Review: Pelikan Souverän Red M600 Fountain Pen - BB @ThePenCompany @Pelikan_Company

This beautiful Pelikan flew over from The Pen Company! A huge thank you to the wonderful folks there for making it possible for me to review this gorgeous pen. Do check out their Pelikan range, and read on!

ABOUT

Body Material: Resin
Trim: Gold
Length (capped): 5.24"
Length (uncapped nib-end): 4.88"
Length (posted): 6.06"
Barrel Diameter: 0.49"
Section Diameter: 0.38" - 0.41"
Nib material: 14k gold
Weight: 20 g
Fill type: Piston-filler
Price: £225.00 (£187.50 excluding VAT)
Where to buy: The Pen Company

PACKAGING

For such a gorgeous pen, I am rather underwhelmed by the packaging of this pen. However, I don't buy a pen based on its packaging. It's not that it's terrible, it's just not exciting. It's a pretty cardboard box with the faux leather-like case inside that houses the pen itself, with a little strap that goes around it secured with a plastic Pelikan emblem. The pen is in a plastic sleeve. The package also contains pen information and such. I like the little envelope.

APPEARANCE

I think this pen is beautiful! It's a classic design. The finial is gold on gold with the mother and baby pelican - both cute and elegant.

The clip is a pelican's bill, also in gold. The center band and rings on the piston-turning knob are gold as well. The center band says Pelikan Souverän Germany. The cap and piston-turning knob are black. The body is a beautiful deep red with black stripes. The barrel flares slightly in the middle and tapers again towards the end. The black stripes are actually translucent, so you can see your ink levels. Uncapped, the section is small and glares towards the nib, with a gold ring at the nib. The threads stop right at the start of the barrel. Overall, I think the design is gorgeous and classic.

NIB & PERFORMANCE

The Souverän nibs are quite attractive. It's a two-tone 14k gold double broad nib. It has the Pelikan logo, the nib size, and some pretty flourishes on it. It suits the size of the pen well, although it is significantly smaller than the M1005 nib I am more used to! Then again, it is a smaller pen.

Left to right: Pelikan M1005 (fine). Pelikan M1000 (double broad). Pelikan M800 (triple broad). Pelikan M600 (double broad). Pelikan M400 (Mottishaw double broad stub). Pelikan Tradition M200 (broad). 

I didn't flush the pen before using it, and I figured it only made sense to ink it up with Pelikan Edelstein Garnet. The double broad nib writes very well - it is smooth, juicy and wet, reliable and consistent, and an absolute pleasure to write with. I felt no feedback while using it. After several days of not being used, the nib wrote as soon as it hit the paper: no skips or hard starts. The double broad is also precise and crisp. Even better, it offers decent line variation, not just because it is so wide to begin with, but because the nib is also springy and somewhat soft. There is fast snap back after putting pressure on the nib. It makes whatever ink is in the pen look really good because of the way it pools and shades.

All in all: an excellent performer. I was not disappointed in any way by this nib's performance. (I would LOVE to have this ground to a cursive italic at some point.)

IN HAND

Left to right: Pelikan M1005. Pelikan M1000. Pelikan M800. Pelikan M600. Pelikan M400. Pelikan 400NN. Pelikan 400NN. Pelikan Tradition M200. Pelikan M205 Duo.

Although I enjoy both small and large pens, I find the M600 to be a very comfortable size for my hand. The pen is well-balanced and I can write with it easily both unposted and posted. The threads are at the end of the small section but don't feel sharp and don't bother me. The body is smooth and round and very nice in hand.

The nib unit can be removed for easier cleaning of the inside of the barrel. Also, the piston functioned smoothly upon arrival and did not require maintenance prior to use (as has been the case with some other piston-fillers I've had).

Pelikan M1000. Pelikan M600.

PROS & CONS

OVERALL

If you don't own any Pelikans, the Souverän M600 is a great middle of the series model to try out. It's not too big (like the M1000) and it's not too small (like the M2XX or M3XX series). It's a decent size, it's very comfortable and not heavy, it's very pretty, and the nib is a pleasure to use. Love love love. And The Pen Company is a pleasure to deal with: fast shipping, great customer service, and if you're in Europe, they have a big selection of pens you can avoid extra charges on! Highly recommended.

I received this pen free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not compensated monetarily for my review. Everything you've read here is my own opinion. There are no affiliate links in this review.