Lamy Balloon Rollerball Review

The proof of concept period is complete, which means it is time for Lamy to finish the transformation of the Balloon Rollerball into the Vista Fountain Pen.

I first reviewed the Balloon over a decade ago, and the tale of two pens that was present in that design - great barrel, poor refill - unfortunately continues on in their latest version of this colorful pen. That’s what gets me the most about the Balloon: it’s a stunner! At least to look at. Writing? Not so much.

The Lamy T11 rollerball refill is the single worst proprietary refill they make, in a sea of other good to great proprietary refills. That was my primary complaint with the previous model. Given the usage of the same refill, I had hoped to see some performance improvements over the years, but my hope was misplaced.

The medium blue refill is inconsistent. That’s the long and short of it. A good rollerball line should be consistent and smooth, laying down a saturated ink color. The line from the Lamy T11 is so inconsistent, repeatedly going from thin line to thick, that I would almost say it is skipping. That’s a word I’ve never used in relation to a rollerball refill. It’s a bad writing experience, to be kind.

Odds were that this would be the expected result of the writing experience, but that’s not why I bought this pen to review. I bought it for the barrel.

Even though the Balloon uses the same terrible refill it always has, Lamy made some changes to the barrel design. Primarily focusing on the cap, they changed the clip to the famed Lamy wire clip, including the addition of a separate finial cap to slot the clip into.

Kind of looks like a Lamy Vista, doesn’t it?

Lamy Vista.

My dream for Lamy has long been to upgrade the Vista fountain pen lineup to include transparent color barrels. Fun colors, as seen in the Balloon for years. Currently, Blue, Lime, and Pink are part of the rotation. Imagine Purple, or Orange? The technology to manufacture this type of barrel is obviously available, and now parts to match have been added to the lineup. So I have to ask: when, Lamy?

Soon, I hope.

Until then, I would avoid the Lamy Balloon, despite the cool looks, and the reasonable $18 price tag. The writing experience isn’t worth it.

(Pen Chalet provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

---

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Lamy Accent - A Quick Review

(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)

It’s been a while since I had inked up a Lamy, and Myke and the Bossman were talking about the Lamy Accent not too long ago and lightbulb! I have one of those! Let’s ink that up!

The Lamy Accent is a slim pen that comes in two finishes - Palladium and Black. Lamy Accent Palladium (sometimes referred to as aluminum) has a slightly matte metal finish and comes with the same steel nib that is used on the Safari/Al-Star/Nexx, most Studios, etc. The Lamy Accent Black (or Brilliant Black), on the other hand, has a high gloss barrel and cap and comes with a 14kt gold nib - this is the one that I will be reviewing today.

I bought the Lamy Accent second hand years ago and fell in love with not only its sleek design but more importantly, the gold nib. As I mentioned in my Lamy Studio review, Lamy’s non-L2K gold nibs feel nothing like their steel counterparts, nor do they feel like the L2K gold nib either. They are slightly softer and wetter writers, which also means you will have a broader line with their gold nib. These nibs can be purchased separately and greatly improves the writing experience of your favorite Lamy pen (except the Lamy 2000, which uses a differently shaped nib).

Writing sample with Kobe #70 Rokko Forest Blue on Clairefontaine Triomphe 90gsm.

Closeup of 14k Gold Medium (top) vs Steel Medium.

But I’m not really here to sing the praises of the Lamy gold nib. No, the Lamy Accent has a secret power that most pens do not. After unscrewing the nib from the section, all you need is a simple pull, swap and snap in a different accent piece (see what I did there?), and voilà, you’ve got yourself a new look! You can have a pen that has the sophisticated elegance of black with silver rings, or something a little warmer with a deep red wooden grip or any one of 7 different grips (sold separately)!

One pen, 3 different looks! L to R: Brilliant Black Rings, Dark Blue Linen (not really linen), Deep Red Wood.

Unscrewing the Accent is a different experience than with most pens. When you hold the grip section and twist the barrel, the section doesn’t separate from the barrel. What actually happens is that the nib assembly & converter come out together! You can then remove the nib/converter, pull out the accent piece and wham, bam, new grip, ma’am!

Unscrewing the pen actually “ejects” the nib/housing/converter out. There are red arrows marked on the top and bottom of the housing but they aren’t needed because it’s obvious which way to put the nib.

On the left is the grip and the right is the barrel. The grip only fits on the barrel in one way, so it’s pretty foolproof. The notches are where the nib housing fits into the pen. You don’t even have to put it in a notch first, just put the nib assembly back into the pen and start screwing the barrel and it will fall into place.

Lamy’s higher end pens (which also include the Dialog 3/CC, Logo, CP1 and Studio) require the use of the LZ26/27 converter which is different from the regular Z28. Aside from the absence of the Z28 “nubbins” that slide into the grip of the Safari, et al. as well as the metal (vs plastic) ring near the piston knob, the LZ 26/27 has a step down near the end of the converter which the Z28 does not.

Lamy’s LZ26/27 (left) has a metal ring, a step down, and no nubbins compared with the Z28 on the right.

One of the benefits of a slim pen is that the pen can fit into more pen loops, especially skinny ones. And the clip on the cap ensures that it won’t fall through. One caveat though, the cap only takes a mere quarter turn to uncap itself, so it is best to use this in pen holders that are more snug, otherwise you may end up with a lovely cap clipped to the pen holder with no pen in sight. This isn’t an issue for the two pen holders that I would be using it with (see below) because both hold onto the pen very securely.

