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Pen Pit Stop : Lamy CP1 Welcome to the Pen Pit Stop. Here you will find reviews of pens that already have some mileage on them. More specifically, these reviews are of pens that are in my personal collection, and that have been in use for at least a year. I thought it would be fun to do it this way – no new & shiny pens here, but battered vehicles that have been put to work for at least a year. Let’s find out how they have withstood the ravages of time. The fountain pen that arrives at the pit stop today is the “Lamy CP1”. The design of this pen dates back to 1974, and was done by Gerd A. Müller. Yes, that’s the same designer that created the iconic Lamy 2000. And this shows… the same minimalistic looks, the same brushed steel on black design. In my book, this is another timeless classic within the Lamy brand. The pen seems to be made of brass with a black lacquer applied (there’s some contradictory info on this online, but the metal threads inside the barrel do look like brass). The black coating has a matte finish, which looks really good on the pen. A very minimalist writer, without any ornamentation – pure industrial Bauhaus design. I purchased this pen back in June 2015, and use it on a regular basis. This CP1 is a very slim pen: about the same diameter as a pencil. As such, this pen will not be for everyone. If you have larger hands, long writing sessions with this pen might not be optimal. I have small hands, so for me that’s not an issue. Branding on the pen is almost absent. Only a small engraved “LAMY” on the side of the clip gives away the name of the company. The section is made from black plastic, with a series of ringed grooves to provide grip, and feels very comfortable. This CP1 fountain pen uses the standard Lamy Z50 nibs, which can easily be changed, which is a big plus in my book. When I carry the pen to the work place I typically use an EF or F nib, while I enjoy the 1.1 italic nib when I use the pen for personal journaling. All thanks to these easily changeable Z50 nibs. The cap can be posted, but in that case you get a really long pen (too long for my taste). When posted, the cap sits perfectly flush with the body. It snaps on with a soft click. Examining the end of the body, you can see the smartly designed cap-grabbing mechanism, with a slightly raised ridge that grabs the cap. Right under the clip, you can see a small breather hole drilled into the cap. Looking at the inside of the cap, this hole sits a bit above the inner cap that provides the air-tight sealing of the nib (that avoids drying out of the nib when the pen is not in use). The purpose of this hole is to regulate air-pressure when capping/uncapping the pen (it’s a click-on cap). There was a really interesting discussion on this tiny pin-(bleep) hole on FPN back in 2021 - definitely worth reading (yes, we fountain pen enthousiasts can get worked up about such details, which gets you some funny looks from anyone who’s not into the hobby ;-). Pen Look & Feel The design of this pen is top-notch! The matte black finish with the brushed metal clip still looks good after 8 years of use. The small diameter section gives the pen a bit of a retro feel that I really appreciate. The CP1 is a cartridge convertor pen that takes Lamy cartridges (non-standard, but you can find them anywhere). The replaceable Z50 nibs are basic, but look good on the pen’s body. And it’s really nice that you can easily get them in a variety of sizes. The pen has a push-cap mechanism, and can be posted – but it becomes really long and unwieldy in that case. The pictures below illustrate the size of the Lamy CP1 in comparison with a standard Safari. The CP1 is a bit smaller length-wise, and absolutely diminutive when looking at it’s diameter. So maybe not a pen for those of you with bigger hands. This can be easily tested: the CP1’s diameter is the same as that of a pencil, so if writing with a pencil feels comfortable, writing with the CP1 will definitely be OK. Pen Characteristics Build Quality : build quality is superb, with almost invisible seams where parts of the pen blend together. I use the pen on a regular basis, and it still seems good as new. The pen really doesn’t show its age. Weight & Dimensions : although it’s a small pen, it still has some heft to it, due to the metal used in its construction. It’s definitely heavier than a Safari. The pen is large enough that it fits most hands unposted (and if not, you can post it). The diameter is pencil-thin though, and that might not work for everyone. Filling System : this is a cartridge convertor, that uses Lamy’s proprietary cartridges. This shouldn’t be a problem, you can find these cartridges everywhere. If you like to use bottled inks, simply syringe-fill empty cartridges. Nib & Performance : exactly the same nib & feed as the one in the Lamy Safari, using standard Z50 nibs (with come in steel, but you can also buy gold ones). A big plus is that you can easily swab nibs to try out a multitude of sizes. Price : I bought this one as part of a pen+pencil combo, and have no clue what I paid at the time. Today the fountain pen costs about 43 EUR (taxes included). For such a good-looking minimalist pen that’s certainly good value for money. Conclusion The Lamy CP1 is another timeless classic adhering to the minimalist Bauhaus design. A well-constructed pen that still looks good as new today, after 8 years of use. I enjoy its elegant looks with the matte black finish and the brushed metal clip. Totally fits my taste! The big question is: would I buy this pen again? To this, my answer is a resounding: YES. This pen is a beauty – the smaller sibling of the Lamy 2000. Definitely a keeper.

