Question About Lamy 2000 Ef Nib

[Intensity]

I got my Lamy 2000 EF delivered today from EndlessPens, and my main feeling about writing with it is one of a surprise about the nib--it's a super hard nail with hard nail-like writing experience. I have other "nail" hooded gold nib type pens: 3 Parker 51s, but they feel softer when writing. I don't mean there's any flex, but there's much less of a "dense nail" feeling. Could be that P51 is a significantly lighter pen, I'm not sure. The Lamy is like a hooded small nib version of Jinhao X750 steel nail nib.

 

To be clear, I am not talking about trying to flex the nib at all--I don't expect it out of this pen, and did not get it for that purpose. I did expect a slight spring, a certain "soft" feel I normally feel with my gold nibbed pens, of which I have a lot. Kind of like going from Lamy Safari steel nib to Lamy Studio gold nib: you don't get any flex, but the feeling of writing is softer and a bit springier. Instead of feeling the density and rigidity of the nib, I usually expect to feel soft pencil-like feedback on paper with non-flexible gold nibs, without feeling the actual nib much, if that makes any sense. I don't get that with Lamy 2000 at all.

 

Is that normal? I'm having nagging suspicions whether this nib is made of gold at all. (I'm sure it is, it's just very unexpected behavior compared to my previous experience).

 

 

P.S.: some nib close-ups, just in case (inked with Herbin Lie de The):

 

 

 

(That's not a crack, just a line of ink)

Edited May 12, 2019 by Intensity

[dennis_f]

I bought an EF in January of this year, and my experience is the same as yours. I wouldn't quite call it a nail, but it is stiff (and I was told that it would be stiff), and it is definitely a dry writer. I haven't tried flossing it quite yet, but I think about doing so every second day.

On the upside, it doesn't really suffer from the sweet spot issue that a lot of 2000 EFs suffer from.

[Intensity]

Mine also doesn't seem to have a so-called sweet spot. It's a very fine nib, writes like a narrow western EF, so there's feedback on the paper but not at all scratchy. It's not particularly smooth either, at any angle. I suppose this could be a good pen for crappy paper, though I only got 1 out of 3 things I got it for:

 

1. the Lamy 2000 pen barrel that I like - got that

2. reputation for being wet writers (and even writing wider than nib designation) - mine is the opposite

3. stubbish cut to the tipping, even for EF - not seeing that either

 

And in regards to actually trying to do some flex for science, I can at best do 2x of extra fine line width (up to about medium-fine), but it's a lot of effort, and I'm sure some of that extra width is simply due to pressing down hard on the paper. This nib is truly a nail.

 

Did Lamy change their 2000 nibs recently, by chance?

Edited May 12, 2019 by Intensity

[pajaro]

Neither of my Lamy 2000 EF nibs looks like your nib looks on top. Is there some lind of a crease on your nib? Apart from this, one of my two EF nibs writes wetter than the other, and a bit wider as well. I don't get a feeling of the nibs being "hard."

 

There are no pens I have written with that are more senuous and soft than my Parker 51 bought new in 1970. My other 51s are about as good. My near new Lamy 2000 does not feel a lot "harder" and the well-used 2000 EF is not hard, but it is firm.

[Intensity]

Neither of my Lamy 2000 EF nibs looks like your nib looks on top. Is there some lind of a crease on your nib? Apart from this, one of my two EF nibs writes wetter than the other, and a bit wider as well. I don't get a feeling of the nibs being "hard."

 

There are no pens I have written with that are more senuous and soft than my Parker 51 bought new in 1970. My other 51s are about as good. My near new Lamy 2000 does not feel a lot "harder" and the well-used 2000 EF is not hard, but it is firm.

 

The "crease" is on the newer nibs, from what I've seen:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/270013-lamy-2000-new-nibs-some-observations/

 

You can see it really well on these high resolution photos for every nib size:

https://nibsmith.com/product/lamy-2000-nib/

Edited May 12, 2019 by Intensity

[PAKMAN]

They have very rigid nibs that are quite restrained by the hood in my experience. Not that thats bad, just different from typical open style gold nibs.

[Intensity]

They have very rigid nibs that are quite restrained by the hood in my experience. Not that thats bad, just different from typical open style gold nibs.

 

Thank you for the confirmation! I wonder if the reports I've read about the springy nib and also stub-like tipping is from some earlier iteration of Lamy 2000 nibs, since they've gone through some variation in manufacturing technique.

 

On the plus side, this pen gives me really high control over writing. I don't know what it is about it, since I have other pens with similar amount of feedback on the page. Maybe it's the tiny nib + feedback + being a dry writer. My handwriting looks great with it

 

I've inked up one of my P51s with similarly fine nib, and that one puts down much more ink, so the line ends up looking at bit wider. The Lamy is more dry and harder, more weighty. P51 feels featherweight and is smaller in diameter, a bit less control. Pretty different writing experience.

