Fountain Pens: I Never Understood This Until Now

You can feel comfortable that collecting Pelikans is not TOO insane. I have a complete (to date) collection of the M200 series pens that match the Edelstein Inks of the Year. I love looking at them and using them. I do have a couple other Pelikans, which are also fun. Thanks for another thoughtful and thought-provoking video.

Pen collecting is like any other hobby. You need to find a model that you cannot find and the hunt is on!

Right now I am on the hunt for a Diplomat Aero. Not just any Aero, but the Volute edition. Finding one with the right nib and the right price is part of the hunt. it will be my only Aero.

I have one Esterbrook - the Bestie in Nouveau Bleu. I am thrilled with it. Will I get another? No.

I know some that has literally every release of the Retro 51Tornado. It has to be close to 1000 varieties. I don't understand it. It is an obsession, to me.

Dooooooodlebud!

Pelikan obliques and vintage obliques in general are so much fun. Wish they would make a comeback

I happen to have nearly 50 Lamy Safari’s. I didn’t set out to collect them, I just liked them and over the past twenty years or more just bought one every now and then when a colour appealed to me. I always liked Pelikans but they were out of my price range for a long time. I bought an m205 a long time ago but was disappointed with its size. Like you, I found an M800 for a good price and for a long time was my best pen, then I got an M1000 Renaissance Brown and was blown away by it. I do now want a 600 and 400 to complete the set, but they will have to offer something different.

I stopped buying pens in like 2018 because I had everything I could want (and plenty of pens+nibsto tinker with) but left two exceptions: 1) if I ever found a Conid bulkfiller at a price that didn’t terrify me and 2) glass-nib fountain pens (not dip!). I got that payoff feeling when I got the Asvine v200, and closed the Conid chapter of my pen hunt. But I still have that GNFP hunt, and it’s way more fulfilling than when I was buying commonly available pens on the regular.

I love the Pelikan look, but their nibs are extraordinary. From my 1933 100 to M800, they are exquisite writers. They have personality. I love that. I am still carrying my 400NN that your review reminded me of a couple of months ago. With this video, I will ink my 400N. Over the years, I have carried my M605 more than any pen. Thanks for another engaging video.

Almost forgot to comment lol. I happen to collect many of the same models in different colors and nibs. Leonardo pens in general.

I have a number of Pelikans and have to agree with you about how they somehow are particularly desirable. So far it is just the M200s, but a recent experience makes me desire an 800 or a 1000. I thought they were too thick for me to be good for writing. But I just got the pen that I have been desiring for 26 years - the Waterman Edson Boucheron. It’s fatter than the M1000 and is a joy to write with. So, maybe a fat Pelikan is in my future.

Love my pelikan 400!

I think I have to hit up my first pen show in Columbus this November...

Agreed, if a pen does something different, it's desirable. If there's some extra-appealing color, it'll need to have a different nib and/or filling system. Collecting colors just to complete a set isn't my jam either. If anyone else collects that way, more power to them! It keeps the pen companies in business, and that's good.

So far I've got two Pelikans, both in the M800 series. One has a medium that writes more like a broad, with a stubby character. It's one of my top three for a writing experience, love it! The other is labeled as fine, and it's also wonderful.

Thanks for the video, you always present something to think about.

I am the same with Pelikans... I started out not liking them at all. Now I have my first which was a Brown marble m200 with an IB nib, a clear demo m205, A white and green m400 Tortoise, an M400 Brown Tortoise, an M600 Red Tortoiseshell, an M605 Black Tortoiseshell, an M800 brown and black stripe, an M800 Renaissance Brown, an M1000 Renaissance Brown, an M101n Grey-Blue, and a 1950's 400NN Brown tortoise, a Pelikan Celebry 580 in Agate Black. And there a few more I'd like to get at some point but not immediately. I love piston fillers the most now and to me Pelikan just got it right. The price points you can get them for better than Montblanc. I have a Montblanc 146 and adore it, but it was pricey. Pelikan you can find good deals on and I think for the money they are just as good as Montblanc. I always have at least 1 Pelikan inked up at all times.