Hi all, I looked on the UK shop page of Lamy.com just the other day, and I saw this image: I happen to live not that far from one of the shops shown on the map as hosts of the company’s touring exhibition to celebrate the last 20 years of these editions of the Safari. So of course I only found it after the final date I have posted this image here so that you, dear reader, can check on the Lamy.com ‘shop’ page for your home country, and find out whether the tour is ‘coming to a venue near you’ any time soon. (And also because I’m a whingeing pom, obvs. 😉) Slàinte, M.

I finally bought a Lamy 2000 medium. I was never that huge fan of the Lamy Safari, but recently I found that a Safari with a medium nib, instead of a fine nib writes nicely. I got a good deal on a Lamy 2000 and took the plunge and now I get what all the fuss is about. The nib writes beautifully. It is smooth with just the right amount of feedback. I had heard that some people needed to find some sort of sweet spot to write properly but I have had no problem with it at all. I always thought it would be a good writer, but in fact it also draws well too--not because it has much line variation but because of the way it feels in the hand and the way it catches the paper. I find it expressive or it helps me to be expressive. It also is very beautifully crafted and the so-called space age (circa 1960) material really feels wonderful in the hand. It is so nice that it surprises me that Lamy doesn't make more variations of the pen in the way that Parker did for its 51 line. A demonstrator version would be lovely, if it had the same nib. I have done a much longer review on YouTube at https://youtu.be/jykBdsuPZ7k where I draw my cat Severus and I discuss the relationship of the pen to early 20th Century design. I am curious if other people have joined the cult of Lamy or have resisted.

As exercise for a CAD software in 2018 I created a 3D-model of a Safari fountain pen. It's not perfect, but it was a fun thing to do. The model will be made public domain some time in the future. Here's a sneak preview of the model. I'll have to do some final work on the nib before it's ready. Each part can be places separately, like a real pen. And I'll convert it to a broadly used format.

I consider myself Lamy fan. Sadly Lamy does everything they can to unmake me their fan. Such is life. Lamy 50th anniversary Lamy 2000 Amber was basically poor and outrageously overpriced addition to the line. I sort of collect Al-Stars so I can understand and forgive them for trying to milk this design as much as possible by introducing new colors and inks every year. That’s cool, I would do the same thing. On the other hand Lamy built their brand on innovation and design novelties. I do realise innovations are expensive and good designers have high wages.Still I hope Lamy will surprise us all and introduce something fresh any time soon. I really do as my respect to the company has limits. Lamy LX line is the best example of hardcore design milking. I’m not saying it’s ugly or anything like that. It’s good pen. However it’s also two times more expensive than Al-Star and it doesn’t give anything extra except for two metal screws, slightly modifies logo on the barrel and case I will have no use of. I realise that stationery market isn’t exactly thriving and every way to get some reasonable margin is worth trying. The thing is I expect more than cosmetics to justify doubling the price. The selling points of the Lx (pronounced “Luxe” – shocking, I know) are upgraded anodized – barrel, clip, and finial as well as coated black steel nibs. There’s also a tube (made from anodized alluminium) that matches the color of the pen. I don;t like this pen and I’ll never use it. If you like it and carry one pen with you, it may turn out to be pretty useful though. In the hand this pen feels totally like Al-Star. You won’t feel any difference. Sure, there are some visual differences but overall feel and performance didn’t change. Differences between Lamy LX and Lamy Safari Clip, both screws and case of the Lx are coloured the same as the body. The Lamy logo on the barrel of the Lx is polished and glossy while on the Al-Star, it is just an outline. Cap screws in LX are made of metal and not plastic.Cap screw and tail end are made of a shiny metal that color matches the pen. Nibs on both pens are made of stainless steel. Lamy LX nibs are coated black with a rose gold laser etching that outlines the slit and breather hole. This slit is longer than in the Al-Star. Al-Star nib doesn’t have a breather hole. And thet’s pretty much all, folks. Translucent grey triangular grip section is the same as in Al-Star. Nib Medium nib I got in my LX is scratchy and dry. Usually I enjoy Lamy nibs but this one is pretty bad. It needs tuning to write properly. Happily the nib is swappable with other Lamy nibs and as I have way too many of them I use black Lamy broad nib that performs flawlessly. Filling system Lamy LX comes with an ink cartridge. So generous…If you want converter you have buy one. It’s not a secret that companies earn most on accessories so why would Lamy offer one in their new toy? Summary If you like the colors and overall aesthetics of the pen and it’s enough to make you pay 56 $ for this pen, go ahead. It won’t dissapoint you. Especially if you fell in love with gold or rose gold finish that, so far, aren’t available in regular Al-Stars line. My feelings? I’m disappointed. I simply expect more from Lamy but slowly I begin to loose hope.

