Just after Pelikan Hub 2025 I started looking at Pelikan pens. At the time, I mistakenly thought I didn’t have one in my collection and of course part of the point of the Pelikan Hubs is influence you just enough to possibly purchase a Pelikan. We were regaled with the newest releases, including an M200 model that matched the Pelikan Edelstein color of 2025 – Apricot Achat.
Of all the Pelikan model M lines, the 200/205* line currently fits in the upper limits of what I am comfortable spending budget wise, especially for a steel nib. My first gold nib pen was roughly the same cost, so a steel nib pen has to really call to me and the new M200 model did not.
National Fountain Pen Day rolled around. As expected, there were a lot of sales going on at the various pen shops both brick and mortar and online. I window-shopped as I often do. Not actually putting things in carts, because those “did you forget something?” emails are creepy. One of my favorite sites to window-shop is Atlas Stationers. Even when there isn’t an event sale they have “door-buster” deals that are fun to go through. So, it wasn’t a surprise to find the M205 model in Rose Quartz (the 2023 Edelstein color) listed as a door-buster. What was surprising was the price. It was under $100. There were two nib sizes available when I first saw the listing – medium and broad – by the time I actually ordered the pen the next day only the broad nib was left, and I was fine with that. There’s a lot you can do with a broad nib if it doesn’t write the way you want.
Ironically, I waited several more weeks after the pen arrived to ink it up because I decided it needed to be inked with the companion ink Edelstein Rose Quartz which I did not own. I’m positive that I can link this decision to the product write-up on Atlas for the pen itself. It included a reference to the ink color in a rather striking manner (unfortunately I can’t quote it because the product page no longer exists) and the imagery stuck in my brain weeks later so kudos to the copy writer because I am not a person that has to be matchy when pairing a pen and ink.
The M205 is piston filler (thus the need for bottled ink) and while I might not be able to see the exact color of ink sloshing around the chamber because of the pink color of the barrel it’s still satisfying to watch.
The picture above doesn’t show the ink properly; the overhead lighting gave the white paper of the Claire Fontaine notebook a cream-color cast and made the ink look brownish. So, it’s not the best representation color-wise but I like the picture regardless. It still shows the shading you get from writing with a broad nib.
I originally drafted this blog post on Rhodia dot paper with the Pelikan M205. I felt only the tiniest amount of feedback writing on the Rhodia paper compared to writing in the Claire Fontaine notebook. Then pen is currently one of 5 pens I’ve inked up for use in January. I like a smooth writing experience and the M205 doesn’t disappoint. And yes, pairing the namesake ink with the pen works well. Which is a good thing because it’s likely the only ink it will ever be inked with now that I have a bottle of it to go through.
Good thing I like the color pink.
-C
Loose Endings Studio 