I don't have a lot of the same pen, but I do like to match the pen color to my ink color so I don't to go, what ink is in this pen? I actually have a separate notebook just for jotting down what ink is in what pen. So my point being that if I really, really like one brand, style, nib choice etc. of a pen, I could see someone getting a bunch of different colors just for that reason, then it my be, well I don't have one in that color and just have to end up getting them all 🙂

My only Pelikan is an Ibis.

Oh, I'm with you. I don't understand different colors of the same pen, either but a "deep dive" (? addiction phase) to one brand or another is a different story. I have my pod of Pelikans -- M800 with a tweaked nib, BB 600, regular M600, M400s (ooops, there goes rule 1 --same pen!) in demonstrator, traditional, Toledo, vintage c. 1956, M205, M120 (modern not vintage). I just like Pelikans and always have several inked up. Earlier on in the hobby, I had my Parker phase, too, a German phase (Pelikan was a subset) etc.!

I have 24 of the same pen because it came in a box of 24 (Bic Cristal). They're cheap, so I'm not worried if they get lost or have to be in the same pocket as my keys. When they run out, I will probably replace them with the Jinhao Sharks, which also come in box sets.

It’s amazing how much our thought processes align. I’ve only been collecting for a couple of years and don’t have more than one pen per brand in my small collection. The one line I’m tempted to get more than one is the Pelikan series, in particular the M805 Stresemann. I think it is the most beautiful pen out there. The issue is, I’ve never held one or written with one. When / if I do, I hope I’m not disappointed like I was years ago when I test drove a car that I’d always liked the look of, but hated the way it handled. 🤷🏻‍♂️

I'm not sure why my comment did not seem to go through the first time... maybe I hit some filter keyword, but the paint for the cap is called Pelikan Plaka Green 44
This paint was originally used for filling these caps and it's possible to find it ^^
Hope this message will reach you this time =P

I totally get that! I have gotten bit by the Pelikan bug. But I still love other brands, too. I have actually been hunting for a M1000 with a double broad. They don't make them anymore or they do not get shipped to the US. But that is my current hunt! Great video!

I love my Pelikans. I have gotten into collecting the M200 and M600 special edition pens. I agree about the hunt. I think that's a big part of getting a collection of same model pens but different colors. A couple of my M200 series pens are in the EDC group. I just like writing with them. I like that they are not big, fat pens, and they hold lots of ink. I never realized the attraction to Pelikan pens until I picked up my first M200. Also, I do have about 4 M400s, and have been slowly collecting M600 special edition pens, as my budget allows. At some point, I may get an M800 or M1000 but that's way down the road. :)

Thanks for a thought provoking video.

Why do I have multiples of the exact same pen and nib combo and just different finishes? Because I liked a pen so much I wanted multiple ink colors at the same time and I get tired of constantly flushing them. I have 3 Pilot Vanishing Points, 2 Pilot Decimos, and 2 Hongdian N12s. When I used the VPs/Decimos for work, I had a business pen and a party pen, in terms of ink choice. Now for just journaling, the two N12s were bought specifically to be dedicated pens for two of my favorite colors. I am considering some more dupes for some other colors I am planning to commit to a large bottle of.

Thanks for this and the oblique nib video. They are great additions to my life. It is always good to get more satisfying fun in a hobby.

Never liked Pelikan pens, too conservative design for my taste ...

Very nice. Pelikan is my second favorite pen. I have always prided my collection on being diverse. For the longest time I didn't have more than one pen of the same brand except for 2 birds. But at some point after trying almost everything, one does settle on favorites. But now that I have found my niches, multiple pens of the same models are slowing happening. I am not against different models of the same brands, just multiple pens of the same model. Now for the models I like I am getting the same model but a different nib and color if it is tempting.

Ironically now my pride and joys are the brands I have multiples of.

Collecting one type of pen makes one appreciate individual design/functional brilliance. Close comparison is always instructive. Thanks for recounting your journey.

i have multiple vintage Pelikans. As for why? You know why :)

Cool stuff!

I got my grail pen a year ago. Nothing fancy: a Parker 65 like the one I got my Papa in the 70s. Lovely gold medium nib.

Upon which I promptly dropped it. Got it straightened out. Dropped it again.

Realised that I was getting a message from destiny: this pen was not meant for me.

Meanwhile the dog chewed up the rolled gold Parker Arrow that Papa got me for my 21st. Took it to Pens Plus in Oxford for repair.

