Posts filed under Lamy

LAMY noto Teal Ballpoint Pen Review

As a long-time LAMY fan, not even I have tried all of their pens and pencils, but I’m getting one step closer with this review of the LAMY noto.

In my mind, LAMY does entry-level as well as anyone that’s not looking to dominate retail shelves with three-packs of pens, or office supply cabinets with dozen-count boxes. Entry-level in their case means a single pen made well, and for a fair price. The noto ranges from $12-16 depending on the color (this Teal model is a “Special Edition” and runs $14,) and places itself in the popular “upgrade from my first pen” category.

Is it an upgrade, though? Let’s take a look.

The noto (I’m having a hard time not capitalizing “noto,” but that’s how LAMY lists it,) is a plastic barrel, retractable, ballpoint pen. Designed by Naoto Fukasawa, it is the only LAMY creation by what seems to be quite a prolific designer. The noto fits the LAMY aesthetic, so I’d say they nailed the design brief.

The standout design points of the noto are the triangular grip section, and what I’m calling an inset clip that appears built in to the barrel. These features are also ones that can be divisive for anyone interested in buying the noto.

LAMY noto vs AL-Star — *LAMY Denim AL-Star ballpoint, top.*

While the triangular grip is less intrusive than the molded grip section used on their Safari and AL-Star lineups, it can still pose a problem for non-traditional grips. It’s comfortable for a standard tripod grip like mine, and I can even rotate the barrel when writing without the clip hitting my hand way due to its design. I also like the monotone matching throughout the Teal barrel.

The clip design … I just can’t get behind it from a functional perspective. It looks good, and it is unobtrusive, but it requires a little extra if you want to clip it to something. Maybe you have to tilt your paper at an angle, of maybe it takes two hands to attach. Whatever it is, it’s extra. It’s a form over function design. I like the form, and don’t use the function.

The refill used by the Noto is their classic M16 ballpoint. I must be an outlier in that I enjoy this refill, because it does get some grief. As far as standard ballpoint ink formulations go, it is up there in quality and performance. This Black Medium refill is dark and smooth, and the tip stays clean. Maybe one day LAMY will allow customers to easily upgrade to the uniball Jetstream-filled LAMY M17 refill, but today is not that day. Regardless, I think it writes great as-is.

To answer the “upgrade” question above, I’ll be direct and say that the LAMY noto - or other entry-level LAMY ballpoints like the XEVO - cannot compete on pure refill performance with any uniball Jetstream ballpoint. No ballpoint can, to be clear, so why consider the noto? It looks fantastic, feels great in the hand, writes well, and is fun to use. At $14, it makes for a good personal, portable option, and would make a good gift, especially give the range of color options.

The LAMY noto makes me smile, and that’s as good of a reason to own it as any.

(Goldspot Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on April 27, 2026 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Lamy, Ballpoint, Pen Reviews.

What is the LAMY CP1, and why do I like it so much?

One of my favorite review categories is products that are great, but not great for everyone. The LAMY CP1 is a perfect example of this type of product. I love it, it has its super fans, and it flat-out won’t work for many people. Let’s dig in.

Starting with me: why do I like the Cylindric Pen 1 so much? It is a long, skinny fountain pen, with a lightweight metal barrel and a Stainless Steel clip. LAMY’s classic Bauhaus fingerprints are all over the design, making the CP1 look like a mini LAMY 2000 - ok, maybe if you squint a little.

My enjoyment of this pen comes primarily from the narrow barrel, with everything else tied for second. (Second, until they released the Aquamarine model, which made me throw money right through my computer screen.) Having a narrow barrel fountain pen is convenient for sliding it into notebook loops, clipping it to notebook covers, or stashing it into any type of pocket. Yes, it is long, but the narrowness comes in more handy than I ever thought.

LAMY CP1 Fountain Pen Converter — *The CP1 hits the price point where a converter is included. I think all fountain pens should ship with a converter.*

I’m also a fan of LAMY’s Steel nibs, primarily Extra Fine. You may notice that I ordered a Fine for this pen, and that is for good reason: I don’t own a Fine, and this nib is swappable with other LAMY nibs found in some of their most popular pens, like the Safari and AL-Star. I have plenty of stock EF nibs I can swap into the CP1, plus their unique Cursive and A nibs (found in the LAMY ABC,) and I have a few grinds at the ready if I’m feeling frisky. I ordered something I didn’t have, and if it’s too wide for regular use, I can swap it easily.

To my surprise, the line and flow of the Fine LAMY nib in this CP1 is close to many of my Extra Fine favorites. I’m not compelled to change it anytime soon, but the option is always there.