Fits just fine in the PLOTTER pen holder (closed on the left.)

No problem for the Traveler’s Company pen holder either (view from the back of my TN.)

Here are some other pens, including some slim ones, to compare with the Lamy Accent:

Pilot Custom Heritage 92, Pilot/Namiki Grance, Pilot Metropolitan, Kaweco AL Sport, Lamy Al-Star, Lamy Accent, Lamy Studio, Lamy 2000, TWSBI Eco-T, Cross Townsend, Platinum Preppy, Sailor Pro Gear Slim, Waldmann Tuscany, Platinum 3776, Pilot Vanishing Point.

Pros:

• Ability to swap grip sections easily!
• Grip is slightly convex, which is very comfortable in hand.
• Ability to swap Safari/Al-Star/Studio/etc.-compatible nibs, including gold
• Only needs a quarter turn to cap/uncap
• Fits in the Traveler’s Company and PLOTTER pen holders!

Neutral

• Can be posted
• Threads at the nib end requires one’s grip to be further back (This would usually be more of a Con for me because I like to hold my pens close to the nib, but it isn’t an issue with this pen)
• If you want to use a converter, you have to use the Lamy LZ26 or LZ27 converter, which is NOT the one that works with Safari, etc.

Cons:

• It is a fairly slim pen
• Slightly backweighted when posting (solution, don’t post, lol)

The Lamy Accent in Palladium retails around $109 while the shiny Black is around $249, though it did take some searching to find US vendors who still sell the Lamy Accent fountain pen. New and used prices vary widely on the secondary market, so shop around. I bought my additional grip sections from Appelboom. If you like the Lamy nibs and want a slimmer option for pen loops or just like the thought of being able to change up the look of your pen, the Lamy Accent is a great way to go.

(Disclaimer: All pens/products were purchased by me with no compensation for inclusion in this review.)

Lamy Softcover A5 Booklet Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

Ever wonder how many people discover the stationery world because of their exposure to a Moleskine notebook? Moleskine notebooks are available in lots of everyday stores, they're affordable, and they come in lots of fun colors. The downside? Well, the paper is pretty shabby. Once you have the stationery bug, Moleskine paper probably won't fit your needs. That's why I'm always happy to see stationery goods that mimic Moleskine's products but provide an exceptional user experience.

One of my favorite everyday notebooks is a simple A5 softcover notebook. That's something that Moleskine offers as part of their standard lineup at any physical store, but it's also something that more and more stationery manufacturers are producing as well. Lamy is a prime example of this, and I've been really enjoying the Lamy Softcover A5 Booklets recently. I've even reviewed these in the past, but it's amazing how a little time can make something seem new (or maybe it's just my memory starting to decline?).

The Lamy softcover notebooks only come in one color — Lamy gray — but at least they chose a nice color for the cover. The cover is made of a flexible cardstock and has a linen texture that is nice to handle and touch. It also does well in terms of durability and wear. I've noticed that the cover picks up oils, but it adds a nice patina to the cover. There's no branding anywhere on these notebooks except for a small Lamy logo debossed on the back exterior cover.

Aside from the gray cover and ivory paper inside, the only pop of color comes from the orange stitching that holds the notebooks together. I really love the strong contrast of the bright thread against the neutral gray cover.

Here are some more specifications for the notebooks:

• Lamy ruling, both lined and quadrille
• 64 pages per notebook
• Size: A5 5.7in x 8.3in (145mm x 210mm)
• Paper Color: Ivory
• Paper Weight: 90 gram Italian paper
• Bleed-proof and acid-free paper
• Binding: Neon thread stitching

The Lamy ruling is reminiscent of Doane Paper, which features lines on top of a small grid. I really enjoy this type of ruling because it can be as structured or invisible as you want. It's like grid rule for people that appreciate lined ruling too. Regardless, it's the only option for these notebooks!

The ivory 90gsm paper is nice and pleasant to use. In my testing, I haven't seen any bleeding or feathering, but some inks do show through to the back of the page quite easily. That's a little surprising given the weight of the paper, but it's not a deal-breaker since the back page is totally usable. The show-through is minimal and seems to depend more on ink formula instead of how wet or wide a nib is. Your mileage may vary!

I really enjoy seeing how different stationery companies that are more known for their pens interpret the notebook as an experience. More often than not, they produce notebooks that are well-worth your consideration. After all, a company that has decades of experience with building great pens should also know what makes a notebook great just from testing their own pens. Lamy provides a fantastic notebook that I'm happy to keep on my desk. It's also a great alternative to anything that Moleskine offer.

There is a downside, though. Options! Lamy should offer this softcover notebook in more colors. That's an obvious gap at this point. They could also expand the ruling options they have to include more standard rules like lined, grid, and dot. I like Lamy's ruling, but sometimes I want something else, you know? Options, Lamy! We like having them!

At $15 for a three-pack of these 64-page notebooks, these are easy to throw into an order and keep around. Heck, even give them as gifts for the non-stationery folks in your life. Spread the love of good stationery that looks like the trendy stuff from the big box stores. These are great notebooks, but the lack of options just means I get to keep other great notebooks at hand to meet other needs.

(Goldspot provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

---

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!