Should I upgrade my Pelikan 200 nibs?

I have a couple Pelikan 200s and a 215. They have the standard steel nibs (some with gold plating that IIRC is cosmetic rather than affecting performance.) They seem to write pretty well, but I only have a Preppy to compare so far, so who knows.

I see that one can buy Pelikan nibs seperately, and some of the more expensive gold nibs for the Souverain models can fit the 200/215 as well. When I get done with shipping and customs &c, I'm probably looking at $100 per nib.

Is this a worthwhile upgrade from a pen performance standpoint? That would be the only reason I'd bother (rather than aethetics or getting goosebumps "because it's gold" ) Would I actually notice a difference?

No, it's not worthwhile unless you find some vintage 400 nib (circa 1950s), the newer M400 nibs are like nails. Great writing nails, though. The older pre-1997 M400 or M250 single-tone 14K nibs would be your most worthwhile upgrade (other than the true vintage) but are getting hard to find nowadays.

A "blind" test of steel v. gold Pelikan nibs would be fun!

Would you notice a difference? Nope, at least not much of one. Modern Pelikan nibs are quite stiff, even the gold ones. The M400 that I've got has the same size nib as your M2xx pens and while it's got a little bit of 'give' I wouldn't consider the difference to be worth so much, especially if you're just keeping it a regular round nib.

nemo said:

No, it's not worthwhile unless you find some vintage 400 nib (circa 1950s), the newer M400 nibs are like nails. Great writing nails, though. The older pre-1997 M400 or M250 single-tone 14K nibs would be your most worthwhile upgrade (other than the true vintage) but are getting hard to find nowadays.

A "blind" test of steel v. gold Pelikan nibs would be fun!

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Groat said:

Would you notice a difference? Nope, at least not much of one. Modern Pelikan nibs are quite stiff, even the gold ones. The M400 that I've got has the same size nib as your M2xx pens and while it's got a little bit of 'give' I wouldn't consider the difference to be worth so much, especially if you're just keeping it a regular round nib.

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Thanks, guys.

So as I understand your comments, and reading between a few lines, the gold nibs are likely to have more flex to them generally, but Pelikan is an exception to that general rule? I guess my pen money would be better spent elsewhere.

Doc4 said:

So as I understand your comments, and reading between a few lines, the gold nibs are likely to have more flex to them generally, but Pelikan is an exception to that general rule?

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Gold nibs CAN be made to have more flexibility to them than steel nibs will allow, but that is not necessarily the case. It just depends on their shape and thickness. It's been my experience, for example, that Pilot/Namiki pens with gold nibs are quite 'soft,' while those from Pelikan are not. Neither is really an inherently better way to do things. It just depends on what you like. The difference in feel between your steel nib and a new gold Pelikan nib would be negligible.

If you want to try something with a VERY different feel from your Pelikan, try the Namiki Falcon. It has one of the softest and springiest nibs available today.

Groat said:

If you want to try something with a VERY different feel from your Pelikan, try the Namiki Falcon. It has one of the softest and springiest nibs available today.

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I had actually been thinking of getting a Japanese pen ... looking at that Falkon as one of the potential choices (well, the "Pilot" version with the metal body, but IIRC essentially the same pen otherwise) ... would a pen like this write well with a fine or extra-fine nib?

Extra fine would give you more variation and be more traditional in the vintage sense. Falcon may be a springy modern nib but before you drop that kind of cash I would consider a vintage pen, like a Mabie Todd, Eversharp Skyline, or Waterman. Something super flexy. Or a vintage Pelikan nib for under $100.

Unless you want to change nib to italic or oblique, I would stay with the M200 nib. The higher end Pelikan nibs are very nice but probably not worth the expense to upgrade.

Just to note what is rarely read between the lines is that steel nibs can have some spring to them as well. My Kaigelu 316 has a nice spring and I can get a controlled variation with it. Nothing like my dip pens, but some flex. It really does depend much more on the shape and thickness of the nib.

Rick

My old Pel m200 had quite the soft nib. Unless you're just looking for improved aesthetics buying a gold nib won't do anything for performance - unless, like was mentioned, you go vintage.

Mabie Todd Swan... Dang what great pens.

And as far as flex - modern nibs aren't made to be flexy, but a couple kind of are.
The Pilot custom line has the FA nib, then there's the Falcon with the soft nibs, which are okay but kinda stiff, and you can also get some gold nibs modified to be flexy. Look up Richard Binder and what he does to Pelikan nibs, Brian Gray of Edison Pens and his modified 14k nibs, and I think John Mottishaw does it too.