Hi FPN, I have a Lamy Lx and have noticed that the nib <M> is particularly scratchy, and I am a beginner and have had it for just 4 days. In comparison to another Lx, mine is really scratchy to the point where it picks up fibres on the tip of the nib, and feels like it is dragging along the paper on some strokes (it sounds like a pencil, very much so! I notice that a downwards, upwards and right to left strokes are alright, but a left to right stroke is very scratchy. It is also scratchy for a left to right diagonal stroke. This leads me to believed that it is a misaligned nib, though I don’t know how to fix that (and what the left to right stroke being scratchy means [i.e, left tine backwards, towards, etc.] Another thing to note is that when comparing mine to another Lx, the space in between the tines on mine is smaller than that of the other one. I have sent Lamy a support message, I hope that they respond. Is it worth trying to fix it myself, as it will end my warranty (I believe). Perhaps the warranty will allow me to get a completely new nib (pen can’t be returned as it was a sale item)? Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated!

I have just purchased a Lamy Studio replacement plastic grip section to replace the very slippery chrome version on my 2022 Special Edition Brown Studio. However, there appears to me to be a fairly obvious issue with the threads on the replacement part in the form of a significant 'dent' right through the threads. The shop contacted Lamy on my behalf and received this reply; " [...] the front part of our studio pens are produced by injection moulding. The "dent" in the thread on the studio is therefore not a defect but actually a production-related feature." The response from Lamy seems to imply that the dent is an inevitable consequence of the injection molding process. Seems quite unbelievable to me that this was not designed out during product development. I would consider a significant dent right through the threads to be a compromise too far - the part should either be manufactured differently to eliminate that or not manufactured at all! Has anyone else seen this on a Lamy Studio plastic grip?

Hello everyone, I am from India, and ever since I can recall which is my early childhood, I've loved stationery and over a period, I developed a special bond for pens, and specifically fountain pens. Some 6 years back I chanced upon Fountainpennetwork.com but however silly it may sound; the truth is that I began drafting that perfect introduction to put out here and it's been six years since... (LOL). So today, I decided I will write from my heart, whatever strikes me to say now in my introduction and I think it's better late than never. I am humbled to be a part of this wonderful community of fountain pen enthusiasts, and I hope to learn and discover so much more about fountain pens from all of you over the coming years. Just to share, my current fountain pen collection comprises pens from these brands collected over the years: Hero, Parker, Lamy, Platinum, Sheaffer, Schneider, Muji, Kaweco, TWSBI and Jinhao. Of these, my favourite (and my daily use pen) is the Lamy Safari, nothing's come as close as that pen in terms of the smoothness of writing and for the price it sells in India.

Does anyone know how, or if, I can get the cap ring on the stainless steel 2k to align with the nib like on the makrolon? As seen in the image, the taps aren’t parallel on the stainless steel like the makrolon. I know the tabs are inset in the body on the stainless steel and on the section in the makrolon, but I’d like to align them in the same orientation.

Hello! (I don't know how to change the title, but apparently this pen might be called "Early Red" instead, see later messages.) I bought a few pens at an auction, one of them was a Lamy Safari. I was curious what the colour was called then I saw it was a bit sought after, the early colour "Terrarot" or "Terracotta Orange". Or is it something not so desirable about exactly my pen? I notice some are textured, mine is very shiny. Any other things that makes mine different from other variants of "Terrarot"? The top of the cap is black with an indented X. The end of the barrel says "W.GERMANY". I noticed the colours when looking at pictures online vary from bright orange to dark reddish brown, but is this just due to lighting, camera and screen, or do they vary? When looking at my pictures on my screen they look pretty much the same except the first picture is a bit too bright, maybe the rest is also a little bit too bright. Also I would say the real colour is a bit more rich, more saturated. I do like the pen, but as I am not rich I am interested in how much I am likely to get if I sell it? And is the price going up or down? It looks like it is maybe never used. Thanks!

