Pelikan Classic Series P205 Cartridge Fill Review

Image via Goldspot.com

The best way to get someone interested in fountain pens is to make it as easy for them as possible. And give them a nice pen. The Pelikan Classic Series P205 accomplishes both of those things.

It’s widely known how much I enjoy my piston filling Pelikan Traditional M205, and the new P205 is practically a carbon copy, minus the piston filler of course. As I alluded to earlier, this is a matter of convenience, and the P205 pulls it off without a hitch. Did you expect anything less from Pelikan?

Let’s start with the barrel design. It is Pelikan through and through. While their designs aren’t flashy, they are recognizable. The sleek, simple design is German engineering at its finest. The Pelikan beak clip is a standout, and the logo on the cap is a timeless tradition. Everything related to the build quality of this pen, and any Pelikan for that matter, is spot on.

From top to bottom: Pelikan M405, M205, P205

That translates to the nib as well. I went with a broad nib for something different and it is as clean and smooth as one would expect. I’m turning the corner on wider nibs too, as they allow for an ink expressiveness that you don’t get in extra fine nibs. The steel Pelikan broad nib is a prime example.

The cartridge filling system in the P205 (P is short for Patrone, the German word for cartridge) is the selling point of this pen. Many will ask why they should forego what is deemed as a superior filling system in the piston filler, and it all comes down to convenience. Fountain pen users, even experienced ones, sometimes want to pop in an ink cartridge and go. The P205 allows you to do just that, and in a beautiful barrel to boot.

But let’s be clear about one thing: Pelikan is no fool. They introduced this pen in conjunction with their new high-end Edelstein ink cartridge line. And I say good for them, because Edelstein inks are some of my favorites. The written review uses the Sapphire Blue cartridge, a bright blue that pops off the page, and I have enjoyed using Tanzanite and Topaz cartridges as well. All are top notch. They use the international sizing standard too, so other compatible cartridges and converters fit as well.

Pelikan is a premium brand. While there may be pens that offer more for less, there are few brands that can match the form, feel, consistency, and quality of a Pelikan. This is one of those pens that when it is in your hand you can feel the difference between it and other brands. The P205 and Edelstein ink cartridges are great additions to the product line and I look forward to years of use with this pen.

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

AskPA: What pen has been discontinued that you wish you could bring back?

@tascavision: @Pen_Addict @dowdyism what pen has been discontinued that you wish you could bring back? #AskPA

I’m still working out the posting format for answering the #AskPA questions but this is one I wanted to get to quickly because it is something I think about all the time.

We all have those long lost loves, even in the stationery realm. For me, it is the Pilot Explorer. Long time readers have heard me go on and on about this pen. During the time it was on the market it was a pen I always had with me. The barrel was such a unique design, the knock and the clip worked flawlessly, and the extra fine rollerball ink cartridge was one of the best writing pens I owned.

Sometime in the early 2000’s the Pilot Explorer became scarce. It may have been sooner than that actually - I had moved on to a few other pens and wasn’t totally paying attention. I just know that when I wanted to buy more they had all but vanished.

I’ve had a few readers reach out since I started The Pen Addict and send me a few for my stash, even a full box of blue fine tip Explorer’s from a treasure trove in Denmark.

The reason I want to bring back the Pilot Explorer so much is that I think it would do well in today’s market without changing a thing about the original. It was a pen ahead of its time, and if Pilot could find a way to resurrect it I think it would be a hit.

Thanks for the question @tascavision! I plan on answering larger batches of #AskPA questions as we move forward, so be sure to use that hashtag on Twitter, or send me a message via the Contact Page.

A Story Of Office Subterfuge

(This is a guest post by Jon Bemis. You can find Jon on Twitter @jtower42)

Since becoming a Junior Pen Addict a year ago, I have tried to evangelize the message of a better writing experience. As is the case in many offices, our supply closest is stocked with the cheapest paper (generic legal and steno pads) and pens (BiC “Xtra Comfort” medium points) our purchasing people can find. By sheer accident, there are some gems like PaperMate Flair plastic tip pens and Dixon Ticonderoga pencils, but mostly the shelf is a cathedral of mediocrity.

I have made some inroads with a few co-workers. I noticed one of our commodities buyers is a woodcase pencil guy, so I gave him a couple of Palomino Blackwings. I checked in with him after a few weeks, and he somewhat sheepishly told me “When you said I would feel a difference between these (Blackwings) and the pencils I normally use, I thought you were nuts. But wow, these are SMOOTH.”

A member of our graphic design team is a kindred spirit as it relates to design and typography – I have introduced her to Field Notes and Mr. Aaron Draplin, and she’s digging it. Our sales analyst admitted to me that she “really likes, you know, GOOD paper.” I gave her an extra Rhodia A5 top staple-bound notebook that I had lying around, and it blew her mind.

I’ve had failures, too. Our corporate attorney, who happens to be a friend, is a Pilot G-2 fan. That’s a great pen; I thought that might serve as a gateway into fountain pens, so I lent him first my Lamy Safari and then my Pilot Metropolitan. It hasn’t taken. He always quickly goes back to the G-2’s he loves so much.

But the effort of which I am most proud was not so overt. This office needs to know the love of writing, dammit. So I did something a little sneaky. A little underhanded. I stocked the pond, if you will.

I decided to make a contribution to the supply cabinet. I knew the Pilot Varsity was a great entry-level fountain pen, and they’re inexpensive. I bought about two dozen in blue and black from JetPens, and snuck into the supply cabinet with them on a Tuesday afternoon. I carefully reshuffled the Bics and the Flairs to make a space. Luckily, JetPens had included a Varsity box, so once I was done it looked as if the interloping pens belonged there.

The pens I snuck into the supply closet.

Two weeks later, they were gone.

All twenty-four. GONE. In seven working days (not counting days the office was closed for Christmas and New Year’s.

About a hundred people share this particular supply closet, which is a lot. But for FOUNTAIN PENS to disappear that quickly? I couldn’t believe it. People had actually taken them to use. This only served to increase the audacity, the sheer madness of my next move. I didn’t plan it. I hadn’t thought about it. But in the moment, it seemed right.

I took a Post-it note, stuck it on the now-empty Pilot Varsity box and scribbled (hoping I was disguising my handwriting) “Please reorder. Thanks!” My heart was pounding. I felt like I had crossed some line, violated some rule. It was a little silly – I know some people ask for specific pens or paper from time to time, and my company generally will try to accommodate. Requests for staplers, tape dispensers, letter trays, wall calendars and white boards are generally approved without any raised eyebrows. But still, I had hacked the system! I had introduced a foreign life-form, and now I was hoping the office supply ecosystem would accept this new animal.

A week later, this.

Fresh boxes. Ordered by whoever orders office supplies.

Three fresh new boxes of Pilot Varsities. It worked. I couldn’t believe it.

What I don’t yet know is if fountain pens are on the regular re-order rotation yet. I will be monitoring the inventory to see if folks are still taking them, and I’ll be keeping a sharp eye to see if I can spot people using the pens they’ve acquired.

Basking in the glow of having pulled off my own version of a “covert op,” I find myself wondering why I did it.

I’m excited that my co-workers will have the opportunity to use a pen that’s new to them, to have an experience that maybe they’ve never had. Moreso, I’m hopeful that just a few people will enjoy using a fountain pen so much that it makes their day a little better. We have a pretty great work environment here – people treat each other with respect, we’re pretty family friendly, and people stay a long time. But work is work, and days can get frustrating or mundane. Maybe, just maybe, my little surreptitious act will add a dash of enjoyment to someone’s day.