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.)

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

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

PENBBS No. 85 Fountain Pen Ink Review

I never cease to be amazed at how much I miss after so many years attending pen shows and following pen-related news. Inevitably, there's always a product or even an entire company that has floated below my radar for a significant amount of time. In some ways, it's really exciting to discover something that other people have been enjoying for years, but it's also a bit embarrassing!

This is exactly the case with the ink company PENBBS. Based in China since 2005, this is an ink company that has a very simple naming process for their inks — they're all numbered. This makes it easy for stock and inventory, but it can be a bit taxing to keep track of the actual color-to-name mapping.

Number 85 is the one that I have the privilege of reviewing today, and it's one that will remain in my regular rotation. Since the name doesn't offer any indication of the color, I feel it's important to start out with a quick description of this ink's color. 85 is a dark blue with slight green hints in certain light, but it also features an amazing red sheen that isn't difficult to tease out.

I've really enjoyed using this ink in my medium cursive italic nib (ground by Mark Bacas), and I feel like it really shows off the possibility of shading this ink offers. If you're using a nib that's any smaller or drier than this, you really won't notice much shading at all. This is expected out of a dark ink, but just something to mention if high levels of shading are important to you.

The sheening factor is what really draws me to this ink. Sure, you also have to use a fairly wet or broad nib to see this feature, but it really is worth it. The red sheen that dries on top of this ink is fantastic. It's really prominent in ink swabs, but it also shows up in ordinary strokes as you're writing. It's a delightful little surprise when the light catches the page just right. If you're a fan of red sheen, this ink does not disappoint.

Writing with this ink has been a joy. Like any italic nib, the one I used to photograph this sample can get a bit scratchy if you hold it a bit off its center stance. With this ink, I could tell that the scratchiness wasn't as prominent when I was holding it a bit off the right angle. This is a huge testament to any ink; the lubrication and flow really are wonderful and can do wonders for a dry nib or slow feed.

In my testing, I didn't experience any bleed or feathering on my Rhodia, Leuchtturm, or Apica papers, but I did notice some feathering when I used this ink/nib comination in a Baron Fig notebook. Now, the Baron Fig paper is very different from the Japanese/German fountain pen papers in that it is also meant to handle some light sketching. The paper is really absorbant and has a lovely tactile feedback that I love. But, it also displays feathering and bleeding more often than other notebooks I use. That being said, I don't think this ink exhibits an unusual amount of feathering or bleed for a dark blue ink on this paper. On the typical papers I use, there were zero issues, but you should take this into consideration if you primarily write on absorbent paper.

Dry time for this ink isn't amazing, but it also isn't horrible. At around 15 to 20 seconds, it's typical for most fountain pen inks that don't already advertise an unusually quick drying time. It's quick enough to mostly dry before slapping your notebook shut, but you should be careful of the previous sentence or so while writing.

This ink doesn't advertise any type of water resistance at all, so I wasn't expecting much. As you might expect, it bleeds like crazy when exposed to water, but the main line doesn't wash away. It's not permanent by any means, but it can withstand an accidental spill or rain torrent if you can prevent the paper from getting smeared.

I really like how this ink performs in the pen and nib, but the cleaning process is equally important for your fountain pens. The PENBBS 85 ink is extremely well-behaved. It is incredibly easy to wash out and doesn't leave behind any residue or stains in the converter. I have no worries about leaving this in my pen for months on end!

PENBBS 85 is available at Vanness Pens in a couple of different options. If you want to go all in, the 60ml bottle will cost you just $16. This is a great deal for the volume of ink you receive. But, if you're not ready to commit just yet, you can also pick up a 4ml sample vial for a couple bucks.

85 is a lovely dark blue with a hint of green and a lot of red sheen. I've become a really big fan of this ink in the few short weeks I've been using it, and I'm excited to see what else this ink maker has to offer.

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