Lamy joins a Gemstone Club with their new series of "originally" named inks. As much as I'm excited about new Lamy inks, I loathe their lack of creativity. Call it a pet peeve but when I see another line of inks inspired by gemstonjes, I clench my teeth. Anyway, the bottles and packaging look cool. Ink The ink is strongly saturated. It's intense, strong, and vivid. Also, it behaves well. I would say that if you look for well behaved and strong ink in a similar color, look no more. Drops of ink on kitchen towel Color ID Midori, GvFC Tamitio, M Fabriano, Hero 5032, stub 1.9

I just did a review on my YouTube channel of the rather obscure Lamy Smile Fountain Pen that was made for kids. It had its debut in 2006 and it has a unique cap that has rings that you can turn. On each ring are emojis. You line them up in a window in the pen clip and that is supposed to create "secret" messages that you can share with your friends. I talk about this pen in a new series, that I call "What Were They Thinking?" The obvious problem with such a pen is that it would drive a teacher crazy having the kids fiddling with the pen and sending messages when they should be paying attention in class. It did not seem to do very well and has almost vanished from history. There are very few reviews of it online. I picked one up for $17.00 on Ebay. The pen ended up spawning the Nexx line of fountain pens. Lamy simply got rid of the rings and made some modifications to produce the Nexx, which I guess they wanted to be the next great thing in fountain pens. They are still selling a version of the pen now with a much simpler cap (there is also a M version of the Nexx that is slightly more expensive and has a metal cap). They target it for kids who have outgrown their ABC fountain pen, but are not ready for the Safari. I think the contemporary Nexx is a nice pen, and I really enjoy the Smile too. All these pens use the standard Lamy nibs that are on the Safari, and they write with the same characteristics. The Smile pen with its turning emoji cap is an original concept that should have been targeted for grownups who wanted a pen they could play with and would act like worry beads. You can see the review here

Hi! I'm new to this forum. The only pens that I've owned till now are a couple of Fellowship(an old Indian brand) and a Shaeffer Agio, which gave a lot of anxious days and doubts about my purchase (cosidering it was at least 10x the costliest pen I've ever owned). AFter wrangling with it for a bit (including a novice attempt at grinding!), it now writes excellent. Now, I'd like to make another purchase. I'm confused between the Lamy2k, in extra fine, which is quite costly, and then the Indian Handmades such as a Ranga 9B giant with a JoWo fine nib. I'm very particular about the feel and comfort, so thats a top priority. Also, the Nahvalur's are great looking pens, and I've only heard good about them. Now, what I'm trying to understand is what exactly is the difference between the Ranga/Nahvalur and the Lamy 2k, that people recommend it so much. Would it be justifiable for me to go with L2k or there's not much difference between the Ranga & Lamy. My heart's set on Ranga/Narwhal for they look just gorgeous, but then I don't want to eventually end up with the L2k. I'll be very thankful of any advice/suggestions to a newbie like me.

The UMR-87 ( of the Signo 207) from Uniball is a drop in replacement for the Lamy M66 capless rollerball. I have tried it on the Tipo. The M66 won’t fit the 207 pen however. the refills. UMR-87 mounted in the Tipo. the dimensions. hope this helps!

Hello there, Could someone please help me identify which lamy al star model this is. There's very similar ones knocking around i.e. turmaline pacific and blue green. If you could help by looking at the pictures it would be much appreciated. Also if it is any particular special edition that is in high demand/price. I picked it up off ebay, 2nd hand (only some minor scratches - typical for an al star), for just under £13 with 2.50 p&p ( it was only listed as al star) . I now have a very small al star collection- lamy al star bronze 2019 special and this unknown. 1st pic is in natural light, 2nd with flash... All the lamys look different in various light levels/conditions.

Hi, I recently purchased the stainless steel version of the Lamy 2000 fountain pen and I have a question regarding a possible defect in the pen. The version of the pen that I purchased has metal finger tabs extending from the O-ring between the piece of the pen attaching to the nib and the piece constituting the main body of the pen. Previously, I had owned the fiber-glass version of the Lamy 2000, and the finger tabs, if I recall correctly, were located to 9 and 3 o'clock on the pen. I.e., when looking directly at the nib, the finger tabs were on a line parallel with the nib. On my new stainless steel Lamy 2000, however, the finger tabs are askew, at roughly 10 o'clock and 4 o'clock, i.e. on a line diagonal to the nib. Is this a possible defect to the pen, or is it a normal design feature? Thanks in advance for your responses. [PS: I sent a similar inquiry to Lamy, but am posting the question here in the interests of thoroughness/getting an independent opinion.]

