Mini Review - Lamy cp1

[plipule]

Just got this Lamy cp1. "Platinum coated" as it says on the little tag attached. It is a nice slim pen weighing a fraction more than my Lamy 2000 (24g as opposed to 22g). As I got it from a real bricks and mortar (department) store it is a medium nib. It seems to be the same 14K gold nib that the Studio Palladium carries. I have always liked that thin gold edge to the slit. But now I finally have one for myself I have ruined it by inking it with legal lapis. As you can see from the picture below, nib creep reigns!

 

The nib is just what you would expect from a medium gold Lamy nib. Very smooth with good ink flow and no skipping at all. The only slight gripe I have with the pen is that the lid has a very tight fit, and because it is so slim it has to be slid on quite carefully. And tugged quite hard to get it off. But that would presumably be a plus point if I carried it around by the clip. Which I don't.

 

Oh, and another one - the platinum coating is a bit prone to showing greasy prints, although it polishes up nicely and very easily.

 

I am very pleased with it. It is neat and pretty and very shiny (dare I say it) a bit girly. But most importantly it is a delight to write with, as Lamy gold nibs always are. I havered for ages over the studio palladium, and I think I am glad I got this instead. I have quite small hands and it suits me a bit better than the studio shape.

 

Oh yes, apologies for the not very good picture - photography isn't my strong point.

 

Edited to add apologies!

Edited March 26, 2007 by plipule

[Taki]

Ooooo very nice Thanks for your review!!

[HDoug]

Nice! Simple and elegant; functional yet stylish. I've been interested non-black cp1 but the don't seem to sell cp1's here or online. Where did you get yours?

 

Doug

[Samovar]

I heard the pen should be available in Canada pretty soon. How much did you pay for it?

 

Thanks for the review, I cannot wait to get one.

 

Samovar

[plipule]

QUOTE

Where did you get yours?

 

Well, The Writing Desk sell them online, but I actually succumbed to impulse in Fortnum & Masons. I happened to be at a conference at Burlington House with no lunch supplied and it just came over me. I must admit I hadn't seen one in the metal before. I feel very guilty about it all

 

As far as cost is concerned, I paid £102 which is pretty average I think over in what the tabloids call "rip-off Britain". But it seems reasonable to me. But as always I try not to dwell on cost!

[Maja]

Thanks for the nice review and photos (it's hard to take pictures of very shiny pens--don't worry, you're way better at it than I am ).

 

I have a matte black Lamy cp1 but mine has a steel nib. The cap posts nicely onto my pen with a satisfying little "click" and it holds on well (much more secure than the slightly wobbly way in which my Rotring 600 posts )

 

The nib on my cp1 has a nice blob of iridium and the pen writes well but can be a tad hard-starting. I haven't tried it with more than a couple of types of ink so it may be a matter of finding the best ink for the nib and feed. Also, I think nib-unit may need to be soaked overnight. The pen looks practically new and I got a swell deal on it---less than $2.00 (late correction: less than $3.50---still a good deal ) at an antique shop a few years ago. Mind you, it has a steel nib, but I see the pens selling $54+ onwards online...

Edited March 31, 2007 by Maja

[Maja]

Little follow-up on my cp1 and its starting-up "issues".... I removed the nib (by gripping it with a wide rubber band and pulling it straight out---the feed remained attached to the section, which was fine)...and cleaned out the feed channels using a bit of exposed film stock. I rinsed off the nib and feed and when I put them back together, the pen wrote *much* better....

Edited April 7, 2007 by Maja

[MYU]

Hi Maja - thanks for posting your tip on nib removal on the CP1. I'm glad to hear that you got the ink flow issue squared away.

 

I have a white enamel CP1 with a broad nib -- it's actually more like a double broad, a bit thicker than I like. It's great for writing large signs, though!