Despite being a beloved brand in the fountain pen community, I have to admit, I’ve never been overly interested in Pelikan pens. Whilst I like their general profile, I find most of their colourways (eg. all the stripes and tortoiseshell) a little boring, and not my style.

However, if there’s one thing that’s going to sell me on a pen, it’s sparkles and rose gold hardware, which is why I’ve had my eye on the M200 Copper Rose Gold for quite a while. I recently spotted it in the Cult Pens summer sale, and decided the time was finally right to try out my first Pelikan, even if it was still relatively expensive for a steel nibbed pen, at £130.

My first impression upon receiving the pen was mixed. It’s certainly an attractive looking pen with the eye-catching shimmery copper section, large ink window and rose gold nib and clip. But I was also a little disappointed with how cheap it felt for quite a pricey pen.

It’s very lightweight, which isn’t necessarily a mark of cheapness (my Sailor Pro Gear Slim is equally lightweight!), but the plastic also felt quite flimsy, and comparable to some much cheaper pens. 

However, I was glad to find that the pen really grew on me as I started to use it. The piston fill mechanism worked smoothly when I filled it up with Diamine Autumn Oak (a lovely match!), although I had a slight panic when some of the ink got into the white threads, and proved a little tricky to remove (white pens are always a bit of a nightmare!). Once I started writing with it though, I found it to be a really enjoyable experience, and I started to get over my initial bad impression.

It is quite a small pen, so wouldn’t be ideal for everyone, but for me it’s a nice size. I chose a fine nib, and it’s nice and smooth, although perhaps not quite as juicy as I expected from everything I’d heard about Pelikan’s nibs. 

One thing that did throw me off a little is that it only takes a half turn to screw the cap back on, and there’s no definitive click to let you know the cap is secured. I’ve had the pen for a few weeks now and have had no problems with it drying out though, so presumably it is in fact very secure and airtight. 

Overall, this isn’t my favourite pen I’ve ever bought, but I am happy with my first venture into the Pelikan brand. It is expensive for a steel nib pen, and at first glance the quality perhaps doesn’t match the price tag. But it’s a nice looking pen that writes perfectly, and I’m glad to have it in my collection, even if I don’t think I’ll be rushing out to buy any more Pelikans for the foreseeable future.

So what do you think of the Pelikan M200? Are you a Pelikan fan?