Review: Pelikan M800 Demonstrator

[bluemax]

Does the ink ever get behind the tank (toward the screw mechanism)? I have a couple of other branded demos that do do this.

 

thanks

Bren

[acesfulldc]

Does the ink ever get behind the tank (toward the screw mechanism)? I have a couple of other branded demos that do do this.

 

thanks

Bren

 

 

That hasn't happened with this pen so far. Nor is there any condensation in that area, which has happened to my M205 Demonstrator. The construction on this thing is truly top notch

[twinofmunin]

Consider it your fault that I have now pulled the trigger on one of these... marked. I find the markings quite appealing...

[acesfulldc]

Consider it your fault that I have now pulled the trigger on one of these... marked. I find the markings quite appealing...

 

Good choice on the markings, and great choice of pen. Enjoy it!

[Daniel7]

Hi everyone,

 

 

This pen is really gorgeous and I can only share all points on the review. From the scarcity persepctive, I can only say that I ordered mine before Xmas and received it...last week...

But it was worth all the waiting.

Cheers,

 

 

daniel

[Classics]

I ordered mine today.

:clap1: :clap1:

[irishteamer]

You sold me on it, acesfulldc. Gorgeous pen. I agree with a previous post - watching the gorgeous ink would be pretty distracting - but that is okay! Thanks for the word on inks that stain... I'll avoid the reds, oranges and purples.

[fjf]

I agree with this review completely. Just got mine from Pam Braun (great price!). Big, paragon size. A bit heavy, especially the back (the metal parts there). Big, juicy beautiful nib. A bit broad for a medium. I am very tempted to stub it. Overall, gorgeous pen. I am very happy with it!!.

[bsherfey]

I got an 800 demonstrator last week and finally got up enough nerve to put ink in it yesterday. I like it very much. I foolishly left it lie horizontally overnight and some ink (PR DC Superhow Blue) seeped into the cap. I rinsed the cap out and now it is a bit cloudy and, of course, I am perseverating about that. This is my first experience with a demonstrator. Should I just relax and get used to the fact that there might be some seepage or is this something I should have Pelikan /Chartpak take a look at? I'd appreciate any demonstrator care and feeding tips people might have...

 

Thanks,

Bill

[sentraser165]

I was at Century Pens in Chicago today and I wrote with this pen. It was nothing short of excellent. For me, it was just the right size and weight, and it had a perfect balance in my hand.

[BladeArcher]

Damn it all - I love demonstrators and I want this one!

 

Regards,

Blade

 

 

[PAKMAN]

Try it you'll like it!! I picked mine up at the Dallas Pen show. I moved a BB Pel 800 nib that I had ground to a 1.1 mm italic over to the Demo and wow!

[BladeArcher]

I am very fond of "odd" nibs, like music nibs. Is there any way to get something like that on this pen?

 

Regards,

Blade

 

 

[Robert Alan]

 

After several weeks, I can honestly say that I love this pen and do not regret buying it, whether I did so impulsively or not. This is a big, bold pen. It is not subtle and draws looks when people see it. This means that there may be some situations in which it is not the best choice for a writing instrument. But it is also beautiful and I never tire of looking at it. Most importantly, I never tire of writing with it and find myself looking for excuses to use it. For me, that says it all.

 

Greetings!

Thank you for one of the better reviews--especially since you thoughtfully used the pen for a while before posting the review. I have the "clear" version with fine nib and will order the "marked" version with medium nib. I hope they are still in stock!

Thanks for reminding me about red dye inks, and, I imagine, certain blue-black inks could present a staining problem, too. That still leaves us demo-people with a good range of colors. BTW, my fine nib wrote very well "right out of the box" with a nice, consistent, wet line.

I can see that the finish on the M800 demo is better than on my M205 demo (makes sense, I guess, considering the cost).

I was going to order the demo at a special price from overseas, but I think I'll check with Swisher so I can get the correct, matching box and, sent priority, I should get it fast and safely. Swisher still shows the pen on their site so I hope that means it is in stock.

Thanks again!

Robert

[Birgit]

Hello all,

I'm new to this forum and I have to say that I really like your review and the Demonstrator itself. Tomorrow I'll be going to order one WITH the engraving for myself.

 

Please can anyone tell me which BLACK ink you'd recommend? Since I live in New Zealand I better order good ink with my now toy (I have to order the pen from overseas). Otherwise it might be difficult to get some here

 

Any recommendations are most welcomed!

 

Best,

Bixi

[Vincent1278]

Great pen. Love the size of the 800's.

[PatientType]

Please can anyone tell me which BLACK ink you'd recommend?

Bixi

 

I've been using Private Reserve Velvet Black in my M800 demonstrator with no staining issues. I've also used Tanzanite, Midnight Blue & American Blue - all of those are Private Reserve inks. The M800 seems to be very forgiving as to ink choices but I'm cautious about loading any red inks or permanent inks into my demonstrator.

