The first impression of this fountain pen is that it is extremely understated, and it feels like a true writing instrument in the hand. The ink flows flawlessly, and the nib writes incredibly well. In short, the price is justified by the quality of the materials, as it is truly a high-quality pen.
The all-black treatment is what finally sold me on an M809. Barrel, cap, clip, cap band, even the 18kt gold nib — all black, and the pen trades the formal striped-and-gold look for something quieter and more modern. Underneath, it's the M800 everyone raves about: the brass piston gives it satisfying heft, the balance is excellent posted or not, it holds days' worth of ink, and the cap comes off in under a turn.
My only complaint is choosing selecting the tune and smooth nib customization option. For the fine and extra fine nib options don’t do it, it will likely get messed up and more did it came back dry and skippy, nothing like the wet, generous line Pelikan ships. Keep it stock. It's best exactly as it comes.
I got the (B) nib. Having written with a Waterman Expert and Lamy Al-Star, this was a huge step up for me. My worry was naturally, would it be worth it? I have to say, was it ever! It is so smooth, no squeaky noise, I assume thanks to the tune and smooth. That would have driven me nuts. Very juicy nib! I get lost in the absolute joy that is the rhythm of this nib. I find every aspect luxurious and look forward to using it every chance I get. I never grow tired of using it. Going to my other pens, especially the Waterman feels like a very obvious step down. I love the look, the feel, the weight, the nib color, nib bounce, smoothness with just enough feedback to provide a sense of control, the piston fill, ink window, cap. All of it.
As my first “Grail” pen, I couldn’t be happier with my decision. Highly recommend the pen and highly recommended Joost and Appelboom. Thank you! 5 stars across the board on all counts.
Sizable and weighty, but neither too big nor too heavy. Coming from TWSBI pens, I was shocked to see how small the smaller Pelikans were, and then so glad I got this M809. This is the same size as their other M800 pens, but I believe a bit heavier. The piston mechanism is perfectly smooth, and the nib is trivial to remove and clean. The ink window is heavily tinted and blends in perfectly with the black design, while still being functional.
I chose the medium nib, which writes quite well with Appelboom's smoothing and tuning. I initially tried Sailor Manyo Haha Ink in an effort to test out a high shading ink, but I found it to be too dry. Noodler's Polar Blue flows out like a fire hose, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I'll be trying a Diamine / Akkerman ink next.
I've long wanted a Pelikan pen, but the Souverän range looks way overdressed for my tastes. So when the M809 was announced, I immediately desired one. And then there were preorder prices, so I didn't have a choice!
The pen is on the heavy side, due to the metal sleeved barrel, but I think it actually improves the balance compared to the resin models. Amazing finish, and the nib is such a pleasure: the EF has a very nice ink flow, generous, without being overkill.
This is my third Pelikan M 800 series and this one is very nice looking. It’s all black, even the ink window is blackened. I got it with a broad nib and it writes beautifully out of the box. Appelboom service is top notch as usual.
Silent and insurmountable is the vibes just as the other reviews say. Feels heavier in the hand. Thank you Appelboom for the great service and fast shipping as always.
This is a fascinating pen. I’ve been missing a large Pelikan pen in my collection for quite some time now, and when I saw this one, my heart began to sing. I love matte black on my daily carry items, and I could just imagine using this pen together with an ink like Montblanc Corn Poppy Red for the full-on Sith style and spoiler alert - it’s everything I imagined and then some. It’s very pricy, that’s for sure, but for me, it’s worth every penny. The metal sleeve adds some weight which lets the pen just rest beautifully in my hand. It’s a joy to write with. The matte black plated gold nib is also a sight to behold - not the still shiny ruthenium plated nib of my previous all-black favourite, my Visconti Homo Sapiens Dark Age, rather something that just eats up all the light and reflections and thus enhances the visuals of even the most boring of inks. Fully recommended!!
This is a great new design from Pelikan. If you enjoy stealthy black pens that you can use with any ink color and in any setting, this blacked out M809 is calling your name.
The matte black body feels great in the hand and the black trim and blacked out nib are both understated and elegant. This M809 also has something that I believe really elevates it over many other Pelikans as a practical writer - a large ink window that makes it easy to check your ink level with just a glance.
The Pelikan M809 has quickly joined my top 5 most used and enjoyed fountain pens.
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