Lamy Nexx (F) Review

[anchorschmidt]

 

Appearance and Design (9/10)- For its price, the Lamy Nexx is quite well designed. The plastic used is sturdy and it has survived numerous drops without a single crack. The grip is probably the best part about this pen. It is made of rubber and is far thicker than the grip of a Lamy Safari and more comfortable to hold in my opinion.

 

 

My sister's Lamy Safari and my Nexx

 

The pen would fit in at school, university or at work. If you do want something a bit more formal, you can get the Nexx with a black cap.

 

http://static1.jetpens.com/images/a/000/018/18735.jpg

 

My only gripe about the pen is that it doesn't post very securely and the cap can keep falling off. It is well balanced posted or unposted so it isn't a very big issue but this could be a problem for those who always post their pens.

 

The Nib (8/10):

 

The nib is a standard Lamy stainless steel fine point that is also used with the Safari and Al-Star. The nib is quite smooth but writes thicker than other fine nibs that I've used. Lamy's quality control regarding their steel nibs is not very good and I've had quite a bit of variation in the 3 steel fine nibs that I have bought for my Nexx so far.

 

Filling system (8/10)

 

Lamy has its own proprietary cartridge/converter system for this pen. A pack of 5 cartridges costs 1.50 euros while the converter costs 4.50 euros in Germany. I would highly recommend buying the converter as it works well and will save you money if you use this pen frequently. The cartridges are medium sized and hold a decent amount of ink for 3-5 days if you're an engineering student like me.

 

 

Cost and value (10/10)

 

The pen costs around 14 euros in Germany compared to 18 euros for the Lamy Safari or 20 euros for the Pelikan Future. Mine has sustained heavy use for a year and stills looks brand new. It's a great alternative to the Safari if you don't like the Lamy Safari grip. It is also built to last unlike Parker Vector, which is prone to barrel cracking.

 

I would highly recommend this pen to fellow students or to older fountain pen users who would like a pen that can withstand the rigours of daily life while being able to write well.

 

Recommended inks:

 

There has been quite a variation in the inks that I've used with this pen. I'll share my experiences with you and hope that you can share yours as well. I have tried Parker Quink Blue (washable), Lamy Blue and Pelikan 4001 Black.

 

Over the last one year I've used over 30 cartridges and an entire bottle of Parker Quink with this pen. If you get the F or EF nibs with this pen, it is possible that the nib will be on the scratchy side.

 

In such cases, I would recommend trying out Parker Quink as it made the previous scratchy F nib buttery smooth.

 

Sometimes Parker Quink can be too smooth and the Lamy ink works well if you want a bit more tooth and control.

 

The Pelikan ink is a bit too dry in my opinion. I personally just alternate between Quink and Lamy Blue as I like using them both.

 

Overall: 35/40 or 8.75/10

 

Edited March 21, 2012 by anchorschmidt

[ThirdeYe]

Great job on the review! Wow, 30 cartridges and a full bottle of ink in one year, in one pen... That's a fair bit of writing.

[Ad_Astra]

Agreed with ThirdeYe, you definitely write quite a bit!

 

For some reason, I'd actually always thought the Nexx was much larger than the Safari, but now that I see it, the sizing looks just right for extended writing sessions. You don't find it to be very dry when using Lamy blue?

[anchorschmidt]

For some reason, I'd actually always thought the Nexx was much larger than the Safari, but now that I see it, the sizing looks just right for extended writing sessions. You don't find it to be very dry when using Lamy blue?

 

I've only used 3 inks so I'm not that experienced but it does seem to be wetter than Pelikan 4001 and less wet than Parker Quink washable. I don't think that it's wet but it's not as dry as Pelikan.

 

Edit!: Wait now that you mention it, Lamy ink did write way too dry with 2 of my fine nibs and that's the only reason that I started using Parker Quink in the first place. The fine nib that I have now puts down exactly the same line as my sister's medium Lamy nib (no idea why) and so Lamy ink works well.

