While the Pelikan M205 Moonstone Fountain Pen Set (€123.14) was supposed to be the “Ink of the Year” for 2020, due to the pandemic, the pen and ink shipped late in the calendar year. This is not such a bad thing as Pantone chose grey was one of the two colors chosen as “Color of the Year” for 2021. Way to be ahead of the curve, Pelikan!
The M200-series feature stainless steel nibs. This makes the M200-series the least expensive of their “Souveran” pen line. The set, with ink, purchased for the EU is considerably cheaper than buying it domestically because of some weird pricing strategies for the US and North American market.
The Pelikan Moonstone is available in a range of nibs sizes and also as a ballpoint if your fountain pen collection has reached critical mass.
After my fuss about pen companies (that should not be named) that do not include converters with pens over $50, I am inclined to prefer piston pens which do not require converters. As such, the M205 is one of the best “next step” pens when you are looking to upgrade to a more upscale fountain pen.
The Star Ruby M205 was a huge success last year so Pelikan played it safe and made the Moonstone M205 in a similar translucent plastic embedded with glitter. To be honest, I like the look of the Moonstone, even more than the Star Ruby. The Moonstone 205 has a subtle bling to it where the Ruby is much flashier.
The Pelikan M205 Moonstone Pen and Ink Set (€123.14) ships in a paperboard box and includes the pen and a full bottle of the Pelikan Edelstein Moonstone ink.
Upon close inspection, the microfine sparkles embedded in the translucent grey material are opalescent creating a sort of stardust effect. This effect definitely reinforces the gemstone vibe that Pelikan set out with the naming and theme of the inks.
The nib is steel but the M200-series steel nibs from Pelikan are some of the softest steel nibs I’ve used. Early in my fountain pen days, they were too soft for me but over the years, my writing style has changed. I think I write with a lighter touch and are therefore more able to appreciate the Pelikan steel nib. Depending on your writing style, the softness of this nib may be difficult for some writers to use.
It’s not a flex nib but if you write with a heavy hand, it is possible to choke the ink flow.
The Ink:
Pelikan Edelstein Moonstone is a pleasant change in the “ink of the year” from this ink line. The color is a beautiful mid-range, cool-neutral grey. It’s dark enough to be legible even in a fine nib but not so dark that it starts to look like a faded black.
Performance-wise, the ink is smooth and largely odorless. (Some inks have a distinct smell and I don’t notice any with the Pelikan Edelstein inks).
When used with a large folded nib, the shading and range of shading is stunning. It reminds me of the range of color of the moon in photos from the Apollo program.
There is a little color shifting in the ink between a cool blue and a warm golden undertone.
In regular writing samples, even with the M205 EF, the ink is still legible. With slightly wider nibs, the ink color really starts to show its character.
This close-up image shows the slight flex of the nib as well as the non water-proofiness though the ink does stain the paper just a bit. The shading it visible quite well here.
On Tomoe River paper, the ink appears slightly darker and the swatch shows a bit more of the color-changing effects.
When compared to other grey ink options, there are a lot of similar shades. Lamy Agate has a greenish undertone that makes it notably different. Montblanc Heritage Spider Metamorphosis Web Grey is more blue-violet in its undertone. Montblanc Oyster Grey is slightly darker. Kaweco Smokey Grey is probably the closest match.
Tools:
- Paper: Rhodia Uni-Blank No. 16 with 6mm guide sheet, Curnow Backpack Notebook, Col-o-ring Folio (available soon)
- Pens: Pelikan M205 Moonstone with EF nib (comes as a set with full 50ml bottle of ink for €123.14 or individually for €114.46), Toronto Pen Company PENtastic folded pens (C$60.00)
- Swatches: Col-o-Ring Ink Testing Book ($10) & Col-o-dex Rotary Cards ($15)
- Ink: Pelikan Edelstein Moonstone (€14.05 for 50ml bottle)
DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided by Appelboom for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
Hi Ana,
When Pelikan announced the Moonstone, I knew I’d have to get the pen and ink. I got mine from an online seller in Germany. It has a broad nib. I’d never tried a Pelikan broad, and love it so much more than the fine and medium nibs I’ve had (I am right-handed). When I take a photo with flash, wow the sparkles are amazing.
I hope you get to keep the Moonstone set. I’m so glad I got mine.
I ordered the pen and ink separately cause my favorite pen shop didn’t get the ink till later. Can’t wait to try them out together! I’m such a sucker for their pen/ink of the year and I’m not afraid to admit it.
I could be wrong about this but I’m pretty the m200/m205 isn’t considered part of the souveran line, and is instead labeled either the traditional or the classic?
always love me a cool grey ink so may nab that; I think the idea of the pen is cool but, maybe because I’m used to sailor pens, the glitter in the pelikan seems way too dense
The glitter is densely packed but very tiny. More like shimmer than glitter.
As for the whole Souveran thing, I pulled this bit of info from Appelboom web site so I’ll check with Pelikan’s Perch and get my facts straight.
Dear Desk – I’m starting to look around for a wax seal, and I’d LOVE one that was a fountain pen nib! If you ever feel like branching out into wax seals maybe that could be your first design… 🙂 They don’t seem to exist anywhere else…
i just saw this review because i am in the market for a medium grey heavy shading ink… It’s currently between Moonstone and Diamine Silver Fox. Some reviews say that the moonstone is drier. any thoughts? Thanks!!
The Edelstein inks are a little drier overall than Diamine and Moonstone a bit more than other colors. Knowing that Pelikan pens tend to be wet nib writers, it makes sense.
Thank you… that helps a lot.