Before I became a Fountain Pen Newbie, I believed that Montblanc was the end-all-be-all for fountain pen lovers. But, the more I fell down the rabbit hole, the more I learned that there are other brands that are loved just as much if not more than Montblanc. One of these brands is Pelikan. I have been hesitant to purchase one because the price point is so steep. But, I finally stepped up to the plate and purchased the m600. [voice of televangelist] I have seen the light! Thank God, I have seen the light!
The original Pelikan company is a legend. Founded in Hanover, Germany in 1838, they invented the differential filling mechanism, which some say they still do better than anyone else. Additionally, the Pelikan logo, designed by an employee, was one of the first German trademarks. After some incredibly bad decision-making during WWII, they went through a period of financial difficulties, eventually going public in 1978. They are still based in Hanover, Germany and are incorporated as Pelican Holding AG.
One of the problems with purchasing a luxury pen, especially one as well reputed as the Pelikan Souveran model, is that you begin your adventure with a preconceived notion of how the writing instrument will perform. When I first inked this pen and began writing with it, my expectations were so high that a letdown was inevitable. With many pens, you need to write with them for a bit and “break them in”. However, after writing with this pen for several days, I am a little disappointed. There is a feedback that, while not as pronounced as some of the other gold nib pens I have (Sailor, Platinum) there is definitely a gritty kind of feedback. I tried this on several different brands of paper. Also, there is a little more stiffness to the nib that I prefer. I have read so many reviews that talk about the awesome smoothness of the Pelikan and the otherworldly writing experience… I mean, it’s an incredibly beautiful pen and obviously well made. But I have several other pens that cost about 1/4 as much that write just as good or better. I have written the manufacturer let them know of my experience and I am awaiting their response. Until then. I will rate this pen as if it is the norm. (Buy Here)
UPDATE: After reading some tips, I cleaned the pen out and re-inked it with a dryer ink (Robert Oster Purple Rock). It is writing much better now. Still not as good as I expected, but good enough to update my ratings.
2/7/2023 UPDATE: I received the replacement nib from Pelikan and I have upgraded my ratings accordingly. I am no longer disappointed… at all.
| Look | 9 |
| Value | 1 |
| Feel of barrel when writing | 9 |
| Feel of the nib on the paper | 9 |
| Quality of manufacturing | 8 |
| Lengthy writing | 9 |
| OVERALL | 7.50 |
FP Newbie 
One response to “Pelikan Souveran m600”
Wow! I have many Pelikans, inexpensive “student pens” all the way up to the M1000, and have not had any writing issues with any of them. You, apparently, have gotten the “one-out-of-a-million” dud!
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