hearing an F1 car at 18000 rpm is indeed fun. But my entertainment becomes an act of worship when I see strong men and women drive those 1000 miles in Baja in dust and silt. Indeed Senna is immortal and I love his era. Come to think of it, Every form of art and science helps a person grow.
Super pen. Might be a better (and less expensive) choice for me than the 101N as I love vintage pens. Perhaps I'll find one at the Ohio Pen Show next month. Thanks for sharing.
The vintage Pelikan gold nib flex better than the new one. I have 3 Pelikans 400 with different era.50's brown tortoise 400NN , 80's green stripe 400M and a 90's blue stripe 400M. I found that the two tone 14k nib is less flexible. The rest of 14k nibs flex very well.
There are so my excellent vintage pens out there. A whole world to be explored. I own many vintage pens. Very few are a dissapointment. I can say proportionally I'm a lot more dissapointed with modern pens than with vintage pens. Plus with a vintage, each has its own unique character inherited over the ages.... each often holds some unique attribute or surprise. Modern pens are just plain sterile for the most part (and also dont perform that well either)
Another great example of vintage flex are the English Duofolds. The Junior Duofold I have has great line variation. I would say mine goes from a fine-medium to just barely narrower than my TWSBI 1.5mm stub. These vintage pens have serious nibbage.
I agree with you on this account. Pelikan pens have a very humble personality unlike the aristocratic wibe of a Montblanc. As a car fanatic, I adore motor racing a lot. Pelikan is like the good old Baja 1000, raw, humble and relatively a cheaper thrill. Montblancs are like those money hungry F1 races, expensive and egoistic (Indeed I am being a bit metaphorical here). Racers who race in Baja feel somehow more connected to the soul of racing than these new age F1 drivers. Pelikans are baja racers
No pen listings on ebay here under "Penkala" but I did turn up 4 pages of listings under "Penkalapens." Great to see you review a classic Pelikan! An elegant workhorse and a true value. You would like Lehmann & Dittmer's Pelikan Schriebgeräte, especially if you read the left hand columns, auf Deutsch, not the right hand columns, with the odd effort towards English translation.
Thank you for your reviews! You are enabling me to purchase pens I never knew about (I'm a newbie)! I am awaiting my Diamond 540 and now this pen is calling out to me. Apparently there are a few on ebay. I enjoy the basics about fountain pens you're sharing so I'm learning quite a lot.
This is awesome Stephen! Do you know any websites where I could buy an inexpensive vintage flex pen? I have an Ahab but it doesn't seem as "fluid" as the vintage ones. Thanks
It's finally coming! I ordered a green M200 with a broad nib online last week and the place finally shipped it out today - after I told them ship or cancel. ;-) I just hope they got the nib and colour right! If not, someone's in for a really bad Yelp...#OutOfPatience
I really enjoy pelikans for their smoothness and classic and comfortable aesthetics. The flex on this on top of all that would be glorious!!! I have been saving up for a pelikan m800 X-Fine, hoping that the smoothness and flex would be somewhat similar - but I doubt it? Where can I find an authentic vintage one like this?
When was this pen manufactured? My father had a pen that looked very much like this back in the 50s. I'm sorry to say it disappeared long ago. My mother had a Shaeffer snorkel which I still have, but it's writing days are long passed
I have an old Geha with a 14k OB nib with a lot of flex going on. I use it with Waterman Havana Brown. It's smooth as a pelikan's throat on the inside hahaha
How would you compare the smoothness of this nib? The Montblanc 344 that I bought from Cary seems to be somewhat comparable to this pen in terms of size and purpose (German piston filler), and it is quite buttery smooth.
Pelikan >>all. Try Pelikan M1000 and you will never write with another Pen. Pelikan has the best Nibs! Love you Vids, alltime Like for you. (Sorry for bad English, hallo from germany^^)
Hé Stephen, ik heb exact dezelfde pen van iemand gekregen maar heb er een probleempje mee. Als ik 'm wil vullen en ik draai aan het einddopje dan draai ik die er gewoon helemaal af. Doe ik dan iets verkeerd of is de pen kapot? Als ik 'm in de ink eraf/erop draai dan komt er ook geen inkt in de pen. Leuke reviews btw!
hey Stephen I recommend that you check out another Visconti pen. The Van Gogh Starry Night. I think its beautiful and is definitely one of the cheaper visconti's. Thanks
Steve, Can one obtain the same flex buy purchasing the nib on that pen, and attach it to any series 400 Pelikan? Prey tell, which nib was used for that flex?