LAMY CP1 Fountain Pen Fine Nib — *A very controllable LAMY Fine Steel nib.*

Given that I like the CP1, who won’t like it? Those who don’t like narrow pens, for starters. Obvious, right? The diameter is a negative for users who need, or simply prefer, wider barrels.

LAMY CP1 Fountain Pen Comparison — *The LAMY Safari could eat the CP1 for dinner, and still have room for dessert.*

Secondly, the grip section isn’t great. For some reason, LAMY loooooves slippery metal grip sections, and the CP1 grip is no exception, even with grooves that provide absolutely no bonus grippability. My fingers will slide when I first pick it up, but once a little natural temperature and moisture cranks up when writing, it’s fine. If you have dry hands, this grip will frustrate you, especially since it is straight-sided. There is no concave here to help.

LAMY CP1 Fountain Pen Posted — *Posting is a mistake.*

Up next, the aforementioned nib. They can be wide and wet even in relatively fine sizes, so if you are looking for a narrow pen with a needlepoint-adjacent nib to match, I’m not sure even the Extra Fine would be an option for you.

LAMY CP1 Fountain Pen Grip — *The grip is slick.*

Finally, the price. For $60 I think it is fairly priced, but that is too expensive to take a random chance on because there are downsides to the CP1. If this price point is within your budget but the style isn’t, take a look at the recently discussed Pilot Prera, which is an easier recommendation to make to a wider audience.

Remember, there is a pen out there for everyone, but not every pen is for everyone. The LAMY CP1 is a perfect example of that.

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

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LAMY CP1 Fountain Pen Box — *It even ships in a nice box, not a perforated sleeve.*

Posted on January 21, 2026 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Lamy, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

LAMY ABC Fountain Pen Review

“Brad, why would you ever review pens made for kids?”

Well, I’m a big kid, and I love stationery. Plus, most pens that focus on helping children how to write are fun, and who doesn’t want that in their choice of writing instrument?

The LAMY ABC has been on my radar forever, but I was never compelled to try one out until the new Black Model was released. Blue and Red are the classic colors of the ABC, and are always available. I guess I needed my new kid’s fountain pen to be a special edition to buy it? No problem detected.

The ABC was released in 1980, and designed by Bernt Spiegel. From the Spiegel Institute:

The ABC was developed to be a writing utensil for writing beginners. While observing the behavior of children beginning school, important features were developed and compared with the guidelines of the association “Spiel gut” (Play well) for good toys. The product’s design featured a combination of wood and plastic, adapted ergonomically to children’s hands with a thicker and condensed body and a cube-like design to keep it from rolling away.

Given that brief, this pen checks all of the boxes. For starters, the design is begging any user to pick it up and try it out. It looks like a mini baseball bat or baton, with a wood barrel and an ABS plastic cap and end piece. It’s chunky, too.

When uncapped, the rubberized grip is molded in two spots to help kids with finger placement when first leaning to write. While grips morph and change as you get older, LAMY at least provides a good baseline to start. Later in life, this type of grip may not be comfortable for you to use.

The nib of the ABC is what LAMY calls an A nib. It writes a Medium line with its rounded tipping, specifically designed for beginners. I’m not sure that it differs all that much from their standard Medium nib, but this one does do a nice job writing at various angles.

The final kid-friendly aspect of the ABC, which I didn’t realize until I bought this pen, was that each pen comes with a sticker to write your name on and attach to the cap. There is even a clear plastic sticker designed to be applied over the color sticker, and a matching color dot for the end of the barrel so you can match up the different parts when they are inevitably lost in a sea of 3rd graders. Or on my desk.

LAMY ABC Fountain Pen Stickers — *Deskmat from* *Mintlodica.com* *- they rule!*

For my use, I’m having a lot of fun with it. It is legitimately fun to pick up and sling ink with this wet A nib. I used the stock LAMY Blue cartridge that shipped with it for the full grade school experience, and it is a perfect match. The only thing I don’t like is that the grip is wide in diameter (11.0 mm vs 10.4 mm on the LAMY Safari,) and the molded sections don’t extend up the grip as far as on the Safari, either. This is a pen designed for small hands, so I get it.

How will I use this pen going forward? Big writing with the A nib, and possible artistic destruction of the wood barrel? It seems like a perfect platform for that.

Give its start as a school pen, would I recommend it to kids as their training pen? Maybe. For starters, at $20 it is a bit expensive to take a chance with. Then again, other popular school pens (meaning pens with a molded grip for grip training, and a durable build,) like the Pelikan Pelikano are more expensive. That’s just me shopping at pen retailers. I’m sure there are many $2-$5 pens that could be sourced in bulk for classrooms.

For more experienced users, like myself, the LAMY ABC is a blast. Not everyone will enjoy it for various reasons, but I do love bringing out the inner kid in me every once in a while.

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

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