting? 

[mke]

On 2/29/2024 at 8:54 PM, pandemonium said:

If I wanted to have a reliable good writer that probably won't need any tweaks and will gave me a known writing experience, I'd go with the Pilot. If I wanted something a bit more 'exciting' but also a bit of a wild card that may require tweaking, I'd go with the Pelikan.

That sums it up very well.

 

On 11/4/2023 at 9:14 AM, pandemonium said:

the custom-845 in red is sort of the least bad design

Well said. This pen always reminds me bellboys.

 

[lukeap69]

Somehow I find this vermillion red quite appealing.

[Runnin_Ute]

I don't have the Pilot the OP is considering (only Pilot is a Metropolitan in M, only other Japanese pen is a Platinum 3776 Century Borgogne (B), ) my Pelikans are numerous but not the M800. I prefer a smaller more nimble pen. These include

M205 DUO BB

M200 Blue Marbled Old style OB

M200 Cognac (both B and F)

M200 Brown Marbled M

M200 Gold Marbled B

M400 White Tortoise B (14k)

M600 old style 18k two tone OB 

 

Of the above the Blue Marbled was an ebay purchase used, the M600 from Rick Propas so if not new it was like new.  Not a single one required adjustments by me or anyone else. The M600 took a little getting used to. It was my first 18k nib, but not my first OB.

[nm4]

I’ve owned both of these pens.  The 845 fine will probably write finer than the Pelikan EF.  In my limited experience the Pelikan EF nibs are not much finer than Pelikan Fine nibs…and they write worse (more feedback).  
 

As for the pens I no longer own an 845: I just wasn’t enamored with the looks or filling system for the price.  The m800 is a vastly superior pen in terms of aesthetics and smoothness (at least with the fine nib or larger).  
 

Both are high quality pens FWIW. If you really need a fine line maybe go 845…if you can live with Pelikan fine (aka Pilot medium) maybe go with the m800. 

 
N