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Pelikan M600 or M800 Green - Black

Hello everybody, hope you are all fairing well wherever you are.
I'm interested in buying one of these Pelikans, but am undecided which one. There is a small price difference between one and the other.
I will get a medium nib, for sure.
I've read a few reviews on the pens and have not yet made up my mind.
I like medium to big pens.
I like a nib that is not like a nail, although I know Pelikans are not exactly 'soft', so I hope a medium nib might take care of this.
I do not know if the green-black M600-M800 behave in the same way as the other coloured ones.
So I have big Wancher, MB, Ranga, Delta, Jinhao, Waterman, Parker as well as small ones like Kaweco, MB, Parker and a few others.

I have a Pelikan 120 and I believe an M250 already, a bit small, so how do the M600 and M800 compare to these two Pelikans ?

My local pen shop just closed for a two week holiday, just when I called to arrange an appointment to go and have a look at them, his loss :)

Suggestions please :)
Thank you
 

EclipseRedRing

I smell like a Christmas pudding
Not sure if this helps but I have a Cross Apogee medium and a Pelikan M600 Souverain Fine and I prefer the Pelikan. The M600 is significantly lighter and a more delicate and refined precision instrument. The Pelikan M600 is 134mm closed and 154mm posted. I read that the M800 is 142mm closed and 169mm posted. Here are my Cross and M600. Good luck.

forum.jpg
 

tankerjohn

A little poofier than I prefer
I don’t have either, but wish I did. Unfortunately, the larger Pelikans remain aspirational for me. But I will follow your saga with interest. If you want a large pen with a soft nib, why not save up a little longer and get a 1000?
 
I also found out that the piston assembly of the M600 is made of plastic while the one of the M800 and M1000 is made of brass.
As a consequence the 800 will be a bit heavier but I do not to post the cap while I write, I do it only with the Kaweco Sport.
Is the piston assembly a critical element ? I really don't know, yet.
There is a £70 difference between the two.
 

Whilliam

First Class Citizen
Glad you posted this. I think I'll ink up my blue M800 for today's Times crossword.

Mine has a fine nib and is just a delight to write with. I cannot imagine your not being satisfied with either the 600 or the 800. (The M1000 seems a bit much--and I like big pens.)
 

EclipseRedRing

I smell like a Christmas pudding
I also found out that the piston assembly of the M600 is made of plastic while the one of the M800 and M1000 is made of brass.
As a consequence the 800 will be a bit heavier but I do not to post the cap while I write, I do it only with the Kaweco Sport.
Is the piston assembly a critical element ? I really don't know, yet.
There is a £70 difference between the two.
That is true but for me a large part of the attraction of the M600 is its light weight which is achieved in part by means of the plastic piston assembly. I suggest that the purpose of the brass piston in the M800 may in part be specifically to provide weight, rather than for any function or longevity. When I got my Cross and Pelikan I initially thought the Cross was a higher quality product precisely because of its weight, because heavier is better right? Then I used both pens and the lighter Pelikan suits me much more and the quality is superb. I suggest trying different weights of pens and finding what you like best, do not worry about the metal vs plastic piston. Be aware that I am far from being an expert here. In true B&B fashion my advice is...... buy them both 😁
 
@Jut I have a Meisterstuck 149 and a 144. Do the M600 and M800 fit between these two ?

Measuring with a caliper the diameter of the Pelikan's they are smaller than the MB 149, Delta Dolcevita Medium and Conklin All American, soo they aren't as big as these.
My Kaweco Student has the same diameter of the M800

This is interesting
 
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tankerjohn

A little poofier than I prefer
@Jut I have a Meisterstuck 149 and a 144. Do the M600 and M800 fit between thes
My Kaweco Student has the same diameter of the M800

This is interesting

The M1000 is Pelikan’s counterpart to the Meisterstuck 149. I’ve always heard the M800 is similar size as the 146 and the M600 the 144. M800 same width as the Kaweco Student? Sort of. The bodies are probably similar width, but the Student narrows down significantly in the grip section. The M800 looks to have a meatier grip and is larger overall.
 
@Jut I have a Meisterstuck 149 and a 144. Do the M600 and M800 fit between these two ?

Measuring with a caliper the diameter of the Pelikan's they are smaller than the MB 149, Delta Dolcevita Medium and Conklin All American, soo they aren't as big as these.
My Kaweco Student has the same diameter of the M800

This is interesting
If you prefer your 149 over the 144, i believe you will be happier with the M800. Conversely, if you prefer the 144 over the 149, i think you would be happier with the M600.

