Lamy 2000

[Apollo]

My very first exposure to Lamy was with the Safari line. Pretty basic, plain looking and inexpensive fountain pens, but with a tried and true track record. Next, I upgraded to a Lamy Studio, which proved to be another reliable workhorse of a pen. The one thing you quickly notice about Lamy pens is how understated they look. No frills, no jewels, no decorations, no swirlie patterns anywhere. Even their nibs are notoriously plain. Smooth as their nibs may write, some find them a little on the stiff side.

 

Despite their almost sterile industrial appearance, I've been very pleased with my Lamys so I decided to upgrade once again, this time to the Lamy 2000.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/CosmicSuperchunk/GPens017.jpg

 

The Lamy 2000 is a design that has remained virtually unchanged since it's appearance in the late 60's and remains true to Lamy's "Bauhaus" inspired designs. It's so plain and sterile looking that one would think it was military issue. In fact, the mere design of the pen makes it look at home clipped to a BDU pocket. The only thing that identifies this pen is the small LAMY engraving on the left side of the pocketclip and GERMANY underneath the clip. Other than that, the pen is quite sterile.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/CosmicSuperchunk/GPens012.jpg

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/CosmicSuperchunk/GPens013.jpg

 

The pen's barrel and cap are made of a fibreglass-reinforced polymer called Makrolon which gives it a lightweight, but virtually indestructible feel. The cap simply snaps on, giving an audible and authoritative "snick" and is very secure. The section appears to be brushed stainless steel leading to the partially hooded 14K gold nib.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/CosmicSuperchunk/GPens015.jpg

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/CosmicSuperchunk/GPens014.jpg

 

Unlike, the Safari or stainless steel version of the Studio, the nib on the 2000 is not stiff at all. It has enough flex to give distinct character to your writing, making the pen a dream to use. The one I bought has a medium nib and lays down an exquisitely smooth wet line. This is a piston filler like Pelikans and operates in the same way. There is a thin translucent window near the section which would warn you if the ink is too low, but I find it hard to view the ink level. Nevertheless, since it's a piston filler, it should hold at least twice the amount of ink that a typical converter would.

 

All in all, it's a very clean, modern design and despite the lack of any decorations or color, I find that the Lamy 2000 has alot of character and is a pleasure to write with. If you appreciate the Bauhaus design and like to take the "Form Follows Function" approach, then you'll find the Lamy 2000 elegantly understated and a must to own.

 

http://w4.bauhaus.de/bauhaus_bilder/icon_bauhausarchiv.jpg

Edited August 29, 2005 by Apollo

[Daniel Shih]

Great review, Apollo! I think your pictures show the texture of the pen better than most others I've seen. While this pen isn't all that photogenic, when holding it in person, there is a feeling of quality about it.

 

I've said it before on Pentrace, but the thoughtful design of this pen makes it a true workhorse. The tough, textured plastic hides scratches and provides durability; the piston filler holds a ton of ink; the subtle but effective ink window makes it easy to see how much ink is left; the springloaded clip goes over thick fabric easily; the pen is large but light and well-balanced; it has a secure snap cap for easy and convenient uncapping; the nib is semi-hooded so that it has a longer uncapped time and is still easy to orient to the paper; and the nib itself is soft, wet and smooth, allowing for a luxurious writing experience.

 

In many ways, for those days of furious notetaking, I prefer my Lamy 2000 over my trio of Parker 51s. Now, that's saying something!

[zxc]

Excellent review. Especially helpful for me as I love hooded pens (Parker 51, Reflex etc) and have been looking at this pen for a while.

 

Thanks a lot!

[Roger]

Terrific Apollo. Though I do not own one yet, it is very high on my list,

 

On a recent sojourn into my area, Viseguy and I had a show 'n tell session while the ladies got acquainted. As an aside, it is always interesting to me when men with common interests get together, there is no need for much palaver; we shook hands and immediately launched into pen talk and demonstrations.

 

What started this ramble is that Viseguy's Lamy 2000 just knocked me out! Just as you said it is the quintessential example of a pen built to be used constantly, without regard for aesthetics other than what's necessary to make it do its job. It fits my idea of traditional German engineering completely!

[southpaw]

Thanks for a very good review and the great pics. How about a writing sample showing that "distinct character" the nib gives?

[wil]

Great review Apollo, I pretty much had the same comments in my mini review on my flickr album. The only minor criticism is that I wish they would round off the four corners of the clip so that it's not as sharp. But then, it won't really be "Bauhaus".

[cmeisenzahl]

Great review!!! I also have a Lamy 2000 w/ XF nib and love it. It's a timeless classic.

 

Chris

[R. N. Dominick]

*jumps around* I said it elsewhere, but I'll say it again: woohoo! There's a Lamy 2000 with an XF nib on its way, and I can't WAIT. I've wanted it since I got into fountain pens several years ago. I've only held one, not really written with it, so it's great to read so many good comments.

