Lamy 2000 Review

My history with the Lamy 2000 is long and sordid. I was fascinated by this pen like so many fountain pen users are, but once I got the 2000 in my hand that fascination turned into frustration. This is supposedly one of the greatest fountain pens of all time - why did I want to break it over my knee?

As it turns out, the answer was simple. Getting to that answer, however, was a longer process than it would have been for someone more experienced with fountain pens than I was at the time. Hopefully I can shorten that cycle for anyone else considering purchasing a Lamy 2000.

Despite the fact it has been well over a year since I first opened the box containing my Lamy 2000, I still remember my first reaction to picking it up: Holy amazeballs! The only other pen in its price range that I owned and could compare it to was the Pilot Vanishing Point, and the 2000 was a completely different experience.

Since owning the Lamy 2000, the word Makrolon is now an official part of my vocabulary. Makrolon is the fiberglass-type material that the 2000 barrel is made of, and it is fantastic. It is lightweight, yet sturdy, warms to the touch, and feels great in the hand. Did I mention beautiful? That too, especially for someone who likes minimally styled pens like myself.

The inking system for the 2000 is a piston filler and is integrated flawlessly. In fact, if you were unaware of the mechanism, you would be hard pressed to see the seam at the end of the pen. It moves smoothly when engaged and pulls in ink with ease.

Where I ran into trouble with my 2000 was with the nib. It is a 14k gold hooded nib that is integrated perfectly into the barrel. As soon as I inked it up the first time I enjoyed how it wrote but noticed quickly that I was having trouble with some of my strokes. I felt the nib was sticking to the page, which caused skipping in the line. The thing was, it wasn't unusable. It was a very minor issue.

I went through several cleanings and different inks to see if the writing performance would improve. It didn't, so off to the internet I went. After only a minute of searching I found a common theme: Lamy 2000 nibs are notoriously inconsistent out of the box. Unfortunately for me, I had found a bad one.

The refrain I heard was to send it to a nibmeister to get it fixed. The issue at the time was I had never done that before, and was nervous about doing so. I put it off, my 2000 collected dust despite how badly I wanted to use it, and I pouted. I did formulate a plan though. The Atlanta Pen Show was going to be my savior.

Getting my Lamy 2000 nib fixed at the pen show was the number one item on my list. I made an appointment with Mike Masuyama, and when I sat down with him and handed him the pen he noticed the problem immediately: the right tine was longer than the left.

This is nothing I would have noticed on my own, so letting an expert handle it was the best route. Not only did he even the tines and smooth it, I had him grind it down to a Japanese EF size - around 0.2 mm. My Lamy 2000 is now usable!

Not only is it usable, it is one of the best pens I own, if not the best. In the time since I bought my 2000 I have bought a dozen or more very nice fountain pens and it is a contender for the best of them all. I get asked "Pilot Vanishing Point or Lamy 2000" often and now the answer is clear: Lamy 2000.

What did I learn through this experience? Even though I spent a good amount of money on a pen and the expectation is it should be perfect out of the box, it often times isn't. This isn't just a Lamy 2000 issue by the way. It can happen to any pen, and spending $30 or so to have a professional look at it and smooth it is money well spent. I have sent many pens to Mr. Masuyama since, and each time they return better than before.

The Lamy 2000 is an iconic pen, and I wanted to share my personal experience with it. There are many things I didn't touch on in this review, so be sure to check out some of these wonderful posts to learn more about the Lamy 2000:

-- Lamy 2000 Review (Pen and Design)

-- Lamy 2000 Fountain Pen (Ed Jelley)

-- Icon: Lamy 2000 (Makrolon) (From the Pen Cup)

-- Lamy 2000 – The Awesome Review (FPGeeks)

-- Lamy 2000 And The Origins Of Lamy Design (The Fountain Pen Network)

My Fountain Pen Education: The Pilot Tow

I think I am a Pilot man. For some reason, their pen designs resonate with me, and I have never been disappointed with the quality. Their standard fountain pen inks are excellent, and their high-end Iroshizuku line are some of the best inks on the planet. In the non-fountain pen category they are strong too. Can you say Hi-Tec-C?

One of the things that has fascinated me about Pilot is how well their older designs hold up decades later. I have already reviewed the Pilot Murex - a candidate for the best pen ever designed - as well as a remake of the Pilot Myu in the limited edition M90. While it is nowhere near as old as the previous two pens, the Pilot Tow shares similar design elements and is much more accessible to the average fountain pen buyer.

I am not sure why, but there is shockingly little information available about the Tow online. From what little I can gather, the pen was manufactured in the early-to-mid 2000's ... aaand we're done. Seriously, I cannot dig up much more information on it that that. But having used one I can tell you it is fantastic.

There is nothing about the Pilot Tow that I don't like. The stainless steel barrel is solid and has some weight to it, the cap fits tightly, the clip is firm, and the section is smooth and comfortable. The steel FM nib in this model is great as well. Aesthetically, I like the slightly downward angle of the nib and the slight amount of flex it has when writing.

The Pilot Tow is only moderately difficult to find, but when you do you will discover the best part about this pen: You can have your own for around $30. Speerbob is a well-respected seller and often has them available in his ebay store for that price. Writing this review reminded me I needed to order one of my own. An F nib is on the way!

Pilot Prera Clear Body Fountain Pen - Calligraphy Medium Nib Review

Well, it looks like I am officially a stub man.

When I first started using fountain pens I was content with European EF nibs like those found in the Lamy Safari. Then I discovered what the Japanese had to offer nib-wise, setting the hook deeper. While those Japanese ultra fine nibs are my daily writers the lure of the stub nib has reeled me in. And, like my standard nibs, the finer the better.

The Pilot Prera is a pen that has been around for years. It is known for its quality build, great feel, and excellent value. I have three solid color barrels that make it into the rotation from time to time, but only when the calligraphy medium (CM) nib came out did I pick up a Clear Body model from JetPens.

Compared to many other fountain pens the Prera is lighter and smaller. It still fits the bill as a full sized fountain pen, albeit near the small end of that chart. This makes it extremely portable, which is one of the main reasons I enjoy it so much.

This review is all about the stub nib though (calligraphy, italic, and stub are not necessarily interchangeable - I use "stub" in the general sense). Checking in at approximately 1.1 mm, the nib is as firm as a nail and writes a wonderfully sharp, yet smooth, line. I talk all the time about finding the proper tools to suit your handwriting style and I have found that stubs fit me perfectly.

My collection of stub nibs is growing fast, and I am searching for more in the 0.9 mm and smaller range. Do any manufacturers have stock nibs in that range, or am I looking at custom only?

Pro Tip: If you like the idea of the Prera CM but not the price tag you can get the same nib in the Pilot Plumix for under $8.

(JetPens is an advertiser on The Pen Addict and I received this product at no charge.)