Where I got a Lamy Studio with a 1.1mm stub nib. With which I am very, very happy.

As I only have but a single right hand with which to write, I need nothing more. But the dubdubdub now knows that I have been interested in pens and is reconditioning me. I can feel myself being drawn to the dark side.

Which thanks you for your service!

My urge to collect has coincidentally focused on this exact pen you reviewed. The OG Pelikan 400 with the script nib. I don't like modern Pelikans very much, but I got my first OG 400 with a KF nib on the cheap a year back and became obsessed with how good it is. The size, weight and insane ink capacity for such a small pen?? The bouncy, wet nib with just the right amount of feedback that makes my regular handwriting look effortlessly expressive? So I started collecting them. I now have a 1950-1952 tortoise one on the way. It's a bit like sampling lots of food in the buffet until finding the one dish I absolutely love. I'm just thankful there are only a few colorways, and that they are hard to find, so overall gentler on my wallet lmao.

I don't have 50 Kawecos but I do have more than a few. However, the color alone is not enough for me to add another one. Early on, I found that I quite like how well they fit my hand. So, when I wanted to try a different nib or a different material it was easy to choose another Kaweco because I already knew that the pen body would be good. In that way I ended up with several plastic Sport pens--and the different colors help me keep track of which pen has which nib, a post WW2 V16n, a couple Art Sports, and the new piston filler. They are all different from each other while keeping a common aesthetic.
This is also why I only had one Safari. It wrote very well but I found that I really dislike that triangular grip. So there is no reason for me to buy another. As good as they are I just do not enjoy using them.
I did end up buying 15 JinHao pens that were all the same pen apart from the color of the transparent body. But that was, I think, a box of pens actually meant for retail display. And the 15 pens were $11. For all of them.

Please do a back to back writing sample of all the pelican so we can see the difference of them when writing. Right now I have feel in love with the Montblanc snap cap vintage ones, I just got a few of them and understand what you mean by wanting more of the same pen with different nibs. The ones I got are the vintage Montblanc 220 and the 221P; they are extra fine nib, but write so different and how they feel in the hand. One is Makralon brush finish (220) and the other one is smooth black (221P). The 221P came with a cracked shaft (clear plastic part that the barrel and the feed screw on to) but manage to fix it with pure cyanoacrylate and it's working fine at the moment.

I don’t really consider myself a fountain pen aficionado, much less a collector. I have other hobbies where I’ve spent thousands of dollars but for some reason, I can’t quite justify paying 200usd for a pen. I came into fountain pens because of brush pens actually, I just wanted something to practice japanese and then fell into the rabbit hole of converters and inks and well.
I own a couple of plastic brush pens, a single nice metallic one kuretake #50, got it for like 30usd and that pretty much is the end of the line for brush pens as the market is tiny in comparison, and two (2) fountain pens. A lamy safari that I use for taking work notes and a sailor fude de mannen which is the absolute cheapest fude nib that exists, again for good mix between kanji, sketching and writing. I WOULD consider a fancier fude pen if they weren’t a nightmare to get. I know jinhao has some and like DONT GET ME WRONG, the Pro Gear in limited edition colors are beautiful, but I’m a psychopath and know myself that if I get one I’ll want them all and it is just too much money.

I absolutely LOVE Pelikan as a brand, both modern and vintage. IMO, vintage Pelikan doesn’t get the credit it deserves from the FP community at large. The nibs are great, they’re ultra convenient to fill and keep clean(screw-in nib units for the win!), write incredibly well, and are easy to service. You don’t have to be a world class pen mechanic to service these pens. Not to mention the bounce, and out and out flex some of the nibs have. Great, GREAT, pens! As far as the modern Pelikans go, what keeps bringing me back is the quality of their models, the solid feel of the pens when I pick them up/cap and un-cap them. Fantastic pens! Not a fan of doing away with the transparency on the modern Souveran line however. Big mistake imho….great video as always, Doodlebud!

Watching your channel is starting to get expensive. You keep showing me things I didn't realize I wanted. Now I'm on the hunt for a vintage Pelikan OBB.

I was just waiting for you to get bored of fines and extra fines. Obviously it's good to have a couple, especially for office-type use, but there is more fun to be had.

