I picked up THE pen yesterday - the Pelikan M450, which I have coveted ever since I saw it online a couple of years ago. At a cost of around US$450 I was resigned to only admiring it from afar (it’s not even available here in Perth, Western Australia). What changed? The little windfall from selling our house!
I tried very hard to find someone local (or even Over East) to sell me this pen, but the only vendor who responded quoted a price of AU$1030, and that was minus postage and handling and insurance. After much investigation I ended up buying my pen from Richard Binder in the US. I chose Richard because:
- he has a good reputation among pen fanatics online
- his price was quite good (US$380). I also ordered a couple of nib inserts for my Namiki Vanishing Point pen, and the grand total, including insurance, was US$450 (around AU$576!)
- he tests each pen and adjusts it prior to delivery (he’s also a pen restorer and repairer)
The postie actually tried to deliver the pen on Wednesday, while I was at work. I didn’t have the time to go to the post office until Saturday morning (imagine the anticipation!).
The pen was very well wrapped - no rattling whatsoever in the box. Besides the pen and the nibs, Richard also included a blotter and some instructions on using the pen.
It’s a beautiful pen that feels right in my hand. The nib is very smooth and feels very good on paper.
I’m going to enjoy using this pen very much, assuming I can stop admiring it…
