Pelikan’s European Price Increase
02/05/2018The Pelikan’s Perch has a comprehensive post about the price hike and a theory behind the increase. The comments to the article add to understanding how Pelikan aficionados view the situation.
At its peak, there were a dozen Pelikans in my collection. That number has been cut by half so I remain an enthusiast. My modern M400 has been a solid worker for many years though it needed adjustment before it truly suited my hand. It has a fine nib with no drag and significant flow. There are days when it is the perfect pen though it is never inspiring since I like lines with at least a modicum of character. The fine has none. Round nibs aren’t expected to so that isn’t a fault. Just something that is.
The current offering of just five nib sizes does not appeal to me and I would not spend the going rate for any of them. In the past, Pelikan offered a huge variety of nibs but that has long since ceased to be. That deficiency in addition to the escalating prices makes older and vintage Pels more appealing. Not that you can’t spend a goodly sum on a vintage pen, but why buy new when there are gems on offer that are far more exciting to use.
Platinum and Pelikan Pens
Binder Modified Pelikan Stub
Pelikan M400 with Waterman Florida Blue Ink
Pelikan 400 Tortoiseshell Brown (1951-1954) Quick Fountain Pen Review
Pelikan M400 (Old Style, 1982-1997) Tortoiseshell Brown Quick Fountain Pen Review
An Inkophile's Blog 
I agree completely. Vintage pens, especially those made before 1965, have much more interesting nibs. They are also a fraction of the price of a new pen, especially in regards to Pelikan and Montblanc.
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I stopped buying once they stopped offering 3B, O3B, BB, and italic. As far as my preferences, they’re already defunct.
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At one time I only had one Pelikan: a Green Marble M200 with a stainless steel gold-plated EF-point nib. It wrote very nicely, with character. My 2nd Pelikan was the Pink M600 with a 14K F-point nib. Well, that was the most boring nib on the planet. Smooth, but that’s all. No interesting feedback, and it wrote more like a M-point nib. So a few months later, at the Colorado Pen Show, I had the nib modified to a stub by one of the nibmeisters there. After that, I really enjoyed writing with that pen.
Well, since then, I have bought a few new Pelikans. In each case, I had the beautiful but boring gold nibs either tuned or modified to stubs. And I really enjoy writing with all those pens. I love my Pelikans!
However, I’m getting a little tired of having to have an expensive new pen’s nib modified before I can enjoy it. It would be nice to buy a new pen with a gold nib with character; a nice little feedback or something. So, I recently bought a vintage green Pelikan 400nn, circa 1950s. I haven’t received the pen yet although I expect to any day now. I have high hopes for that nib because of the excellent reputation of vintage Pelikan gold nibs. So, we shall see. And I am in the process of re-evaluating my Pelikan buying strategy. I may start buying more vintage pens, depending on my results with this one.
In any case, I still love Pelikans. I love their style, the way they feel in my hand, the piston filler, and their classic good looks and colors. I am considering a red M400 right now. However, I just know that I will have to have a new Pelikan nib modified or tuned before I can really enjoy writing with it. I really do wish they would go back to their previous choices in nibs. I’d love to write with a Pelikan stub that was created by the company. I could understand the current state of their nibs if they charged less. But given their new pen prices, they should offer more choices in nibs.
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Thank you for sharing your experiences and enthusiasm for Pelikans. I hope your 400nn has a spectacular nib!
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