There are actually many ways that lead to people collecting the same pen over and ovet again.
1. From figure collecting wisdom: If you buy a limited edition merch, buy 3. Always buy 3. One for use. One for display. One spare. I think some might approach pen the same way. I know I do with Japanese pen, mostly Sailor and Pilot.
2. Completion. It's not much to start with a pen, and fall in love with it. Then you'll seek another one as a spare just in case. Then you realize this model has 3 colors, now you have two. How long can you look at a jigsaw with 1 piece lost without trying to find the missing one?
3.This one is better price than what I got! This phenomenon is well know in gacha game. When you buy one pen and really like it. The next one that shows up and has a better price, you may feel a draw to buy it. This is why gacha game sell a cheap package first, just to let your feet through the door. Now with two pens, the next one you will be less defensive about buying it.
I personally feel and fall for all of these, in figurine, in gacha game, and in fountain pen. My highend collection that I buy dups are Pilot, Sailor, and Montblanc. I also buy Zebra, which you probably never heard of because they do ballpoints. I buy them because they do collab with anime a lot and as I said, when it's limited collectible always buy 3...of each.

I would love to have a pen like that, and sure wouldn’t change anything. It’s part of the] pen’s story.

I am a collector of Twsbi ECO/Ts I love the colors, but I also love different nibs. I try by as many that come out and have a nib mister like Kirk Speer grind them so I can have a wide range of nibs to play with. No not all have different nib grinds, but the majority do. The reason I collect them is that I love seeing the different colors. I like to match my ink colors to my pens and I can do that easily with the TWSBI and Lamy. I am not as fussy with the Lamy as the TWSBI Safari/Al Stars but I do try to get the colors I like. With the Lamy I love the easy of chaning the nibs. I also collect the Benu Eurphora they are so beautiful. Thankfully I don't have to collect them all like the Twsbi ECO -- But yeah, I have a Benu problem. I also have Jinhao Shark problem because they are so cute and I love giving them away to people, and at a couple of dollars each, I don't mind being a pen enabler. It's fun. I love your Pelikan collection. I have the 140, 805, and 1000 -- love them

I adore my collection of Esterbrook Esties. Mainly because my hunt is for vintage Esterbrook nibs, which I can use thanks to the nib adaptor. I often choose my daily pen as if it's an accessory, like my jewelry or shoes, so the gorgeous array of colors works seamlessly into my style.

That's awesome dude!!! Its such a cool thing to discover your unique type of pen that is a match for you!!

Like im drawn into certain kaweco sports...the metal ones..the heft, and feel of the different metals, and while also being pocket pens, no clip, and strong, rugged enough, i love fine and extra fine nibs..but once its broken in and works to your liking..its fantastic and they go everywhere with me, i got my stonewashed black Al sport, my brass that i fell inlove with patina and is a broad(my only broad pen), want a copper sport with an extra fine flex..(if they ever make that).. and surprisingly omas pens..the small ones..i cant look away

I have four fwp carousel fountain pens since that’s all I can afford. My maximum amount to spend on fountain pens is around $50

For years I was strictly a Montegrappa lady! To this day it’s my sentimental “macaroni and cheese “ brand! I love the weight of the older “Montes”and of course the celluloid material. The style that l loved is the octagonal Symphony and Harmony , the sterling silver Remenesence ( spelling) and the updated Privilege. Today I’ve add the Elmo( Marshmallow) to the list! I could go on and on!

My Pelikan pens are my favorite. I’ve mentioned in a video, “If I had to get rid of all pens except for one brand, I’d keep my Pelikans.” Fortunately, I am still enjoying all y brands in a variety of nibs and colors. Blessings!

I personally understand the collecting of all the colors of the different makes and models, especially TWSBIs and Sailors, because I tend to have collector brain myself and like the idea of having the full set, so to speak.
And I recently saw a currently inked video where I think this person had every color of TWSBI ever released and the lineup looked gorgeous.
But, I personally can't justify that collecting urge in myself given the expense of fountain pens. As a result I picked clear demonstrators as my starter pens knowing that I'm probably the type of person who wants to match in color to the pen so if I want to swap inks between pens I probably need to make sure all my pens don't have a color to them. And getting the Purple Stary Majohn Wancai mini proved my point to myself, I immediately put the purple ink sample I had into it. And I was very careful about the first pens I picked because I don't plan on expanding my collection. I picked things that were highly recommended by a lot of long time enthusiasts as workhorse pens that are great daily drivers. Cause that's what I need. My goal is to reduce waste within my writing hobby so consuming a bunch of fountain pens would be somewhat counter to that.

