Pelikan Souverän M800 Burnt Orange

The Pelikan Souverän line is well known and a sought after model. It uses the dependable differentiated piston the company launched in 1929. The thread system allows the internal part to turn faster than the turn of the knob at the end of the pen. This gives a smooth fast draw of ink.

The Souverän line began with the "400" back in 1950. It was issued at a time when the company was re-establishing itself. The original striped sleeve became and still remains a worldwide symbol for the brand. It was not until the 1980s Pelikan used the name Souverän for this line of pens..

The M800 came out in 1987 as part of the company's launch into the premium pen market. After going into receivership in 1982, and being taken over by the Swiss Company, Condorport, in 1984, and then in 1996 Goodace of Malaysia became the majority stockholder. The M400 was re-launched in 1982, after basically not being in production since 1970. It was a hit.

I have been a fan of Pelikan Souverän line for some time. Recently, with the changes in pricing for the pens in Canada, they have become unafordable. I am not sure what the disributor is trying to achieve, but in Canada, the pen is listing for about $1,000 CDN and avaialbe are around the $940 CDN price point. A price point too high in my view. When I see the pens in European stores for about $740 CDN, the store owners all respond: so that is why we are doing such good on-line sales!

So on my September 2016 visit to Novelli Pen in Rome, I went through my normal ritual of looking at the various pens, Marco carrying a try to put the pens of interst, and then to return to the counter and try out the various pens, and try to narrow down my selection. This year I had pick too many that I just "must have". When I indicated that perhaps I would select the M800 Burnt white on my visit next year (there is good advance planning), Marco indicated he only had two left and the pens were no longer available - this was one of the Special Editions with a defined production run. So that moved this pen to the top of the list!

Burnt white Special Edition

Pelikan issued the Burnt white Special Edition in September 2015. It is the standard M800 model well known for its quality and size. The body is a beautiful white tone, terra cotta, burnt white and drark brown tones made of resin. The piston twist and nib section are also in the very dark brown colour. From a distance it looks black, but as light hits the pen the rich brown towns emerge. All similar to the previous Special Edition, Tortoiseshell Brown.

The nib is the excellent 18kt two-toned gold nib. It is available in Extra Fine, Fine, Medium and Broad (according to the Pelikan web site). I selected by with a Broad nib. I debated about having a Double Broad nib, and wrote with the pen. I found the particular Double Broad available a little too broad, a decision I may regret as I understand the Double Broad nib is no longer being made by Pelikan.

The gold-plated trim looks warm and appoopriate to the brown and white tones of the pen.

The pen come in the regular Pelikan pen box, a cardboard based box with a leatherette/vinyl pen wrap inside. Too bad they did not link this pen with a special colour of ink. The Edlestein line of inks does comes in a white and a burnt white colour would have really made this a special product.

I have a number of M800's in my collection. I find the size of pen is very well suited to my hand. The pen closed in 5.44" in length, and when capped, the way I write with all my pens, it is a good 6.74".

The piston pulls a good quantity of ink, 1.2 ml so the pen can be filled up, and there is a good long writing time before it is needed to be refilled again. Like the majority of the M800s, there is no ink-view window. I only have that in some of my older Black M800s. It is a feature that I like.

 

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Pelikan

M800, Burnt Orange