Lamy Studio Finish Durability?

[Kevan]

A recent post in a thread (here) regarding the Wild Rubin version of the Studio suggested that it is more durable than other finishes in the Studio line, with the exception of the stainless steel and enameled versions. Is this a known issue with the pen?

 

I ask because after the holidays I am considering a Studio in the Palladium finish with a 14k nib. I think the pen looks absolutely stunning, but if the finish is just going to chip off easily, it's not worth the investment in my mind no matter how beautiful. Has this been anyone else's experience or do any Palladium Studio owners care to chime in?

 

It's a curious thing...in 5 years of being into fountain pens, never once was a taken with the Lamy brand. I associated them with Safaris, which I thought were ugly. Then I got a 2000. Now I find the design unique, modern, and attractive. Go figure, eh?

[WateryFlow]

The studio, like the 2000, has an understated charm about it, and which stays charming way after the honeymoon period(you know that period lasting a few days or weeks where you swoon at the sight of your new love ).

 

The studio definitely has issues with the surface material peeling as it has done on mine.

 

As for the safari, it's just a toy pen for kids and I don't really find Lamy's quality all that good to be honest.

[Kevan]

The studio definitely has issues with the surface material peeling as it has done on mine.

Hmmm, that's not good to hear. Which version do you have? If the finish peels or chips off that easily it's not worth $80, much less $160 for the Palladium/14k gold I was looking at.

 

I have no problem with scratches or patina. That's just a sign of a well-loved pen. But premium pricing calls for a finish that won't flake off.

Edited December 20, 2014 by Kevan

[WateryFlow]

Mine is the stainless steel version

[VanRocket]

I have had a black Lamy Studio for four years and the finish has not cracked or peeled. I have the Imperial Blue one too, but that one has not seen as much use as the black one.

 

I don't post mine. Could that have something to do with it?

 

 

Jeff

[Kevan]

Could be. I still don't think it should happen even if posting is the cause, but I don't post my pens all the time. Depends on the body's length. But hearing your story eases my fears a bit.

[alvesmd]

I asked for the replacement of my Lamy Studio Rubin Black after a week of use, the finish was cracking and peeling. The Palladium did not have this problem; I also have a Imperial Blue and a Black one but have not used them yet, as well as the replaced Rubin Black.

[Robert Alan]

A recent post in a thread (here) regarding the Wild Rubin version of the Studio suggested that it is more durable than other finishes in the Studio line, with the exception of the stainless steel and enameled versions. Is this a known issue with the pen?

 

I ask because after the holidays I am considering a Studio in the Palladium finish with a 14k nib. I think the pen looks absolutely stunning, but if the finish is just going to chip off easily, it's not worth the investment in my mind no matter how beautiful. Has this been anyone else's experience or do any Palladium Studio owners care to chime in?

 

It's a curious thing...in 5 years of being into fountain pens, never once was a taken with the Lamy brand. I associated them with Safaris, which I thought were ugly. Then I got a 2000. Now I find the design unique, modern, and attractive. Go figure, eh?

Hello!

 

I have had issues with the matte-surfaced Studio pens. For example, the coated surface of the cap lip of my bronze Studio chipped off after using the pen for a short time. Apparently, snapping the cap on and off the barrel caused the matte coating to chip off the edge. I believe this is typical of the matte-surfaced versions of the Studio since I have heard of similar problems from other Studio pen owners.

 

The other Studio issue is that the end of the clip will scratch the cap surface, wearing a small scratch, perpendicular to the clip, in the cap directly under the clip end where it touches the cap . Of course, this may only happen if the pen is often clipped to a pocket with the marks occurring when the pen is pulled from the pocket. I also have the palladium version of the Studio and, although the surface is more durable than the matte-surfaced pens, the palladium surface does pick up scratches. The scratches could be considered 'marks of distinction,' adding to the pen's charm, and they are certainly not as troublesome or unsightly as chipped paint. With the stainless steel version, the brushed surface tends to camouflage any marks acquired from use. On the whole, I enjoy using my Studio fountain pens--and ballpoints, too, and I especially like the new enameled Wild Rubin (ruby) version.

 

Regards, Robert

[DonLeone]

I had some sort of cement inside of the cap which scratched up the matte finish. Besides that massive scratch, the pen does look used pretty quickly. This was on the standard colour, palladium or something, the gray one. I've handled a few of them from friends who had me clean them, all black ones, none of those looked as "used" as mine but were used waaaay more. I generally had it in a rotation of pens and used it every other day then kept it clean in storage for a few months, etc. They used theirs daily at least 2-3 hours a day or more, about 5 days a week. I used mine maybe 2-6 hours a week.

[strictlyobiter]

I have the stainless steel Studio and boy has it developed one heck of a patina. It has been in my weekly rotation for over two years because there is just something about it that makes it one of my favourites. The clip, as already mentioned, will tarnish the cap where it rests. I've only ever seen one Palladium in the wild and it was relatively clean looking albeit with the token clip scratch.

 

One of my dear friends has the old cobalt blue version which has serious coating wear on it. I'm glad I went with SS for mine but the Palladium would have been the ideal.

[Kevan]

I don't mind fine scratches and signs of use. Chipped finish is another beast entirely. Ideally I'd like to have the stainless steel version with a 14k nib, but it's not a regular stock model. I don't know if Lamy USA would let me buy one with the nib swapped if I asked, but the palladium is the next best thing, and looks amazing.

[nicholasyeo]

I usually see the portion below the Studio clip wearing off. The part where the clip meets the pen body is most vulnerable... The paint job complicates matters.

[divdev]

I have two Palladium 14k Studios that have been my everyday desk pens at work for something like 5 years now and they look as good as new.