Lamy 2000 Mechanical Pencil Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

The Lamy 2000 is a timeless, attractive design that we're all familiar with. The fountain pen is certainly the flagship version of this beautiful design, but there are several other variations to fit the needs of many people. In this case, we're looking at the Lamy 2000 mechanical pencil.

I'm not a connoisseur of mechanical pencils, but I understand if a pencil I'm using is well-made. With the Lamy 2000, it's a sturdy, dependable pencil worthy of the name. The copy I have is of the 0.5mm lead size, but they're also available in 0.7mm.

The lead advancement mechanism is pretty standard — just depress the top of the pen to advance the lead. Under the top, you'll find a small eraser, and beneath that you'll find access to the lead compartment, as well as a handy tool for cleaning out lead jams. Like most mechanical pencils, the eraser included on the pencil is only intended for dire circumstances. A proper eraser is something you should keep close by when using this pencil.

The clip, like all the other Lamy 2000 variations, has a spring and hinge that makes it easy to use. And when you're using the clip to store or transport the pencil, you also don't need to worry about the point damaging your clothes or cases. The Lamy 2000 pencil features a nice blunt cone at the tip that ensures it won't poke through any fabric.

The pencil (of course) has the unique nose cone that sets the Lamy 2000 apart. The rest of the material (Makrolon) has a warm, smooth touch and gives the pencil a distinctive look.

If you need to perform any maintenance, the pencil comes apart about a third of the way up from the tip, giving you access to the inner workings. From here, you can remove the entire pencil mechanism for inspection.

Even though the pencil looks almost identical to the fountain pen, it's a bit slimmer in diameter. Still, it's extremely comfortable to use and hold. It's very light when compared to other premium mechanical pencils since metal is a common material for the genre.

Overall, the Lamy 2000 mechanical pencil is a worthy cousin to the Lamy 2000 fountain pen. It takes a classic, successful design and morphs it into another useful tool. The price might turn some away, but at around $55 it will certainly entice many.

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Posted on November 29, 2017 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Lamy, Mechanical Pencil, Pencil Reviews.

November Sponsor Spotlight

Sponsor support is very important to me here at The Pen Addict. My sidebar advertisers put their faith in me to deliver good value for them month in and month out, and I want to shine the light on the best of the best for you. If you are shopping for pens, paper, inks, and more, please check out these great companies and see what they have to offer. Some recent highlights:

JetPens has all colors and formats of the new Rhodia Rhodiarama Softcover Notebook. This is an A5-sized workhorse in a fun lineup of colors.

Pen Chalet has the perfect ink for your holiday cards with the Robert Oster Shake ’N’ Shimmy Limited Edition Holiday 4 Pack. The colors and sparkles are perfect for the season.

Goldspot received the annual Retro 51 holiday limited edition, appropriately titled Winter Wonderland. This edition always looks great, but this is my favorite in recent memory.

Anderson Pens has the new Lamy Studio in Racing Green in stock, and it is going to go fast. It’s a fantastic color in a great pen, and you will need to jump on it soon if interested.

Posted on November 28, 2017 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Sponsors.

Sheaffer Pop Star Wars Darth Vader Fountain Pen Review

Star Wars fans rejoice - there are now inexpensive fountain pens to add to your collection! The Sheaffer Pop Star Wars series features fountain and rollerball pens of three beloved characters: Darth Vader, R2-D2, and Yoda.

I picked the Darth Vader fountain pen for this review, although all three designs represent their characters very well. The Vader pen was just too slick to pass up with its black base and silver accents.

The barrel itself is made from plastic, and the cylindrical shape has a nice feel. The cap snaps on solidly, and posts on the back equally as well. The grip section is rubberized, which I’m fine with. It’s not slippery at all. The clip is a little thin, buts seems strong enough to last, and of course features Sheaffer’s famous white dot.

I’m in love with the look and feel of the pen, but as you know, that is only part of the story. The writing experience could be better, like the Phantom Menace if you erased all of the Jar-Jar Binks scenes.

The medium steel nib - the only size choice - is a smooth writer. Very smooth in fact. There is no scratchiness, and no skipping. But it is wet. Far too wet for my tastes. It writes like a 1.0 mm or wider rollerball pen.

I think it is the ink to be honest. The pen ships with a standard Sheaffer black ink cartridge, and it flows like a sieve from the nib. The way it spreads as soon as it hits the page - even on fountain pen friendly paper - makes me think the ink is the issue. You have to write fast to keep ahead of the ink pooling. It’s a proprietary fitting too, and I don’t have a Sheaffer converter to try other inks, and I wasn’t going to drain my only Sheaffer cartridge either.

So, what to do with this pen, and this series of fountain pens? If you want to buy this pen for someone who has never used a fountain pen I would choose one of the rollerball pens instead. Yes, it looks amazing, but the wetness of the ink could frustrate a beginner. If you want to buy this pen for someone who has experience with fountain pens then I say go for it. They can change things up as needed.

For me, I like this pen so much I’m going to buy a converter and see if I can get the performance more to my liking. The outside of the pen is cool enough to make me want to work on the inside. Plus, my son says it has have red ink, and I think he is right.

Lightsaber mode initiated.

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

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