Review: Pelikan Classic M200 Café Crème Fountain Pen @AppelboomLaren

ABOUT

Body Material: Resin
Trim: Gold-plated
Length (capped): 125.3 mm/4.93"
Length (uncapped nib-end): 121.3 mm/4.77''
Length (posted): 148.2 mm/5.83''
Barrel Diameter: 9.5 - 11.7 mm/0.38'' - 0.46''
Section Diameter: 9.1 - 9.9 mm/0.36'' - 0.39''
Nib material: Gold-plated steel
Weight (all): 12 g
Weight (cap): 4 g
Weight (body): 8 g
Fill type: Piston-filler
Price: € 125.00 (Excl. VAT: € 103.31)
Where to buy: Appelboom Pennen (click banner for info on a 10% discount!)

 PACKAGING

It's kind of funny that this Pelikan was packaged the same as the Souverän M805 Stresemann! The packaging is a hard box inside a white Pelikan sleeve. The box had a faux wood base and a silver-grey lid. Inside, the faux cream leather pouch with red plastic seal holds the pen. The pouch sits on a plastic bed. Underneath the bed, there was the Pelikan warranty booklet.

APPEARANCE

The Classic 200 is a cute and warm fountain pen. It has a round body with slightly rounded-off ends. The back end is a warm brown piston-turning knob, marked by a gold-plated band. The finial is a gold-on-black Pelikan logo. The gold colored clip is attached externally. It is the pelicans bill clip, like other modern Pelikan clips. The center band is simple and thin - engraved with Pelikan Germany.

The section is small, narrowing towards the nib before flaring out into a lip. The ink window is a warm, clear amber window at the section-barrel joint.

The cap, section, and piston-turning knob are all a warm brown - think the color of espresso. The barrel is a creamy ivory - like a latté. The color scheme of this pen is warm and happy. Pelikan seems to be having fun with this, and I approve!

NIB & PERFORMANCE

The gold-plated steel medium nib has a single slit and breather hole. T he nib is engrave with Pelikan, the Pelikan logo, and the nib size.

The nib was well-tuned upon arrival. The medium is German medium - it put down a wet, yet precise and clean line. I did experience a couple of hard starts but no skips, and the hard starts were infrequent (similar to my experience with the Stresemann medium nib). A quick dot on the paper and the nib picked up right away.

With mild to moderate pressure, there was some line variation possible. The nib was pretty responsive and would snap back quickly - one of the great things about these 200 series gold-plated steel nibs. I found the performance of this nib quite good and the overall experience of the pen very enjoyable.

IN HAND

The clip was nice and springy - it was easy to operate one-handed. The pen was also lightweight enough that the clip could handle the weight of the pen.

The section, although small, was comfortable with its pinched shape. The lip at the end helped keep my grip in place. I did not find it slippery at all, nor did I find the threads at the end sharp or uncomfortable. Not much to complain about there.

Unposted, the pen was lightweight and comfortable. It is on the smaller side, but was well-balanced in hand. The cap posted by friction, seating deeply and securely. Posted, the pen was still well-balanced and comfortable, and the added length made the pen more usable for longer writing sessions.

PROS & CONS

OVERALL

This is a pretty, relatively affordable fountain pen that offers a lot: a piston-filler, interchangeable nib units, and a really pleasant, pretty springy nib. I really enjoy this series because not only do you get all that, but the nibs also fit the M400 series. I think these are great pens to start with, collect, or explore your fountain pen/nib tastes with!

I received this item 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. This item has already been given away. There are no affiliate links in this review.