 

P.S.: I've discovered that holding the pen at a high angle there is a kind of architect grind variation. Horizontal strokes are wider than vertical.

Edited May 12, 2019 by Intensity

[ashutoshthakur]

I plan on getting a Lamy 2000 from endlesspens. They have it available as pre-order with a window of a 120 days. @Intensity. How long did the folks at endlesspens took to deliver your pen?

[dennis_f]

 

The "crease" is on the newer nibs, from what I've seen:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/270013-lamy-2000-new-nibs-some-observations/

 

You can see it really well on these high resolution photos for every nib size:

https://nibsmith.com/product/lamy-2000-nib/

 

 

 

My pen (again, it was purchased in January of this year, so I'm going to assume it is one of the newer ones) looks exactly like yours does, with the crease on top.

 

As for line variation, I find that if I tip the pen downwards (ie: decrease the angle between the pen and the paper) I get a broader line, upwards of a medium in fact. And the line gets wetter as well. I use mine for drawing and annotating, and the line variation I'm capable of achieving by tipping the pen is great.

 

I was told that the fatter line is the result of the way the nib is ground, with more tipping material remaining towards the back of the nib after the grinding process is complete.

[Intensity]

I plan on getting a Lamy 2000 from endlesspens. They have it available as pre-order with a window of a 120 days. @Intensity. How long did the folks at endlesspens took to deliver your pen?

Just over 2 months in my case. Arrived well packaged and with an ink bottle I had preordered too.

[Intensity]

My pen (again, it was purchased in January of this year, so I'm going to assume it is one of the newer ones) looks exactly like yours does, with the crease on top.

 

As for line variation, I find that if I tip the pen downwards (ie: decrease the angle between the pen and the paper) I get a broader line, upwards of a medium in fact. And the line gets wetter as well. I use mine for drawing and annotating, and the line variation I'm capable of achieving by tipping the pen is great.

 

I was told that the fatter line is the result of the way the nib is ground, with more tipping material remaining towards the back of the nib after the grinding process is complete.

 

Interesting! I can’t do low angle with this pen due to how I grip my pens, and with this one the section is too slippery for me at low angle. But at high angle, something like 70 degrees, mine also writes wider and a bit wetter. My normal angle is sround 50-45 degrees and slightly rotated counterclockwise. Thankfully there’s not really a “sweet spot”, so only the line width varies with all the angle adjustments.

 

I’ve tried Aurora Black, and it predictably gave a lot of lubrication to the tipping, but actually made me miss the greater control with a drier ink.

[ashutoshthakur]

Interesting! I can’t do low angle with this pen due to how I grip my pens, and with this one the section is too slippery for me at low angle. But at high angle, something like 70 degrees, mine also writes wider and a bit wetter. My normal angle is sround 50-45 degrees and slightly rotated counterclockwise. Thankfully there’s not really a “sweet spot”, so only the line width varies with all the angle adjustments.

 

I’ve tried Aurora Black, and it predictably gave a lot of lubrication to the tipping, but actually made me miss the greater control with a drier ink.

 

How much finer is the EF nib? Can you put a writing sample?

I am contemplating between an EF and F and a comparison shot would be appreciated .

Thanks

[Intensity]

I don't have a Lamy 2000 with a Fine nib, and the Lamy 2000 nib tipping is different from Lamy's other standard nibs, so can't compare directly.

 

In my experience with Lamy's steel Fine and Extra Fine nibs, the difference is noticeable when looking side-by-side but not dramatic. Just changing ink from a dry one to a free flowing one can make one write like the other and vice versa. Steel Lamy Fine have been smoother than Extra Fine, and Medium is butter smooth in comparison to both F and EF.

 

Another thing to keep in mind is that there's a lot of reported variability from one nib to another in Lamy 2000 and other model pens--some write true to size, some write wide and juicy. I believe my particular EF 2000 is in between steel Lamy Safari EF and F, having gone through my journals and comparing writing made with all those nibs. Which is to say it's not very fine compared to other brands F and EF. For example my Kaweco Perkeo with a #5 Fine steel Bock nib writes about-the-same-to-slightly-thinner than my Lamy 2000 EF. I don't have any, but I believe that Japanese Medium-Fine would be approximately like this Lamy 2000 Extra Fine.

[ralfstc]

Hi folks,

 

I actually bought a 2000 a few months ago as an experiment-- I wanted to see how the EF nibs were doing nowadays. My expectation was that it would start off dry and a bit unsmooth and then get better over time. To my surprise, it was great right out of the box. The sample here is on Rhodia paper, which really emphasises the dry-ness of a nib. It's a thin line, but not too pale even with Lamy Blue ink. And the nib is as smooth as you'd hope for from an EF.

