I must admit I get the impression the M600 model in the Pelikan Souveran catalogue does seem to be overlooked aside from the occasional special edition. The bigger M800 seems to get much more focus, so is this a forgotten pen or just an adjunct in the range.

First off I was leant this pen by Penultimate Dave who only made an unboxing video of it some six years back.

I will admit size wise I was a little surprised. In photos there appears to be a far bigger difference between the the M400, M600, and M800 than in the flesh, though I do notice the caps make a difference. Uncapped there is only a slight increase in length and girth between each model. Note I am aware I am using a M200 not a M400 in my photos and that is not classed as a Souveran fountain pen as it does not have a gold nib. Now I actually returned this pen to Dave at our Pelikan Hub and there I was further surprised just how close the M400 and M600 are in size as I was passed a pouch containing a number of both and struggled to tell the difference by the top of the cap or when uncapped in the hand.

I am a fan of the turquoise stripes and they do go very well with white. There is something about the combination of stripes with the white that reminds me of regattas (no I have never taken part in one) and yachting. It looks smart. Sure there is no ink window with the striped Pelikan piston pens and also here the dark lines are not transparent so there is no easy way to check the ink level. The turquoise stripes also have a luminescence to them reminding me almost of old school candy such as Everton mints or humbugs (though obviously blue). The one downside to using white for the section/grip area is it does show up trapped ink and can be very hard to clean, especially in the threads, and that is certainly the case here.

The cap is the traditional Pelikan shape for the last 40 years when it was made slightly more angular for the new top end Souveran range. The lowest of the cap bands has Pelikan, Souveran, and Germany pressed in to it. The cap finial hosts the brand logo of the pelican feeding a chick and I believe you can actually date models depending on what you see. The clip is the traditional (wonder how many times I will use that word in this piece) pelican bill shape and it works well despite being smooth on the underside.

The cap will post and does so deeply, so the actual length of the pen in the hand is not increased by that much (I should have taken measurements). Also due to the way it sits it does not back weight the pen that much though it does shift the balance point slightly towards the rear.

Now traditionally I have a problem with Pelikan piston fillers due to the shape and length of their sections. I instinctively pull the pens inwards, pinching the fingers, and causing discomfort then cramp. After some experimentation I found that by holding the pen further back, partly on the threads, I could get round this and write with no problems. I may have to try a M800 and a M1000 again to see if the same trick works with those. Having said that it did mean the tipping was at a lower angle to the paper than I am used to.

Nib wise you either love or dislike the feel of the Pelikan 14k gold nibs on the M400, M600, & M800. These are smooth to write with but also rather stiff, meaning those like me who like bouncy nibs and those who like the pencil like feel of Sailor pens will not be fans, but otherwise there is a good reason why Pelikan pens are so popular. Looks wise they are rather attractive and it is a formula Pelikan have not played with for a good long time. In the test write you will see some skipping on one l, not sure what caused this as the pen was generally flawless while in my hands.

This is the point where I normally detail what the filling system is. Of course unless you are new to the brand then you will know the M in the model name means piston (and yes P means cartridge/converter ….). Now Pelikan has a reputation of producing some of the best piston mechanisms on the market and also supposedly used to make them for Mont Blanc. I am sure in the past the M600, M800, and M1000 came with all metal pistons, but apparently while it is still a brass body the rods are now plastic.

Of course cleaning wise piston fillers can be a pain, however on most if not all of the Souveran range you can unscrew the nib and the M600 is no exception. Sure it still means lots of soaking and holding under running water for the nib section, but the reservoir is a lot easier to clean.

Cost wise the M600 range appears to have resisted the gradual price creep of the M800 and M1000 and generally seems to come in around the £320-400 mark depending on model and store. This sits about a quarter to third of the way between the costs of the M400 and M800. Some bargains can be had if you are willing to hunt for them and are not fussy about the finish.

So my thoughts. Well I am not quite sold on the M600 but due to my personal tastes. Sure I can get a comfortable writing grip but I had to think about it each time. With a pen of this length it is not intuitive, especially as mind knows and can see a suitably sized grip section. Also it is just a little too thin for me, making the M800 model a potentially better option for me if I like the style of nibs. Oddly enough the M1000 nib feels softer, more bouncy (it is 18k not 14k) so my only reason for avoiding these in the past (back when they were some what cheaper) was I still pulled the pen inwards when holding it.

What do I think of this particular pen? Well I do like the looks, as mentioned earlier the colour combination harks back to a more gentle carefree time (if you were well to do). I had inferred blazers, but I can also see the turquoise and white stripe combination in my mind from 1920s and 1930s paintings of Mediterranean beaches, such as Nice.

Would I recommend the M600 model to others? Well I would actually recommend trying to hold a M400, M600 and M800 all at the same time and seeing which works best for you, particularly with the difference in costs. There is not that great a difference in size in each step and you may find the M600 suits you much better than the more expensive M800, but the conversely you may find the smaller and slightly cheaper M400 is the best bet.

Pros:

• Attractive pen.
• Distinctive Pelikan Pens look.
• Attractive nib.

Neutral:

• Nib feel may not be to everyone’s taste.
• Short grip section.
• May be a little too narrow for some.

Cons:

• White threads can be very hard, if not impossible, to clean.

Writing Sample:

Comparison Photos:

First with a M200 and a M800 (latter was leant to me but I did not have time to review).

Now with the usual Lamy Al-Star/Safari.