Lamy Persona Titanium

[gds]

The Persona is, or at any rate, was the flagship luxury pen from Lamy, and in the luxurious platinum finish was the most costly pen they sold. As far as I know they have been out of production for about four years but it is still possible to find them in stock at some stores. I've seen a couple of these go through the marketplace recently, and I thought a quick review might be of interest.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3294/2448197369_48420d52f7_m.jpg

The Persona is a striking looking pen, modern, sleek and utterly designed. Mario Bellini did the design on this one; apparently he is well known for his architectural work and that makes sense when you see the shape of the pen. The ribbed barrel is reminiscent of a Greek column; the smoothly domed cap contrasts beautifully, and the titanium finish gives it the modernity. The Persona was also made with a black-oxide finish and a reflective platinum finish. Personally I prefer the slightly dull titanium finish on mine. There are gold accents on the plate at the end of the barrel (the pen is stable enough to stand upright on that plate, by the way) and the clip.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3035/2448196323_726029d362.jpg

 

 

When I first saw this pen I thought it looked somehow "too big". The combination of the metal and the swell at the cap made it look like it would be chunkier and heavier than I wanted. But still, there was something attractive about the modernity of the design that brought me back to try it. Uncapped I was surprised by how the tapering on the section made it feel smaller and more comfortable than it looked. For a metal pen this is surprisingly light in the hand. Nobody seems to be able to say whether this is solid titanium or just titanium coated, but it's light enough to be titanium. The balance of the pen is excellent, especially when the cap is unposted.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2343/2448197593_173173e873.jpg

 

The nib is a nice size, and with a sleek look in keeping with the rest of the pen. This pen has a 14k nib, though I understand an 18K nib was also available. There is no size marking on the nib, and though I was told this was the smallest point available it feels like a medium not a fine. Normally that would be a problem for me, so how come I bought it? Because of the way it writes of course.

 

When the nib hits the paper this pen is beautiful. It just sings across the paper; it is not a flexible nib, but there is a little springiness to it that cushions the ride, and it's as smooth as you'll find. Really gorgeous to write with, and I've been able to forgive it the width of the line because of the comfort of using it. I scale up my handwriting a bit to compensate, of course. There is a sweet spot, like any pen, and if I get the angle wrong I can feel a slight drag, but when it's on target the nib glides effortlessly. With the cap unposted it's light enough in my hand for a long writing session without being tiring. I've really enjoyed writing with this.

 

 

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2031/2448195631_e66bddd29f.jpg

I need to say something about the clip, because this is the "gimmick" part of the pen. It's clever and eye-catching - it retracts flush with the cap. It's spring loaded, and can be extended by pushing on the ridged top part. It does work well, and looks really great. Does it work better than a traditional clip? No, but the sleek lines of the pen are unbroken when it's retracted, and that counts for something. A small bump at the top of the clip is supposed to keep the pen from rolling off your desk, but if the pen gets too much of a run-up it can roll right over that. This shouldn't happen unless you put the pen down on an incline.

 

The cap and section are threaded to so that the cap gets a secure grip. The thread is very short, which ensures that it's only a half-twist of the cap to remove it, and that it stays out of the way of your fingers. It's still long enough to hold everything together securely. On the other end of the pen the cap posts with a nice satisfying click and feels utterly solid and wobble-free. I find I don't like the balance of the pen when it's posted like this, but I wouldn't say it was off, just not to my taste. If you hold the pen further back than I do then it might be better for you

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2304/2448196695_2afb63e719_m.jpg

 

The persona is a cartridge/converter filler, and uses Lamy's Z25 piston converter (which was included with the pen, as was a box of standard Lamy blue cartridges). The converter works well, and I can get it completely full with only a couple of cycles of the piston.

 

As I said, the pen writes a generous line, so I find I have to fill the converter more often than I am used to with my finer-pointed pens. I've been using this regularly for the past six weeks or so, and I have been filling it a couple of times a week. About half of the reservoir in the converter is visible when the barrel is unscrewed, so it's easy to check on the ink level before you run out.

 

Lamy don't make this any more, and I guess the styling of the pen just didn't catch on. Maybe it was a bit too modern for the high end of the mainstream pen market. It's a shame, because this is a wonderful writer, and I think the look is really appealing. They do seem to be fairly easily findable at the moment, though, at reasonable prices.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2385/2448196937_2eca739f57.jpg

 

(Cross-posted to my own site)

[goodguy]

Thank you for the interesting and educational review.

This pen looks like something I might enjoy too even though I am not a big fan of modern design pens.

Could I ask how much did you buy the pen for and how much do they go for today as second hand pens ?

[gds]

I paid €250 for it (at a bricks and mortar store in The Hague). I don't know what a typical second hand price for one would be, but there are a couple on eBay currently hovering around the €100-€150 mark (but who knows where they will finish). I see James at Pear Tree Pens was selling the black anodized edition for $145 last year (which is a great price for this pen), but I think that was the last of his stock.

[purpledog]

I wonder if this pen sold on the marketplace is the same as yours.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=61612

 

thanks,

purpledog

Edited April 28, 2008 by purpledog

[gds]

Yes, it's very similar. That one is in black, and I think that means it is the "Persona II". I haven't seen one in person, but from the photographs it looks like the barrel does not have the same ribbed shape as the original Persona. From what I have read the black Personas (err, Personae?) could be either black resin or Ti oxide. The description of the one you linked to makes me think it's the latter.

