It is easy to understand why we see so many people reaching out and asking for a Pelikan m150 vs m200 comparison due to both pens being so similar to each other when it comes to their performance, price tag, and functionality. As we always try to publish content to help our readers make the best choices for their needs, we have decided to publish this article going over our ultimate Pelikan m150 vs m200 comparison.
Our goal is to go over the pens in as much detail as possible to help you choose the correct pen for your situation. Although the Pelikan m200 is the more popular pen and probably the better option for most of our readers, the Pelikan m150 does have its place in the market although its market is a smaller niche than the m200’s target market.
We have our comparison table below putting the m150 and the m200 head to head comparing some of their core stats for the main features on a fountain pen. We always try to share a comparison table for any fountain pen comparisons to save our readers time but as usual, we also have our full deep dives on each pen below the comparison table. Although it does take longer to read the full break down, it does offer a ton of information on both of these pens that maybe helpful.
Pelikan M150 Vs M200 Head To Head
As you can see from our comparison table above, the Pelikan m200 is our primary recommendation to our readers as we feel that it will be able to meet the vast majority of peoples needs from a fountain pen at this price point in the market. The slightly smaller length of the Pelikan m150 makes a surprising difference if you have average or large hands and we would only recommend the m150 to any of our readers with smaller hands.
Additionally, the official nib selection range for the Pelikan m150 is limited and although there are some third-party nib brands making aftermarket nibs for the m150, the m200 nibs are interchangeable with the Pelikan m400. This opens up the aftermarket nib selection for your m200 allowing you to have official Pelikan obliques and double broads that have the same high build quality of the nib the comes with your m200. If you do opt for the m150 then you will have to go with a third-party brand for the same nib selection that may have lower quality and a poor writing experience.
Pelikan M200 Review
Starting off our deep dive by taking a more detailed look at the extremely popular Pelikan m200 that just keeps on going from strength to strength amongst the community. As we touched on above, the m200 is our primary recommendation to our readers as it is targeted at a wider market share meaning that it is ideal for more people. The price difference between the Pelikan m200 and the m150 is minimal too but the larger size and wider nib selection of the m200 make it the better choice for the vast majority of situations.
The Pelikan M200 Nib
As you would expect from a cheaper price point, entry-level fountain pen, the Pelikan m200 comes with a nib that is stainless steel and then plated in gold rather than being solid gold. That said though, as the section on the m200 is the same as the section on the Pelikan m400, you are able to use the 14 carat gold nibs on the Pelikan m200 if you wish.
Depending on what you are wanting out of the pen this can be a big selling point for the m200 as this offers an almost identical writing experience for you as the higher price point m400 while saving you between $50 and $100 depending on the retailer that you purchased the pen from. That said though, if you are just looking for a great writing experience without having to break the bank then the Pelikan m200 is an excellent option.
The design of the standard Pelikan nibs ensure that they have more flex and spring in them than other brands on the market meaning that the stainless steel nibs from Pelikan perform in a similar way to some low carat gold nibs from other brands. The high spring level ensures that you keep the natural movements of your hand when writing with the m200 that can be lost with compeating pens at this price point.
Although the Pelikan m200 is only available with the nib sizes of extra fine, fine, medium, and broad right out the box, you are able to purchase after market, official Pelikan nibs to fit the m200 in double broad and various oblique sizes too. This means that no matter what you are wanting out of the pen, the m200 should be able to deliver scoring it a ton of points over the competition.
Pelikan are a western fountain pen brand with their range being designed and produced in Germany meaning they conform to standard western nib sizing. With western pen brands being the dominant choice in the west, this gives you a good idea of what you can expect from each nib size when moving across to the Pelikan m200 from any other brand of pen.
That said though, Asian pen brands such as Pilot or Platinum do tend to run a size smaller than their western counterparts when when marked as the same nib size. For example, an Asian “medium nib” is usually closer to the size of a western fine nib when actually writing. Keep this in mind if you are used to using an Asian fountain pen brand and adjust your nib size selection accordingly.
All Pelikan pens tend to be wetter writers and although many people prefer a wet writer over a dry writer, depending on your situation, this may present some minor problems. Thankfully though, the main issue if for anyone who is left-handed and writers fast as wet writers tend to smudge but thankfully, there are plenty of high-quality fast-drying inks on the market these days that you are able to use with the m200 to prevent this.
