Pelikan M805 Stresmann Fine Nib - A short review

 

Build Quality(4/4) - The pen will most likely outlive me. The piston works well without any problem. I have seen videos of people disassembling it but I didn't want to do that. Overall Pelikan M800 has a good build quality.

 

Weight and Balance(3/3) - The pen has a good heft without being heavy. Most of the pen's weight is in the middle portion and disappears while writing. I have written upto 4 A4 size pages without feeling any wrist fatigue.

 

Appearance and Design(3/3) - If you are looking for a pen you can use in a corporate setting, this may be correct choice. The pen's grey stripes give a executive feel and unlike other colours, it is not too flashy. The design of all M800 is similar with the only complain I have is that of a short section. As this is a piston filler, it has to be  dipped in an ink bottle and the ring at the end of section will come in contact with the ink. This may lead to the corrosion of the ring in the long term.

Nib(8/10) -  The first thing to notice was how wet the nib is. With wet inks like Diamine the writing experience will be super wet. 

Pilot Silvern Review

 After using Pilot 845, I realised how smooth Pilot nibs are and was eager to try out other Pilot fountain pens. I found Pilot Silvern at an online auction where there were no other bidders and got it at a considerable discount.

The pen came in a usual black plastic box. The pen was sealed in a plastic pouch and held by a ribbon onto a cushion. Personally, I prefer this type of packaging, its functional and does not add any extra weight to the shipment. There was an ink cartridge and an information booklet under the cushion. There was also a cleaning cloth which is very thoughtful as the pen is made of Sterling silver and likely to get a tarnish in future.

Pilot Silvern is available in three different designs - lattice pattern, tsumugi and the concrete pattern. I first saw these three patterns on Pensachi website and liked the lattice pattern. Fortunately for me this one was available at the auction. I also liked the Tsumugi pattern but I only had the budget for one pen. All three patterns are beautiful and which one you choose would be a personal preference.

The pen is made of Sterling silver and hence heavier than pens of similar size. However, the pen is well balanced and the weight of the pen is towards the nib. While writing one doesn't need to apply pressure, the pen just glides on the paper.

Visconti Homo Sapiens

Most people start their pen collection with inexpensive, steel nib pens. I started with Visconti Homo Sapiens.

This was the first pen that I bought after getting job. When I started reading about fountain pens I came across the Nibs.com website. I would spend hours and hours on this website browsing various brands of pen. When I first saw Visconti Homo Sapiens I just thought - this pen is special. It was made from the basaltic lava of Mount Etna, one of the most famous volcanoes. Instead of screw threads it has a unique locking system and a Vac filling system.

Packaging(2/2)
I bought this pen from a reputed seller on FPN and I received it without any hassle. The pen came in a Visconti faux leather box which was inside a cardboard box with a Visconti logo over it . The faux leather box had satin interior and the pen was held in a groove.

 
Weight and Balance
The first thing I noticed about this pen was how heavy it is. The pen weighs 30 gms uncapped and 44 gms capped. The pen is heavier towards piston which perhaps is perhaps a serious flaw given how heavy the pen is overall. I cannot write more than 2-3 A4 size pages at once with it. Nowadays, I mostly use it to take short notes or writing daily dairy. The pen was more suitable for occasional note taking rather than a long duration writer. 

Design - The pen has a hour glass section which is comfortable to hold, fingers just sit there and it's length is optimum. The pen caps using the Visconti 'Hook Safe Lock', a unique capping system which insures that the pen doesn't unscrews accidently causing a leakage. The vacuum power filler of Visconti Homo Sapiens is made of titanium which resists ink corrosion. The clip is spring loaded and is suitable if someone want to carry it in shirt pocket (why would anyone though?).

Nib(2/10)
Visconti Homo Sapiens Bronze Age came with a dual tone 23k Palladium Dreamtouch nib. Visconti has phased out this nib and currently this model comes with a monochrome 18k gold nib. These nibs were manufactured by Bock while current models have in-house made nibs.

The nib was a 23k Palladium Fine with the most beautiful scrollwork I have ever seen. Unfortunately, that was the only positive thing about the nib. I learned later and with my own experience that Visconti nibs are not known for quality control. The nib skipped frequently and even after changing inks and flushing it several there was no change in the performance. The nib was the most disappointing aspect of this pen. When I first wrote with this pen it wrote normally for a few minutes but then it started skipping. It happened occasionally even when I was not writing at a faster pace. The flow was wetter for a F nib with Montblanc Toffee Brown ink but it was not an issue for me.

Overall Rating - (07/20)
After experimenting with the pen several times I came to the conclusion that it is not a good writer. Not even an average one actually. It's more of a collector's pen than a writer's pen. It is heavy, has poor balance and is equipped with a nib which is practically unusable. After keeping - not much using - it for more than six years, I sold it. I have decided not to buy another Visconti pen and to be cautious with other Italian brands.