Posts filed under Pelikan

Pelikan Souveran M400 Tortoiseshell Brown Fountain Pen Review

Certain pen companies around the world are well-known for specific things. Nakaya and their Urushi work. Sailor and their exquisite nibs. And, maybe more memorable than anyone else, Pelikan and their striated barrels.

This barrel style and design has been a hallmark of the brand since the early 1900's. Several colors populate the standard lineup - blue and green for example - but the limited colors really set themselves apart. None more so than Tortoiseshell.

Tortoiseshell has appeared all throughout Pelikan's history and across many different models. In recent years, the style and color have been limited to special releases, not stock products. The M400 Tortoiseshell is the most recent, hitting shelves in late 2016 with great fanfare.

Well-deserved fanfare in my book, despite the ultra-premium price. Let's discuss that now - this pen is $380 dollars. You can get the non-limited 400 series fountain pen for around $100 less. The most interesting thing? I rarely hear anyone complaining about the price. Pelikan has over 175 years of experience behind them, which remains apparent today in the quality of products they produce.

The M400 Tortoiseshell may be small and light, but it is built like a workhorse. Is it made for the biggest hands out there? No. My hands are a medium at best, giving me no issues holding it. It’s one of those pens that escapes into my hand and does what it does best: Write.

Pelikan nibs are considered some of the best in the world, and you will get no argument from me. Yes, they run a bit wider and wetter than their counterparts, which is due to their unparalleled softness. Even with this Extra Fine - which is as wide as I’m willing to go with a Pelikan gold nib - you will see tine movement and separation as you write. The line stays consistent though, and I can write my small characters without issue.

My favorite part of this pen is the piston filling mechanism. It works flawlessly and is unobtrusive. What more can’t you ask for? Easy cleaning I guess. It has that too. This piston is so smooth and integrates so nicely you don’t even notice it is there. And when it is time to clean, a few flushes of water is all it takes. Pelikan makes your life easier.

I can’t recommend this pen enough, or really any Pelikan outside of the M1000. It all boils down to how it will fit your style and your budget. The quality, consistency, and durability will always be there with Pelikan. That’s what an extremely long production history gets you. The M400 Tortoiseshell is no exception.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on January 9, 2017 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Pelikan, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Pelikan Edelstein Tanzanite Fountain Pen Ink Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

Pelikan Edelstein inks have always gotten positive thumbs up from me when I've used them in the past, and that makes me want to keep trying the colors that I haven't yet tried. The next ink on that list was Pelikan Edelstein Tanzanite.

The Edelstein line is made up of ink colors that are meant to match a corresponding jewel or gem for which they're named. In the case of Tanzanite, you end up with a beautiful rusty purple that dries with a touch of blue. The tanzanite gemstone, like most gems and jewels, come in a variety of similar colors, and the Tanzanite ink color looks like the color of a raw tanzanite mineral to my eyes. So, since the gem is in the blue/violet category, so is this ink!

Like every other Edelstein ink I've used, this one flows well and works great in every pen I throw it in. The Tanzanite is no different. I haven't dealt with any slow starts, skipping, or globbing with this ink in the 3 pens I've used it in so far. And, like the other Edelsteins, it cleans out easily when it's time to switch out inks.

The two main features that strike me with this particular ink are the color and the amount of shading. First, the color is beautiful. It's a gray purple with hints of blue, and you can also detect some red-purple sheen in the right light. This variance of character is what I love about this particular ink. It adds interest to the page, and it delights the writer and reader. It actually reminds me a lot of KWZ Gummiberry Iron Gall. It's a great color, and even if you aren't the biggest purple/violet ink fan, I'm sure it could put a smile on your face.

Then, there's the shading. Oh my, can this ink shade. The ink stays fairly dark, but I love the amount of dark depth that you see at the end of a downstroke with this ink. And, the lighter strokes bring out the more playful notes of the tanzanite color. It's my belief (and maybe Pelikan did this on purpose) that the Edelstein inks must have good shading properties in order to properly represent the gemstones and jewels they're named after. Jewels aren't precisely one color — they have several different shades due to the cut and the way light bounces through it. To me, this is the signature attribute of the Edelstein line, and Tanzanite does a great job of reinforcing that belief.

In summary, the Pelikan Edelstein Tanzanite is another great option in the Edelstein line-up that exhibits wonderful shading characteristics. It's a rich gray-purple that can pass for office use while still providing a lot of delight. I highly recommend checking this out if you have a chance. If you're already a fan of purple inks, you'll love it, but I imagine that this is an ink that anyone can appreciate if given the chance.

You can pick up a 50 ml bottle from JetPens for about $30, or you can grab a sample from Anderson Pens if you're not sure you want the big bottle up front. If cartridges are your thing, you can also find a 6-pack from any of the retailers mentioned above for less than $10.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on November 16, 2016 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Pelikan, Edelstein, Ink Reviews.

Pelikan 4001 Dunkelgrün (Dark Green) Ink: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

Pelikan released a new version of green ink to match its M120 Special Edition pen. The ink matches the pen perfectly, so if you've seen a photograph of the M120, its barrel color is the color of this ink.

Although Pelikan named this ink "Dunkelgrün" (Dark Green), I would say it's really more a medium green than a dark green. When I did a chromatograph analysis, the ink tends toward the blue spectrum more than the yellow.

And in some of my photographs it came out looking teal (it really is more green than teal).

But I think of a dark green as more black or olive in color, like one of my all-time favorite inks, Sailor Jentle Epinard which is, unfortunately, no longer available.

Nevertheless, Pelikan's Dark Green is certainly a practical color, perhaps a bit too blue-green for business use, but perfect for letter writing, journaling, and grading.

The ink seems a bit dry to me–much dryer, for example, than Iroshizuku Sho-Ryoku, but not as dry as many J. Herbin inks. Because of this, it dries quickly (at least in the extra-fine and medium italic pens I tested it with). It is not waterproof, nor does it make any claim to be.

The ink exhibits some shading in wider nibs, but in narrower nibs it is pretty flat.

*In this picture the ink looks teal, but in real life it is more green*

I was able to detect a slight purple sheen in the ink splats, but I didn't see it in any of my written samples. This ink does not demonstrate the impressive sheening qualities of inks like Sailor Yama-Dori, for example.

If you want a medium green ink that flows well and is consistent, then Pelikan 4001 Dark Green is a good choice. For all you teachers/professors out there, it really is a terrific grading ink. If, however, you want a green ink with more character, I'd suggest you consider Iroshizuku Shin-Ryoku or Sailor's Tokiwa-Matsu (their replacement for Jentle Epinard).