 

As to the pen itself, it is one of my very favorites and was my first "expensive" pen. It writes like a champ and is trouble free in every way. And, as others have mentioned, it can be eye-candy for business meetings. When you DO want to leave an impression, the M800 demonstrator does the trick. I've gotten at least half a dozen "Nice pen" or "What's that you're writing with?" comments in the past year.

[Birgit]

Thank you dear Patient Type for your ink advice. I got myself a bottle of Noodler’s ink in Blue-Black which got recommended to me. I hope that this will work fine.

Best,

Bixi

www.birgitkrippner.com

[emes441]

This is a great review with nice pictures.

 

Wonder why I can't find it on the index.

[mickthepope]

<img src="http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i279/acesfulldc/M800%20Demo/IMG_0015.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

 

<u><b>Overview/First Impressions

</b></u>

I have long lusted after a demonstrator but, until recently, had been unable to convince myself to pull the trigger. I had seen a few scattered postings about a rumored M800 Demonstrator on this forum, but did not think much of it until, late one Sunday night, as I was browsing the Swisher Pens website, I saw that they had the M800 Demonstrator listed as available. Next thing I knew, I had one (I believe it was the last one available) in my basket and was inputting my credit card information. It was, admittedly, an impulse purchase that I jumped on due to perceived scarcity. But, after seeing other opportunities slip through my fingers (like the Stipula Etruria Nuda that I let pass me by...sigh), I just couldn’t let this one go. Frankly, I half expected to get a message on Monday saying, sorry, the pen I ordered was not available.

 

Instead, on Monday morning I got a confirmation and on Wednesday the pen arrived. (Super fast shipping by the Swisher folks, even though I only paid for standard shipping!) Although it is not technically a limited edition pen, the M800 Demo is a one-time run and most vendors seem to have sold out very quickly. Someone told me that Chuck Swisher said he has never seen a pen sell out as fast as the M800 Demo. What this means, I have no idea.

 

This is my first 800-series Pelikan. I purchased the version with the labels, which I believe is the only one available right now. While I know that some people think the labels are silly, I actually like them. I think they are in keeping with the original purpose of demonstrator pens and I think they add a touch of nostalgia. Plus, they are only on one side of the pen and cannot be seen when writing with the pen, as you can see in this picture:

 

<img src="http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i279/acesfulldc/M800%20Demo/IMG_0012.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

 

You have to turn the pen over to view the labels, which appear to be engraved in the barrel of the pen and then filled in with white paint, as shown in this picture:

 

<img src="http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i279/acesfulldc/M800%20Demo/IMG_0024.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

 

I have now been using the pen fairly regularly for several weeks and have sufficient familiarity with it to provide a review. My impressions, for what they are worth, follow below.

 

<u><b>Fit/Finish/Quality</b></u>

 

This is a beautiful pen. All of the components fit together tightly and the finish is first-rate, as should be expected. I generally dislike gold (jewelry, pens, watch bands, etc.) and definitely would have purchased the “805” version of this pen had one been offered, but the gold hardware on this pen matches nicely with the brass piston mechanism and lends a warmth to the pen that I like much more than I originally thought I would. The only downside (in my eyes) is that the pen feels much more formal than my other pens with silver or steel hardware. I like to use my pens and, other than the occasional Montblanc, generally prefer those that do not stand out too much at a meeting or luncheon. This is not one of those pens. Perhaps it is the gold appointments. Perhaps it is the gigantic two-tone nib. Or perhaps it is the fact that the pen is see-through. Whatever the reason, this is not a subtle pen.

 

<img src="http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i279/acesfulldc/M800%20Demo/IMG_0017.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

 

Perhaps the best litmus test is my wife, who knows virtually nothing about pens, but who, the first time she saw it, pulled it out of the pen case, looked at me with incredulous, accusing eyes and said, “What is this???” Knowing virtually nothing about pens, she knew instantly that this was a nice one and, therefore, must have cost a lot of money. She was not pleased. <a href="https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif" target="_blank">https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/st...ault/unsure.gif</a>

 

My only concern with the overall durability of the pen is that the white paint used for the labels on the pen body could chip away or rub off over time.

 

<img src="http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i279/acesfulldc/DSC_7451.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

 

Other than that, I have no doubt that this pen will be in fine condition to pass on to one of my children some day.

 

Some demonstrators “demonstrate” more than others. It appears to me that Pelikan put a great deal of thought into the construction of this pen in order to make as much of the inner workings visible as possible. Virtually the entire pen body is made of clear acrylic. A small portion of the brass housing is cut away so that you can see the spindle in action as you move the plunger up and down through the barrel. This is the type of small detail that, for me at least, makes the pen just as fun to look at as to write with.

