One of the first special edition fountain pens from Pelikan in modern times was the M800 Transparent Green Collector’s Edition which came out in 1992. Clamor from customers in the United States resulted in the production of that pen, an unnumbered model, which was well received. It preceded their first ever limited edition, the M800 Blue Ocean, by just one year. In that run of 5000 pens, each piece was individually numbered. We were off to the races after that with Pelikan releasing a number of Special and Limited editions annually. That Transparent Green M800 has always been a looker. It was known to have been a favorite of Gerd-Rüdiger Lang, founder of Chronoswiss, so much so that it served as the inspiration behind 2002’s Styloscope. Fast forward to the present day and Pelikan brings us back to where it all started. News broke yesterday of the Souverän M800 Special Edition Green Demonstrator. Due out sometime in mid to late April, this model will hit shelves just in time for the spring foliage. Rather than a straight rehash of an old favorite, this new model actually features a re-design of Pelikan’s iconic trim, something that’s sure to generate a buzz. Read on to learn about all of the details surrounding this new M800.
Pelikan’s newest demonstrator has most of the trappings of an M800 but with an added twist. It retains the usual dimensions making it a larger pen boasting a capped length of 5.55 inches and weighing nearly an ounce thanks to its brass piston assembly. This is a demonstrator comprised of a translucent green resin which exposes the inner workings of the pen while also providing a handy ink view. Love them or hate them, demonstrators have always had their fans and detractors. Much of the familiar remains untouched on this new release. There is a trim ring at the section along with a beak clip and a cap top featuring the company’s single chick logo, all plated in 24K gold. It has been quite some time since Pelikan has altered the furniture of their Souveräns and this model brings one of the most significant changes since perhaps the 1997 and 2010 revisions. The rings that have adorned the cap lip and piston knob of Pelikan’s Souveräns have, for decades, been two distinct pieces. The rings on the cap were further set apart by being two different sizes, a larger, engraved band with a thinner one circling above. The concept remains the same, but the execution now varies with the rings of the cap and piston knob being made from a single, thick ring styled to resemble the look we’ve been accustomed to. The two polished bands of yore remain but are now separated by a thin band of recessed material with a matte/satin surface. The pen is finished with a two-toned rhodium plated 18C-750 gold nib available in the standard width of EF, F, M, and B. Each pen will come in Pelikan’s G30 gift packaging. Pelikan has this to say about their newest model;
“This apple-green fountain pen with demonstrator properties brings positive energy to every fountain pen collection. Some collectors will recognize this extraordinary pen as it reminds of its predecessor from 1992. However, the new edition is not identical to the fountain pen from the 90’s.
The new details make it a real eye-catcher. A special mention deserve the one-piece cap ring and filling knob ring with shiny and satined surface optics, giving it an extraordinary look.”
The bands at the cap lip and piston knob are now conjoined, forming one thick ring with the familiar polished components now separated by a recessed ring with a matte/satin finish
Pricing for this model will also be unlike that gem from 1992. In the USA, the MSRP is $880 which means that most domestic vendors will be offering this one for around $704. Overseas, in Germany for instance, the RRP is €650 (~$707.16) with a retail of about €463.86 (~$504.65) once the VAT is excluded. Prices tend to be more variable when shopping overseas but I’d expect this one to consistently come in under $600 for those of us here in the USA. The ongoing price disparity means that the best deals will be had when shopping from vendors abroad and a $100 to $200 savings is hard to overlook.
M800 Special Edition Green Demonstrator Souverän (2023)
M800 Transparent Green Collector’s Edition Souverän (1992)
Personally, I am rather torn over this new M800. On the one hand, I’m happy to see Pelikan revisiting such a classic and bringing new life to it. The small design changes to the cap band and trim rings at the piston knob help set this pen apart from all other Souveräns to date without being a radical departure from the familiar. On the other hand, I’m not sure that the new band design is enough to excite and wish Pelikan would find new ground to tread upon. Still, I’m intrigued by this one and cannot wait to see it in person. Will this design change trickle down to future Souverän models? Only time will tell though no such move has yet to be forecasted. I have a feeling that this one will sell well, particularly amongst those who have been clamoring for a new M800. What are your thoughts on the M800 Green Demonstrator? Does the new trim style excite or disturb your aesthetic sensibilities? Will one of these be joining your flock? Feel free to leave a comment below.
Now this looks nice to me. I think the details are tasteful and attractive, and it showcases the brass piston mechanism nicely. Probably the first new Pelikan for quite some time that I’d be interested in, and I’ve been quite critical of their recent offerings. Depends on the real retail price, but maybe there’s some life in Pelikan yet.
It is nice to see a new pen come out but I wish they would be more creative. This one will probably sell well but it seems like a safe cash grab rather than something to push the boundaries.
