Fountain Pen Nib Comparison Video

Fountain Pen Nib Comparison from dowdyism on Vimeo.

Video reviews are something I have always wanted to do more of on The Pen Addict. My friend Patrick Rhone has been doing some really nice ones recently, and seeing his work was just the push I needed to get this started.

In the video above, I did a quick comparison of a Pilot Prera F nib versus a Lamy Safari EF nib. Most experienced fountain pen users realize there are differences in nib sizes between countries, but many beginners do not. I wanted to put nib to paper and show you what the lines really look like.

Since this is my first real attempt at a video review (not counting the few webcam recordings I have done) please be brutally honest on what I can do better. I have never launched iMovie in my life prior to this. One issue I see is that there is some shaking on the camera in several frames. I'm not sure if that is me bumping the tripod, the table, or what exactly. I'll work on that next time!

Also, let me know what other topics you would like to see videos on. I think this can be a fun change of pace at The Pen Addict and I look forward to doing more.

Lamy Logo Fountain Pen Review

This is a guest post by Bryan Gushikawa.

Lamy is a German company with a long history of making stylish and practical pens. Their lower end pens (like the AL-Star and Safari) are excellent and durable daily writers, but the Lamy Logo eschews the larger body styles of these pens for a slimmer, more elegant design. Writing comfort and performance aren’t affected, though. This pen is a definite eye catcher and I received several compliments on it when I took it to school. The fit and finish are perfect and the spring clip only reinforces the quality that Lamy has perfected over its storied run as one of Germany’s top fountain pen makers.

Smoothness: The Lamy nibs run wide compared to Japanese nibs, so this M writes like a B. It is smooth and is a good, stiff nail to push through carbon copies with. There is a little squeak and sound of the nib on paper, though. All Lamy nibs have this, so this is a manufacturer trademark.

Grip and Balance: The textured metal fore section is nice to hold, but the pen can seem a little slender for folks with larger hands. The balance when posted is excellent and the metal body doesn’t feel so slippery. For daily writing, the good balance will reduce fatigue.

Ink Flow: A solid, steady 0.8mm line. No skips or blotches. Flow was good from the start.

Build Quality: German quality, all the way. Solid threading, good heft and a superior clip with a SPRING in it. You will really enjoy just looking at and holding this pen to admire its quality.

Capacity: Take Lamy-specific cartridges or a Lamy converter (not the one that fits the Al-Star!)

Clip: The best clip on any fountain pen has a spring. This has a spring. This is the best clip on any fountain pen!

Post: Posts securely to a plastic nub on the back end. Although the post is shallow, it’s tight and the cap won’t fall off while writing.

Overall: If you’re into German engineering, this pen is excellent value for the money. Although I prefer Lamy’s EF nibs to Ms, the smoothness and feel of this pen is too good to pass up. I used Lamy Blue in cartridges for this review, but with a converter, you can check out their Blue Black and Red which are two highly regarded colors. A strong recommend on this one!

#OnePenOneDay Lamy Balloon Roller

The Lamy Balloon Roller is one of those pens that I am desperate to love, but has one little thing that keeps it from being perfect. And by perfect I mean I REALLY like this pen, and despite the fact it is 0.7mm, I use it a lot. From me, that is high praise. But, in the initial review I talked about the ink cartridge skipping, and that has never gone away, even after repeated use.

I took a full 8 1/2" x 11" page of notes with this pen last week, and counted six obvious skips on the page. By skipping, I mean the ink line thins out for a partial or full letter, but no more that that. Six times over a full page is not a large number, but it is noticeable to a pen addict like me.