Pronouncing things on air is always a challenge, but Myke and I brought our A-game this week. Some may even say A+. We also discussed the latest A+ Retro 51 release, my HoboFail, and the new mechanical pencils on my desk.
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(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)
The Pelikan M805 Ocean Swirl is a special edition with gorgeous turquoise swirls against a black background. The pen is complemented with palladium accents and a rhodium-plated 18k nib.
Although Pelikan calls the material used for this pen “unique,” they must mean the color, as the material appears to be common acrylic, albeit with a distinctive color and pattern. It is quite striking, especially in sunlight. It exhibits depth and chatoyance, and the color changes from turquoise to blue depending on the light.
Pelikan’s packaging is elegant, although I never know what to do with fancy boxes other than store them in my office closet in case I decide to sell the pen one day. Nevertheless, the wood-grain-like box is sturdy, and inside is a faux-leather envelope encasing the pen. I suppose you could use the envelope as a carrying case if you wanted, but it seems rather flimsy, especially the elastic band. I much prefer Franklin-Christoph’s genuine leather, zippered pen envelopes.
I used to think the M8XX series pens were too large for my hand, but over the years of pen collecting, I’ve been drawn to larger pens. I now find M400s and M600s too small, and I prefer the M800 size. It is 140mm capped, 127mm uncapped, and 165mm posted. It fits perfectly in my hand and it is well-balanced and not too heavy (29 grams). I don’t write with my pens posted, but you certainly can post this pen. I think it throws the balance off, but others might find the extra weight more comfortable.
Like most (if not all) Pelikan pens, the M805 Ocean Swirl is a piston filler. The piston turns smoothly, as you would expect from German engineering. It holds about 1.5 ml of ink. One thing I really love about Pelikan pens is that you can remove the nib easily and thoroughly clean the barrel.
The screw-on cap sports the usual Pelikan beak clip with a palladium ring engraved “Pelikan Souverän Germany.”
The cap finial is different from other Pelikan pens I own in that the birds are etched into a matte silver background. My other Pelikans have shiny finials, but I like the matte finish.
Although you can see some translucence in the cap with you hold it up to the light, the barrel is opaque. So, unlike some of the other Pelikan pens, you can’t really see the ink level.
I ordered a fine nib for my Ocean Swirl. It has Pelikan’s usual gorgeous scrollwork and bird motif.
It writes smoothly. The line is closer to a medium in width, but that’s not a surprise. Pelikan nibs tend to be wider than Japanese ones.
There’s nothing fancy or special about this fine nib—no flex or line variation, but I wasn’t expecting any. I may eventually send this nib off to have it ground into a stub or italic because those grinds make my handwriting look 100% better.
My only disappointment with this pen is the color variation. My pen has two swaths of gorgeous swirly turquoise and two swaths that appear much darker with a little turquoise. (The color difference is much more noticeable when the pen is not in direct sunlight).
Note the beautiful swirls on this side of the pen.
Yet this side of the pen is much darker with glimpses of turquoise.
I wish my pen had more consistent turquoise swirly goodness than it does. Apparently, this varies from pen to pen. So, if you want an Ocean Swirl with lots of color, I suggest that you purchase it from a brick and mortar store where you can choose a specific pen. Or, if you are ordering online, ask the retailer to send you photos of the Ocean Swirls they have in stock, and pick one with lots of turquoise.
Pelikan recently reduced their prices, which is a welcome change for pen collectors. Whereas last year the retail price for the Pelikan M800 Renaissance was $800.00, this year the M805 Ocean Swirl retails for $650. Actual purchase price varies a bit between retailers. You can purchase the Ocean Swirl from Goldspot Pens for $519.95.
Pros
Cons
(I purchased the Pelikan M805 Ocean Swirl with my own funds with a discount from Vanness Pens.)
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(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter.)
De Atramentis has taken their standard Aubergine color and put a dashing Alexander Hamilton on the label--giving an already popular ink a new wave of energy. I'm not usually into the relabeling of old products, but the De Atramentis themes are always a fun take.
This rich purple ink is nicely lubricated. I had no flow issues with it at all--and though it behaves like a very wet ink, the dry time isn't too unreasonable. It took about 22 seconds to dry completely on Rhodia paper, but it's relatively dry a bit quicker than that.
It's a very saturated color that doesn't show much shading. There is a little bit, but it's not a key feature with this ink. Chromatography shows that it's a bright pink and grey mix, and the dark tones of it do result in a higher rate of show-through on thin paper. I did not experience any bleeding on the papers I tried. When it pools, it has a subtle brassy sheen to it that is extremely lovely. I didn't see much of this sheen in regular writing, though--only in places where I deliberately tested for it.
One of my favorite features of this ink is its water resistance. It isn't advertised as having any resistance, but both my drop test and my wash test showed that this ink will survive a leaky water bottle or spilled cup of tea. While the pink tone washed away, the darker grey tone stayed put and the text was still easily readable.
While the color is the same as the Aubergine ink from De Atramentis, the shade itself is different from the other purples in my swatch collection. It has a magenta undertone that makes it a little more zippy than the more common dusty purples.
The popularity of Hamilton as an historical--and more recently, musical--figure has led to some scarcity of this ink. If you love the color, Aubergine is still more easily available. But the fun themed labels are worth the wait--and they make great gifts for fans and enthusiasts.
(Vanness Pens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.
Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!