I suspect this new design is cheaper to produce, and I suspect that was the main motivation behind the change.
That said, no loss for me – I’ve always felt demonstrators were a misunderstanding in the pen community – they were only cool because they weren’t for sale, selling them ruins that.
Interesting take on the demonstrator and I see your points. People always want what they can’t have. The demo is a very polarizing topic. I’m kind of in the middle.
I’ve always been attracted to the original version of this pen, but ..
In speaking of the original, my local pen dealer has told me more than once that this particular pen stains very badly.
In fact, he discouraged me from buying a pre-owned original from him, saying it would look good “as long as I didn’t fill it.”
I’m interested in what people think.
I have the original, and the staining comment is accurate. Still find it a fantastic member of my flock. Not sure where the new one will fall.
Interesting to hear that a number of people have had issues with staining. I wonder if it’s just the nature of a demo or something more intrinsic with the material Pelikan chose.
Yes the OG stains. Tbf I used a fairly saturated ink and left it in the pen for a tad too long. I know better now! It only stained on the section oddly. Some pen flush and using Sailor Doyou cleaned it up as well as new.
The sections of Pelikan’s demos can retain ink due to a weird quirk that they have. On the M200 demos anyway this is a known thing. A syringe applied to a tiny lip inside the section can be used to flush out the residual ink.
What is it about the Sailor Doyou ink that “cleans up” the pen?
I never heard an explanation as to why it works the way it does but I do know that this is a lot of people’s “cleaner ink.”
Wow, never heard that. So I just may get the pen after all.
Many thanks!
This is a follow-up to your comment, Joshua, about Sailor Doyou ink’s being a “cleaner” ink. Do I understand correctly that Doyou refers to a specific color (Dark Brown)”within the Shikiori line?
If so, I shouldn’t want to put that dark a brown in the green demonstrator.
First of all, I have no personal experience with this ink. It is indeed a very dark brown. I have been told by people and you can find chatter in the ink forums about Sailor Jentle Doyou being a “cleaner” ink of sorts though that is not an intended property as far as I’m aware. There are people that will tell you it removes stains when used in a pen and there are people that use it for that purpose, rightly or wrongly. Again, I have no personal experience to prove or deny such claims. Just relaying what I’ve heard.
I haven’t had that issue but my take on stained demos is always the same. I think that with good pen hygiene and careful ink selection much of the staining issues can be mitigated. I have never found the original green demo to be more susceptible than any other demo in my collection. Definitely a pen to avoid though if staining isn’t your cup of tea just for the inherent risk.
It’s nice enough looking to be interesting but not enough to make me want one… and I love the 800s. I’m not a huge fan of demonstrators anyway.
Hopefully they will put something out more to your liking later this year.
Imagine another overlay M800 👀 count me in Josh!!!
We’ll have to see what they come up with.
What would your thought be to something as esoteric as another Gaudi?
Personally, I would love to see an M800 or M1000 colored demonstrator base, perhaps in a dark yellow or red, with a metal overlay in the spirit of the what the Gaudi did. Hard to describe but I think, if done well, that could be a killer. Sadly, I also believe that it is so far outside of Pelikan’s comfort zone/wheelhouse, that we will never see such a creation. They are too conservative to go that far out on a limb.
As Rich said, the switch to those “unified” trim rings appears easier to produce. In the standard Souveran models, the trim rings on the cap and cap knob are internally connected by three metal tabs and then embedded in the resin injection, resulting in a solid construction. The solution used here appears to make use of glue to bond the ring to the cap, similar to what happens in the cheaper M200 pens. Over time, the glue may fail, resulting in the ring spinning (it happened to one of my M200) or detaching altogether. Whether this construction is the one actually implemented in this pen could be assessed (since this is a demo) by looking inside the cap. In any case, I hope this will not trickle down to standard Souveran models; the new look of the “rings” appears a bit gaudy to me, and a departure from the classic Souveran design (a nod towards new markets where more bling is appreciated?). If Pelikan wanted this pen to be different from the 1992 version, they could have gone different routes (removing the ring near the nib; using a single-tone gold nib; using rhodium trim instead of gold; using a piston housing with a cut, like they did in a previous M800 demo; etc.)
I’m going to reserve judgement on the look of the rings until I see them in person. They may well be easier/cheaper to produce but the price certainly doesn’t reflect that. Since this is the first of its kind, only time will tell about failure. Hopefully, we don’t get another “white resin” debacle.
Easier to produce? Now, why and how would that be? 🙂 I reckon the change has nothing to do with that, and all to do with aesthetics.
I do like the new style over the old one, very much actually as the two different surface treatments create a fantastic contrast, while still retaining the “two rings” of yore.
