LAMY 81



I have found this pen in one of my favourite "pen and paper" shops by surprise. It was hidden between more expensive pens (mostly Parkers and Watermans). Its simple and clean look got my attention - as I remembar I paid for him somthing close to $20. That time I was knowing nothing about the Lamy so I wondered if it was good investment in writing instrument on my way home with the new pen and big packet of cartridges clerk in the store sold me...



Appearance/desing. Lamy 81 has quite minimalistic design but there's something striking in this black-and-silver look. It is slender pen having about 12mm (0.5") in thickest point. Capped it measures 137mm (~5 3/8"), posted - 156mm (~6 1/8"), unposted - 126mm (~5"). Without the cap it's vere light pen - it is made of matte black, hard plastic. Cap made of steel (brushed finish) adds to substantial heft of the pen. Section of L81 is slightly tappered with silver colored, metal trim on the end. It gives good grip on its full length - not slippery even during long writing. Trim gives a good grip if you like to hold your pen very close to nib, however it's equally comfortable to hold it heigher especially if you'd like to post the cap. Posting makes L81 top-heavy and a little unbalanced. Cap is decorated with "L" on top and is equipped with spring-loaded clip. It has small inscription "LAMY 81 W. GERMANY"



Nib/performance. Wing style nib is located on top of big feed (look at the photo below). Nib is silver colored - for years I was pretty sure it is stainless steel, but... plating wore off a little on the edges and I saw yellow metal shining under. I tried to find some information on this and yes - it is GOLD NIB (as "585" on it suggests). I don't know if it is rhodium or white gold plated. L81 nib is very smooth - it's the smoothest nib I have ever tried. It is "F" size but here comes another surprise - it gives very nice but unusuall line width variation thanks to "architecture point" - vertical lines are thinner then horizontal. It is springy nib, somehow similar in springiness to Parker Sonnet nib.



Filling system was another surprise for me. Remeber I was sold carts for this pen but cannot fit them in L81 is a PISTON FILLER! It holds nice amount of ink for long writiing sessions.

Conclussion. One day I've found someone on net selling this pen for $100. It's five times more then I paid for it but comparing to other $100 pens I had/tried it is certainly worth it! At $20 it was real bargain... I keep mine L81 always ready, filled with WM Florida Blue. It NEVER skips and it's ready to write even after weeks in the drawer. Highly recommended pen if you could get one.

It was my first review here...

Great review and beautiful looking pen! Your pen certainly can be considered a wonderful "find" as well.

Paul

Oh... Thank you

Very sharp-looking pen, and a difficult to beat value. Congratulations on your find!

Wow! Nice pen and thanks for the review. I didn't know they made piston fillers other than the 2000.

Hi alex
Yes, a very good report and nice pics. Actually the nib is 585 Gold and Platinium coated. It looks like a steel nib but that is LAMY´s production philosopy: to build simple and understated looking writing equipment similar to the "Bauhaus" designers: form follows function. And best technique inside.
Good for us fleemarket and antique shop searchers, when the seller thinks that they are cheapies
Thomas

A suprise find and good alternative to a 2000.

Thank you for information I didn't know that...


It is certainly very good pen. However I haven't got opportunity to try out Lamy 2000 yet. Hmmm... it would be nice to do a comparative review: L2000 vs. L81


alex

Great review, Alex!
I have a few Lamy pens (but no L81) and they are all well-made and very stylish looking...

Looking forward to more of your pen reviews...oh, and welcome to FPN!
~Maja

Wow, nice pics and review, I like it!

Great looking pen. Wonderful review. My favorite pens are the Lamy 2000 and Parker "51". If I ever came across a Lamy 81, I would have to seriously consider getting one. I wish Lamy would have other piston fillers in their line besides the 2000.

Is the Lamy 81 out of production?

Yes, unfortunately :|

AFAIK Lamy 81 "was born" in 1964 - it was produced in sixties and seventies...

alex

There are several similar models: I've seen Lamy #80 to #86 on ebay, they just have different colours.

Nice review,
Have you encountered any problems with leaking around the nib section? I have a Lamy 80, its the same but with a black cap, and it leaks where the nib fits into the pen. Do you know if the nib section can be screwed out?

I thought that photo in the original post looked like the nib was stamped 585, which most Americans would recognize better as 14k. Good to know I wasn't imagining things!

Nice catch, Alex! That one looks like a winner!

Don't suppose you could scan a writing sample with the architecture nib, could you? I'd like to see that.

Nice pen! I haven't seen or heard of those before....I might have to keep my eye out. I don't think I'll find quite as good a deal as that, though.

Hello! I´m new here, I´m searchin for some lamy 81 or 80 any body knows where I can get some one or some of them????
Thanks!!!!

I'm terribly sorry I didn't notice your post earlier :|
My quick and 'dirty' photos of L81 with it's older brother L2000





Hmm.. I'll try to scan writing sample


Best!
alexalex

Thanks for reviving this review--I had missed it. I knew Lamy made a number of interesting pens post-2000 model, and there have been a few with a brushed aluminum cap mated to a black body. Most were cartridge fillers. I had no idea about the 81. It looks like a great pen. Must keep my eye out for one.

Along with a Lamy 27, I picked one of these up recently on the FPN Marketplace. Great pen! In fact, if you were at my table in Chicago, this pen was on display. And, although several people inquired, it most definitely is not for sale!

James