Pelikan fountain pens are incredibly attractive and functional and offer a huge range of pens to fit all budgets.

One of the functional elements that users of Pelikan fountain pens particularly like is the fact that generally you will know how much ink is left in your pen as most of the range have either ink windows or a transparent barrel. Generally you can hold one of the striped barrels up to the light and see what is left and other models have ink windows.

The M800 and M1000 have huge ink reservoirs which befits such large pens and the size of your Pelikan fountain pen is always indicated by the model number with the Souveran series M1000 being the biggest and the M300 the shortest.

The M300 measures about 111 mm in length and the M1000 measures about 146mm. Prices range from about $500 for the M1000 to $280 for the M300.

Pelikan Fountain Pens History

As indicated elsewhere on this site Pelikan only manufactured their first fountain pen in 1929, even though they had been manufacturing their famous Pelikan ink for some time.
The first Pelikan fountain pen was the Pelikan 100 which was a simple but highly functional, groundbreaking pen as it employed a new piston system which soon became the industry standard. Up to this point fountain pens used an eyedropper system for refilling which was a bit on the messy side.

The second world war had a huge impact on Pelikan as it caused the closedown of their pen plant in 1944.

After the war normal service was resumed with the introduction of the Pelikan 400 series which proved to be a design that was to influence greatly all subsequent fountain pen offerings from Pelikan as it proved to be a real hit with fountain pen lovers. The Pelikan 400 proved to be the forerunner for the Souveran series which is a series of pens which are essentially variations of the Pelikan 400 with slightly different designs and sizes offered.

Pelikan M800

The Pelikan M800 was introduced around 1987 and was the first large, top of the range, luxury pen manufactured by Pelikan while staying true to the original design of the classic Pelikan 400.

Pelikan 800 Medium Fountain Pen GreenFrom the Souveran Pelikan series comes the 800 series, for those who prefer extra-large writing instruments. It is composed from a diamond-ground surface, with 18 karat gold plated fittings and a hand crafted 18 karat gold nib with rhodium decoration. It is also equipped with piston fill system, so you can only fill it with an inkbottle. This model is available with the hallmark striped celluloid overlay that has been associated with Pelikan fountain pens for half a century. And don’t forget Pelikan’s signature beak shaped clip.

The M800 led to a whole range of limited editions and special editions from Pelikan.

Pelikan M1000 Review

The Pelikan M1000 is based on the classic Pelikan 400 model which was introduced in the 1950s.
It is a very big pen with a classic appearance and measures 5.75 inches when capped and 6.75 inches posted.

It is a stunning looking pen which features
Double gold plate bands on the cap and barrel end, the eponymous Pelikan beak clip and a gold plated band on the section tip. They can be purchased with a black cap and barrel or black cap and green stripe barrel.
Both pens allow you to see the ink level with the green stripe barrel allowing you to see through the black stripes and the black barrel pen has a clear window near the top of the barrel to ensure that there never is an excuse for running out of ink.

The nib of the M1000 is a hand crafted 18 carat gold nib with a rhodium tip and with all top of the range Pelikan fountain pens the range of nibs is enormous ranging from Oblique Triple Broad to Extra Fine.

The ink holder is a solid brass differential piston filling mechanism which can be picked up for around $500 and comes with a bottle of Pelikan 4001 ink but pricing of pens can be very competitive with shopping around being good advice, particularly on the internet for specialist providers who can fit customised nibs if required.

The Pelikan M1000 was introduced by Pelikan to compete with other top end pens in the marketplace such as the MontBlanc 149.

You might think that the size of this pen would make it uncomfortable to write with on a daily basis but it is not that heavy due to use of celluloid in it’s manufacture rather than a metal.

The standard nib is a medium which I have found to be very smooth and wet and akin to a flexible nib. I myself have a Pelikan M1000 and absolutely love it’s classical good looks, it’s functionality and it’s size. I would have no hesitation in recommending it as one of the finest Pelikan fountain pens for the true lover of fountain pens.

Pelikan M800

The Pelikan M800 is a slightly shorter pen but a beauty nonetheless. It is the second largest pen in the Souveran series and comes with an 18 carat gold nib with rhodium finish and offers a wide choice of colors and nib sizes.

The Pelikan nib is legendary among pen aficionados and my pen loving friends sing the praises of Pelikan fountain pens very highly and are comparable of better than more expensively priced similar pens from other big pen manufacturers such as Mont Blanc or Sheaffer.

Pelikan Souveran 1000 Fountain Pen Green MediumFrom the Souveran Pelikan series comes the 1000 series of souveran, the largest fountain pen in the collection. It is a largest pen in length, girth, and weight. It is composed from a diamond-ground surface, with gold plated fittings and a hand crafted 18 karat gold nib with rhodium decoration. It is also equipped with a super-size representative plunger system. And don’t forget Pelikan’s signature beak shaped clip. This superb writing instrument is available in black/green or all black finish.