This is another pen from the Carmen Collection, and I was very anxious to test it out. Lamy makes some of the best looking pens in my book, but outside of the Safari, I had never really put one to the test in its original state. A Lamy Vista was on my short list to try, so I was excited to see this one make it my way from Europe.
As you would expect from Lamy, this is a very well built pen. The plastic barrel and overall construction are top notch, and the moving parts such as the plunger and the clip are solid as well. Lamy has turned me into a fixed grip placement fan, with their standard molded-for-your-fingers grip area. It is hard to make out in the photo, but trust me, it is there.
My one concern about this pen was the ballpoint. It's pretty well know that I am a gel pen guy first and foremost, with liquid ink pens second, and ballpoints (and their varieties) third. This ballpoint cartridge knocked my socks off though with its performance. I am very impressed with how smooth it writes, especially how small I can write with it and have it still maintain its consistency. I won't go as far as saying it is Jetstream-esque (and maybe that isn't a fair comparison), but I have no plans on trying to find a replacement cartridge for it.
Click here for the XL review.