 

I have a Safari and a Vista, and there's another Safari and an Al-Star in the house; this'll be our first more expensive Lamy. (I'm also casting slightly covetous eyes at that new pen -- the Studio? Mmm.)

 

I'm a sucker for pens that are supposed to be used.

[Apollo]

*jumps around* I said it elsewhere, but I'll say it again: woohoo! There's a Lamy 2000 with an XF nib on its way, and I can't WAIT. I've wanted it since I got into fountain pens several years ago. I've only held one, not really written with it, so it's great to read so many good comments.

 

I have a Safari and a Vista, and there's another Safari and an Al-Star in the house; this'll be our first more expensive Lamy. (I'm also casting slightly covetous eyes at that new pen -- the Studio? Mmm.)

 

I'm a sucker for pens that are supposed to be used.

That's great. If you enjoyed the Safari and Vista, you'll most certainly love the 2000 as I do. It's Lamy's flagship model for good reason.

[Roger]

 

I'm a sucker for pens that are supposed to be used.

That's great. If you enjoyed the Safari and Vista, you'll most certainly love the 2000 as I do. It's Lamy's flagship model for good reason.

Been looking at Japanese pens of late, so just for my edification, the Lamy nibs follow the Amer/Euro typical writing widths, right?

[Apollo]

Yes, Lamy does follow the Amer/Euro typical writing widths.

[rak]

Apollo,

 

Great review. I ordered the Lamy 2000 a few days before your review came online. As noted previously on this network, I was interested in either a Waterman Chaleston or a Parker 100. I got a Lamy 2000 instead. I have used it now for several weeks. I really like the Bauhaus design. I have the fine nib and it is very smooth and provides a very good line. I also like the fact that it was designed the same year I was born. I really appreciate the piston filling system and the pen's ability to hold vast quantities of ink. The pen is understated and non-pen types will not take notice of it, but those that have a Lamy will recognize it immediately. For me the balance is very good and I can write all day with it. I highly recommend this pen for those that write a lot and want large ink capacity for their pens.

[eric.zamir]

I bought my first Lamy 2000, with a medium nib, a couple of years ago, but didn't really connect with it, although I like the design.

HOWEVER, I picked up a Lamy 2000 stainless steel LE the other day, and what a pen!!!! It has all the heft I missed in the makrolon version.

The nib is Fine, and I will probably switch it to M or B, as soon as I can determine what that means, in Lamy terms, but the F nib is springy and smooth, writes a smooth, wet line with line variation.

As soon as I can, I'll post pix.

It's one of those pens that makes one look at all the expensive LE's and wonder why bother...

[Maja]

Great review, Apollo; I don't know how I missed reading it until now!

I saw a Lamy 2000 in person for the first time a few months ago and I was surprised how large it is! The retail price in the shop was almost double what I've seen it go for on the various pen boards so I don't think I would buy it there...but it was nice to hold it and see how it felt in the hand, etc. The people at the pen shop are very friendly and don't mind people inking pens but I declined ( ) as I wasn't planning to buy it there, but it's interesting to know that the nib does have some flex/spring to it! You wouldn't expect that from looking at it.

 

A couple of months ago, though, I did buy a Lamy Studio from the same store; it's size is more to my liking...but the 2000 is an impressive pen!

[Carrie]

Maja, your comment has me wondering how big this pen actually is, I can't seem to find any site giving and dimensions. I quite like the look of this pen and would like to have a piston filler that holds lots of ink.

[Apollo]

Thanks Maja, I've got a Lamy Studio (stainless version) which I like, but the Lamy 2000 is one I like much more.

 

Carrie, here's a size comparison of the Lamy 2000 which should give you an idea of it's dimensions.

From left to right (Pilot VP, Lamy 2000, Sailor 1911, Pelikan M215, Waterman Charleston):

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/CosmicSuperchunk/SizeComparison056.jpg

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

How about a "caps off" shot? Could you put up a CM scale too? I do not have any inch rulers.

 

Dillon

[Maja]

Maja, your comment has me wondering how big this pen actually is, I can't seem to find any site giving and dimensions. I quite like the look of this pen and would like to have a piston filler that holds lots of ink.

Hi Carrie,

 

Maybe it was an optical illusion because its nib is pretty small in relation to the rest of the pen!

[rak]

Carrie,

 

I have a Lamy 2000 and it is 13.7 cm in length. For comparison of various sizes of modern pens, vintagepens.com has a listing of common pens in cm.

 

Hope this helps

[R. N. Dominick]

I just wanted to say that ever since I got my Lamy 2000 a month ago, my other inked pens have gone sadly neglected. Of all of them, it's the smoothest writer -- a true pleasure to use. In all that time, I've only had to refill once. Things I would normally keep notes on on the computer (appointments, lists, and so on) I've been writing instead, and I've been buying lots of notebooks to write in.

 

I'm so very glad to have this pen at last.