The cap and the piston cap on this one are actually deep brown, so be careful about that if you are buying this pen online. Anyway, do you remember how much you paid for the pen? Thanks.
nice but do you still use it? I really dont prefer the fines.. but they are nice when they flex! yummii I would guess you do not still own it.. wrong? right? again thanks for the reviews.. and its not a super pricey pen either !
Hi! I have a similar Pelikan pen and would like to put some silicon grease in it because the filling mechanism is not working smoothly but the piston turning knob can not be screwed off like on an M800. I think it is friction fit. Do you know how to disassemble it without using too much force? Maybe heating it up?
You can heat it up, but I would take a simpler approach: just unscrew the nib unit, put silicone grease on a Q-tip, and carefully slide into the barrel through the section side. I have done this with good effects.
Doc, would you recommend Pelikan over a Mont Blanc? Apart from the usage of expensive materials, I dont think a Mont Blanc is better than this. Please throw some light on this humble observation. Would it be possible for you to someday have a shootout between Pelikan and a mont blanc which is twice the price? At some point in future I am going to buy a Pelikan.
Nice pen, extra fine and flexy, just how I like them. If you ever get bored of it, you know where to send it ;o). Oh and just how many videos did you shoot in one, red tshirt wearing, day?!?
Stephen I feel that you need to reveal the approximate cost of the pens you review. In your Pen Collection Part I you tell how much you like the Noodler's Konrad, for $20, and knowing that it costs $20, not $200, is valuable to know. Not giving us any idea of what the Pelikan 400NN cost leaves us in the dark on whether we too ought to buy one as well-- Was it $20, $200, or $2000? These things matter. Your business with Herr Penkala is between the two of you, but do give a range please.
Yes, I've checked the store out, but I'd prefer to find a seller from Germany because I think that will be cheaper. I'll continue my search for a while. If you come across an unbeatable offer for a pen like that, maybe with an M nib, feel free to let me know :)
For your viewers, not for me, general cost is useful information. I have a nice 400NN in green striped, from Rick Propas, the PENguin, and he has a tray full more at $195 (1950-1963) and a full tray of the Tortoise striated 1957-1963 for $295.
HEY STEPHEN CAN YOU REVIEW A PELIKAN M805 FOUNTAIN PEN WITH IB NIB. I AND MY FRIENDS WILL BE VERY GRATEFUL IF YOU CAN DO THAT........ PLEASE PLEASE ..................... REGARDS SUBHADIP
I love your reviews of the vintage pens, especially those with flex, and I hope you do more in the future. Thank You
hearing an F1 car at 18000 rpm is indeed fun. But my entertainment becomes an act of worship when I see strong men and women drive those 1000 miles in Baja in dust and silt. Indeed Senna is immortal and I love his era. Come to think of it, Every form of art and science helps a person grow.
Mr. Brown, would you kindly do a video disassembling the Pelikan 400NN? Especially the piston mechanism.
Lovely pen! Those old Pelikan gold nibs are verrrrry nice to write with :)
Thanks for the review and congratulations on a great find at the DC show!
Super pen. Might be a better (and less expensive) choice for me than the 101N as I love vintage pens. Perhaps I'll find one at the Ohio Pen Show next month. Thanks for sharing.
They were also very generously tipped, which leads to 60+ year old pens still having much of their original smoothness.
The vintage Pelikan gold nib flex better than the new one. I have 3 Pelikans 400 with different era.50's brown tortoise 400NN , 80's green stripe 400M and a 90's blue stripe 400M. I found that the two tone 14k nib is less flexible. The rest of 14k nibs flex very well.
There are so my excellent vintage pens out there. A whole world to be explored. I own many vintage pens. Very few are a dissapointment. I can say proportionally I'm a lot more dissapointed with modern pens than with vintage pens. Plus with a vintage, each has its own unique character inherited over the ages.... each often holds some unique attribute or surprise. Modern pens are just plain sterile for the most part (and also dont perform that well either)
Another great example of vintage flex are the English Duofolds. The Junior Duofold I have has great line variation. I would say mine goes from a fine-medium to just barely narrower than my TWSBI 1.5mm stub. These vintage pens have serious nibbage.
