Posts filed under Fountain Pens

Lamy Lx Marron Fountain Pen: A Review

The Lamy LX (="Luxe") is a special edition pen that builds on the foundation of the Lamy AL-Star. The pen is made of double-anodized aluminum with metal finials on the cap and on the bottom of the barrel.

The clip is shiny metal in the usual upturned "U" shape found on many Lamy pens. It's functional, but also just looks cool. The cap snaps on and off.

The barrel is etched subtly with "LAMY" and two ink windows appear on either side. The grip is gray, translucent plastic. Its triangular shape is comfortable and assists in holding the pen correctly.

My Lamy Lx Marron came with a steel fine nib in black. I really like the look of this nib. It reminds me of the nibs on the much more expensive Lamy Imporium (reviewed here). This nib is smooth and trouble free, something I've not always experienced with Lamy nibs. It’s a pleasure to write with because it starts up immediately, doesn't skip, isn't scratchy, and has a wet flow.

A mid-sized pen, the Lamy LX measures 5.5 inches/138.9mm capped, 5.1 inches/130.6mm uncapped, and 6.7 inches/169mm posted. Because the cap is rather heavy with its metal finial and clip, posting throws the balance off considerably. Overall, the pen weighs 21 grams. Uncapped it weighs 10 grams.

The Lamy LX is packaged in a special anodized aluminum cylinder that matches the pen color. It's a nice touch, but I'm not sure what to do with the cylinder other than store it in my closet. I suppose you could use it as a pen stand, of sorts, if you wanted to display your Lamy when it's not in use.

The pen comes with one blue cartridge but no converter. You can purchase a Lamy converter ($5.00) if you want to use your preferred inks in the pen (I recommend this). I inked my Marron with Diamine Ancient Copper.

The Lamy LX comes in a variety of colors: Marron (my favorite), Palladium, Rose Gold, Gold, and Ruthenium. You can purchase the pen from JetPens for $56.00.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on November 22, 2019 by Susan Pigott and filed under Lamy, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Pelikan M205 Star Ruby Fountain Pen Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

I'm frustrated by my inability to capture the true glamour of the Pelikan M205 Star Ruby. I've tried to describe it, since I can't seem to photograph it, and the closest I can get is, it looks like some kind of atomic fairy dust suspended in the purest raspberry jelly. By which I mean, it's beautiful, delightful, and my pen addict magpie heart is dancing.

Beautiful pens are common enough these days, I suppose. The market is saturated with tempting gems--too many for the health of my unhappy wallet. While the most noticeable aspect of this pen might be its shimmering beauty, the best thing about it is that it's a very well made, useable pen. It's also not outrageously expensive (for a Pelikan). because it's part of the Classic line, and not the Souveran line, it sacrifices a few fancy features for a lower price tag, but it sacrifices absolutely nothing in quality.

Pelikan is a brand that doesn't treat its lower-tier pens like lesser-than versions of the expensive models. This pen feels every bit as refined as its upper-echelon peers. It is all flush joins and precise edges with crisp details. The nib is steel instead of gold, and it writes every bit as smoothly as any gold nib in my collection. Characteristic of Western nibs, this fine point writes closer to an Eastern medium, so fans of very small writing may prefer the extra-fine point.

The flow is excellent, and the piston-fill mechanism is smooth and holds a large amount of ink. I've inked it with the matching Pelikan Star Ruby ink, and it's a match made in pen heaven. Both the ink and the pen are 2019 special editions and won't be around forever (or very long at all, I predict), so don't hesitate if you're at all dazzled.

The pen body, cap, and grip section are made in ethereal, shimmering acrylic. It has chromium plated trim, with the characteristic Pelikan bill clip. The clip is just the right amount of firm and springy. The finial is black plastic with a silver stenciled pelican with one chick. Overall, it looks classy. It's not glittery in a kitschy way--it's fine, and subtle enough that it looks more like a shimmer, from a distance. Up close, in direct light, you can see the sparks of complex colors and depth to its finish. It's more playful than standard Pelikan fare, but stops well short of glitzy. The cap posts securely, and it is very comfortable to hold, posted or not, for my hands.

Between the brand name and fancy look, I had expected to file this release under the "grail" tab of my pen list, where a whole flock of Pelikans nest. I was surprised to find it being sold for under $170 at most retailers. That's still expensive, especially for a pen with a steel nib, but it's within the realm of reasonable, and might even be something Santa could manage, if you've been very good.

This is a happy pen--it makes me as happy to use it as to twirl it in a sunbeam. The downside? Writing time lost to pen twirling.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on November 21, 2019 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Pelikan, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Pilot Vanishing Point 2019 Limited Edition Tropical Turquoise: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

Every year Pilot comes out with a limited edition Vanishing Point fountain pen. I’ve never forgiven myself for missing out on the 2015 Twilight limited edition (Hey, yo, if anyone has one of those they’d like to sell, I’m your girl!). Even though I wasn’t as excited about the Tropical Turquoise, I liked it enough to buy it.

The photographs that were initially released made the Tropical Turquoise look rather bland--a flat turquoise color with black swirls. But, the design is much more appealing in person. The turquoise sparkles like water in sunlight and the black swirls give the color depth and interest. The pen looks very much like beautiful tropical waters. It is complemented with rhodium trim.

The Tropical Turquoise comes in a special limited edition box. It’s white with turquoise lettering. The top lifts up to reveal the pen. There’s a built-in drawer that contains one ink cartridge and a Vanishing Point pamphlet.

The Vanishing Point is a medium-sized pen in length at 5.4 inches/138 mm with the nib exposed. However, it is both heavy at 32 grams and rather wide in diameter at 11.5mm (where your fingers grip the pen).

Like all Vanishing Points, the clip is part of the grip portion of the pen. This forces you to hold your fingers in a particular position as you write. Some people can’t stand this design, whereas others find it quite comfortable (I’m obviously in the latter group). You can do a “clipectomy” and remove the clip entirely, but I have no desire to alter the pen.

Limited Edition Vanishing Points come standard with medium nibs, but some retailers, such as Casa della Stilographica where I bought my pen, offer it with any nib size. I chose a stub. It wrote perfectly right out of the box, and I’m quite pleased with my choice.

I love the Vanishing Point mechanism, because when I’m in class, I don’t write constantly. The click mechanism allows me to write quickly when I need to and to retract the nib when I don’t. The stub nib is wet and provides interesting line variation that suits my writing style.

My only complaint about Vanishing Points is the teeny, tiny converter system. It only holds about .5ml of ink. I realize they have to keep the converter small because the pen is already rather heavy. I just wish they could find some way to increase the capacity to 1ml or so. Filling the pen is simple, but if you run out while taking notes in the middle of a meeting, you can’t exactly stop, take out a bottle of ink, unscrew the pen, remove the converter, fill it, wipe it down, and reassemble the pen without creating a bit of a distraction. Obviously, having a back-up pen handy is a good idea.

Pilot created 2,019 pens for this limited edition run. Many retailers have already sold out, so if you’re interested in the Tropical Turquoise, act soon. The pen retails around $250 but I’ve seen prices as low as $206.

(I purchased this pen with my own funds.)

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