Pen Pit Stop : Lamy 2000

[Honeybadgers]

 

 

Could you perhaps elaborate on that? I'm curious what the appeal of this pen is from a writing perspective, apart from the obvious build quality.

 

Which, my mom's old phileas or the 2000?

 

the phileas has nostalgia going for it and nothing else (apart from a new shiny 18k gold nib from a l'etalon, and it's surprisingly comfortable and balanced)

 

the 2000 is an icon. It's restrained yet dramatic. It's exquisitely finished, you can't feel any transitions and the material fit/finish is flawless against any pen I own north of $500. It's got a glassy smooth piston. It writes with just the right amount of feedback. It posts deeply and securely without throwing off the balance so I can use it posted or not. The hinged clip is second only to the visconti bridge clip. I love the stainless section, it makes the pen slightly nose heavy, which really makes writing effortless. It's tough as nails (I'm a paramedic and have been kicked in the chest right on top of the lamy while wrestling a crazy patient, pen shrugged it off) and just doesn't put a foot wrong anywhere, in any way.

Edited December 19, 2018 by Honeybadgers

[ENewton]

The "nose heaviness" was exactly my problem.

[TheDutchGuy]

 

the 2000 is an icon. It's restrained yet dramatic. It's exquisitely finished, you can't feel any transitions and the material fit/finish is flawless against any pen I own north of $500. It's got a glassy smooth piston. It writes with just the right amount of feedback. It posts deeply and securely without throwing off the balance so I can use it posted or not. The hinged clip is second only to the visconti bridge clip. I love the stainless section, it makes the pen slightly nose heavy, which really makes writing effortless. It's tough as nails (I'm a paramedic and have been kicked in the chest right on top of the lamy while wrestling a crazy patient, pen shrugged it off) and just doesn't put a foot wrong anywhere, in any way.

 

 

Thanks! I might have to give this pen another chance.

[icevic]

One thing to note with the 2000 and Lamys in general is the superb warranty and customer service. I bought mine in 2007 from legendary seller Pam Braun from a batch where the tooling was getting worn out and the quality was inconsistent. I twice had problems with leaking and first Lamy replaced the filler and the second time the entire pen except for the cap and nib, all at no charge. The cap is a slightly darker shade than the rest of the pen, but otherwise it's perfect and I constantly inked and in use at work.

[parker51man]

I am fairly sure that I have had one for 40 years, must be the longest pen in production. Here in the UK, they all seam to come with what I call a broad nib. I have had a leak along the seal as well , got it fixed by Oxonian in Oxford. it is a nice pen, but the amount of ink it deposits causes bleed through. I have never seen a fine nib option.

 

Season greetings to you all

[DrDebG]

This is a great review! Thank you for taking the time to produce this.

 

My Lamy 2K is one of my favorite pens. Yes, it has the two little nubs on the side and a narrow sweet spot - which create problems for many writers. But I have never had a problem with either. The weight of this pen is perfect as is the ink flow. It is very professional looking and writes well with just about any ink I have put into it, and doesn't hesitate with any paper I have used so far.

 

So for me, this is as close to perfect as a well constructed pen can get at a price point that most can afford.

[Orval]

I have an Lamy 2000 XF but that nib is broader than the M nib in my Pelikan 800. Too juicy and useless as a writer and even for quick notes because the drying time is excessively long. Out of rotation.

[EllipticEquations]

I have an Lamy 2000 XF but that nib is broader than the M nib in my Pelikan 800. Too juicy and useless as a writer and even for quick notes because the drying time is excessively long. Out of rotation.

 

Agreed! A bit surprised no one else seems to be bothered by the EF nibs of Lamy...

 

The EF on my 2000 writes thicker than the M on all my Pilots. The EF on my Dialog 3 is even thicker than an M on Montblanc...In terms of thickness, the only EF I ever got from Lamy is on a Safari. But then it's really scratchy....

[ParkerDuofold]

Hi all,

 

It's no mystery to me why this pen has been in constant production (with very little change) for the past 52 years... which is a record in itself, IIRC.

 

It's my EDC and nearly constant companion at home, work and play.

 

Be well all.

 

 

- Anthony

[Eric2018]

 

Someone else on here suggested that if you turn the pen in your fingers until you feel the two clutch ears, and the nib is right side up, the nib will be on its sweet spot. I can now find the sweet spot in the dark. Of course, I can't see what I am writing in the dark.

 

Yes, it is a fast way to the spot. I hope to have the makrolon version, even more iconic. Yet for the sweet point, I cant make up my mind yet...

[Honeybadgers]

The "nose heaviness" was exactly my problem.

 

I totally see how some people would hate it. but I personally love it. it really drives the nib to paper and makes it an effortless thing to write with for me. And posting somewhat balances it, but I really love how it sits in my hand (and my grip is extremely average, either a tripod or pinched, resting atop my middle finger)

[Honeybadgers]

 

Yes, it is a fast way to the spot. I hope to have the makrolon version, even more iconic. Yet for the sweet point, I cant make up my mind yet...

 

unless you have a weird grip, I'd wager you will not find a problem. A lot of people like to talk about it, but if it didn't work for most of us, Lamy would stop doing it.

 

EF is more picky than F is more picky than M is more than B. But I started at an F and realized it was such a non-issue that I went to an EF and sold the F for $5 less than I paid.