I'm definitely not the type of person who enjoys that hunt that you talk about though. I tend to find it very frustrating and it causes a lot of anxiety for me to look for used items and then wonder if it's actually going to show up in the condition promised in a listing. So given the cost of fountain pens in general it's not something I think my brain could handle.

I always have three pens inked: blue ink for writing, brown for rewriting, and red for corrections. So I use the M600 for the latter, an M800 for the rewriting, and the M1000 for initial writing. When the inks run out (refilling when necessary until they're synced), I switch off to three Viscontis: the Opera for red, the Medici for brown, and the Homo Sapiens for blue.

I have quite a collection of Lamy Safari's. I have decided to buy them when I travel so I have an Eastbourne UK, Barcelona, Paris, Rome, Pisa and London Safari all in different colours

I was on the Grail hunt for a Sheaffer Legacy II, found one on eBay after two years. Delighted.

My hunt doesn't involve specific models and nib sizes, for the most part. I occasionally restore and sell, which involves a writing sample. So, I write with all kinds of pens, and my favourite part is the surprise of finding a pen that exceeds expectations or disappoints.
I picked up a Canadian Parker VS (cap is all plastic, and I think they're fatter than the American ones). It looked like absolute crap when I got it. Turned out to be the 3rd-best nib of the ones I've restored so far, with the top spots going to MB 3-42G and a 1st Gen Skywriter with a stub.

I am one of those folks 😅 Vintage Pelikans have been the primary focus of my collecting efforts for about… fifteen years now.

I’ve been in this hobby since the mid to late ’90s, initially just accumulating whatever used vintage pen I could find and trying them out, swayed by pretty pictures and colors (aesthetics do matter…) until I encountered the first vintage Pelikans… and oh boy did they click, not initially but once I found the one with the right nib I pretty much forgot about all the other pens (well, maybe aside from Parker 51 Aerometrics).

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate and enjoy the writing experiences other pens can provide me but the post-WWII Pelikans have it all: awesome nibs, excellent design & engineering, great ergonomics, they are compact but great size when posted, light but very durable (if not abused), etc. Oh did I mention the nibs? 😂

Also, I lucked into them at a point where they were still kind of affordable and pens with funkier nibs (BB, how I love thee…) were more readily available.

In my not so humble opinion they still offer the best bang for buck writing experience wise… unless you are a size queen (I wear size 11/12 or XL mitts and have zero issues with them even unposted), or you absolutely must have a heavy pen (I know, I know, individual preferences and for some people girthier pens are actually easier or less painful to use due to arthritis, etc.).

And they look awesome! So yeah, aesthetics do matter but only up to a point (looking at you, Parker Vacumatics… and the Lamy 2000). I sooo much wanted to like how they felt to write with, but alas, no, we were not meant to be).

Anyway, after a certain point it became a hunt for the ”same and/but different/better”, duplicates of pens or nibs I wanted more, better condition versions of the same as more collectible upgrades, missing versions of the same series pens, etc. It was like a rabbit hole that you could dive into, and enjoy the hunt for those bargains and missing pieces. Still at it but have slowed down considerably as the pens I want to find have gotten more rare and expensive, not justboverall appreciation or price hikes over the years but actual scarcity of the ones that would add to my collection, moving straight to the low to mid four figure territory price-wise. This is a dear hobby for me but also just one of my hobbies. I also feel that I have enough for my means, pens that I could use to write daily with, they would most likely last several lifetimes so it is not like I’d need to go out of my way to have that and with variety to boot as I have a gamut of nib widths from EEF to BBB.

Funny that, no OBs or OBBs… that is something I need to address on short term having found how fun broader obliques can actually be.

But yeah, enough rambling for now.

Thanks for the video, also, that is a really nice 400 you have… and excellent handwriting, very nice indeed. 👍🏻