Pelikan Stola III Fountain Pen Review

Pelikan are best known for their luxury pens but the Stola is firmly at the opposite end of the price spectrum. It’s a chance to own a Pelikan pen without breaking the bank.

Thank you to Pen Chalet for sending me this pen to review. These are my own honest opinions. It’s currently making the rounds of my United Inkdom colleagues and will be given away once everyone’s had a chance to review it.

Price: £20 (UK) $36 (US)
Nib options: steel medium
Barrel options: silver enamel over brass
Filling system: standard cartridge/converter
Size: 5.25″ long, 0.5″ diameter
Weight: 0.6oz

The Stola III’s barrel is brass, which gives the pen a nice weight. It’s finished with a silver-grey enamel which, whilst not my cup of tea aesthetically, is well done. What I do like, very much, is the clip. It hints at the pelican-beak style of the rest of the Pelikan range whilst being distinctively different. It’s functional, too.

The nib is quite lovely. It’s smooth and has a good flow. It’s on the drier side but wrote on various papers without any problems. It’s a shame it’s only available as a medium but nevertheless is a pleasure to write with.

You can use standard international cartridges or converters, giving an almost unlimited number of ink options.

The pen has a nice weight to it but it’s quite short. I have big hands and could have done with it being a bit longer for extended writing sessions. If you have smaller hands it might not be an issue. What I can’t understand, though, is why on a relatively short pen Pelikan decided to make the cap so it wouldn’t post. It’s not such an issue on a longer pen, although it’s always nice to have the option. On a shorter pen, it seems a poor design choice.

I like that the Stola III has done something a little different with the visual design even though, personally, I’m not a huge fan of the colour. The nib is excellent, particularly in this price range. The pen’s very much let down by not being able to post the cap. If that isn’t an issue for you and you like the looks of it,then the Stola III is a great writer at a good price.

Pros

Good nib
Nice weight
Interesting clip
Standard cartridges/converters

Cons

A fairly short pen that doesn’t post
Only a medium nib available

Many thanks once again to Pen Chalet for sending over this pen. They have great service and a huge selection of fantastic pens at good prices. Please do support them and Pens! Paper! Pencils! by popping over and taking a look.