[Pen/Pencil Review] The Pelikan School Fountain Pen – Right Handed, Fine Point

This week’s review is the Pelikan School Fountain Pen – fine point, right handed. Yes, it says so on the box . I’ve used Pelikan inks for a long time since the ink cartridges also work in Waterman fountain pens and many other pens that use the small cartridges – except they come in much larger cartridges.

Anyway, I’ve liked the inks. Haven’t really had much experience with the Pelikan line of pens mostly due to cost, but when you have a JetPens.com Wish List and a major gift giving holiday (Christmas), things can happen. This one is no exception, Pelikan really likes their work and has the price tags to prove it.

There are things to like about the Pelikan School fountain pen, and there are some pretty “meh” things about it. For a lot of people the Pelikan School fountain pen will be too wide in diameter to be comfortable. I kind of like that. The Ergonomic grip is vaguely triangular to let you find a comfortable, and probably “correct” holding grip. The pen is 5.5″ long capped and 6″ long with the cap posted – which makes it long enough to be comfortable. The ink is good and doesn’t bleed or feather, even on notebook paper.

However, the “meh” outweighs the good. The “fine point” nib is actually more of a medium width. So it’s wider than I like. It does have minor leaking issues. I used it all one day and ended up with ink on my arm. I currently have ink beaded on the nib. And the cap does not feel secure when posted. You have to jam it hard on the back end of the pen, and even then it feels wobbly.

I will use it. It’s a serviceable pen, comfortable to write with, but it’s not one I “go to”. It’s a decent pen. It’s not a great pen. But that’s supposed to be part of it – it’s supposed to be a workhorse, not great pen to teach younger people – students – to love fountain pens. And it can do that, just not well or cheaply.

Grading:
1. How does it write? – 0.5 – for a fine point, it’s too wide – like a medium nib. But it writes smoothly
2. Grip and feel – 0.5 – the grip is to teach proper holding, I think, and you can get the grip to be comfortable, but it’s probably on the wide side (diameter) for most people. Especially younger people or those with small fingers. But it is long enough to be comfortable. It’s pretty well balance and proportioned.
3. Material – 0.5 – for what it’s supposed to be, the plastic is sturdy. The nib could be better – there’s some leaking. It is completely plastic. There’s nothing super solid about any of it.
4. Overall Design – 0.5 – the cap design could be better. It could post more securely. The length and balance are okay. I like the lime green and silver color scheme.
5. Price Point – 0 – yeah, this is the kicker. For all it’s a decent pen. I could see it see it being used for students, but not at $18.40 on JetPens. I balk NOW at that price point. I would’ve NEVER bought it as a student. There are other “student” fountain pens out there that are equal in quality but much less expensive.

Overall – 2 Bronze Pencils out of 5.

Tags: fountain pen, Pelikan, Pelikano, pen, writing instrument