Image via JetPens
Bright pens brighten up my days, and I know we could all use some brightening up on these particular days. For this giveaway, I have one Lamy AL-Star Limited Edition Turmaline fountain pen with a Fine nib, AND a bottle of matching Turmaline ink to give away to one reader. Read the rules below and enter away.
(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)
You'd have to look carefully to notice what brand notebook I'm using in this review. The medium gray cover is almost completely devoid of any branding. But if you turned the notebook over, you'd find a classy Lamy logo debossed into the lower portion of the back cover. The Lamy Softcover A5 Booklets are very familiar while also sporting an unassuming style.
You might pass over this notebook thinking it's just another paperback A5 notebook, but you'd be wrong. The Lamy Softcover notebooks feature their own "Lamy ruling," which is a combination of lines and grids. This isn't the first time we've seen a paper line format like this (Doane Paper comes to mind first), but it's definitely nice to see some variety in the different line formats available in affordable notebooks. The lined ruling lines are a little darker than the dotted grid lines, and I wish all the lines were a little lighter. It's a busy pattern, and it's a little difficult to ignore if you want to do something more free-form. Still, it's a good pattern and provides a lot of structure if need it.
Aside from the unique ruling, the paper in these notebooks is really nice. It's 90g/m², which I think is a great trade-off between light weight and great performance. In my tests, only the thickest, wettest nibs are able to cause ink to show through on the back of the page. I haven't noticed any bleeding or feathering with the variety of inks and pens I've used so far, and I really couldn't be happier with the performance of this paper. It's smooth, but also has a slight tooth that provides a satisfying amount of feedback when writing.
These notebooks are exceptionally plain. There is zero branding and fluff inside the covers. Both inside covers are blank, and the first page of the notebook is exactly that — a ruled page. There's no subject boxes, contact info blocks, or witty, interesting facts printed anywhere. There also aren't any page numbers. This really is a utilitarian notebook.
Even though the covers are a soft paper material, they're coated with some extra protection to stand up to normal use. The exterior of the cover also has a nice tweed tactile feeling like they used actual fibers in the cover material. Not sure if it's real or synthetic, but it feels great in the hand.
The 64 pages of each notebook are held in place with pale yellow stitching. The binding is tight and feels like it will stand up to a lot of use. Even though the stitches are tight, the notebook still easily lays flat when writing, but also has no trouble staying closed when not in use.
The set comes with three identical notebooks and will set you back $15 from Goldspot. Considering the size and the quality of the paper in these notebooks, this is a great deal. Assuming you're interested in the paper ruling, you really can't go wrong with these notebooks.
Pick up a set along with your next order!
(Goldspot provided this product at no charge 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.
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(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)
The Lamy Swift rollerball pen is one that I've seen and thought about picking up so many times in the past. For some reason, I just never went through with the purchase — now that I have one, I can really appreciate the thoughtful and unique design of this pen.
The Swift is unlike any other Lamy design, and it certainly stands out. The sleek metal barrel and shiny chrome accents compliment the unique shape and complete an overall style that is hard to put down. On top of that, the unit I have is one of the limited Racing Green editions that Lamy has been releasing for many of their pen lines recently.
What really sets this pen apart is the unique slip design. The Swift has a trick up its sleeve, and the secret is that the clip retracts flush into the barrel when you extend the refill with the nock. When the refill is extended, the clip is totally flush with the pen barrel, which just looks really cool. When you retract the refill, the clip slides back out again for normal use.
Aside from being a cool trick, this means you can't accidentally clip the pen to a garment pocket or a bag while the refill is extended, and it also can't extend while in transit since the clip wouldn't be able to retract. No more accidental ink stains on your clothes and bags! I have to guess that a lot of work went into this unusual design, and it really shows in how smooth the clip action is in practice. The clip mechanism also necessitates a shift in where the nock is located, so this is probably the only pen I've ever seen that has a nock that isn't centered on the diameter of the barrel. It's off-center enough to make room for whatever mechanism is handling the clip movement, but I think it also just looks cool.
Moving further down the pen barrel, you'll notice a cool dotted grip section that adds some visual interest as well as a pretty sturdy grip. Since the outer barrel is just an aluminum sleeve, the machined holes allow the shiny chrome material to shine through. It's a great visual feature, and feels great in the hand!
The nose of the pen is nothing special, but it keeps the shiny chrome accent going to the very tip of the pen. Something about it seems different from the rest of the pen design, but I can't decide what it is. Maybe it's the sharp chamfer that contrasts poorly with the otherwise straight and round lines of the pen? Whatever it is, it always catches my attention (in a bad way).
Aside from that one complaint, I think this pen is quite attractive! It definitely gets a lot of comments.
Writing with the Swift is also pretty nice. The included M66 refill is the same one that's included with the Lamy Tipo rollerball, so it's no slouch. The ink is a rich, dark black with plenty of flow and easy movement. It's a smooth writer and is very pleasing to use. On the odd occasion, I had some very minor issues with skipping, but it never persisted for long. It's not as good as the Schmidt P8126/7 that many of us know and love, but it's certainly a great refill. One thing that I'll have to investigate a bit more is the possibility of using a G2-style refill in this pen. The Lamy Tipo, which uses the same M66 refill as the Swift, easily accepts a Pilot G2 refill with no modification. It makes the Tipo a great pen for me simply because of how it accepts so many refills. For some reason, the Swift doesn't quite work correctly with the Juice refills I was trying to use. It seems like the refill doesn't have enough clearance at the very end of the nock depression to allow the mechanism to finish its path. I wonder if a little razor work could fix the problem, but that's a time commitment I can't make right now. Has anyone else out there tried hacking a G2 refill to a Lamy Swift?
Overall, the Lamy Swift rollerball is a great little pen. It's an attractive package with a cool trick up its sleeve that will prevent ink leaks on your clothes and bags, and it looks cool while doing it! The machined grip is comfortable and sturdy, the refill is bold and reliable, and the price is still reasonable at just over $50. This would make a great gift for someone who could appreciate the clever clip design and who also may not be comfortable with fountain pens or other specialized pens just yet. If Racing Green isn't your thing, you can also choose from Matte Black, Imperial Blue, Graphite, or Palladium for the same price. Keep in mind that Racing Green is a limited color!
(JetPens provided this product at no charge 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!
