The Perch’s focus is not just Souveräns and piston fillers. There is no doubt that a large segment of the fountain pen market is frequented by those who prefer the patronen-füllhalter also known as a cartridge/converter pen. If that is your preference, Pelikan will soon be serving up something new with the introduction of its upcoming Stola III (P16). Goldspot Pens first brought the Stola to my attention when they gave us a glimpse on their instagram feed earlier this week. Dein-Pen.de has also helped to supplement the available information with some fantastic product shots. The pen demonstrates contemporary styling and will reportedly be offered at the affordable price of $45. The fountain pen will accept a cartridge or converter, most likely in the standard international format. Information is conflicting as to the make up of the barrel. It will either feature a plastic barrel or one made from painted aluminum. We will have to await further details from Pelikan in order to confirm. There is no word yet on what nib sizes will be available but I expect that we will see nibs offered in the standard sizes of EF, F, M, and B.
Monthly Archives: August 2015
Review: M201 Bayou (2015)
In a surprise June announcement, Fountain Pen Hospital broke the news that they would be releasing a limited edition Pelikan fountain pen exclusive to them. Founded in 1946, Fountain Pen Hospital has been a long-standing and well-respected retailer of fountain pens on the East Coast of the U.S.A. so it’s not surprising that they would have the clout to arrange such a release. Still, the announcement was a bolt from the blue since there wasn’t even a hint of rumor preceding the Bayou’s arrival. The pen, dubbed the M201 Bayou, was a very limited release of just 100 fountain pens. Slated for an August issue, many of us were pleasantly surprised when shipping notifications started going out in early July. The next word that we got about the Bayou was that it had sold out after being on the market just shy of three weeks. I debated the utility in reviewing this pen given that so few people will actually ever own one but it’s such a beautiful piece that I wanted to give it its due. Officially labeled the M200 ‘water soil’ by Pelikan, this pen stands out as unique amongst the Classic series in several ways that I will describe below. The M201 designation itself is not unprecedented as Pelikan has used this moniker before to distinguish limited, local releases. The M201 clear demonstrator issued as a limited run of 3000 pieces in the year 2000 to the Japanese market is one such example. If you know your way around Pelikan’s lines, you can’t help but look at the Bayou and instantly be reminded of the M620 Grand Place, a pen which shares a very similar aesthetic. This similarity has raised more than a few questions about the genesis of this run. Read on to find out more.
News: M201 Neptune Blue & Mars Red Limited Editions
Prior to today, I had mistakenly thought that the M201 Bayou exclusive that recently sold out from Fountain Pen Hospital was to be a one off type of release. Imagine my surprise then upon awakening this morning to an email from Fahrney’s Pens out of Washington D.C. announcing not one but two new M201 fountain pens exclusive to their establishment. We now have the M201 Neptune Blue and Mars Red. Like the Bayou, each pen will be limited to just 100 pieces. The Neptune is described as having, “swirling, cosmic cloud-like patterns” while the Mars is “marbled with dark tones like a luminous nova in deep space.” The cap, section, and piston knob will be solid black for both pens. Interestingly, the trim will vary with the Neptune seeing silver-colored furniture while the Mars will have gold-colored furniture. The nibs will be stainless steel available in sizes EF, F, M, B, and Italic. Like the Bayou, the barrels will have some translucency to allow for viewing the remaining ink level in the pen.
News: Pelikan Hubs Show Tremendous Growth
Registration for Pelikan’s 2015 Hubs event has come to a close and we are just about a month and a half away from the big day. Thanks to the dedication of the team at Pelikan and the enthusiasm of my fellow fountain pen devotees, this years event looks to have grown tremendously. Last year’s June 13th affair was the first of its kind. Twenty-five countries hosted Hubs in 58 different cities with a total of about 900 participants. This year, twenty-nine countries will host 72 different Hubs with an expected 1400 total participants. That’s a 56% increase in attendance over last year. Many Hubs had only a few attendees and this year we’ll see an average of 19 participants per Hub. This is all very exciting news. Hub masters have received the names of their attendees and emails should be going out soon to inform every one of their local event’s details. As head of the Philadelphia Hub, I understand the amount of work it takes to arrange an event with this magnitude of attendance and salute all of the Hub masters out there doing their level best to put on a great event at an appropriate venue. I look forward to seeing my group in person in September and following along with the exploits of all of the groups on social media via the hashtag #PelikanHubs.
News: M200 Green Marbled to be Re-introduced
With official news of the Souverän M800 Burnt Orange finally coming out of Hannover, it seemed that all of Pelikan’s planned releases for 2015 had finally been announced. When Goldspot Pens posted their Pelikan Fall Preview 2015 two weeks ago that notion was cast into doubt. The very last paragraph of that post was cryptically titled “More Pelikan?” Goldspot’s post indicated that an old favorite within the M200 series was going to make a come-back with a debut anticipated for November 2015 but the author would not reveal any more. There have been roughly thirty M200 releases since the series’ introduction in 1985 so which of these could be the old favorite alluded to in Goldspot’s blog? It now appears that the “old favorite” is none other than the M200 Green Marbled, a pen previously reported to be one of Pelikan’s best sellers. Sound like deja vu? It should as this is not the first time this pen has resurfaced.
How-To: Fill Pelikan Pens & Pencils
If you are familiar with some of my past articles, you know that I have tried to provide helpful guides regarding certain aspects of fountain pen use and maintenance. One of the fundamentals of pen use is filling and refilling which many of us take for granted. Understandably, this nuance of regular pen operation can be a bit unclear to those new to the hobby. Just how does one go about filling a Pelikan pen? While my personal focus is fountain pens, I’m not without my share of rollerballs, ballpoints, and pencils. On occasion you might purchase or be gifted a certain model as a set. If you don’t use that twist ballpoint very often, you might find yourself stumped when the included cartridge runs dry. To keep you writing worry free, not only will I discuss how to fill a fountain pen, I will also given instructions for rollerballs, ballpoints, and pencils. My focus in this post will be mostly on modern production pens made over the last 35 years but much of this holds true for older models, particularly the piston filling fountain pens as they have retained the same mechanism for generations. The pictorials included in Pelikan’s literature can feel a little like interpreting hieroglyphics and, besides, who reads the instructions anyway (besides me)? If you have any uncertainty as to how to fill your new pen or pencil, read on to learn how to put that writing instrument of yours into action.