Lamy Studio Fountain Pen Review

I've had Lamy Studio envy since I saw Office Supply Geek's lovely Instagram photo of his blue barrel model back in December. I decided this was it and headed over to JetPens to pick up the exact same steel nib model. Who am I to argue with good taste? I hit the page, then had a "Squirrel!" moment. 14k nib? Yes please.

The only other 14k Lamy nib I own is on my Lamy 2000, and it is of the hooded variety. I thought I would give the full-sized 14k nib in the Lamy Studio a shot to see if there was any difference. If you recall my experience with the 2000 I felt it needed some nib work to get it where I wanted it. As fate would have it, I had to go the same route with the Studio.

There was nothing wrong with the Studio's performance right out of the box except the EF line was too wide and too wet. Much more than I expected from an EF nib, even a German one. One of the reasons may be that the 14k Studio nib has some flex to it. I'm used to stiff Japanese nibs and this one is very different. I liked it a lot, but something had to be done about the line width.

Enter Shawn Newton.

My enabler Thomas has a few of Shawn's pens, and recently has used Shawn for some nib work and spoke very highly of his talents. When Thomas says "Jump!" I say "How high?" so a week or two later I had my Studio headed Shawn's way to turn the German EF nib into a Japanese F nib. Not a huge change but more in my wheelhouse. The results were fantastic. The line is clean and smooth and right where I wanted it to be. I can't recommend Shawn's services higly enough. Contact him if you are in the market for nib work. (Full disclosure: Shawn provided his services at no charge for this pen as a trial run and I paid full freight for a second I had him work on.)

Back to the Studio itself...it is a fantastic pen. The barrel design is what originally sold me, and as usual, Lamy nailed this one. The stainless steel grey-lacquered barrel is sleek with slight tapers on each end with a chrome clip, grip, and end caps. I was curious how slick the grip would be and I found it to not be an issue. The slight natural tackiness of my fingers held well, although I left plenty of fingerprints behind. Not crime scene friendly.

And that clip - wow. Sometimes the simplest little feature grabs me and won't let go and with the Studio it is the clip. The paddle design is unique even among Lamy's other highly engineered offereings, and might be their best.

So after all of the praise I have heaped would I recommend this pen? I'm 0-for-2 with Lamy's gold nibs. Whether that is the manufacturers fault or my pickiness (I think it is one of each in my case) you should understand that the nib may not be perfection when you first ink it up. Some will argue that for a pen this price it should perfect out the gate, and that is fair. For me, a little extra work gave me a pen even more suited to me than when it first arrived.

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

Ohto Multi-Smart Multi Pen Review

Working on my Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto N 3 review last week made me realize I did not have a multi pen list on my Top 5 Pens page. I would have bet money it was there. In fact, it was only when I went to make sure that the Coleto was locked in at number one that I realized no such list existed. That will change soon because the Ohto Multi-Smart needs to be on it.

The Ohto Multi-Smart succeeds in packing four total cartridges - black, blue, and red ballpoint, plus pencil - in what I consider to be a standard size diameter barrel. This is no small feat but Ohto has pulled it off well. The failing of many multi pens is that poor design often leads to the pen tip coming out of the barrel at an angle (the Pentel Sliccies has this problem) and I actually wonder if the narrower barrel helps with that. There is no room for play in the Multi-Smart and the pen and pencil cartridges deploy at a perfectly straight angle for writing.

The Multi-Smart uses a gravity knock mechanism, meaning you turn the pen to where you can read the color label and press the knock to deploy that cartridge. It works smoothly, and a quick press down of a small button on the clip retracts the cartridge quickly. The knock itself hides an eraser. You would think that would be standard with multi pen + pencil combos but many companies can't seem to fit it into their design.

To top it off, this is an aluminum barrel pen so it is lightweight and easily pocketable. The aluminum construction may also explain the almost $25 price tag, which is the only downside I can find with this pen.

Job well done Ohto! Now send some of your multi pen designers over to help out your fountain pen team. They could use it.

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

Retro 51 Tornado Vintage Metalsmith Franklin Review

Most of us can agree that the Retro 51 is one of the finest and most accessible roller ball pens on the market today. Brad did a great job of reviewing the classic model in 2012. The point of this review is to showcase the art and beauty of the Franklin version of the Vintage Metalsmith series of the Tornado line. Let me just say, I completely agree with the people that say the Schmidt refill that Retro 51 use in these pens is absolutely fantastic. Like Myke, this isn't my first Retro 51, and it likely won't be my last. They're like the Pringles of pens: once you pop, you can't stop.

Once I decided that I wanted to try one of the more expensive Retro 51 models, I had to decide which of the three in the metalsmith line. I really liked the looks of the Lincoln and the Jefferson, but I decided to take a chance on the Franklin because I liked the subtle ivy relief on the barrel. This is a hunch that I'm extremely happy I followed. The pictures on the JetPens website don't do this pen justice. In person, it's much more elegant and gorgeous.

A few things are different about this pen than the regular lacquer version. For one, it's just a teensy bit heavier, but not in a bad way. For me, the texture of the ivy relief on the barrel makes for a more enjoyable writing experience. It gives my fingers something to hold onto. The metal barrel also adds gobs of class to the already classy pen. I've gotten more than a few compliments on this pen, even from people who don't care about pens. This is an object of beauty, and it also happens to offer one of the best writing experiences for the money.

If I had any negative comments, it would be that this pen is a little more expensive than the regular line of Tornados. It's not much, though -- just a few dollars. To me, the few extra dollars is more than worth it. I actually bought a Jefferson version of the pen as a gift for someone else, so I can say that I prefer the looks and feel of the Franklin. Don't get me wrong, the Jefferson is still a gorgeous pen, but it has a different look.

Retro 51 certainly have a lot to offer in the way of variety, but keep the Franklin in mind if you're thinking of expanding or even starting a collection.

(You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution, Twitter, and App.net.)