Lamy Joy 1.9... w/ writing examples

[watch_art]

Initial Impression.

Well, it's not a pen for me, it's for my wife, and I really hope she likes it. I'll get her opinion on it later tonight after she's used it. I don't know what to say. I guess it's sort of lackluster really. The box it comes in is cheap, but as somebody who throws that kind of stuff in the trash as soon as I open it, I could care less. And honestly I appreciate that b/c it means I'm not paying extra for a box/presentation. I want to pay for a pen, not the box.

 

lamy joy 1.9

appearance and design. 8/10

not bad looking, love the red on black combo. it DOES post too, by the way. quite well in fact. it looks funny though b/c the cap is bigger than the barrell where it fits. the inside of the cap has some kind of rubber gripper in there to hold on to. I love the clip design on these things.

 

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2735/4410802647_bee200525e_o.jpg

 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4056/4411570274_89645dc2cf_o.jpg

 

Construction and Quality. 6/10

Having only 2 other Lamys (safaris) I was really dissapointed with the sharp edges on the section and where the barrel touches the 'o-ring' when screwed on. I assumed it would be finished to the same quality as the safari, but it's not. But it's not TOO bad when you're writing with it. It feels okay. I was just sort of dissapointed at that.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2689/4411570480_1f3821deb8_o.jpg

 

Weight and Dimensions 6/10

Not sure what I think about the length of it, I know it's a caligraphy pen but geez. it looks cool, but it could be a tad shorter. just my opinion. it's a good 7 or 7.5 inches long capped. Somebody else might really like it though. It is well balanced, though. It doesn't feel top heavy when writing unposted, but posted it's kind of uncomfortable. Just me though.

 

Nib & Performance 8/10

Writes well, smooth, not too wet but not dry. Can't write too fast or it will not lay down a line. I can write quickly without any problems but sometimes a crossed t won't come out right. This is the only nib I would use the Lamy cartridges with. The M nib I have on another pen writes WAY too dry with the Lamy cartridge.

 

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2679/4410802821_7864c6a76b_o.jpg

 

Sample...

 

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2706/4411571018_a7a70ce8b0_o.jpg

 

Filling and Maintenance 10/10

cartridges couldn't be any easier could they? I could also stick a converter in there if my wife wants.

 

Cost and Value 10/10

at $20.02 from the writing desk dot UK I'm quite happy with it. Even with the sharp edges it seems like a great price. For some reason it's cheaper for me to buy from them and have it shipped overseas than it is for me to buy CONUS. Maybe I just haven't found a good source locally???

 

Final Grade???

 

48/60

Not Bad. Could have been finished a bit better, or made with a different plastic.

Edited March 6, 2010 by watch_art

[watch_art]

I notice nobody has written anything about this review. My wife says she doesn't blame you. For what she wants, the nib is perfect, but she hates the molded section. She would prefer a round rubber grip like on the Sheaffer calligraphy pens you can get at Hobby Lobby/Michaels.

 

And as for the barrel, she does really like the long slender design of it. Later on I might buy a nib section with a round grip and stick on there for her with her fat 1.9 nib so she'll enjoy writing with it more.

 

And she wants green ink so I need to research and find a good green ink.

 

[streeton]

I notice nobody has written anything about this review. My wife says she doesn't blame you. For what she wants, the nib is perfect, but she hates the molded section. She would prefer a round rubber grip like on the Sheaffer calligraphy pens you can get at Hobby Lobby/Michaels.

 

And as for the barrel, she does really like the long slender design of it. Later on I might buy a nib section with a round grip and stick on there for her with her fat 1.9 nib so she'll enjoy writing with it more.

 

And she wants green ink so I need to research and find a good green ink.

 

 

I'll bite watch_art, I hate to see a good review go to waste. I think yor wife may have preferred a Rotring Art Pen with a 1.9 italic nib. This pen has a round section although it has concentric ribbing which some people don't like. If you want to stick with Lamy then of course your choices are plenty - CP1 matte black titanium , very slim, round, ribbed section, Studio with fatter round grip section are just 2 that come to mind that will fit your 1.9mm italic nib. Thats the beauty of Lamy of course - the wide selection of pens that use the same nibs. I agree with you about the plastic - this was my impression when I tried one in B&M store. Its horses for courses though, don't expect to "speed write" with a pen designed as a calligrapher's tool. Nice phtography once again but I would like to see the Lamy Blue Ink (my favorite) on a white or cream paper for contrast.