 

I wonder exactly how many variations of the Persona Lamy produced?

Edited April 28, 2008 by gds

[James P]

I wonder exactly how many variations of the Persona Lamy produced?

 

I have seen 4 different iterations of the Persona.

 

1. Highly Polished Platinum, like this one: http://www.peartreepens.com/images/platinum_persona.jpg

2. Matte black resin with Palladium cap and trim, like this one: http://peartreepens.com/images/persona.jpg

3. Brushed Titanium Oxide with gold trim: See image below.

 

4. Black Titanium Oxide with gold trim: See image below. Incidentally, I have a few of these in a rollerball in case anyone's looking.

 

 

Edited April 28, 2008 by James P

[gds]

Thanks James. The black Titanium Oxide looks great!

[encremental]

The 'matte black resin' version mentioned above is not common or garden resin as we know it, but in fact that old Lamy favourite .......M A K R O L O N ! ! ! (which as it sounds as if it should pop up in the titles to 'Thunderbirds', demands to be mentally declaimed in a basso profundo echoey voice, IMO).

 

I just bought one from the FPN Marketplace, and I can only agree with gds - it is a magnificent pen, almost perfect in every way, from the dreamy nib to the careful design, perfect balance (at least in my version) when posted and the wonderful over-engineered clip whose purpose is of course nothing to do with clippage and everything to do with in-meeting fiddling. Lamy can even get away with a cartridge converter and still be considered a proper pen because they really have conquered all c/c problems with their extra long feed. No Parker-style balkiness here. Although it might be heretical to say so, I think I almost prefer it to the 2000. Lamy's supreme achievement, perhaps...

 

I think the pen has sadly been discontinued because it is a textbook example of 80s/90s post-modern design and I'm sure will be in all the books in a few years. It's Alessi/Charles Graves/Ettore Sottsass etc. stylee and so has fallen out of favour, while at the same time the 60's lines (not Bauhaus, BTW) of the 2000 have eased back into vogue. I really think this is a stone cold classic, and should be snapped up while at sensible prices. I certainly intend to track down every version while I can.

 

John

Edited April 28, 2008 by encremental

[kazoolaw]

I recently traded for a No. 4 (according to James P's photos).

Perspective is a funny thing: when I first saw it I thought it looked too small, and had to hold it up to other pens to confirm its size.

The matte black with gold trim is attractive to my eye. My dim dark memory says 3 & 4 were the original, with 1 & 2 following along.

The clip on mine holds on tenaciously, to the point of wrinkling my shirt pocket as it does.

I put it in the class with my 2 51s: understated, and ready to write anytime anywhere.

gary

[MYU]

Nice review, Gds! I think you present the Persona very well. It is an unusual pen that takes a bit of patience to appreciate for what it has to offer. The ability to stand fairly steady on the bottom end is rather uncommon.

 

Wow, I didn't realize that the "chrome" looking model is actually platinum plated. Somehow I had the impression that there was indeed a full chrome version, an example of which is in my collection. But I just double-checked a review that backs it up. Mine must be platinum.

 

I've got an oblique medium nib that behaves more like an oblique broad, so it's not exactly my favorite kind of nib. But it is indeed smooth. I also like how the cap posts to the pen with a nicely muted click. The balance is superb.

Edited April 30, 2008 by MYU

[journeyman42]

Beautiful pens, I may be in the market for a new metal pen If I can't repair mine. I'll keep this one in mind as I look.

[HDoug]

That's really gorgeous. Strange that it never really caught on, but maybe the Italian style collided with the Bauhaus "ornamentation is sin" dictum and Lamy couldn't really figure out how to market it.

 

Doug

[jameswatts]

I have a Persona in the Black and love it. I've had nothing but good luck with Lamy pens, and this one is one of the best of them all. nice review.

 

jdw

[MYU]

That's really gorgeous. Strange that it never really caught on, but maybe the Italian style collided with the Bauhaus "ornamentation is sin" dictum and Lamy couldn't really figure out how to market it.

 

Doug

I think you're right, Doug. That's what held me back at first--the "reverse fluted column" look of the barrel. Just a bit too much and not quite in line with the rest of the pen. The cap with the angular spring loaded clip seems more Bauhaus. But the Persona is extremely well made and once you start using it, you see how the design really works. Plus the cap posting is the best I've seen--nice soft snap-in feel without scratching the barrel sides.

 

~Gary

Edited May 2, 2008 by MYU

[Richard F]

My Black Titanium Persona with gold trim oddly doesn't have the small bump on the clip. A variation?

 

Still, I agree that this is an elegantly designed pen and a great writer--one of my favorites.

[Deirdre]

I think you're right, Doug. That's what held me back at first--the "reverse fluted column" look of the barrel.

Reeding is a very old style of decoration -- it's not exclusively modern or Italian. (reeding is convex; fluting is concave)

[Shelley]

Nice review of a nice pen-thank you!

[MYU]

Reeding is a very old style of decoration -- it's not exclusively modern or Italian. (reeding is convex; fluting is concave)

Thanks for the explanation--I had no idea that Reeding is the inverse of Fluting. Learn something new every day.

[Silvermink]

One of the Vancouver Pen Club people did a presentation at our meeting last night on pens by industrial designers, and I really fell in love with the Persona, but I'm big into modern/minimalist design. I suspect I'll end up with one at some point - it's now on the Must Have List.

[PAKMAN]

Good review! I've seen very little on this pen.