Pelikan Ductus

[Foodwriter]

Here are some nice pictures of the pen. Am I missing something?, The clip is a beak, it just goes the other way round. It looks very nice to me too. It seems to be the answer to those who feel that the design of the M series pens is getting old. It is a nice update using some of the old elements. It's certainly not your grandfather's Pelikan !

Ugly-Ductus?

 

 

[KCat]

It looks very nice to me too. It seems to be the answer to those who feel that the design of the M series pens is getting old. It is a nice update using some of the old elements. It's certainly not your grandfather's Pelikan !

Ugly-Ductus?

 

I didnt' find it particularly ugly. I don't care for the clip but it's a low priority (which I think I've already said.) What I object to is the nib. I suppose it suits the styling of the pen, it just looks a bit like their low-end nibs and give the impression that it isn't as "good" as the Souveran nibs.

 

That said, I wouldn't throw it out of my Christmas stocking.

 

I agree with you that if people are going to clamor for new Pelikan designs, they need to be open to just that. Overall, I have been. I liked the look of the Epoch and its lowest cost version was, IMO, a reasonable price based on the nib design. Again, the nib on the Epoch looks a lot like their low-end pens. On a $70 pen I can deal with that. On a $200+, it is jarring. I suppose I could get over it if I could actually try the pen and see if it meets my expectations of what a $200+ pen should be. The body and other appointments are somewhat appealing to me.

 

Finally, I confess. I do not want to pay $200+ for a cartridge filler. A personal problem.

[Dr.Grace]

I agree with KCat. The styling isn't terrible except for the nib, which just looks cheap. And why, oh why, do they abandon the piston filler, which is one of the best features of the M series? I guess they're trying to appeal to people who don't want to use bottled ink. In any case, it just doesn't seem worth the money.

[snowdrift]

I rather like it. I like pens that are quite restrained, elegant without looking expensive. It's hard from the pic to get a good idea of the clip. My chief complaint with the Pelikan clips is how easily they catch on things and get bent, and it seems like this is not sufficiently different to avoid that problem.

 

But I don't need any more cartridge/converter pens, ever. They run out too quickly and always at a bad time.

Edited December 14, 2007 by snowdrift

[saintsimon]

... And why, oh why, do they abandon the piston filler, which is one of the best features of the M series? ...

 

They don't abandon piston fillers (M series). Pelikan had always cartridge filllers in parallel (P series). There certainly are enough travellers or businesss-people who don't want to mess around with ink bottles and show off inky fingers. Pelikan/int. standard carts are widely available and offer a quick & clean solution.

 

But that nib design kills the deal.

It looks like the nib has the same screw-out plastic collar as the Epoch nibs. If they have the same size (?), one may consider a nib swap, as even the Epoch nibs look better.

[rollerboy]

Overall I like the look. I like the pin stripes (slap those on an M405 and I'm there). I'm willing to give the nib a chance to grow on me. What I _don't_ like is the cartridge only nature of the pen. It's bad enough it's not piston, but - assuming it's like the Epoch - it's not even conveniently converter filled.

[PenMaster]

Where does the Ductus rollerball rank in size relative to other Pelikan models, primarily the Souveran line? Despite its unpopularity among some members, I think the design is modern with a touch of class. Just my opinion though. Not sure if I like the metal cap for fear that it might add to much weight.

[QM2]

goodness! nib looks like a garden trowel : (

 

here is a larger photo than the ones posted earlier:

http://www.joonpens.com/Pelikan_Ductus%20C...ction_pens.html

 

anybody own this pen yet?

Edited December 22, 2007 by QM2

[osnofian]

Hi,

This is my first post here on FPN, wee!

Back to the ductus... the name is not attractive, although I like the stiling of the pen, I have tried on and is quite heavy for it's size, and the nib is not flexible at all... I'm more for the Epoch line

 

Regards from Portugal!

[John Cullen]

If anyone wants to see a real closeup photo of this pen, go to ebay and type in PELIKAN DUCTUS. There is a jewelry store that sells pens that has a Ductus up on ebay.

 

The ad has a huge closeup of the nib.

 

The cartridge system looks like it might work well and keep the cartridge very straight as it approaches the little nipple into which it plugs.

 

I kind of like the look of the whole thing.

 

Pistons are fun to monkey around with, but can present problems one would not have with a C/C pen. It will be interesting to see how it sells and what people say after they write with it.

 

If FPN people want to take up a collection and buy me one, I will be happy to try it out in depth. j

[Mike S.]

I went to see Pelikan's Ductus at the Bromfield Pen Shop in Boston last Friday. Just one look, it's a good attractive pen. It is almost as long and thick as M800. The only, but crucial con is that the pen can just takes a cartridge, not even a converter. The selection of ink, therefore, is very limited. I would rather go to Sahara or M800, even though they are more expensive than Ductus. In a long run, the difference of the price will be paid, because of costly ink cartridges.

 

 

Have you ever tried filling a cartridge with a syringe? I have a Nakaya pen that seems to write better with a cartridge than with a converter (it may be because of the material the cartridge is made from, or because the cartridge has a little pellet inside it, kind of like a can of spray paint, to break up the surface tension and keep the ink flowing), so when the cartridge that came with the pen ran dry, I simply refilled it with my standard Aurora blue. (I use the converter to flush the pen between refills, though.) It seems a hassle, I know, to have to refill a cartridge with a syringe, but it opens the door to using any ink color you want.

 

Also, cartridges are much more commonly used in Pelikan's home market than they are here. Their school pens are all designed around cartridges, and perhaps they view this pen and the Epoch and Pura models as the "upgrade path" for students who grew up writing with Pelikan's school pens. (The Souverän line is for their parents.)

 

I spent 2 years living in Germany, and I recall that Pelikan cartridges were very easy to buy almost anywhere. You didn't have to special order them by mail from a faraway city like you do here. A lot of people carry a package of converters in their briefcases and find them much more convenient for refilling than carrying around a bottle of ink. In other words, Pelikan may view ballpoints and rollerballs as this pen's main competition -- this is a way to keep people who wish to upgrade from the student pen using fountain pens and buying their ink refills rather than switching to a rollerball or ballpoint from a competing brand.

[Garageboy]

The nib looks cool on something like a $50 pen, but at that price..I'll pass

[saintsimon]

Pelikan has released the Ductus with gold trim, lately.

[Will Argyle]

Ugly Ductus is all I can say. Maybe it'll grow into a beautiful pelikan someday, but not now.

 

Ha! 'Ugly Ductus'--Egads, why didn't Pelikan think about the possibility of that? It's like naming your chubby daughter 'Liesal' (Diesel Liesal, Diesel Liesal!). Oh, the humanity!

 

Will

 

Next up: Pelikan's newest pen, the Fugly 2000!

[Stylo]

It should be renamed Da Dooctoos.

 

[Reppen]

goodness! nib looks like a garden trowel : (

 

here is a larger photo than the ones posted earlier:

http://www.joonpens.com/Pelikan_Ductus%20C...ction_pens.html

 

anybody own this pen yet?

 

 

Yes. Just bought it from Fahrney's. It's a great pen and the nib is actually very smooth and writes with just a little firmness that i find better than the more flexible Pelikan nibs.

[jotterius]

How can you flush this pen?

[pajaro]

How can you flush this pen?

 

You might use an appropriately sized rubber bulb, connected to the section, to flush the pen. You might also use a converter for the purpose of flushing the pen, but the converter wouldn't be expected to fit in the pen for normal use.