Trim/bling wise I prefer vintage Pelikans over the M-series, this, aside from the M700 (which actually adheres to the vintage style more closely). For example, why does that trim at the end of the section exist? It is prone to degrading due to being exposed to ink, etc.
Anyway, the method of fastening these parts… there is nothing to say that these trims would not be bonded to the barrel and cap as part of the injection molding process (vs. using glue).
Glue is usually the worst choice for fastening things, as those joins do come apart (one miserable example of that are the cap domes which have come off of higher-end Pelikans, really not something one would expect from a pen that goes for mid-to-high three figures).
I do say, this might actually be the first Pelikan I would buy as brand new (my only other modern Pelikan is an M200). It would be a fresh nice addition to my flock of 25+ vintage Pelikans… and I think it indeed will be. 🙂
M700 is also on the list but I really like this one better.
Well, I based my hypothesis on the fact that the M200 ring is glued (or just friction fit—which is worse). I might be wrong, of course! But in one of the pictures Pelikan posted on their Instagram account, where you can see the ring from the inside of the cap, there is no sign of interlocking between the resin and the ring: the inner surface of the ring is plain and smooth.
You can see it here: https://scontent-mxp2-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.2885-15/336316055_202979649041040_2504139282349542171_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_p640x640_sh0.08&_nc_ht=scontent-mxp2-1.cdninstagram.com&_nc_cat=100&_nc_ohc=YyT9jNmkolIAX-Eic0S&edm=AJ9x6zYBAAAA&ccb=7-5&ig_cache_key=MzA2NDcwMDk0NTQ3MDExNDY1Nw%3D%3D.2-ccb7-5&oh=00_AfAgQdDR5wbAZC9zGp1fxwPRUWaswmu2ih9j0-KG3vDWAQ&oe=64205DD1&_nc_sid=cff2a4
Thanks for the illustration.
The M700 really does a nice job of straddling the old and the new. A personal favorite.
My only other 800 is the Ocean Swirl but I might need to add this to my collection.
This would complement the Ocean Swirl very nicely I think.
I also suspect cost-cutting as a factor. That aside, I find the aesthetics of the cap band somewhat off-putting as it seems a bit heavy and inelegant compared to separate bands. The piston knob treatment feels very different in that it appears to unify the internal metal components with the external band in a quasi mechanical way. The effect is more robust.
I wouldn’t be inclined to purchase. A red M800 is my preference. The M600 demo in my collection has never been inked.
Is that the Sony or the Marine Blue M6xx you have? I really like the Marine Blue.
It’s the color of “egg on my face”. It’s a clear M400, not a 600. So embarrassing. My pen memory isn’t what it used to be. Should have checked my photo inventory before posting.
Hahaha. Not a lot of M400 demos out there. There was a dark green M425. Sure its an M400 and not an M200?
Well, that egg is now scrambled. My inventory says it’s an M250 and I have physically verified that has a broad 14k nib. Mea maxima culpa.
Now that sounds about right. Great pen, whatever it is, LOL.
At least we will be able to see the ink level in this one!
Haha! Too true. That is a high note.
I am on the fence on this one.
I am not sure whether the new cap band design is a plus or a minus. Surprisingly, I couldn’t find this pen on the German site, at least not on the first pass. If the Pelikan product description was translated from an original German source, I would like to know what adjective was used for “extraordinary” as in, “extraordinary look.” I suspect when I see the pen in person, I will find its look extraordinary, I am just not sure what sense of that word I will find appropriate.
I think this one will be nice for those that missed out on the original but doesn’t really seem to bring anything of consequence to the table.
The M8xx series is one of my favorite fountain pens around. I do t think that such a nice fountain pen as M8xx looks good as a demonstrator. The gold trim is boring, and darker share of green would be more interesting. Perhaps an M805? The fake double ring looks cheap and blingy. A resounding NO from me. But I’m sure it’ll sell out quickly and it’ll command higher re-sale prices. Just my $0.02.
I would have liked to have seen a darker green like what was used on the M425. So dark, it doesn’t even look like a demonstrator from a moderate distance. Pair that with some silver colored palladium plated trim and I think that would have been a home run but Pelikan does not take their design cues from me
Nice article and balanced viewpoint! The unique color (which always jumps out at me at pen shows) and known quality of the M800 model make this attractive enough for me to add to my collection.
My main quibble with Pelikan is that their nib tipping is unsophisticated and not keeping up with the general increase in quality and choice at other major brands such as MB and Aurora. So I haven’t been buying Pelikan in recent years and this one will be an exception.
Unsophisticated is a polite way to put it. I would fully concur with that but I’m not sure Pelikan has any interest in changing their ways. I think that those of us who are really connoisseurs of pens make up a small percentage of sales so there is likely very little motivation on Pelikan’s part to do anything beyond what satisfies the need for a more mass appeal.
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