Review: Pelikan Souverän M800 Burnt Orange Fountain Pen @AppelboomLaren

Thanks to Appelboom for lending me this Pelikan M800 Special Edition Burnt Orange for review! He trusted me not too long ago with the Stresemann, and is now torturing me again with this one! Hooray!

ABOUT

Body Material: Resin
Trim: 24kt Gold-plated
Length (capped): 141.3 mm/5.56
Length (uncapped nib-end): 127.2 mm/5.01"
Length (posted): 165.3 mm/6.51''
Barrel Diameter: 11.1 - 13.0 mm/0.43"- 0.51''
Section Diameter: 10.8 - 11.2 mm/0.42'' - 0.44''
Nib material: 18KT bi color
Weight (all): 30 g
Weight (cap): 8 g
Weight (body): 22 g
Fill type: Piston-filler
Price: €495.00 (excluding VAT €409.09)
Where to buy: Appelboom Pennen (Get a 10% discount: click the banner for details!)

PACKAGING

This Pelikan arrived in a hard box. The main box was 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 and Pelikan Moments of Joy booklets. It's a pretty solid, heavy box. I like the pouch best though, as it's most useful. Personally, I find this packaging underwhelming when I compare it to pens of a similar price (ie. Omas Milord/Paragon).

APPEARANCE

I immediately liked this pen because it reminds me of the Montblanc Hemingway, and the Parker Big Red. The Burnt Orange is shaped like the other Souverän M800 fountain pens - they are fairly large pens. This one has a thick, round cap and barrel, and slightly rounded ends. The end has a deep brown piston-turning knob marked by two bands. The finial has the Pelikan logo in gold-on-gold, in a brushed on shiny finish. The clip is attached externally and has the classic pelican bill shape (which I love, it's a great touch). The center band on the cap is engraved with Pelikan Souverän Germany. The cap and section are a deep brown resin, matching the piston knob resin. The section is short and has an indent for ones fingers before it flares out towards the nib again.

I love the shape of the Souverän pens, and the M800 is a big pen, but not too big. The burnt orange barrel looks just like that - burnt orange - in a highly polished resin. It's a great color that does not disappoint, and it's a fun change from the usual stripes (although a tortoise/striped version of this would be super cool). What's missing? An ink window.

NIB & PERFORMANCE

First of all, I think it's tremendously sad that Pelikan's nib range has been so drastically reduced. I understand it's probably because most people don't want 3B nibs, but I do. And I know quite a few others who also love them. Currently, this pen is available with an extra-fine, fine, medium, or broad nib, but what about those double broads and obliques? Le sigh.

This nib is an extra-fine. That's right. I selected an extra-fine to review. The horror!? It's a two-tone nib in 18kt gold. It looks like the other Souverän nibs - this nib has a single slit and breather hole. It is engraved with the Pelikan logo, the nib size, the gold hallmark, and some flourishes. I've mentioned before this is one of my favorite nib designs, and that still stands. I think it's elegant and attractive. This nib varies from my usual 3B-style nibs in that the tipping on the broader nibs is quite generous, and they are very round tips. This extra-fine has tipping, but it seems to be under the nib, so it requires a lower angle to hit the sweet spot. Not terrible, but if you're used to more broad nibs, it might take getting used to.

It was well-tuned upon arrival - relatively quick drying times, fairly wet for an extra-fine (though it's a pretty big extra-fine!), and it does not skip or hard start. In other words, we have a consistent writer! Woo hoo! It's a pretty stiff nib as well, but some line variation can be squeezed out. It's not super smooth, and it offers some feedback - not an unpleasant amount - and it's not scratchy.

Is it really an extra-fine then? Well, it's probably more of a fine - it's a big nib, there's a lot of tipping, and if you're looking for a true extra-fine that will let you write micro words, this is probably not the pen and nib for you. If you're just looking for a normal line that isn't going to take a minute per letter to dry on the page, it's a good nib.

IN HAND

As this is the same model as the M805 Stresemann, my in hand impressions have remained the same:

The clip was snug but springy enough to operate easily. The end of the clip flares up, making it easy to slide on to pages, into pockets, and into pouches.

The section is small but the shape makes it quite comfortable. The threads at the back are a little sharp so if you grip beyond the section, it may be uncomfortable. I did not find the section itself slippery - the flare kept my grip in place.

Unposted, I found the 800 a well-balanced, relatively light, comfortable pen. The design and shape of the section allows even smaller hands to use this pen pretty easily. I say relatively because I use a huge range of pens - from small to large, light to quite heavy.

The cap did post by friction, and it felt snug and secure. It doesn't sit very deeply, but it's far enough down that the pen didn't feel top heavy or unbalanced. I love that I could use this unposted or posted. For longer writing sessions, I ended up using it unposted most often.

PROS & CONS

OVERALL

Ok, if you are one of those people (like me) who really, really want a Montblanc Hemingway, or a Parker Big Red, this is a great alternative. I am a fan of Pelikan, and although they are expensive, I am not disappointed by the (several) I own. I am disappointed there are not as many nib options as there used to be, but I still think it's a great color. Ink window is lacking, but the color. THE COLOR.

I was loaned this item 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.