Pelikan Special Edition M120 Green/Black: 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.)

The Pelikan Special Edition M120 in green and black is a tribute to the vintage version from the 1950s. Like its predecessor, the pen is cigar shaped with a black cap and piston knob, green barrel, and Pelikan-beak clip.

My pen came in a cardboard presentation box with a drawer. The pen is nestled inside a leatherette Pelikan pen envelope tied with brown ribbon.

The cap top is engraved with the Pelikan logo, but it's hard to see except in direct light.

The Pelikan-beak clip is gold plated. And the cap ring is engraved with the words "Pelikan Germany."

The barrel is solid green plastic with an ink window and a black grip.

The M120 nib is gold-plated stainless steel engraved with a retro design.

I am quite impressed with the nib on my review pen. Even though it is an extra-fine, it is not scratchy at all. It writes smoothly and even has a bit of spring.

I inked the M120 with Pelikan's new 4001 Dark Green ink. It's a perfect match for the pen and is a beautiful shade of green. The piston on the M120 works smoothly and draws in about 0.9 ml of ink.

The M120 is a small pen at only 4.75 inches unposted and 6.1 posted. It is bigger than its vintage predecessors (the M140 and M120) which measure 4.5 inches unposted and 5.5 inches posted. The pen weighs only 14.5 grams.

You can purchase the Special Edition M120 in green and black at Goldspot for $211.95 (retail is $265!). For such a simple plastic pen with a steel nib, that's a pretty steep price. I think Pelikan should have priced this around $100 or less, making it more competitive with other EDC pens like TWSBI, because the M120 could be a wonderful every-day writer.

Pros

• The simple design of the M120 and piston filling system make this a great EDC pen.
• The gold-plated, stainless steel nib writes beautifully. Pelikan nibs are consistently good (in my experience) though the size of the nibs can vary (i.e. one fine Pelikan nib might write more like a medium, whereas another fine might write like a true fine). The EF on this review pen is a true EF.
• The pen is light and well balanced posted or unposted. It won't weigh down a shirt pocket and will fit easily in a small notebook.
• The M120 comes in a nice presentation box and would make a great graduation gift or Father's Day present.

Cons

• I honestly think this pen is overpriced. It is a piston-filler, which may add a bit to the cost, but it's plastic with a steel nib. It really shouldn't be over $100.
• Because the pen is small, people with larger hands may find it too light even when posted.

Thanks to Goldspot Pens for lending Pen Addict the M120 for review.

Pelikan M205 Special Edition Transparent Blue Demonstrator Giveaway

Thanks to my friends at Pen Boutique, I have this wonderful Pelikan M205 Special Edition Blue Demonstrator to give away to readers of The Pen Addict. This is a great pen any fountain pen user would be happy to call their own. Here is how to enter:

1. Leave one comment on this post anytime between now, and Friday night at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. You are limited to one entry. This contest is open to US and international residents.
2. For this contest, I will pick one winner at random from the comments section of this post. The comments will be numbered in the order they are received, i.e. the first comment is #1, the second #2, and so on. The Random Integer Generator at random.org will be used to pick the number of the winner.
3. The contest winner will be posted by Sunday, June 12th. The winner will have one week to email me via the Contact link at the top of the page.

Thanks and good luck!

Pelikan M205 Special Edition Transparent Blue Demonstrator Review

Pelikan is one of the top brands in the fountain pen market for a reason. The history behind the company is strong and the quality they produce year in and year out is outstanding. They like to have fun with colors too, outside of their main product offerings like the Souveran lineup, and the M205 Special Edition Transparent Blue Demonstrator is a prime example of this.

For many years, Pelikan has used the M205 lineup to dabble in colored demonstrator barrels. Their fluorescent highlighter models have been some of the most popular releases (with matching ink no less) and the reissuing of this blue model shows how popular it is. It doesn’t hurt that they released this same color in larger models like the M605 either. Was it that popular, or did they have that much extra material? Hmm…

Regardless, this is a cool pen. The M205 is one of Pelikan's smallest offerings with a piston filling mechanism, so don’t go into it thinking this is a big pen. It’s small and lightweight, making it perfect for every day carry almost any way you would like it to travel. In a pocket, purse, or backpack it will work just fine.

I find Pelikan steel nibs better than their gold nibs right out of the box. The gold nibs are amazing, but are wider and wetter than their steel counterparts. Every Pelikan gold nib I own I had to have modified to write how I want them. Every Pelikan steel nib I own is on the mark from first ink and a joy to use.

I mentioned earlier that this is a piston filler, and it is an excellent one at that. The mechanisms across the lineup are easy to use and allow for easy cleaning. In fact, my Pelikan pens may be the easiest pens to clean that I own.

After all the fawning over this pen and the brand as a whole, there has to be a kicker, right? There is, and it is the price. Up and down Pelikan’s product lineup they are more expensive than comparable pens from other brands. This model is no exception. $140 for a steel nib fountain pen puts it in the same category as gold nib offerings from Lamy and Pilot. You will have to determine what you are looking for in a pen to decide if this pen is right for you.

I’ve yet to be let down by a Pelikan pen, and I have bought several. Yes, you are paying a premium, but you know you are getting a quality product backed by 175 years of manufacturing history. Consider me a fan.

My thanks to Pen Boutique for sending this pen to me at no charge for review purposes. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post where I’ll be giving it away to one lucky reader!

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