Brand Feature: Pelikan

Pelikan is a consistent favourite at Laywine’s. Not only do many members of our team own and use Pelikans on a daily basis, but many customers walk through our doors specifically to see the latest addition to the lineup.

Pelikan attracts just the right amount of attention. While those who do thorough research bring Pelikan up as a name they keep hearing again and again, others are introduced to the brand at our pen counter and never look back. Pelikan is the kind of brand that deserves all established and newfound attention. Their gold nibs write beautifully, the pens are low-maintenance despite the price tag, and the piston-fill is expertly engineered.

Let’s take a look at what makes Pelikan, Pelikan.

Nearly 200 Years of Excellence

Pelikan dates back to 1838. Starting as an ink company in Hanover, Germany, Pelikan quickly became a leading innovator in their field. The founder of Pelikan, Carl Hornemann, handed over the company to his daughter’s husband, Fritz Beindorff, in 1895. It was at that point that copying, stamping, sticking, and erasing products were added to the lineup. The Beindorff family remained in leadership until the 1970s.

Through the decades, the company continued to grow, as did its factory and team. Poster competitions, school programs, expansion into new products – Pelikan was well on its way as an established and respected brand when, in 1929, they introduced their very first fountain pen, sporting the trademark green marbled band, and exhibiting the “differential” piston-fill mechanism after having bought the patent and brought the design to life, for which they are still renowned today. Initially known as the manufacturer of educational and artistic supplies, Pelikan is now a leader in the fountain pen industry.

Since then, they have expanded their pen lineup, moved factory locations, and continued to deepen their mission in education and fine writing instruments.

Fun fact: The iconic Pelikan logo was designed in 1873 by Günther Wagner. It was based on his family coat of arms! The image of the pelican with its four chicks is the oldest trademark registration in all of Germany, being registered on November 27, 1878.

The Starting Lineup

Pelikan offers a range of pens that can be found in our pen counter. The Souverän series comes in a range of sizes. For those with smaller hands, there is the M400. And for those looking for something heftier, the series runs up to M1000. There is a Pelikan for every kind of hand, and every kind of writer.

The M1000 fountain pen is the flagship of the Souverän series, which encompasses their most recognizable and sought-after pens. While on the larger side, the M1000 is balanced expertly, with a brass piston-fill mechanism that is also found in the M800, allowing the pen to comfortably sit in the crook of your hand. 

Visually, Pelikan shows off an iconic design that can, and will, be spotted from across the room by those who know a thing or two about high-end fountain pens. The black cap, gold or palladium trim, and the clip shaped like a pelican’s beak all come together to build the traditional yet wholly unique pen. You have your choice not only in size, but in colour as well. In addition to the iconic green stripes, Pelikan offers red, blue, white, black, and a number of special editions.

Pelikan pens are assembled by hand. All nibs are made in-house and are then tested to ensure smooth ink flow. Quality control makes Pelikan stand out. Nibs are cut from 14k or 18k gold sheets. Pelikan nibs tend to run wet, but they rival the absolute best in terms of precision without being scratchy. Their larger nibs also tend to have a lot of flex, so an EF on an M1000 can be used as such, or, with a little pressure, can be used as an F. Some other pens may be hard to clean and maintain, but Pelikans have removable nib units, making cleaning easy, and nib swaps possible.

Aside from the nib, people keep returning to Pelikan for that famous piston-fill mechanism. Just as the nibs can be highlighted for their reliability and consistency, the piston-fill has been perfected through the ages. The barrel is larger compared to other pistons, so you get a deep fill after one go.

Special Editions: Art Collection and Toledo

As other brands continue to pop up and deepen their offerings, Pelikan remains relevant through their special editions.

Now in their 3rd edition, the Art Collection looks back at the rich visual history that defined this brand and set the standard for promoting one’s products through use. At the turn of the 20th century, Pelikan actively engaged artists to bring their visual history to life through advertising posters created with the Pelikan inks that all have come to know and love. We have recently brought in the newest installment to this series, the Georg Tippel fountain pen, which draws on Tippel’s 1898-99 Pelikan poster competition submission featuring the nurturing pelican and the swirling clouds in the distance.

The Art Collection is made using the “Aurora Process” finishing system. This barrel-making technique involves engraving a brass tube in guilloche (thin grooves), covering it with ten layers of lacquer, polishing to a smooth surface, printing the art on the pen, and polishing the whole thing one last time. The result is a shimmering, holographic effect, that gives the showcased art another layer of dimension.

The Toledo is the flagship model of Pelikan. The Toledo is created through the “Damascus” method, which originated in Toledo, Spain, and involves hammering gold into etched sterling silver. The material is then oxidized, allowing the silver to turn black and the gold to shine. Etchings are then made by hand. Pelikan adopted this method in 1931, and has preserved the technique to modern day. With only 50-200 pieces made each month, it is a writing instrument that is coveted and collected. Each Toledo is a small piece of art and history. Paired with an 18k nib and Pelikan’s piston-fill mechanism, it’s hard to look away from a Toledo.

Why We Love It

At Laywine’s, we practice what we preach. Our recommendations not only come from knowing our inventory, but from personally owning many of the products you will see on our shelves. Ask any staff member, and they are likely to have a few pens on them, ready to take a quick note. It is not a lie when we say many of us carry Pelikans on a daily basis.

One of the reasons we love Pelikan is that their pens come in different sizes. You are not stuck with one model or one size. Everyone has their preference in terms of weight, size, and simply how a pen feels in the hand. Pelikan makes it possible for everyone to find the perfect pen for them.

We also love how low-maintenance Pelikans are. With the threaded nibs, cleaning is an easy task. The piston-fill is ever-reliable and also easily cleaned. To say it simply, Pelikan is not fussy. It is a consistent pen, it showcases that expert German engineering, and it is a no-brainer for an everyday carry.

The nibs are the true stars, and if you ask any of us, that will probably be the first thing we say: I love how it writes. While aesthetics are important, the true measure of whether or not you will use your fountain pen is whether you like how it puts ink onto the page.

This may be the first time you’re hearing of Pelikan, or you may be nodding along with every word. Either way, the fact remains that Pelikan is a beloved brand that we all keep returning to again and again. And when you find yourself not just buying, but using the nice thing regularly, that feels like a worthy investment.