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The small and sparkly Pelikan M205 Star Ruby

One of my earlier ‘proper’ pen purchases was a Pelikan M205 in the Aquamarine colour, a tie-in to the Edelstein ink of the year for 2016. It was a sweet little writer, packing a proper piston filler into a tiny package.

This M205 Star Ruby is much the same recipe, following on from the Smoky Quartz and Olivine pens in the past couple of years.

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For your £120 or so you get a steel-nibbed piston filler, made in Germany. Like all Pelikans, the cap twists off quickly and provides a good seal against drying out, and the clip works well.

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The piston is effective and has massive capacity, and the nib unit unscrews for easy cleaning and to swap nibs.

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And like all of the M200 series pens in particular, you’ll find it’s built down to a price: there are noticeable casting marks on the section, for example.

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The big difference here is that the Star Ruby is SPARKLY. Oh so sparkly. The wine-coloured plastic is translucent and evenly saturated with shimmer.

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Under the right light, it goes from a sober dark red (which pairs beautifully with the silver trim) to a rainbow of glimmering. This is a first for Pelikan, and it will really appeal to a certain segment of the market, I’m sure.

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I often have problems with Pelikan nibs. I’m pleased to report that the fine nib here is free of problems and actually writes a true western fine line.

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I was extremely reassured to find a test slip in the box from The Writing Desk — they fully test all the premium pens they sell. Great to get this kind of quality control from a retailer.

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Ultimately, the Star Ruby is way too small for me (see the comparison to the M1005 below), and even though it posts very well, the section is too short and too narrow.

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But I can appreciate the design. I’ve been a big fan of the matching Star Ruby ink for a while, and I think the colour of the pen does it justice. This will be a hit, for sure.

I received my Star Ruby for free from the Writing Desk to review. You can buy yours here for £119, or upgrade to one of the gold nibs (as on the M400 series) for £183.

3 Comments

  1. Bruce D

    This is what happens when a company with a reputation for sophisticated, elegant, conservative pens tries to be “fun”. It looks like it should come with a pack of bubble gum or butterfly and unicorn stickers. I don’t know what Pelikan’s strategy is here, but they should stick to their brand identity.

    • Anthony

      It’s definitely a break from the sober Pelikan of old, but they’ve seemingly had some success with the pink and turquoise striped M6s, I guess…

  2. Atul Govindlal Shah

    This pen is uncomparable. Performance is outstanding.
    I have so many pens of all brands, but more numbers of Pelican.

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