 

 

Cheers,

 

Ralf

[Intensity]

Looks great, congratulations!

 

Re: sweetspot - maybe its a thing of the past, and the most recent Lamy tipping iteration is not stub-like, as was previously reported. Mine has no hints of being anything but round at typical writing angles.

Edited May 13, 2019 by Intensity

[dennis_f]

Interesting! I can’t do low angle with this pen due to how I grip my pens, and with this one the section is too slippery for me at low angle. But at high angle, something like 70 degrees, mine also writes wider and a bit wetter. My normal angle is sround 50-45 degrees and slightly rotated counterclockwise. Thankfully there’s not really a “sweet spot”, so only the line width varies with all the angle adjustments.

 

I’ve tried Aurora Black, and it predictably gave a lot of lubrication to the tipping, but actually made me miss the greater control with a drier ink.

 

 

It sounds as though our nibs are the opposite of each other, in terms of line width: the higher I tip the pen, the finer the line.

 

As for grip: in normal (EF lineweight) mode I hold it similar to you (which is funny, because I though I was the only person who rotated his nib counterclockwise), but in order to get the broader lineweight I hold the pen at the widest point on the barrel, between thumb and forefinger, with the rear of the pen just brushing against the web of my thumb. My middle finger sits below the barrel and keeps the pen from tipping forward. It's almost a paintbrush grip and the pen lies almost flat. It's not as awkward as it sounds.

 

I ran out of Aurora Black in November -- it's usually my go-to black -- and all the stores I've visited since then have been sold out, so I haven't been able to try it with this pen. I'm looking forward to it. And then I'll be on the hunt for a very wet blue black.

[Intensity]

I for some odd reason prefer Iroshizuku Take Sumi to Aurora Black now, even though it was the other way around before. But Aurora Black has excellent lubrication properties and flushes out of a pen much more easily; Take Sumi can take quite a while to flush out.

[dennis_f]

I for some odd reason prefer Iroshizuku Take Sumi to Aurora Black now, even though it was the other way around before. But Aurora Black has excellent lubrication properties and flushes out of a pen much more easily; Take Sumi can take quite a while to flush out.

 

I've never tried TakeSumi, mostly because I'd read that it stains, or takes a long time to clean... But I also don't find it black enough. Which is why I default back to the Aurora.

 

Until I can replenish the Aurora stock, I'm using Perle Noire. Hadn't used it in a few years, and I forgot how long it took to dry. Ironically, it still doesn't feel wet enough for this pen.

 

I recently tried a friend's "scratchy" Lamy2000 (also an EF) that he had filled with Lamy Black. I used to avoid that ink at all costs, but I was very surprised by it. The line was a sharp, deep black (no shading, no greyish tones), and the nib felt smooth and silky. It wasn't wet, but it wasn't dry either. The pen skate across the page uncontrollably, but felt controled while also feeling smooth and lubricated. I was quite impressed, actually. And I'm tempted to buy a bottle to confirm whether this was a one-off situation, or if the ink has changed.

 

(On that note: recently I've been coming across a lot of comments here on FPN by people who have been surprised by recently purchased Lamy inks (the standard line: black, blue black, blue). It makes me wonder if they haven't quietly made some sort of changes to their inks. But that's another topic).

[Intensity]

Is it possible the ink in his pen had been sitting in the pen for some time, concentrating?

 

I have Aurora Black and Take Sumi side-by-side, and I can confirm that Aurora is a deeper black, but mostly because Take Sumi has a kind of a matte pearly finish, difficult to describe, but what you'd imagine charcoal to look like with some light glancing off rough facets. But without having them side-by-side, they look similarly dark on the page. Take Sumi does have some very gentle and subtle shading which I love. They have more or less the same reddish sheen and are both cool-toned in a similar way. I think Aurora is good for something like filling out formal wedding invitations--use where you don't want shading and just want an even dark black line, whereas Take Sumi is good for journaling and regular writing. Aurora has more lubrication. Take Sumi gives a super pleasant pencil-like feedback to one of my pens: still well lubricated but with something extra when gliding a nib over paper. This writing feel along with final appearance is what makes it my favorite; I've dedicated that pen to Take Sumi.

 

You can do as I did and order a bunch of sample vials of black inks. I got to try around 10 different ones and settled on the two I have now. My samples included Kiwa Guro (didn't care for this one for some reason, probably the lightest of them all), Platinum Carbon Black, and Noodler's Black Eel among them.

Edited May 13, 2019 by Intensity

[1nkulus]

The experience is not unusual IMO.

 

The variation in nib width is just Lamy QC and nib/paper combo.

 

I am unsure of the logic of the 'crease' on the new nibs.