Lamy Nexx M (anthracite).

[Gaffer]

OK, so third time lucky. As I mentioned in my Safari post, I really didn't get on with the Lamy M nib but seeing as it has so many thumbs up from people, I thought I'd give them another go, but that this time I'd try my preferred option of Fine.

 

This pen was bought online (Pen Fountain) so it turned out to be the same price as the Safari despite having a rrp of £18-ish.

 

 

Appearance & Design - 6/10

 

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/5862/packagingn.th.jpg

First inspection of the packaging was a bit disappointing. Not only was it NOT delivered in a box - not even a blister pack - but the box it came with was squashed flat (maybe to help with packaging?). As a result, don't expect to be able to give this as a gift to anyone. However, the "naked" components were wrapped in bubble-wrap very well and nicely protected. I went for the anthracite rather than the orange one.

 

http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/8454/closedt.th.jpg

The pen itself looks very nice. Clean lines and appears slightly "chunkier" than the Safari. It has a less "industrial" look to me, and it will appeal to those of you who like clean lines and unfussy pens .

You can see the unusual triangular x-section of the barrel in the picture below.

 

 

Construction & Quality - 8/10

 

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Fit and finish is again good. The metal (as opposed to the plastic of the Safari) is nice and it's fat enough combined with the weight to give it a "fuller" feeling in the hand. Just like the Safari "The lid closes with a positive click and everything screws together well with a decent finish".

'Robust' is a word I would use to describe it.

The grip is similar to the Safari, but in this case, the grip section is rubberised resulting in an even better grip than you would think. Like the Safari, it allows for one 'style' of grip, but the feel is a BIG step up from plain plastic and makes it feel very nice to write with.

 

 

Size & Weight - 5/10

 

http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/3311/posted.th.jpg

This pen is heavier than the Safari -- 13g unposted (Safari was 10) and 21g posted (Safari was 17). However, it's still a bit too light for me for writing, but I don't too much because it's light enough to carry around at work without problems (I already have enough things dangling around my neck without adding heavy pens to it).

Size wise it's 13.7cm with cap on, 15.8cm posted and 12.8cm unposted, making it similar to the Safari. However, it has an unusual lid design that "pokes out" beyond the cap end and I've included this in the size.

 

 

Nib & Performance - 5/10

 

http://img709.imageshack.us/img709/1373/nib.th.jpg

Another area where the packaging left a lot to be desired imo. The spare nib was simply taped to a bit of card. Thankfully, they'd wrapped it in bubble-wrap too.

This nib is a complete revelation as c.f. the Medium Lamy I had before. It's sooooooo much nicer to write. Yes, OK, still noticeably scratchy and nowhere near as smooth as my E-Motion, but it gives a consistent line thickness and doesn't skip .

 

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/7408/p1020640.th.jpg

Like the M, the nib creep is pretty evident, but it hasn't caused me any issues so far. The nib is fairly inflexible and overall OK to write with (so gets a plumb average score).

 

 

Filling System & Maintenance - 8/10

 

http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/133/convertor.th.jpg

I went for the Z24 convertor as I didn't want to be filling up cartridges with syringes. As you can see from the photo, it's a snug fit, made 'snugger' by the 2 small nipples on the side that clip into the plastic surround.

The Z24 takes 0.8mls of ink, which should be plenty for a few days at work.

 

 

Cost & Value - 9/10

 

Lamy Nexx M + Spare F Z50 Nib + Z24 convertor = £15 + £4 + £3 = £22

 

Considering I have bought a pen plus a spare nib plus convertor for about $32, I'm quite happy with the cost. MOST importantly if when I drop it, a new nib only costs $6 or so so I won't have to keep buying new pens all the time .

Great VFM and I hope it will last me a long time.

 

 

Overall Conclusion - 7/10

 

I can only repeat what I said for my initial Safari review "A great little pen for very little outlay. I bought it for work and it's so far proved sturdy enough. It's also cheap and popular enough that if I do drop it, replacements will be easy to come by. I recommend it."

Edited June 2, 2010 by Gaffer

[watch_art]

will the safari cap fit this? the section is the same it looks like...

[J English Smith]

Different section, I believe. Good review! I like the look of these except for the cap design. A good starter Lamy for those who just can't stomach the look of the Safari-Vista-Al Star series.

[Gaffer]

Thanx

^^Yep, the barrell and cap are different sizes to the Safari/Al-Star so it won't fit on that.

 

I must also admit that I think the "wire" cap grip on the Safari looks and feels better to me, but this one is still good enough. I spend a lot of time running around and it never once fell out of my scrubs .

I think in terms of appearance, I prefer the Safari (just ) but also prefer the metal of the Nexx.

Ideally, an Al-Star would be right up my street, but I deliberately wanted to spend under £20 for the pen alone (not inc. the convertor and nib) so it just out of my price range for a "work" pen.

Edited June 4, 2010 by Gaffer