Lamy 2000 Fountain Pen

Lamy 2000 Fountain Pen, Bold Nib

Lamy 2000 Bold Nib

Test ink is Pilot Iroshizuku, Kon-Peki.

There are many reviews of this pen, as well there should be. A design as timeless as this deserves to be scrutinized. I found my example and purchased with my own money a broad nib example via isellpens.com for a very good price considering what these pens go for.

The appearance of this pen is one of a minimalist nature. The brushed Makrolon® not only makes the pen light but gives it a quality feel. The combination with stainless steel just gives that extra high tech oomph. I admit that it is hard to come to terms with the fact that the design is 47 years old as of this writing. A design this old yet still looks futuristic and high tech is an amazing accomplishment.

I have read some reviews that refer to the barrel material as fiberglass. It is actually a poly-carbonate material reinforced with glass fib… okay fiberglass. 😛 The clip is stainless steel and spring loaded. This makes for very easy clipping to clothing/cases. Being a piston filler, I am very happy with how the seam between the piston knob and the barrel just disappears when the piston is fully retracted. There is an ink window that seems to melt into the barrel when the pen is full of ink.

Just below the ink window are two metal tabs that protrude slightly from the section. This is the basis of the best slip cap mechanism I have used. It slides into the cap effortlessly and clicks solidly in place. The click is very satisfying. Some people do not like the protruding tabs on the section. The way I hold the pen has my thumb right over one of the tabs but it does not bother me.

The platinum plated 14 karat gold nib is semi hooded. I admit I am not fond of semi-hooded or full-hooded nibs. This one changes that for me. My main issue with hooded nibs is that I have a hard time seeing the nib position. This, in turn, results in improper nib to paper contact. This is not an issue with this pen. There is enough of a view of the nib that it does not matter. Very Nice!

When we move to nib performance, things go a little south. I had read that some people had start-up or skipping issues with this pen. My pen is not immune. It seems the pen has a very small sweet spot making holding the pen at the proper angle very crucial to nib performance. One other issue I noted on my pen was poor tine alignment. That was sorted easy enough. The slight skipping issue should be a non-issue soon. You see, my main reason for getting a bold nib is to stub it.

The 2000 is Lamy’s flagship pen and it is always a bit of a let down when their are nib issues. In my case, I am not going to let it be an issue. I did find that the nib is a bit springy. (See the written portion)

Even with the negative, the pen is worth owning. Did I mention that the L2K is on permanent display at the Museum of Modern Art? Yeah, I like this pen.

Thank you for reading.

Ivan

The Fountain Pen Sith Lord.

See what other people have to say about the Lamy 2000

Penaddict Review

FPGeeks Awesome Review

Ed Jelley

And the hand written portion of the review:

Faber Castell Pen Event At Dromgoole’s

If you are near the Houston, Texas area tonight, make sure to visit Dromgoole’s Faber Castell Pen Event. 🙂 ( Yes, I do think it is a little ironic that a pen event has pencils in the invite graphic. 😀 )

A.G. Spalding & Bros. Mini Fountain Pen

A.G. Spalding & Bros BRFT208 Mini Fountain Pen – Fine Nib – Silver Body

I have reviews spread across the internet and occasionally I find one that has not made it to the blog yet. This review was originally posted to the FPGeeks forum on July 29th, 2012. It was sponsored by JetPens.

Ducati Leather Pen Case

Ducati Leather Luxury Pen and Eyeglass Case DU-LG-GH-OR

While browsing fountain pens online, I ran into a leather pen case that peaked my interest. I don’t generally go for branding but this pen case happens to have Ducati branding on it. It is small so I decided it was alright. I have looked at three pen leather cases in the past and I have always had questions regarding my taste for larger diameter pens. Most cases looked like it would be a chore to remove the pen from the case. This is where the Ducati case is different. It has a removable “tray” that is easily pulled out using a small tab.

This tray is removable because the case is supposed to double as a glasses case. For my purpose, it just makes retrieving the pens much easier. If the tray were not removable, placing my widest diameter pens in the case was not an issue as it has plenty of room. You could leave the tray out and probably fit more pens in the case but I have an odd obsession of not letting my pens touch when in storage.

The black leather has a nice feel to it. It has a snap button closure that feels secure. The tray itself has dividers that make it so your pens do not touch. The orange “racing stripe” makes a nice accent. It is a bit large for a pant pocket. It may work in a shirt pocket but it will definitely look awkward. I have been carrying the case in my EDC bag and placing it on my desk at work. I am used to this as I do the same with a 12 pen case I already own. Overall, the case is attractive, holds three large pens with no issues, and is made of leather. Three positive things that I look for in a pen case. The bonuses is that the pens do not touch and they are easy to retrieve from the case. This makes it an overall no brainer for me.

For a bit more money, they also come in a yellow stripe version:

Ducati Leather Luxury Pen and Eyeglass Case DU-LG-GH-YE

and a black version:

Ducati Leather Luxury Pen and Eyeglass Case DU-LG-GH-BK

Thank you for reading,

Ivan

The Fountain Pen Sith Lord

Okay, Why Is This Photo Popular?

For the last month I have been watching my Flickr account traffic steadily rise. I am not really sure why but this old picture of a 2008 Moleskine planner with my Sensa Cloud 9 ballpoint pen is really popular right now.

Failure is Eminent

Thinking back on my first pen repair attempt and looking at the past couple of repair posts, I decided I should not paint such a rosy picture. There is a certain risk involved in repairing old pens. They are old after all. Materials can become brittle with time.

My first pen repair was attempt was on a Waterman Taperite. I should have researched the pen a bit more before buying. Later on, I found out that the Taperite has a high failure rate even among expert repairers. The combination of brittle plastic with an adhesive that does not respond well to heat makes for a recipe full of fail.

I did fail after days of soaking and gentle heat. Trying to exert just a little bit more force to make the barrel give up the section I crushed the lever box area of the barrel. There ended my adventure. I did not pay much for the pen (less than $10 USD, if I remember correctly). It was a relatively inexpensive lesson but a valuable one at the same time.