One other thought regarding size...the M800 feels great in hand unposted; it is a bit ridiculous and unwieldy to use posted. The M600 works well either way for me.

I have both. The nibs on current production M800s and M600s are both nails (as is the current production M400).

Vintage M600s (the ones that are the same size as current M400s) can be found with springy nibs; i have one. The same holds true for some (but not all) late 1980s to early 1990s M800 nibs; i have one that is springy and one that is not so much.

As someone said in an earlier post, if you want a current production Pelikan that has a springy/semi flex nib, then you should look to the M1000.
 

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather
Staff member
When I got my Cross and Pelikan I initially thought the Cross was a higher quality product precisely because of its weight, because heavier is better right?
"Heft = quality" might apply more to a wrench set than to a parachute. For pens, there are light and there are heavy pens at every stage of the "cheap ... inexpensive ... quality ... luxury ... nuts" continuum.

It's a personal preference thing.
 
@tankerjohn so the diameter is not for the body but body + section ? I see what you mean with the Kaweco Student as it thins out on the section. While the MB 149, Delta Dolcevita and Concklin remain chunky, as the body, in the section. Missed this bit.

@Jut I prefer chunky pens I have to admit. The Kaweco Sport, The Kaweco Student, a vintage Vacumatic (the one I repaired last here and posted the proceedings too) a few Aurora Duocarts are too small for me as well but these two where given to me by family so am undecided what to do with them.

I already have a Pelikan 120 vintage on which I replaced the nib with a new one and it works much better than with its original one.
I also have what I believe is an M205 and this too is not bad but it is a while since I've last used.
 

EclipseRedRing

I smell like a Christmas pudding
"Heft = quality" might apply more to a wrench set than to a parachute. For pens, there are light and there are heavy pens at every stage of the "cheap ... inexpensive ... quality ... luxury ... nuts" continuum.

It's a personal preference thing.
Very true - that is the point I thought I was making 🤣
 

musicman1951

three-tu-tu, three-tu-tu
I have both. I prefer the M600 posted. I like posted, but the M800 posted is a beast for me.

My favorite nib is a medium sent to Pendleton's Pens for a Butter Line Stub-Italic. I can't say enough about the joy of using that pen.
 

tankerjohn

A little poofier than I prefer
@tankerjohn so the diameter is not for the body but body + section ? I see what you mean with the Kaweco Student as it thins out on the section. While the MB 149, Delta Dolcevita and Concklin remain chunky, as the body, in the section. Missed this bit.
I think when pen companies list a width measurement, they are usually measuring from the widest part of the body. But that seems sort of misleading on a pen like the Student that narrows dramatically at the grip. The Student grip section has a very deep concavity. Maybe that was because it was originally designed to be a school pen, hence the name, and the concave grip section is easier for kids with little hands to use. My Student is a handy pocket pen that I won't cry about if I lose or damage, and its fine for jotting notes. But I find it uncomfortably narrow for long writing sessions. I've not held an M800, but judging by pictures I've seen it next to pens that I do own, like this one Review: Pilot Custom 912 (FA Nib) – Hand Over That Pen - https://www.handoverthatpen.com/2018/02/08/review-pilot-custom-912/ (scroll down about 3/4), the M800 looks like it would feel substantially larger in hand than the Student, even if the stat sheet says they are the same width.
 
I'm a fan of the 800-series Pelikans. It's the Goldilocks size for me. The 600 is too small, the 1000 is too big, but the 800 is just right! Mine is the M805 "Blue Dunes" Special Edition.

Pelikan M805 Blue Dunes 1.jpg


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I just found this size comparison chart that might be helpful. (M1000, M800, M600, M400 & M300)

souveran_size_comp.jpg
 
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All, thank you for our insights and suggestions. I have gone for the M600, just for starters, with a Medium nib. It writes very well, it isn't as beefy as the reviews and photos I have seen online depicted it. It is a normal size pen, for me. I have set an alert for when the M800 is back in stock at Cult Pens.
I will have to get the M800 as well, but with buying a house and all that goes with it at the moment there isn't enough money for everything :) In the meantime I'm testing the M600 and am waiting for four new sacs to arrive so that I can get back to working conditions some British vintage pens bought at an auction. Brands? The Croxley pen, Altura 760 and Stephens Lever Fill 106 :)
 
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