Edited March 8, 2010 by streeton

[watch_art]

thanks for the tip and comments!

i'll look at a rotring later on after we check out the other lamys i think.

here's a sample of her writing with doodles on the side. she takes her time writing, i'm the speed demon.

so the speed thing is no problem for her. she was actually ribbing me for writing too fast.

i need to learn calligraphy too though, and then i can teach it to my students at school later on.

 

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2782/4415512531_9c6708c6f9_b.jpg

[streeton]

Thats more like it. Don't want to get sexist here but female handwriting has a distinct style/touch, but if you pushed me on that I couldn't describe it in more exact detail. That Lamy ink is awesome. Congratulations, italics do make a world of difference. Puts my CP1 with 1.1mm italic (not really a proper italic) to shame. Also have a look at biffybeans for lamy safari/studio and loads of ink reviews - she can set you straight on which green ink suits your wife.

Edited March 8, 2010 by streeton

[GouletPens]

I'll chime in here too....I was excited about this pen after reading a pretty good review from someone else. I picked it up (the 1.1mm though) and at the same picked up the Pelikan Script 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0. I like the look of the Joy a little better than the Script, but the Joy I got was soooooooo scratchy. It was actually scratching off fibers of the paper, and this is Clairefontaine Triomphe were talking about here which is glass smooth. I was surprised and disappointed how bad it wrote. Maybe it just needs to be broken in more, cuz flushing several times didn't help. The Script writes soooooo much better I haven't even bothered with the Joy. And the Script is half the price!

Edited March 8, 2010 by GouletPens

[Ed Ronax]

Nice review, great looking nib, thanks.

[watch_art]

that's one thing i can say, it's SMOOTH. my wife has commented several times on how smooth it is. maybe you just got a bad nib? couldn't you try to swap it out or return it? i know it's only $10 but... it would annoy the fire out of me.

[GouletPens]

that's one thing i can say, it's SMOOTH. my wife has commented several times on how smooth it is. maybe you just got a bad nib? couldn't you try to swap it out or return it? i know it's only $10 but... it would annoy the fire out of me.

Yeah....I'd like to b/c otherwise it's a comfortable pen for me. I just have to get around to it!

[lovemy51]

IMO, 1.5 and 1.9 on the lamy's are scratchy (and i've tried a few). i stick to the 1.1.

 

i now have a 1.5 in my charcoal safari inked with PR tanzanite and that ink actually makes a bit of a difference in terms of lubrication, so the nib is smoother.

[mandarintje]

I bought a 1.1 with a silver metal cap from a local shop, and bought a black plastic with red trim like the one in the picture above in 1.9 from England.

I find too that the 1.9 black plastic one is a bit scratchy. Also i don't find the horizontal strokes that thin...I'd say the nib had too much of a rounded tip, i.e. there could be more line variation such as with the Parker calligraphy pens. The 1.9 hooked up fibres a few times but it may be running a bit better now. The 1.1 was like writing on butter though.

 

I like your wife's handwriting =))) and it's nice to see how much she enjoys fountain pens too. Now you can make all future purchases look like her idea =P

[watch_art]

 

 

I like your wife's handwriting =))) and it's nice to see how much she enjoys fountain pens too. Now you can make all future purchases look like her idea =P

 

 

:thumbup::thumbup:

[dexaco]

I have all three Lamy italic nibs, 1.1, 1.5 and 1.9, but I can't comment on the 'scratchiness' of them as supplied as I've reshaped all three to left oblique (I'm a lefty underwriter) and smoothed them off with Micro-Mesh. I have them fitted to Lamy nexx M pens as I like the rubber overlay on the section. Much more comfortable for me than the Safari section. Perhaps a stroke or two with Micro-Mesh would make the difference to a scratchy nib. It certainly has on a couple of my other pens, too. Particularly an old Platignum with a set of left-handed italic nibs which always dug into the paper, but don't now as I've eased the corners without spoiling the line.

 

Derick

[Anne-Sophie]

Great review!

 

Thank you for the warning about the scratchiness of the finish.

 

It is so nice to see that your wife love to use fountain pens.

[watch_art]

we haven't noticed much/any scratchiness with our 1.9 nib. it write pretty smooth on the paper we have (my pentel sketchbook from hobby lobby and her rules leatherbound journal from walmart)... if she holds it at a really odd angle, it'll scratch a little, but not during normal use. i suppose getting a good lamy nib is about like getting a toyota that doesn't speed out of control.

[VivienR]

I brught a Lamy Joy 1.5mm, I really like how its write, will have a lot of fun with it.

[Shaun500]

Looks like it'll look even more awesome in Apache Sunset. Can you imagine the shading?