Due to being an entry-level fountain pen, the Pelikan m200 can have some issues with feathering, bleed, ghosting, and scratch. This tends to be more common with the extra-fine or fine nib sizes when using low-quality ink on low GSM paper. Thankfully though, this can be easy to fix too as the cost of premium fountain pen ink and higher, 120 GSM paper has come down over the years helping to keep it in line with the pricing for the m200.
The Barrel Of The Pelikan M200
Although the Pelikan m200 is an entry-level fountain pen, Pelikan have kept to their high standards and used a high-quality resin as the main material for the pen barrel. This helps to push the m200 ahead of come of the competing pens on the market from other brands that choose to use stainless steel, brass, or plastic for their pen barrels in this price point. Resin offers you the advantage of being as tough and robust as brass or steel while also being as light as plastic.
Another thing that helps to score the m200 points over the competing pens in its price point is that it uses a piston filler system for its ink storage and supply rather than an ink cartridge convertor like many competitors. Although some of the higher price point convertor systems on the market are surprisingly good, they do leave much to be desired at this price point and any pen with a piston filler like the m200 will easily push ahead.
The standard Pelikan m200 is available in either black, blue, green, or red with a 24 carat gold trim. There is also the Pelikan m205 variant of the pen that is mechanically the same but comes with the silver trim instead of the gold trim. In addition to this, there are also a large number of special edition Pelikan m200 designs on the market too that all have unique looks to them.
The Pelikan M200 Cap
The cap of the m200 is also made from the same high-quality resin as the body of the fountain pen offering the user the same benefits. In addition to the lightweight and robust nature of the cap though, it has also been perfectly designed to be balanced on the Pelikan m200 when posted too. This allows you to write with the pen normally without having any issues with back weighting detracting from your writing experience.
All fountain pens in the Pelikan M series come with a twist lock cap mechanism as standard too helping too ensuring that once the barrel of the pen is locked into the cap, it will not accidentally come loose and drop off to potentially end up damaged or missing. Although the Pelikan m200 is one of the cheaper fountain pens in the Pelikan M series, we still prefer the twist lock system over the push to lock system to reduce the risk of accidental detachments.
Although the Pelikan m200 has received some criticism from the community about its tougher clip, this is due to the pen having the same clip design as the considerably higher price point models in this range that can cost hundreds of dollars. The clip was designed by Pelikan to ensure that once your fountain pen is clipped to your pocket or to some paper, it will not accidentally give way potentially resulting in loss or damage.
The Ink Reservoir Of The Pelikan M200
The Pelikan m200 is able to hold a maximum ink capacity of 1.2ml of ink bringing it in at 0.2ml above average for its price point in the market. Its ink capacity should be plenty for the vast majority of our readers though and ensure that you have all the ink that you need for your writing without having any problems.
Although Pelikan does recommend that you stick to using their Edelstein ink with the m200 for optimal performance, this does seem to be a marketing ploy to get more money out of you. People all over the globe have used a wide range of inks with the fountain pen without having issues and you are able to get some high-quality, cheap inks that perform just as well as their Edelstein ink while also being available in more colors.
The Pelikan m200 does have an ink view window along the barrel to let you check the current ink levels of the pen and plan your next refill but it can be difficult to see through the window. You are able to hold the pen up to a light to improve the visibility though and most pens from other brands at this price point in the market don’t offer any ink view window so the one on the m200 is definitely better than nothing.
Pelikan M200 Writing Samples
Pelikan M150 Review
Moving on to our deep dive into the Pelikan m150 and although our primary recommendation to our readers is the Pelikan m200, the m150 does have its niche in the market. As we touched on earlier, its smaller size does make it easier to hold for anyone with smaller hands but this definitely can work against the pen for anyone with regular or large hands. Additionally, the lack of official Pelikan aftermarket nibs for the m150 outside of the four standard nib sizes can also hold the pen back for some other people.
The Nib Of The Pelikan M150
Just like the m200, the Pelikan m150 comes with a stainless steel nib that is plated in gold and although the nib is slightly different to the nib on the m200, it still has that flexible design that Pelikan are well known for. This does help score the m150 some points over some competing pens that have a more rigid nib but as the Pelikan m200 has this same advantage, it is not enough to push the m150 ahead.
The fountain pen is available in extra-fine, fine, medium, and broad direct from Pelikan and although there are some third-party brands that have released additional nib sizes such as double broad and oblique options, these tend to be much lower quality than the official Pelikan nibs. If you do want to use an oblique or double broad nib with your pen then go with the Pelikan m200 as it has official Pelikan nib options for both nib types that offer the highest possible build quality.
