I grew up in the 60's when we all used Sheaffer cartridge FP's to learn to write. We weren't allowed to use BP's. I graduated to a Parker 45, heady stuff for a kid back then, then more FP's through college in the 70's, and just never quit using them. Now, along comes a generation of people fascinated with them like they're a fashion accessory! I still own around 75 FP's and yes, Pelikan makes a great FP, especially because of the interchangeable nibs. If you use an FP like it was designed, sooner or later you're going to have an accident. It's just laughable-I have loved typewriters for all these decades, too, and all of a sudden they're so artistic, so chi-chi, and I own 30+ of those also! Maybe I'm just retro-guy. . . Richard in Texas
@ Richard in Texas, I agree with you. If I see one more magazine photoshoot of somebody's house where there's an old typewriter sitting on display next to a goldfish bowl, I'm gonna scream. As for pens, I met a customer the other day who told me he had over a hundred fountain pens...and he doesn't use them to write with. He just looks at them and admires them. More power to him, I suppose, but for me, these things that I acquire get used.
@ notagain, thanks! It IS a pleasant pen to look at. Writes nice, too.
Nice write-up. And I like the way you've photographed and cropped the images in your blog to make the piece work, very descriptive.
I have a Pelikan M100 that I love to use, along with a Lamy Safari with piston cartridge. FPs are special to use, as compared to BPs and gel pens, but for me it's not always about the quality of writing or convenience. Gel pens, for instance those Pilot retractable ones, write so nicely, yet they're so symbolic of our throw-away society. A FP requires some special care when transporting and using as a daily writing tool, like an heirloom film camera. Their advantage is long-term, like a relationship where the value is in the history you share together.
Love the story of how you judiciously selected this pen, taken inspiration from the Aurora Etiopia (which I'm only now learning about from you; did they discontinue it after the fiasco in the war of Adowa?... which by the way is how my name is most often misspelled...).
The white/ tortoise M400 seems to be a must-have pen for Pelikan aficionados; the color scheme is quite compelling.
@ Adwoa, yes, the Aurora Etiopia is a beautiful pen and they are quite rare (meaning expensive. It's funny that very few brands have brought out a decent white-bodied fountain pen. That's probably what drew me to the M400. Most of my collection was made up of dark colours. Which are great, but since I was heading towards a collection of ten pens, then I wanted to break up the colour scheme a little. I'll have to do a post on the Yellow Sailor 1911 that I have. It's like a banana that you can write with. It would be nice if Pelikan released the same colour combo in the M600 series, just to give the pen a little more weight.
I grew up in the 60's when we all used Sheaffer cartridge FP's to learn to write. We weren't allowed to use BP's. I graduated to a Parker 45, heady stuff for a kid back then, then more FP's through college in the 70's, and just never quit using them. Now, along comes a generation of people fascinated with them like they're a fashion accessory! I still own around 75 FP's and yes, Pelikan makes a great FP, especially because of the interchangeable nibs. If you use an FP like it was designed, sooner or later you're going to have an accident. It's just laughable-I have loved typewriters for all these decades, too, and all of a sudden they're so artistic, so chi-chi, and I own 30+ of those also! Maybe I'm just retro-guy. . . Richard in Texas
ReplyDeleteThat is a nice looking pen.
ReplyDelete@ Richard in Texas, I agree with you. If I see one more magazine photoshoot of somebody's house where there's an old typewriter sitting on display next to a goldfish bowl, I'm gonna scream. As for pens, I met a customer the other day who told me he had over a hundred fountain pens...and he doesn't use them to write with. He just looks at them and admires them. More power to him, I suppose, but for me, these things that I acquire get used.
ReplyDelete@ notagain, thanks! It IS a pleasant pen to look at. Writes nice, too.
Nice write-up. And I like the way you've photographed and cropped the images in your blog to make the piece work, very descriptive.
ReplyDeleteI have a Pelikan M100 that I love to use, along with a Lamy Safari with piston cartridge. FPs are special to use, as compared to BPs and gel pens, but for me it's not always about the quality of writing or convenience. Gel pens, for instance those Pilot retractable ones, write so nicely, yet they're so symbolic of our throw-away society. A FP requires some special care when transporting and using as a daily writing tool, like an heirloom film camera. Their advantage is long-term, like a relationship where the value is in the history you share together.
~Joe
Love the story of how you judiciously selected this pen, taken inspiration from the Aurora Etiopia (which I'm only now learning about from you; did they discontinue it after the fiasco in the war of Adowa?... which by the way is how my name is most often misspelled...).
ReplyDeleteThe white/ tortoise M400 seems to be a must-have pen for Pelikan aficionados; the color scheme is quite compelling.
@ Adwoa, yes, the Aurora Etiopia is a beautiful pen and they are quite rare (meaning expensive. It's funny that very few brands have brought out a decent white-bodied fountain pen. That's probably what drew me to the M400. Most of my collection was made up of dark colours. Which are great, but since I was heading towards a collection of ten pens, then I wanted to break up the colour scheme a little. I'll have to do a post on the Yellow Sailor 1911 that I have. It's like a banana that you can write with.
ReplyDeleteIt would be nice if Pelikan released the same colour combo in the M600 series, just to give the pen a little more weight.