Pelikan M205 Aquamarine Fountain Pen Review
12 June 2017Did I need a another Pelikan M200? Apparently I did, because as soon as I saw this special edition aquamarine version I bought it. I also stumped up the extra for a gold nib because Pure Pens were doing the upgrade for a fantastic price. (The total price of the pen was not much more than the cost of buying the nib unit alone.)
Price: £100 (UK, with steel nib)
Nib options: extra-fine, fine, medium, broad in stainless steel; rhodium-plated 14k gold available for an extra £55
Barrel options: aquamarine special edition
Filling system: piston
Size: 14.9cm posted
Weight: 14g
Pelikan’s M200 range are smallish pens with a piston filling mechanism. (M200s have gold coloured trim, M205 have silver coloured trim; the M215 has a silver coloured trim and a brass inner barrel for extra heft.) The filling mechanism holds a good amount of ink despite the small size of the pen and the piston moves smoothly and reliably. They’re fairly easy to clean the ink from. I don’t know how easy it is to disassemble because I’ve never needed to.
The cap screws on to close and pushes on to post. I find I need to post the cap to make the pen long enough to hold comfortably. It posts securely and makes the M205’s a good length.
The clip is shaped like a pelican’s beak and is good and strong. It’s a perfectly functional clip while also being distinctive (without being over the top).
This is a gorgeous colour. It’s a dusky dark translucent blue. The filling mechanism and the ink and just visible inside. The silvery trim stands out against the barrel and the overall effect is lovely. Sometimes pens that look fantastic in marketing shots disappoint when you see them up close but not this time.
Pelikan’s steel nibs are excellent so I wasn’t sure if it would be worth paying anything extra for a gold nib. It was. This is the one occasion on which I can say the extra money was worth every penny. Fantastic as Pelikan’s steel nibs are, this broad gold nib is in an entirely different league. It’s smooth and has the touch of bounce that a good gold nib should have. It flows well and would never ever dream of skipping or hard starting or any other kind of naughtiness. It’s one of the very best nibs I’ve ever used.
The M205 is a gorgeous looking pen with an incredible nib. Highly recommended.
Pros
Good piston filling mechanism
Looks great
Posts
Fantastic nib
Cons
None
Hi Ian, this is a great review. Your photography is lovely. Thank you.
Thanks for a very accurate, really great review! I have one of these pens too, and I also took the option of putting an M405 nib on it. I’ve done this to a few of my M200/M205 pens. And it’s true; although Pelikan makes fantastic stainless steel nibs for their M200/M205 pens, their gold nibs are just awesome to write with. I’ve also had my 14K nibs reground to stubs, and the writing experience is pure joy. Nice and wet with a wonderful feel on the paper. And thanks for the reference to Niche Pens; they do have great pricing on their M405 nibs. I think I’ll have to get one more for my collection.
But, back to the Aquamarine M205: it is a really pretty, smoky teal color like you say. I bought mine as soon as I was able and I’m very happy with my pen, especially with the 14K M405 nib on it. Highly recommended either way, though; with the original stainless steel nib, or with the 14K M405. Thanks for a great review!