Although the Pelikan m150 is a wet writer just like the rest of the Pelikan range of fountain pens, it is not as wet as some of the other pens in their M series. Although this can offer benefits to anyone who is left-handed, being closer to a regular writer does slightly detract from the writing experience and increase the level of scratch when writing, especially when writing on cheaper paper. As we touched on earlier in the article though, decent 120 GSM paper is not as expensive as it used to be and can help to reduce the level of scratch from the pen.
Upgrading the paper that you use with your Pelikan m150 can also help to reduce the levels of feathering, bleed, and ghosting when writing with it too. You can also use a decent cheap ink with the m150 to reduce the chances of feathering, bleed, and ghosting even further too but at this price point, some level will always be there.
The Pelikan M150 Barrel
Although the barrel of the m150 is also made from resin like the barrel of the Pelikan m200, it does seem to be lower quality resin and although it does offer the lightweight benefit of resin, it does seem that the resin used on the Pelikan m200 is tougher and of a higher standard. This may push the Pelikan m200 ahead of the m150 for you if you are accident prone and feel that your pen may be subject to a number of accidents and need to be tougher to withstand any punishment coming its way.
The Pelikan m150 also uses a piston filler system rather than a cartridge convertor but again, so does the Pelikan m200. Although the fact that the m150 does use a piston filler helps to score it points over the competition from other brands, it does not score it any points over the m200 preventing it from becoming our primary recommendation to our readers.
Although the Pelikan m150 is also available in the standard black, blue, green, and red as the rest of the M series, the design and combination of the color between the barrel of the pen and the cap are different to the rest of the series. This can add some sway for fountain pen collectors to add one to their collection but for the general user, this probably wont matter at all. Additionally, the lack of special or limited edition m150’s also tends to hold it back for the fountain pen collector community too.
The Cap Of The Pelikan M150
The cap of the m150 is made from the same resin as the barrel of the pen helping to keep it as light weight as possible but again, we feel that the resin used for the m200 will be tougher and have a higher chance of taking any punishment coming its way without breaking. The cap on the m150 is also a twist lock offering the same benefits to the pen as we covered earlier in the article too when compared to a fountain pen using a push lock system.
Due to the re-design of the Pelikan m150, there are essentially two main variants of the pen on the market, the Pelikan m150 (old) and the Pelikan m150. Although they do have some subtle design differences, the main one is the Pelikan logo on the finial of the cap as Pelikan have changed their logo multiple times over the years. Although this has lead to confusion over if a Pelikan pen is real or not, the mother pelican with one, two, or three baby pelicans are all official logos of the Pelikan brand and all appear on variants of the m150 depending on when they were made.
Just like the Pelikan m200 the balance of the Pelikan m150 is flawless and is a testament to the design and engineering process of the Pelikan brand. This helps to ensure that you are able to use either the m200 or the m150 posted without having balancing or back weighting issues that can ruin your writing experience.
The Pelikan M150 Ink Reservoir
The Pelikan m150 has a slightly smaller maximum ink capacity than the m200 coming in at 1.18ml rather than 1.2ml but in the grand scheme of things, this really doesn’t matter much and 1.18ml should easily be enough ink for the vast majority of our readers. It is above average for fountain pens at this price point in the market and if your ink levels do end up getting low then you can quickly and easily refill the m150 as required.
Speaking of ink levels getting low, the m150 has the same issue as the rest of the Pelikan pens in the M series in that it is a pain to see through the ink view window on the pen unless lighting is perfect. That said though, just like the m200, many of the competing entry-level fountain pens at this price point in the market don’t actually offer any form in ink view window so a poorly performing window is better than not having one at all.
Pelikan M150 Writing Samples
Conclusion
That brings our ultimate Pelikan m150 vs m200 comparison article to a close, we hope that you have found it helpful and that we have been able to help you choose the best fountain pen for your needs. As we touched on back at the start of the article though, we feel that the Pelikan m200 is going to be the best option for the majority of our readers due to its larger nib selection and standard sizing making it a better fit for more people.
The Pelikan m150 is a decent pen and it does have a small niche in the market but the m200 is simply a better fountain pen with a minimal price difference. If you do have smaller hands, only need the standard nib sizes, and are on a tight budget though, the m150 may be the better option for your situation but the majority of people will be better off going with the Pelikan m200.
