Review by Laura Cameron
As I said a few weeks ago, when I laid eyes on the Pelikan M205 Star Ruby, I knew I wanted it right away. It wasn’t just the color, but the sparkle that got me! I’m happy to say I wasn’t disappointed.
The M205 Star Ruby is Pelikan’s Special Edition Demonstrator Pen for 2019, and is paired with a matching Edelstein ink of the same name. The M205 is at the less expensive of the Pelikan line, coming in at an MSRP of $210 and available many places for $168. I bought mine from Vanness Pen Shop (pen & ink set for $188)!
The M205 Star Ruby is a demonstrator pen with a piston filling mechanism. The body is inspired by the beautiful of the “star ruby” gemstone and features a special crystal effect that makes the pen sparkly and shiny without obvious glitter or other elements. It is subtle, but beautiful. The pen is finished off with chrome rings in silver and of course the signature Pelikan finial.
This time I decided to try a Pelikan EF nib (standard nibs are available in EF, F, M and B) and see how I liked it. I’ve come to find that in Japanese pens, EF tends to be a bit too fine and scratchy for me, but Pelikan is known for broader Western-style nibs, so in this case it gets me what I approximate as a Japanese fine to medium, and I love it.
The M205 is a really nice pen. I had no problem filling it with ink and it wrote right away and was super smooth! While I wasn’t 100% sold the last time I reviewed an M600, it may have been a nib issue because this time I love the feel.
Overall, I’m super pleased with both the quality and feel of this pen. If this is something that catches your eye, I’d say go for it! It is a limited edition so supplies won’t last forever.
- Paper: Ghost Paper Notebook ($25)
- Pen: Pelikan M205 Star Ruby (Pen & Ink set for $188)
- Inks: Pelikan Edelstein Star Ruby (50ml for $28.00)
DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided to us free of charge for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
The EF nib is not available from Vanessa’s Pen Shop? At least it is not listed on the order page jst 3 nibs are available, F M and B
Thanks for you work
Bob
Vanness may just be out of stock at the moment. You can call or email and ask if they are getting any EF nibs in stock.
Great review, Laura! You photos do a good job of showing off the subtle sparkles, too. I think lots of people have had experiences similar to yours when it comes to Pelikan gold nibs vs. steel. Often, the gold nibs seem to just have a big blob of tipping material on their nibs, while the steel nibs are more interesting to write with. Pelikan’s steel nibs usually have a very nice feel and just the right touch of feedback. That’s been my experience, anyway. I’d also agree with your assessment of their nib widths; they generally run a size bigger than lots of other nibs. That has been pretty consistent across my flock as well.