Pelikan Edelstein Sapphire

In this month’s Ink Drop, I received a sample of Edelstein Sapphire. I wasn’t very excellent to receive it. I’d been hoping to see a color that was a deeper Sapphire not unlike the old Parker Penman Sapphire. Edelstein is not it. Instead, this is a Sapphire not unlike all other sapphire inks on the market. It’s a purple-blue that looks more like a periwinkle flower than a gemstone.

Still, this color category is appealing to some. To be quite honest, it’s one I don’t mind. I have a couple bottles of J. Herbin Eclat de Saphir and a bottle of Diamine Sapphire for instance. I think the real problem here is the price. Yes, I know Edelstein is packaged in a very expensive looking bottle, but I don’t write with the bottle. I write with the pen! At least Pilot Iroshizuku, for its outrageous price tag, offers inks that are unique in both color and behavioral characteristics.

The Edelstein Sapphire ink ($20) is nice. It flows well and all that, but it really isn’t any nicer than J. Herbin ($9-$10) or Diamine ($12). In short, while it’s nice, it’s not nice enough to pay for the packaging. After all, I don’t keep my inks out on my desk. Direct sunlight is not good for them. It’d just be a pretty bottle sitting in its box, within another box, and up on the shelf. You see where I’m going here?

The Details

• No feathering or bleeding
• Great flow and good lubrication
• Saturation is low to average just like J. Herbin
• Surprisingly slow drying time at 15 seconds on this card and HP LaserJet 24# paper
• Minimal shading, but certainly not impressive as advertised (at least not with this wet writer).
• Not waterproof, and only a little water resistance.

No Affil.

Swabs of 7 new Pelikan Edelstein inks

Brian of The Goulet Pen Company sent over a swab strip of the new Pelikan Edelstein colors, so I figured I might as well scan it and put it up for all to see.

I can’t say I’m very impressed by the new Pelikan offerings. Of them all I think Jade is the only one I’d consider buying. The colors just seem so average… too average to be sold at $20 a pop.

A review of Edelstein Sapphire is forthcoming. I’m testing it out now. All I’ll say is that it seems disturbingly similar to Quink Washable Blue.

What do you think? Would you pay $20 for these?

Pelikan M205 Blue Demonstrator

First Impressions
The freely admit that this was an impulse buy. I found it on sale at such a great price that I could not walk away from it despite the fact that it is a demonstrator and I generally hate demonstrators. Still, when I opened up the box I was instantly attracted to the pen

Appearance
This pen is small, there is no denying that, but the blue color of the plastic is very attractive. In my opinion, it helps class the pen up a bit. If it were just clear plastic I think it would look quite cheap. I also appreciate the silver-colored furniture. I find gold trim positively revolting except when it is on a vintage black pen. Some have described the plastic as “cheap looking,” and I don’t entirely disagree, but considering the price of this pen I can get over it. 😉

Design/Size/Weight

The dimensions of this pen are as follows: 4 7/8” capped, 5 7/8” posted, and 4 3/4” unposted. This pen is quite small and incredibly light weighing in at about 1/2 oz. (16-17g) inked to capacity!

The design of the pen is simple. It does not vary from the rest of the M2xx line except in terms of finishes. This is not a design that excites me, but it is functional. As one would expect from Pelikan, the pen is well constructed. Despite it’s plasticy-ness (new word?!) it feels quite solid. I don’t feel as though I have to handle this pen with great care.

One thing I don’t like is that I have to post the cap. If I don’t, this small pen is not comfortable in the hand. With the cap posted the pen feels well-balanced.

Nib

This pen has a fine nib on it. This was not my choice. This was the only option available to me at the price I paid. The M205 uses the same steel nib as the M215. It is available in XF, F, M, and B. This steel fine nib is springy and quite smooth though still a little tactile on the page. Out of the box, the nib wrote a bit dry, but I adjusted the flow a little and now it is fairly juicy. I’m surprised at how much I’m liking this nib now.

I’m not a big fan of fine nibs, so I was going to send it to Chartpak for an exchange. However, I’ve decided to keep this nib. I figure I need a good fine nib and I can always buy a replacement for $30. I can even spring for a Binder Stub (.8mm) for $50.

Filling System
Now, this is the real reason I bought this pen. This little guy is a piston filler and I wanted another one for my little accumulation. The more I use them the more I realize that the piston filling system is my favorite of all. As others have noted, the Pelikan filling system is quite smooth in operation and boy does it suck! (which is a good thing for FPs) This pen holds about 2ml. of ink, which combined with the fine nib, makes for quite a lot of writing between fills. I have nothing bad to say!

Cost and Value
You can find these online for anything from $95 to $75. If you are in the market for a used one you might be able for find one in the $60 range. I’d say this is a pretty good buy even at $90, but if you can find it for $60 you’ll really have an excellent bargain on your hands.

Conclusion (9/10, A-)
While I didn’t expect it, I think I quite like this little pen. I can see this fitting right into my rotation as a great school and annotation pen especially with this great ink capacity. I’d certainly recommend this pen to anyone looking for an inexpensive, practical, and functional piston filling pen.

The perspective is a little wonky in this photo. The M205 is about the same size as the Esterbrook J next to it. Both are dwarfed by the Levenger Plumpster.

No Affil.