Newest Acquisitions (Virtual "Show & Tell") ~ part 507

Here's a contemporary Pelikan model I'd never heard of until I spotted it on Amazon.ca earlier this year -- my new Pelikan 'Pina Colada' fountain pen in blue metallic colour!

 (all photos by Maja ~  please click on images to enlarge)[Please excuse my mediocre photos-- I added some cheesy turquoise-y vignette effects to offset the poor natural lighting. Also, the shade of blue in the first photo comes closest to the pen's actual colour; the other photos show it darker than it really is]

 I stumbled across this Pelikan on Amazon.ca back in March and thought I'd give it a go as I'm a big fan of Pelikan's economy fountain pens. It cost me $20.66 CAD (including  $4.99 shipping) from an Amazon seller (who I think is) in Germany.

The 'Pina Colada' fountain pen comes in three colours---anthracite, rosé and blue metallic--and there's also a rollerball version. I'm not sure when this model came out, but the rollerball version was added to Pelikan's assets website in October 2021 and the fountain pen was added in July 2022 (source). I've only seen the 'Pina Colada' mentioned in one Reddit post, so mine might be the first formal online review for this fountain pen!

In terms of dimensions, it's 13.3 cm capped and 12.3 cm uncapped (nib top to barrel end), according to my measurements. The weight of the pen is 14.1 grams (empty), with the cap accounting for 4.9 grams of that weight and the barrel 9.2 grams. It's a pale blue metallic colour and the plastic material used for the cap and barrel is smooth, but lightly-textured; the grip section is grey and rubberized.

Since it's so light in weight, it can be used posted...and that's how I prefer to use it. Although it's a bit long when posted, I find it comfortable to hold and use that way because it's so well-balanced.

The Pelikan name is silk-screened in black onto the base of the cap. The cap top and barrel ends are both flat and unadorned, and the simple brushed metal clip has a "school pen" vibe to it...

...as does the triangular section. It's very comfortable to grip, though, so I'm not complaining!

The steel nib has the current Pelikan logo (a mother pelican and chick) and the nib width (M) marked on it. The pen lays down a line that's a little narrower than some other economy-model Pelikans I own (I've only seen the 'Pina Colada' offered with a Medium nib) and I haven't had any ink flow issues with it. It takes standard international cartridges (long or short) or a standard international converter, and it came with one short Royal Blue ink cartridge.

Above: the 'Pina Colada' and my red Pelikan 'Happy' fountain pen (which was made in 2015)

As you can see, not only are the black plastic feeds different, but the nibs are different, too; the 'Happy' model has a so-called "butterfly nib", with no tipping material, but the 'Pina Colada's nib is tipped. Butterfly nibs are created by folding the nib's tines inwards; you sometimes see them on very inexpensive modern pens and 3rd/4th-tier vintage pens.

Some photos of the original packaging for the pen, showing its suitability for both right- and left-handed users...

Interestingly, the back of the box (at the very bottom) indicates the pen was "Made in Europe". I'm used to seeing "Made in Germany" on Pelikan's packaging, so I'm not sure if this is just their new way of stating the country of manufacture ...or if the pen was made elsewhere in Europe.

I only have one small complaint (and it's truly a minor one) and that's that the pen isn't more colourful. Piña colada drinks -- with their pineapple & cherry garnishes--are colourful and cheery; if I were designing this pen, I'd have added splashes of pale yellow to the cap and barrel, and a dash of red to make the pen "pop" a bit more.

Well, that's all for now. I hope you have a great summer, whether you're going on vacation, or opting for a "staycation"!

(~Blog post by Maja~)