Problems-Lamy Aion

[markh]

I just got a Lamy Aion, all black.

Pen works fine.

Looks (always a personal opinion) are pretty severe and serious, but kind of fits with the design ideas of most Lamy pens. A pen that looks like you mean business.

- - Nib writes fine - if you have used a Lamy Safari you know this nib.

- - Pen is solid metal - heavy. But reasonably well balanced if not posted.

 

BUT - I just about can't use mine. The section is coated with something that feels like powder. It isn't but I can't grip the section - it feels really slippery. Using the pen takes pressure and effort to feel like I have a secure hold, and makes my hand tired. No fun. I have pens made of hard rubber, celluloid, plastic, even sterling silver. None are as slippery.

 

I've read other reviews that describe the section as giving a good grip - sure different than my experience. Perhaps this is just my particular body/skin chemistry. But I would like to be able to use the pen, which for the moment I almost can't.

 

Wonder if others are having similar experience.

 

 

.

 

 

[ParkerDuofold]

Hello Markh, et al,

 

Some people register the same complaint about the Studios with the non-rubberized section... it's never been an issue for me... maybe because I'm as cool as a cucumber... ...but I'm sympathetic to your plight.

 

A couple of options you have is to either go the permanent route and use a very fine grit of sandpaper to rough-up the surface even more... I think that grainy, powdery coating you describe is Lamy's way of trying to address the problem, (that is also common to the Studios);...

 

...or, get some black cloth Gaffer's tape, (the reversible solution), and cut two or three narrow strips or isoceles trapezoids to mount on the section to give it more of a non-slip grip.

 

Hope this helps in some small way. Be well.

 

 

- Anthony

 

 

EDITED because I accidentally hit "Submit" before I was finished.

Edited January 21, 2018 by ParkerDuofold

[pararis]

I have a similar issue with the grip section. I can pick up any pen and get my grip on it immediately; that doesn't happen with the Aion. It's too slippery to make the minor adjustments needed to quickly get the grip just right. I literally need to hold it with the other hand while my fingers move into position. Since I was trained on fountain pens as a child, I maintain a very light grip on the pen, and that makes this one feel less than secure. I keep trying to tighten up so it won't slip away, and that doesn't make for good penmanship. As for being like a Safari nib, I disagree. My Aion is much, much smoother -- and wetter. One of the best nibs I've used.

Other problems begin with the cap that doesn't fit securely. I don't know that it's a functional problem, but the cap will spin around while fully closed. The problem for me is that I ALWAYS place my nib face up to the clip when closing a pen. I expect the nib to come out the same when when I uncap it. I also find that when inserting the body into the cap, if it is not perfectly aligned, it will catch on the liner about 2/3 of the way in; this feels damaging and I'm sure wear is going to show at some point.

I don't know enough about Morrison's work to know if this is representative. The bad ergonomics make me wonder if he knows anything about fountain pens -- or if Lamy was so overwhelmed with his reputation that they forgot what they do know about pen ergonomics. I get a sense this may have been a little side job for Morrison -- something he worked on in the evening while watching TV. The placement of the "Lamy" name on one side of the clip, and readable only from a position no one holds a pen in -- was that meant just to be "different"?

Overall, I like the pen. The aesthetic plainness is almost Amish, and that fits my personality. But the end result seems like the product of two committees -- one focused purely on form, the other solely on function. It's a compromise that doesn't satisfy.

[watch_art]

Hm. I really like mine and don't have any problems with it. Everybody is different though. 😊

[mitto]

...worked on in the evening while watching tv.

[dapprman]

I'm certain the cap problem is due to the way it seals. The inner cap clips over the slight lip at the end of the pen, by the nib. It works really well as a seal, I don;t use mine much and I've seen little/no evaporation, however it does mean there's a slight gap lower down that can allow the cap to rattle. Also being plastic over steel, there's not much traction/resistance to stop the cap rotating.