Edited March 22, 2012 by anchorschmidt

[Malcy]

Parker washable blue works well in most pens but fades badly. My most used ink is Lamy blue which I find is also universally usable.

[sappyg]

An excellent review and I do like the pen.

No mention of the clip and the extension above the cap. How do you find this (clip) for everyday use? Does it have a practical purpose and does it get in the way during normal use?

[anchorschmidt]

No mention of the clip and the extension above the cap. How do you find this (clip) for everyday use? Does it have a practical purpose and does it get in the way during normal use?

 

 

I don't really use the clip as I carry my pens around in a pencil case in my backpack. I forgot to mention this in the review but the plastic clip is prone to breakage. I once accidentally broke the clip while playing around with the pen. Luckily I could get a replacement cap for 4 euros.

[ftp249]

Great review, thanks! The pen looks just awful though...

[anchorschmidt]

Great review, thanks! The pen looks just awful though...

 

Thank you. Why do you think the pen looks awful? Just curious to know other people's point of view.

[Ryan_]

Great review!! I also have a Lamy Nexx (with black cap). I also find that the cap does not post very securely, and comes off very easily. But other wise nice pen and worth the money.

[penocd]

Hallo auf die USA.

 

I enjoyed reading your review of the Lamy. I also use some less expensive pens for use at work and in situations where they might be easily damaged, so this is a niche I look at when I can find something.

 

Can you clarify what material the barrel is made from?

[anchorschmidt]

Hallo auf die USA.

 

I enjoyed reading your review of the Lamy. I also use some less expensive pens for use at work and in situations where they might be easily damaged, so this is a niche I look at when I can find something.

 

Can you clarify what material the barrel is made from?

 

Hallo

 

Thanks for the comment. The barrel seems to be made out of highly durable and lightweight plastic. You can see that it is in very good condition after heavy daily usage for a year.

 

If you are getting the F, EF or 1.1 mm nib, I highly recommend using Parker Quink blue washable. I know that it's not a favourite ink on this forum but when I got the F nib because the M was too broad for mathematics, I was really disappointed in the scratchiness of the nib. I had some Quink lying around and it completely changed how the pen wrote. Quink doesn't even work that well on normal Parker pens but it seems to be made for this pen.

 

My current F nib is a bit wider than normal F nibs so Lamy ink works alright but Quink is still much better IMHO.

[impossiblebird]

Hallo auf die USA.

 

I enjoyed reading your review of the Lamy. I also use some less expensive pens for use at work and in situations where they might be easily damaged, so this is a niche I look at when I can find something.

 

Can you clarify what material the barrel is made from?

 

Hallo

 

Thanks for the comment. The barrel seems to be made out of highly durable and lightweight plastic.

The barrel's made of lightweight aluminium, as used in the Lamy AlStar. The newer models have the metal clip and cap band, which is much more robust than the plastic clip. I also find the grip on the Nexx more comfortable than that on the Safari/AlStar.

[rcarlisle]

Thank you for the excellent review. I have been intrigued by the Nexx and I have been considering getting one. Your review is very thorough. You handwriting is very good too! I will definitely put a Nexx on my list of pens to get soon.

[Phormula]

 

The barrel's made of lightweight aluminium, as used in the Lamy AlStar. The newer models have the metal clip and cap band, which is much more robust than the plastic clip. I also find the grip on the Nexx more comfortable than that on the Safari/AlStar.

 

1. Yes, the barrel is made of aluminium, I got it replaced by Lamy since mine developed "bubbles", most likely defective surdace finish

2. There are two kinds of Lamy Nexx, the Nexx, with the one-piece all plastic cap, and the Nexx M, available in orange, anthracyte and olive, which has a more "luxury" plastic cap with aluminum clip.

3. I agree on the grip, it is far more comfortable than the Safari-Al Star, at least for me.

 

Nib is the standard Lamy, chrome version, hot swappable and slightly on the broader side.