Lamy Vista Clear Demonstrator With Ef Steel Nib

[Tumbleweedtoo]

Having read several good reviews about different LAMY fountain pens, I am very happy with my first LAMY, a LAMY Vista clear demonstrator with an Extra Fine (X-Fine) steel nib, which I received for review from Jetpens. The LAMY Vista looks very contemporary with the chrome trim and stylish paperclip shaped clip on the cap, which fastens easily to a shirt pocket. The pen grip has two smooth indentations for the thumb and index finger, so you can hold the pen comfortably and correctly at the best writing angle. I like these two indentations, because I can pick up the pen quickly and hold it correctly without concern, and the LAMY grip on the Vista reminds me of one reason I enjoy my Pilot Capless (Vanishing Point) pen with the clip near the nib aiding in finger placement.

 

Clear demonstrator pens are among my favorite pens, and the LAMY Vista is a pleasant writer for both the eye and the hand. At a glance, you can easily see how much ink remains in the pen, so you can either refill your pen with the converter or drop an extra cartridge into your pocket or purse before you leave home. The cap securely snaps off and on without being so tight that it might make a mess. You can post the cap on the barrel of the pen while writing, but I prefer not to post my pens, and you do not need to post this pen for it to feel right in your hand.

 

From the very first down stroke, this LAMY Vista wrote perfectly and smoothly right out of the box. The blue LAMY ink provides a true blue color that is neither too dry nor too wet for this pen on white copy paper. Made in Germany, the LAMY Vista with the Extra Fine (X-Fine) steel nib writes about the same line width and as smoothly as my Japanese Pilot Custom 823 Fine (F) gold nib pen (currently filled with Pilot iroshizuku yama-budo ink); so, I am very pleased with the writing quality of this LAMY Vista pen. LAMY ink cartridges are available in six different ink colors from Jetpens, and are easy to insert into the pen. The LAMY cartridges will puncture properly by just screwing the pen barrel back on to the pen after replacing the cartridge; this is an excellent feature for fountain pen beginners, because they do not need to try to push and puncture the cartridge into the pen section before replacing the pen barrel. Of course, you can use any color or brand of ink by using the LAMY Z 24 Converter. With LAMY ink, the LAMY Vista nib requires no pressure when writing, so it is suited for long writing sessions and note taking. The pen does not skip so you can quickly and without frustration write class notes or record your thoughts before you forget them. The LAMY Vista is a pen that I can take with me anywhere, and it is a ready to write pen that you can carry with you all day without fear of losing a more expensive pen. I am not afraid to loan this pen to a person (even a beginner) who wants to borrow it. (When I loan a pen, I always keep the cap in my hand so we will both remember that the pen needs to be returned to me.) I highly recommend the LAMY Vista to someone who wants to experiment to see if they would like to write with fountain pens, to someone who wants to give a first fountain pen to someone as a gift, and to the person who likes to collect and write with a variety of pens. The LAMY Vista is a very pleasing fountain pen at a reasonable price.

 

All the Best,

T

Edited April 3, 2012 by Tumbleweedtoo

[fenriz]

I'm hip to the LAMYs, and enjoy my Al-Star (and enjoyed the Safari that I finally gifted to a friend), but you've inspired me! I may get a Vista now...

[PaperDarts]

I have a couple of Vistas, both with EF nibs. They are great writers and I too enjoy seeing the ink colours inside the barrel.

[htom]

Once you've emptied a couple of cartridges, wash them out and refill them with a syringe, much more ink than the converter. About the only thing I use the converter for is to flush if I'm changing ink.

 

I've got two of these, they're daily writers. XXF nibs would be good, as would flex nibs; other than that, no complaints.

[Amandaa]

One of my favorite everyday pens!

[Tumbleweedtoo]

Yes, I will try refilling the cartridges with other inks. I wonder if the LAMY Vista wrote exceedingly well because I was using LAMY ink? I wonder if sometimes pen manufacturers design their nibs and inks to work best together? For example, Pelikan inks seem to work fine in Pelikan pens, but not in other pens; and some inks will write too wet in Pelikan pens. I wonder sometimes if we blame the pen for being too wet or too dry, when the problem is really the ink? I am glad that I used LAMY ink with my LAMY when I first wrote with it; but maybe there are other recommended inks for the LAMY Vista based on your experiences?

 

Thanks for your replies and suggestions!

 

All the best,

T

[Kristal]

Is it just me or the cap scratches easily? I like posting the cap and I've only been using it for a couple of hours when I've noticed the cap has a lot of hairline scratches.

Edited April 4, 2012 by Kristal

[Tumbleweedtoo]

So far I have not noticed scratches (and do not see any), but now I will look for them as I use the pen. I have never felt comfortable posting a pen, and just do not do it; so, I may not develop scratches as soon as others. When I carry any pen in my pocket, I try to never let it rub against anything in my pocket (such as a cell phone or other pen or pencil). Sometimes I will use a pen case. I would like to hear from others who have had more experience with this pen so we can both learn about possible scratching (and possibly avoid it!).

