Pelikan Tradition Series 200 Black GT Medium Point Fountain Pen - 994004

I have owned this FP for over 20 years. One of my very favorites. For an inexpensive pen it writes very smoothly. The window lets the writer see how much ink is left. The piston refill is simple to use and the pen cleans up easily. Very flexible nib and leaves an excellent line with any ink. Highly recommended for those first trying a fountain pen. It is truly a shame that few people use fp's any more. They are very elegant to use and using a piston means saving a lot versus throw away cartridges. One becomes very attached to their beauty and function.

Pelikan M200 GREEN MARBLE Fountain Pen-Broad

Excellent Pen for the money; smoother than most similarly priced pens. The one drawback is the small size of the 200 which makes it more difficult to hold comfortably for those with arthritic and/or large hands. In that case the 600 or 800 (and similar size pens)will be much better, particularly if writing a lengthy exposition such as a Blue Book or professional exam. Of course, they cost quite a bit more but you do get an even better nib and stronger construction. I have generally found Pelikan pens to be superior to Mont Blanc when is comes to reliability, leakiness, etc.

Pelikan M200 GREEN MARBLE Fountain Pen-Broad

Excellent Pen for the money; smoother than most similarly priced pens. The one drawback is the small size of the 200 which makes it more difficult to hold comfortably for those with arthritic and/or large hands. In that case the 600 or 800 (and similar size pens)will be much better, particularly if writing a lengthy exposition such as a Blue Book or professional exam. Of course, they cost quite a bit more but you do get an even better nib and stronger construction. I have generally found Pelikan pens to be superior to Mont Blanc when is comes to reliability, leakiness, etc.

Pelikan Souveran 400 Black/Green GT Fine Point Fountain Pen - 994855

I have a small fountain pen collection and I'm fortunate enough to own some of the world's best pens, including Montgrappa, Montblanc, Delta and many others.

While not as elite as some, I have always liked the Pelikan pens. They hold up to day-to-day use, and are generally solid performers with few shortcomings.

The Pelikans come in three different sizes ranging from oversized to one that would be appropriate for a woman. I usually prefer this one, which is the middle size...it handles well without feeling too bulky in my hand. It's simple to use...ink filling is a standard piston-type affair, or you can use the supplied adapter to have it work with standard cartridges if you don't like to draw your ink from the bottle.

One other positive is that it's an easy pen to clean. I rotate through my pen collection, using one for a few months and then moving on. Thus, many of my pens sit unused for months at a time, and I prefer to drain and clean them rather than leaving ink in the pen. The Pelikan makes this fairly easy by just running water through the filling system.

With fountain pens, everything comes down to the feel of the nib on the page. Some inexpensive pens have a "scratchy" feel, or tend to skip across the page leaving blank spots because the ink didn't get fed quickly enough. I usually like a fine point, which sometimes makes this tendency worse. The Pelikan excels in this area, with a nib that feels "right" as it glides across the paper, and the ability to put down a smooth, consistent line of ink. Everyone's writing style is different, but to me, the Pelikan feels every bit as good as some pens costing five times as much.

As for inks, I tend to load mine with Pelikan's blue. It lasts a long time and dries quickly on the page. I've noticed some other brands of ink tend to have a gritty feel, or flake off the page in small bits after drying. The Pelikan inks have none of these problems and they tend to be among my favorites.

Overall, highly recommended

Pelikan M150 BLACK Fountain Pen-Fine

I bought this beautiful pen off Amazon.com. I have some other pens, some of which cost $100-350. Pelikan writes better than any of them. It's writing is very smooth and effortless. Excellent finishing and mehanisms. The only thing I was disappointed about is that this pen is about 0.5 inch shorter than a standard size pen. Not a significant problem but I wish it was little larger. Anyhow, this pen immediately catches peoples eyes and they comment me for this "fancy", "beautiful" and "classic" pen.
It is a piece of German manufacturing excellence.