 

They can be prone to being very wet, to the point that they need tightening up. I had to tighten up both my EF and F but the task was trivial. Had I an M or B, that level of wetness would be ideal, but I wanted my EF to be usable on cheap paper too, so it needed to be drier.

[Tas]

Loving these Pit Stop posts - thank you

[Barnowl251]

Interesting comments.... it seems like a popular choice among the favorites out there. What I find interesting is how sometimes I see used Lamy 2000 pens selling for more or the same cost than one can get them new. Not sure if I’ve seen that as consistently on any other brand.

[Honeybadgers]

You can at LEAST get 90% of what you paid reselling a 2000 used.

 

if you want more than MSRP, you better have a stub or oblique.

[Mongoosey]

I really like the Lamy 2K. I got to try out a friend's L2K-Medium a while back and liked it a lot, but I was worried it would write too thick a line.

 

So I later on tried the L2K-Fine and disliked the Sweet Spot and feedback, but mind you the only Fine nibs I've ever liked have been Pilot Medium nibs.

 

But now after finding quality inks that can tame the nib/line width, the L2K-Medium is now my next pen purchase once my wallet survives a couple "must-have" Rangas (I have a thing for Ebonite), and a Pilot Custom74-M that was too good a deal as a Japan Import.

--------------------------------

That was a good review.

 

I like the Pit-Stop theme : )

[Michael F]

I really like my Lamy 2000, even though I find its fine nib enigmatic. It is delightfully smooth, probably the smoothest in my collection, but it is quite sensitive to writing angle. Even once you get a feel for the nib it's subject to feeling a little "off" if you don't have the angle of attack quite right. That said, it really is nice when you've got it. I'd love to try it out with some wider nibs.

 

As for the balance, I too feel that it is very nib-side heavy and a very much prefer to write with the pen posted. I'm not sure if it's correct to say that the pen wasn't designed to be posted (unless that's documented somewhere), as the pen posts very securely and deeply. Plus I think the balance is almost perfectly centered when the pen is posted. When posted I feel the pen is extremely comfortable.

[benjitzu]

Thank you for an excellent review of one of my favorite pens!

A Lamy 2000 EF was my first 'expensive' pen purchase when I started the hobby years ago. It wrote flawlessly out of the box and still does to this day.

I then bought a F and loved it even more than the EF. Paired with Noodler's Black, it immediately became one of my favorite combos and the two have been continuously in my rotation ever since. I've been through several bottles of Noodlers Black with this pen and haven't had one problem.

Found a used M-stub for sale a bit later that had been ground by Dan Smith - bought it with eagerness. Then I acquired another F (I needed a back-up for the perfect combo). Then a M. Then a B. Bought several others as gifts for friends (EF, F, and two M) - they all love them.

All six of mine are superb writers. I've never had an issue with any of them. Ever. Not even a hard start or skip. They're rugged, easy to clean, and extraordinarily functional. Plus they look awesome and hold a ton of ink.

I love my M1000s & M800s, 149s & 146s, 1911Ls & Custom 823s, and especially my Homo Sapiens too - they're my favorite pens. My Lamy 2000s fit right in with that bunch and easily keep up with them.

Though it's not everyone's cup of tea, the Lamy 2000 will always have a place in my rotation. I don't care if anyone hates or dislikes this pen. We all have different tastes and styles and are blessed with a delicious buffet of amazing pens & inks from which to chose. However, I do hope everyone someday, somehow, finds a pen that works for them the way the Lamy 2000 has worked for me.

Edited January 5, 2019 by benjitzu

[Tas]

Thank you for an excellent review of one of my favorite pens!

 

A Lamy 2000 EF was my first 'expensive' pen purchase when I started the hobby years ago. It wrote flawlessly out of the box and still does to this day.

 

I then bought a F and loved it even more than the EF. Paired with Noodler's Black, it immediately became one of my favorite combos and the two have been continuously in my rotation ever since. I've been through several bottles of Noodlers Black with this pen and haven't had one problem.

 

Found a used M-stub for sale a bit later that had been ground by Dan Smith - bought it with eagerness. Then I acquired another F (I needed a back-up for the perfect combo). Then a M. Then a B. Bought several others as gifts for friends (EF, F, and two M) - they all love them.

 

All six of mine are superb writers. I've never had an issue with any of them. Ever. Not even a hard start or skip. They're rugged, easy to clean, and extraordinarily functional. Plus they look awesome and hold a ton of ink.

 

I love my M1000s & M800s, 149s & 146s, 1911Ls & Custom 823s, and especially my Homo Sapiens too - they're my favorite pens. My Lamy 2000s fit right in with that bunch and easily keep up with them.

 

Though it's not everyone's cup of tea, the Lamy 2000 will always have a place in my rotation. I don't care if anyone hates or dislikes this pen. We all have different tastes and styles and are blessed with a delicious buffet of amazing pens & inks from which to chose. However, I do hope everyone someday, somehow, finds a pen that works for them the way the Lamy 2000 has worked for me.

 

Aww, that was a lovely read. Thank you

[svn]

Pen Pit Stop : Lamy 2000

......

Nib & Performance : the rhodium-plated 14k gold nib on this pen is hooded, and very small.

......

 

Just a small correction: platinum-plated. Otherwise, very useful review.