I agree with you on this account. Pelikan pens have a very humble personality unlike the aristocratic wibe of a Montblanc. As a car fanatic, I adore motor racing a lot. Pelikan is like the good old Baja 1000, raw, humble and relatively a cheaper thrill. Montblancs are like those money hungry F1 races, expensive and egoistic (Indeed I am being a bit metaphorical here). Racers who race in Baja feel somehow more connected to the soul of racing than these new age F1 drivers. Pelikans are baja racers
I have this awesome pen too. The nib is amazing. I compare the 400NN with the 400M, I like the 400NN more because of the flex nib.
No pen listings on ebay here under "Penkala" but I did turn up 4 pages of listings under "Penkalapens."
Great to see you review a classic Pelikan! An elegant workhorse and a true value.
You would like Lehmann & Dittmer's Pelikan Schriebgeräte, especially if you read the left hand columns, auf Deutsch, not the right hand columns, with the odd effort towards English translation.
Thank you for your reviews! You are enabling me to purchase pens I never knew about (I'm a newbie)! I am awaiting my Diamond 540 and now this pen is calling out to me. Apparently there are a few on ebay. I enjoy the basics about fountain pens you're sharing so I'm learning quite a lot.
Awesome review of an awesome pen!
Now I see I need yet another pen!
Great find.
This is awesome Stephen! Do you know any websites where I could buy an inexpensive vintage flex pen? I have an Ahab but it doesn't seem as "fluid" as the vintage ones.
Thanks
It's finally coming! I ordered a green M200 with a broad nib online last week and the place finally shipped it out today - after I told them ship or cancel. ;-)
I just hope they got the nib and colour right! If not, someone's in for a really bad Yelp...#OutOfPatience
I really enjoy pelikans for their smoothness and classic and comfortable aesthetics. The flex on this on top of all that would be glorious!!! I have been saving up for a pelikan m800 X-Fine, hoping that the smoothness and flex would be somewhat similar - but I doubt it? Where can I find an authentic vintage one like this?
The modern Pelikans will definitely not flex like this. You can check out ebay or pen shows for vintage Pelikans.
This looks like a very cool pen. And the nib, wow!
When was this pen manufactured? My father had a pen that looked very much like this back in the 50s. I'm sorry to say it disappeared long ago. My mother had a Shaeffer snorkel which I still have, but it's writing days are long passed
I thought this was fifties too.
I have an old Geha with a 14k OB nib with a lot of flex going on. I use it with Waterman Havana Brown. It's smooth as a pelikan's throat on the inside hahaha
I really love your videos. So I have a question! What is this opening music?
It's an apichima, a tonal indicator of Byzantine music. I discuss this in more detail in my first personal questions video.
How would you compare the smoothness of this nib? The Montblanc 344 that I bought from Cary seems to be somewhat comparable to this pen in terms of size and purpose (German piston filler), and it is quite buttery smooth.
I wouldn't have guessed the pen is vintage if you didn't mention it! The tortoise barrel is quite attractive as well. :)
Pelikan >>all.
Try Pelikan M1000 and you will never write with another Pen.
Pelikan has the best Nibs!
Love you Vids, alltime Like for you.
(Sorry for bad English, hallo from germany^^)
Hé Stephen, ik heb exact dezelfde pen van iemand gekregen maar heb er een probleempje mee. Als ik 'm wil vullen en ik draai aan het einddopje dan draai ik die er gewoon helemaal af. Doe ik dan iets verkeerd of is de pen kapot?
Als ik 'm in de ink eraf/erop draai dan komt er ook geen inkt in de pen.
Leuke reviews btw!
Yes, like my Aurora Ipsilon which comes with 14k nib, it cannot flex well. I have to press the nib heavier then it work a little bit.
hey Stephen I recommend that you check out another Visconti pen. The Van Gogh Starry Night. I think its beautiful and is definitely one of the cheaper visconti's. Thanks
will the modern day pelikan m400 in medium give the same amount of flex as this vintage 400nn ?
No, probably not.
Steve, Can one obtain the same flex buy purchasing the nib on that pen, and attach it to any series 400 Pelikan? Prey tell, which nib was used for that flex?
Yes, vintage M400 nibs fit on modern M400s.
The cap and the piston cap on this one are actually deep brown, so be careful about that if you are buying this pen online. Anyway, do you remember how much you paid for the pen? Thanks.
