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I recently purchased a Lamy 2000 after much careful consideration from PenGallery (no aff.) and it has quickly become one of my favourite pens. I wrote all of my exam notes and all of my exams with it last semester, and it never disappointed with it's large ink reservoir and surprisingly smooth EF nib. Afer hearing many people on this forum having troubles with theirs (especially with the EF nib) I was somewhat apprehensive in buying one; but as I said, I was blown away. After using it for a few months and dropping it a few times without any problems; I decided to do a bit of an experiment to see just how tough the Lamy 2000 is. Note that I have not taken the pen apart at all, nor have I removed or replaced any components at any time. This pen is as I bought it, as an average user would use it; intact and containing ink at all times. Also note that this experiment isn't serious in any way - If I really wanted to be unbiased then I'd also grab a second 2000 for comparison. I'm pretty sure I just managed to bag a good one
Onto the tests:
Test 1 - Shock and durability
For this test I dropped the pen (capped) from several heights, 1 meter, 2 meters, and finally, off of a two story house.
1 meter - The pen bounced as it hit the concrete surface, landing on the top of the cap. No damage to outer surface, piston, nib, or otherwise. No nib leakage.
2 meters - The pen bounced as it hit the concrete surface, landing on the top of the cap again. No damage to outer surface, piston, nib, or otherwise. One or two spots of ink on the nib/in the cap.
Two floors up - Landed rather violently on its side and top. Small abrasion to the smooth part on the top of the cap, no damage elsewhere. Again, only a few drops of ink in the cap; and after all drops, the pen still wrote flawlessly. For this test, Waterman black was used for ink.
Test 2 - Extreme Heat
Living in Australia, it gets damn hot in summer, up to 45 degrees C (113F). As such, I needed a pen that could withstand the heat during everyday use. For this test, I continued to use the pen inside, outside and at work; carrying it in a bag on an awkward angle for a few days, and then left in a bag in my car for the remainder of the week (4 days) to see what happened. I put a thermometer in my car and the highest reading I received one afternoon was 72 degrees C (162F). At the end of the week, I removed the pen from the bag and took the cap off. There was quite a bit of ink leakage, but after wiping it off with a tissue, the pen still wrote flawlessly. For this test, Waterman black was used for ink.
Test 3 - Freezing Cold
My family and I went to Austria for Christmas, and some nights the temperature got down to around -12 degrees C (10F). I took my pen with me fo writing when I was there; and decided to conduct another test. I left the pen outside for 3 days; where it was exposed to temperatures ranging from 1 degree to -12 degrees. This test is also a testament to Noodler's Polar Blue ink, because after bringing the pen in on the final morning and struggling to get the cap off (it was frosted shut) - the pen still wrote without a problem. It would have been about -3 degrees at the time. The pen was also tested within the 3 day period at 1 degree, -4 degrees and -8 degrees. All tests were successful, with the pen working without a hitch.
To conclude, I know that this little experiment isn't especially sophisticated or anything, it was really just a bit of fun over the holidays and I also wanted to verify the 2000's 'tank-like' status. I suppose I've been pretty lucky with regard to my 2000, because a lot of people do seem to have problems with it. Either way, this pen has been through a lot and I hope to see many more years of good use from it
This post has been edited by matthewst1: 23 January 2009 - 10:27 AM
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