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Lamy Persona Review


Mister John

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This is a review of the Lamy Persona. At one point, this pen shared the flagship of the Lamy line with the Lamy 2000. Sadly, it is now discontinued.

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From Drop Box

Appearance 10/10: True to Lamy design principles, the pen emphasizes function over all else. The body of the pen is Macrolon, the same material as the original L2K. It is warm to the touch, even on cold days, easy to grip, and wears extremely well. The cap is innovative, the clip retracts when not in use but can be extended with the thumb to fit over a shirt pocket. It then retracts, ensuring a tight fit. All of the finishings on the pen have tight tolerances and are durable. Indeed, despite being almost 15 years old, my Persona shows minimal wear, only microscratches on the cap, which looks to be brushed aluminum.

 

Construction 10/10: The pen is solidly built. The Macrolon is nice and thick. The cap is solidly built and shows no dings or other signs of weakness. Unlike the Lamy 2K, which is prone to leaking, the c/c system of the Persona has no such problems.

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From Drop Box

Weight 10/10: The pen is a medium weight, about the same as a MB 146. Unposted, it is considerably lighter in weight (the cap contains most of the weight), about the same as a Pelikan M600. It is well balanced posted or unposted. The length and girth is similar to a Pelikan M800 although the tapering at the end of the section leads to a feel that is more like a Pelikan M400. Some people have difficulties with the ribbing and tapering. I find that it provides good grip and is very comfortable even with extended writing.

 

Nib 10/10: The nib is similar in style to the ubiquitous Lamy Safari but with two important differences. First, it is rhodium plated 14K gold and second, it is much shinier and more ornate than the Safari. The rhodium helps the nib to match the rest of the style of the pen--minimalist and cool silver and black. Like all Lamy's, there are no flourishes on the nib, just the Lamy name and the specs for the gold content.

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From Drop Box

The writing quality is smooth, wet, and elegant. It has no flex or spring to speak of, but can produce some shading with the right inks. For instance, Montblan Midnight Blue shades beautifully.

 

Filling system 8/10: Its a C/C filler that uses the same converter as the Safari. It's perfectly fine but nothing special.

 

Cost/Value 8/10: I got mine for $150 long ago at Ashford.com, back when they sold fountain pens. That seems to me an excellent price for a top of the line pen. Compared to Pelikans at a similar quality level, it is an excellent price.

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From Drop Box

Conclusion 9.2/10: I'm very happy with this pen. It's reliable, beautiful, and fun to write with. I prefer this pen to its cousin the Lamy 2K, mostly because the nib is prettier and more exposed. It is a shame that the Persona is no longer in production.

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Very nice pictures. This excellent pen also had a sister, the Lamy Lady, made especially for women.

Help? Why am I buying so many fountain pens?

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Nice review of an awesome pen!

 

Lurcho, there are two other reviews of this pen (the titanium or platinium one and the black one), you might be willing to have a look!

 

Cheers!

Edited by Namo

amonjak.com

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free 70 pages graphic novel. Enjoy!

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Well, the Lamy Persona is certainly not a "forgotten pen" as far as I'm concerned. I've had the all-black model for a number of years, and it's in my current rotation. Effortless writing from the get-go, and enough understated style that even now I find myself just looking at it admiringly.

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Thanks for the review. I bought my NOS example for quite cheap, the prices seem to have gone through the roof lately.

In case you wish to write to me, pls use ONLY email by clicking here. I do not check PMs. Thank you.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The slightly tapered, ribbed grips are wonderful to hold. I wish more pens would borrow this design element.

I hated it from day three, after I had done some serious writing with the new arrival. For some reason the pen wasn't comfortable, although it wrote very well. What didn't help was that the nib seemed to be held in place by the feed only - there was a small gap between nib and section. It should never have been an issue, of course, as Lamy are no fools. Bought the pen in 1998 and then left it resting in its box till 2009 when I sold it. I suppose the design never caught on enough to continue its production.

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Great review. I've never seen one of these before. The tubular Lamys seem under appreciated. Nice looking nib too.

Yet another type of Lamy clip.

sinistral hypergraphica - a slurry of ink

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I own three of these, this makrolon version, the silver titanium, and the black titanium. They're all "grail" Lamy pens, and all write like a dream!

Visit my blog Pentorium!

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  • 2 years later...

Thanks for the nice review. I have read around here in a couple places that there are rumors of the Persona coming back...I certainly hope that is true! A beautiful looking pen!

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