 

All the best,

T

[grout]

What kind of pen case do you use? I have the charcoal Lamy which seems pretty scratch resistant and am thinking of getting the Vista as well, but I am also worried about possible scratches because of the shiny surface.

[wallylynn]

Is it just me or the cap scratches easily? I like posting the cap and I've only been using it for a couple of hours when I've noticed the cap has a lot of hairline scratches.

If I remember correctly, the pen is made of polycarbonate. It's a very strong plastic, but also surprisingly soft. My vista lived (lives) in my pants pocket for over 2 years. There's no gouges, but keys and stuff have made it less transparent. You'll also see all the pocket lint and dribbles of ink that builds up inside.

[Tumbleweedtoo]

I bought two "single pen" cases and two "two pen" cases from Ashish in Lucknow, India. He is on FPN and his FPN name is ashishwakhlu. I can recommend him and the cases he sent to me. The prices I paid were very reasonable at that time. My cases from Ashish easily hold the LAMY Vista and are high quality. If you are looking for a nice pen or pencil case that will easily hold four pens the size of the Vista and larger, I recently reviewed the reasonably priced Cplay Sevenroll Leather Pencil Case from Jetpens. It is nice for carrying both pencils and pens, as well as extra pencil lead and erasers, and is not two large when wrapped around your pens. Too large for carrying easily in one of my pockets however.

 

All the best,

T

[rogerzilla]

I like the Vista better than the Al-Star. The Safari shape (shared by all of them) isn't the prettiest and the Vista minimises it, being see-through.

[1point1mm]

Is it just me or the cap scratches easily? I like posting the cap and I've only been using it for a couple of hours when I've noticed the cap has a lot of hairline scratches.

The scratches on mine appears to be from the inside of the cap. My assumption is that it's the nib when I close it. Other than that, I don't post when I write with any of my Lamys.

[1point1mm]

Is it just me or the cap scratches easily? I like posting the cap and I've only been using it for a couple of hours when I've noticed the cap has a lot of hairline scratches.

The scratches on mine appears to be from the inside of the cap. My assumption is that it's the nib when I close it. Other than that, I don't post when I write with any of my Lamys.

Here's my Lamy Vista's cap. It's about 2 years young.

 

http://i987.photobucket.com/albums/ae360/chc_hmc/LamyVistaCap.jpg

[Sasha Royale]

Excellent ! I like demonstrators, too.

The Waterman Phileas demonstator is still affordable.

The TWSBI Diamond 540 is a piston filler demonstator,

so you actually have something inside to see.

[Tumbleweedtoo]

Here is a picture of my Lamy Vista. It does have less than a dozen very tiny scratches in the cap close to the top of the cap. I had to look exceedingly close to see them. Since I do not post my pens, I would assume that the nib did the scratching as I removed the cap from the pen. Probably, if the cap had a smoke insert similar to some other demonstrator pens the scratches would not be visible at all. I do treat all of my pens with extreme care, whether they are expensive or not; so, now that I have seen this I will be more careful when I remove the cap. Thanks for adding this to the discussion and review!

 

All the best,

T

[Tumbleweedtoo]

Is it just me or the cap scratches easily? I like posting the cap and I've only been using it for a couple of hours when I've noticed the cap has a lot of hairline scratches.

The scratches on mine appears to be from the inside of the cap. My assumption is that it's the nib when I close it. Other than that, I don't post when I write with any of my Lamys.

Here's my Lamy Vista's cap. It's about 2 years young.

 

http://i987.photobucket.com/albums/ae360/chc_hmc/LamyVistaCap.jpg

 

Thanks for posting this close-up picture of your Lamy Vista cap, because I was just now able to go back and look at it much more closely to see what other users have been talking about regarding the cap scratching. The scratch lines are very apparent and numerous. Naturally, they all go in the same direction, so I do not find the look of the cap displeasing, but interesting. It probably looks better after 2 years of use, and if it were sterling silver it would be a cherished patina! If the scratches did not go back and forth in straight lines, I think the cap could look ugly. Since you have been using your Lamy Vista for 2 years, it does appear that (as others have said too) the pen is a real workhorse and is built extremely well.

 

All the best,

T

[byronss]

I must be the odd one out here (sorry). I've had mine for over a year. First used with a Lamy cartridge, then swapped it for a filler with Noodler's ink. Also swapped between an EF nib and an italic (don't know size) and then back. I don't like the pen much. I find it scratchy and somewhat uncomfortable to write with. Then again, I've never been much of a Lamy FP fan. Have had others in the past, long since relegated to the bin.

[fncll]

Other than writing a bit wide (the only way to get what I consider a "real" XF is to modify the nib), I've had only good experience with the Lamy nibs. And they are easy to change so you can have a few different models without busting the big bills out of your wallet