 

<img src="http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i279/acesfulldc/M800%20Demo/IMG_0022.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

 

<u><b>Filling System</b></u>

 

What can I say that hasn’t already been said? The Pelikan piston-filling system is legendary for its reliability, capacity, and ease of use. The piston-filling system on this particular pen lives up to that reputation. The piston turns smoothly and easily and holds plenty of ink. Informal and highly unscientific measurements (filling the reservoir with water and then emptying it into one of my daughter’s medicine syringes) show that the reservoir holds approximately 1.2 mL of ink. I haven’t done this on any of my other pens, so I don’t know if it compares favorably to, say, a Lamy 2000 or a 600-series Pelikan, but I have been able to get about a week out of a filling, which is just fine for me.

 

While not related directly to the filling system itself, the ability to see the piston, spindle, and other parts of the system heightens the appeal for me, as does the ability to have a full, unobstructed view of the ink in the reservoir. It is convenient to see exactly how much ink I have left at any given time, rather than having to rely on a tiny little window that only gives me a partial view of my ink situation.

 

<u><b>Nib</b></u>

 

<img src="http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i279/acesfulldc/M800%20Demo/IMG_0018.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

 

My pen came with a medium nib, as I think all of the M800 demos did. It is the standard 18K two-tone 800-series nib that comes on all of the M8xx-series Pelikans. The nib is large, but perfectly proportioned with the rest of the pen (unlike the M6xx-series nibs, which to my eyes seem a bit small). This particular nib wrote beautifully right out of the box. It lays down a nice, wet, thoroughly medium line with the Waterman Blue-Black I have loaded into it. It starts right up every time, even after I have left it sitting for awhile, uncapped and only skips on particularly troublesome paper and, even them, seldomly. I love cursive italic and stub italic nibs. Perhaps the best testament to the quality of this nib is that, while I have debated sending the nib to Mr. Binder for customization or ordering a “replacement” from him, the more I use this nib, the more I think it may just be perfect the way it is.

 

<u><b>Writing Experience/Usability</b></u>

 

I normally post my pens. This is the first pen I have had where I prefer to use it un-posted. Posted, it feels back-heavy and a little unbalanced. It might be the size of my hands, which, when using the pen posted, places the junction on the pen between the cap and the pen body directly (and uncomfortably) on top of the spot where the pen rests on my hand. In contrast, when using the pen un-posted, it feels perfectly weighted and balanced and I can write and write without fatigue or discomfort.

 

I have already discussed the wonderful nib on this pen. That nib, combined with the weight and balance of the pen, as well as (to me, at least) the wonderful aesthetics of this pen, has quickly elevated this pen to “favorite” status. It is a joy to use and I do so as often as possible.

 

<u><b>Value</b></u>

 

I’m not a firm believer in trying to place a value on subjective experiences like writing instruments, watches, paper, and the like. For many, spending more than $10 on a pen would be ludicrous. Still others don’t give a second thought to dropping $1000 or more on a pen. For me, this pen was expensive, but not out of reach. Having spent a few quality weeks with it now, I can say that, for me, it was worth every penny. Those for whom demonstrators don’t hold the same appeal, or who may dislike the labels, or who simply wouldn’t spend more than $100 on a pen would obviously feel differently. If you are a Pelikan fan and happen to like demonstrators, I don’t think you would be disappointed with this pen.

 

<u><b>Conclusion</b></u>

 

I think many people (myself included) tend toward hyperbole when reviewing a significant purchase in order to “justify” the purchase to themselves or others. While I am just as guilty of that as anyone else, I have tried to give myself several weeks with this pen in order to be as honest in my subjective evaluations as possible. When I first unpackaged the pen and inked it, I was concerned that I had perhaps made an unwise impulse purchase. I wasn’t sure I like the gold hardware, I thought it might be too flashy to use in public, I didn’t like the way the pen felt when I wrote with it posted.

 

After several weeks, I can honestly say that I love this pen and do not regret buying it, whether I did so impulsively or not. This is a big, bold pen. It is not subtle and draws looks when people see it. This means that there may be some situations in which it is not the best choice for a writing instrument. But it is also beautiful and I never tire of looking at it. Most importantly, I never tire of writing with it and find myself looking for excuses to use it. For me, that says it all.

 

 

Glad you took the time to get comfortable with it. Maybe it's one of those pens that you grow to appreciate even more than you did initially. I like having that kind of experience. Too flashy? I guess their would be situations where it would be a little odd to see; a funeral maybe. Read this long post earlier today about the pens that attornies use in the court room; how jurors draw conclusions about something based on appearance but, come on! it's a pen. I think Americans are the most status conscious people on the planet sometimes. I like surrounding myself with beautiful things because it makes me feel good. period. don't really care if someone thinks it's flashy. Nice pen. enjoy