$140
nice but do you still use it? I really dont prefer the fines.. but they are nice when they flex! yummii
I would guess you do not still own it.. wrong? right?
again thanks for the reviews..
and its not a super pricey pen either !
I still own it.
+sbrebrown
That does bring me joy .. I do not want to impose on your time hope you are well
M
Hi! I have a similar Pelikan pen and would like to put some silicon grease in it because the filling mechanism is not working smoothly but the piston turning knob can not be screwed off like on an M800. I think it is friction fit. Do you know how to disassemble it without using too much force? Maybe heating it up?
You can heat it up, but I would take a simpler approach: just unscrew the nib unit, put silicone grease on a Q-tip, and carefully slide into the barrel through the section side. I have done this with good effects.
Thanks a lot. I'll try that.
Which pen do you prefer to write with more, Pelikan 400nn or Parker 51?
This was useful. It's 99% decided me on the pelikan m200 today - if I get to Fahrneys.
This has sold me on getting my first vintage pen. you are bad for my wallet sir.
Yes, that's my first choice fountain pen seller actually :D I wrote an e-mail to him already. Thanks for the tip anyway :)
Just love Pelikan pens. I'm currently searching for a nice 400 specimen in green striped :)
Doc, would you recommend Pelikan over a Mont Blanc? Apart from the usage of expensive materials, I dont think a Mont Blanc is better than this. Please throw some light on this humble observation. Would it be possible for you to someday have a shootout between Pelikan and a mont blanc which is twice the price? At some point in future I am going to buy a Pelikan.
Hi, I have a Geha 708 Fountain pen and I'm trying to find some informations about it.
Do you have any clue about this model? Thanx!
Ah okay, cool thanks.
In that case do you know any affordable modern flex pens apart from the Ahab?
Thanks Stephen! That is a fantastic website :D
Nice pen, extra fine and flexy, just how I like them. If you ever get bored of it, you know where to send it ;o). Oh and just how many videos did you shoot in one, red tshirt wearing, day?!?
Hi Stephen,
How would you say the 400NN nib compares (in smoothness, wetness, hard starting, etc.) to your current M800 and M1000 pens? Thanks.
Stephen I feel that you need to reveal the approximate cost of the pens you review. In your Pen Collection Part I you tell how much you like the Noodler's Konrad, for $20, and knowing that it costs $20, not $200, is valuable to know. Not giving us any idea of what the Pelikan 400NN cost leaves us in the dark on whether we too ought to buy one as well-- Was it $20, $200, or $2000? These things matter. Your business with Herr Penkala is between the two of you, but do give a range please.
can I have a link to miro's pen on ebay so I can buy it?
Penkalapens.
Do you think a new one would also flex like this or is that only for vintage stuff?
What's the plastic thing you move at the bottom do? I see
I agree, even cheap Pelikans have an awesome nib! I too have to save up for that m1000!
Hallo from Germany too :p
scratch that first statement, the Jr. Duofold I have can get a bit *wider than my 1.5mm stub. Now that's serious nibbage in a $50 pen!
I am curious, you mention you've been to the DC pen show, yet your accent sounds european. Are you an european living in america?
Yes, I've checked the store out, but I'd prefer to find a seller from Germany because I think that will be cheaper. I'll continue my search for a while. If you come across an unbeatable offer for a pen like that, maybe with an M nib, feel free to let me know :)
Nice video. What is difference between Pelikan 400 NN and 500 NN
500NN has a gold cap
For your viewers, not for me, general cost is useful information. I have a nice 400NN in green striped, from Rick Propas, the PENguin, and he has a tray full more at $195 (1950-1963) and a full tray of the Tortoise striated 1957-1963 for $295.
Yeah, I can recommend him, does an awesome job! :)
How does this compare to the Stipula Model T in terms of flex?
sbrebrown Thanks!
Yeah, and considering that it is a German pen .... finding it in Germany is the first thing that comes to my mind :D
Can you tell me how much you got it for?
HEY STEPHEN CAN YOU REVIEW A PELIKAN M805 FOUNTAIN PEN WITH IB NIB.
I AND MY FRIENDS WILL BE VERY GRATEFUL IF YOU CAN DO THAT........
PLEASE PLEASE .....................
REGARDS
SUBHADIP
Schreibgeräte, nicht ,,Schriebgeräte"! Es tut mir leid.