A long shot, I know, but I wonder if anyone has figured out where to find more of the blotter paper that comes with the dispenser on the bottom of Lamy ink bottles? I can't find it from Lamy, but I can think of several reasons for them not to provide refills.

Lamy doesn't need introduction on this board. However as I enjoy writing introductions, here we go. Lamy was created by Josef Lamy who was a German export and branch manager for Parker until 1930, when Parker left the German market due to unsuccessful sales of its Duofold. http://imageshack.com/a/img538/9376/WLiktK.jpg www.lamy.com http://imageshack.com/a/img538/9505/e0y9bn.jpg www.lamy.com Lamy started his own company by acquiring the pen manufacturer Orthos Füllfederhalter-Fabrik producing celluloid pens. For quite few years they were selling conservative looking pens stylised after Pelinan and Montblanc pens. However in 1966 they invited industrial designer Gerd A. Müller to create their new flagship product - Lamy 2000, a classic Bauhaus-inspired design that has remained in production ever since 1966 with no significant change. This pen set the tone for all Lamys to come: forward-looking, innovative design, excellent quality and writing performance. Lamy 2000 is one of my all - time favourite pens. With time I even came to like Lamy Al-Star that looked like an ugly duckling for me when I first saw it. Basically I love their pens. However I wasn't so fond of their inks. They're not bad, they're sold in practical and functional bottle yet the colors really aren't mesmerizing. ANyway the inks are sold in bottle that provides a roll of blotter tape used to clean the pen after filling, or to blot writing. It is specially shaped with a wide neck and a basin to collect ink to aid filling when close to empty. http://imageshack.com/a/img901/2272/o3GrpD.jpg http://miestilografi...t=lamy-tinteros They can also be purchased in cartridges. It seems that lately Lamy came to conclusion they can make money on special edition inks that are introduced together with limited edition Al-Stars and Safaris. That's good, especially that new colors (Copper Orange and Neon Lime) stand out from their rather conservative and - let's face it - boring ink line-up. Black Blue Washable Blue / Black Copper Orange Green Neon Coral Neon Lime Red Turquoise Violet VIolet is well - behaved and juicy ink with more saturation than other Lamy inks I've tried. I wouldn't use it on daily basis but I don't mind having few cartridges in case I need some stronger violet. Ink Splash http://imageshack.com/a/img905/8054/drHaoV.jpg Drops of ink on kitchen towel http://imageshack.com/a/img673/2839/DE5233.jpg Waterproofness http://imageshack.com/a/img537/7338/2wQ7tt.jpg Semikolon, Lamy Al-Star, B http://imageshack.com/a/img908/343/PnRXxn.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img901/9986/JE7tWK.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img633/1828/wA8jzq.jpg CIAK, Lamy Al-Star, B http://imageshack.com/a/img538/2795/HyDsS5.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img538/5286/vLf0nh.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img538/4457/wqagLM.jpg Whitelines, Lamy Al-Star, B http://imageshack.com/a/img540/9117/glozm3.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img538/6186/dFD7DK.jpg

I'll cite GoldenBear from penechange.de. There are rumors for two new releases. Plus neon ink? Could be fake though.

FRITZ SCHIMPF'S VAULT As an end of 2022 Special Event, Fritz Schimpf is offering a selection of fountain pens, inks and other writing instruments from such highly respected brands as Montblanc, Pelikan, Lamy, and Aurora. https://www.fritz-schimpf.de/en/Smart-buys/Fritz-Schimpf-s-Vault/ Fritz Schimpf`s Vault will be open from 13 November to 12 December 2022, offering very special items which have been unavailable, out of stock, or difficult to obtain for quite a long time. Fritz Schimpf´s Vault is making these special items available with a minimum baseline price, which is indicated in the listing for each item. If interested, an offer which is equal to or above the minimum price for one or more items may be submitted by e-mail to service@fritz-schimpf.de. The offer must include the German VAT. Multiple offers for any particular item are welcome, with the highest offer in each case being accepted as the final purchase price. On 12 December, 2022 at 23:59:59 local Tübingen time Fritz Schimpf`s Vault will be closed. Any offers received after that date will not be accepted. At that time whoever has made the highest offer for each item will be contacted to arrange for payment of all goods ordered as well as applicable shipping fees. Offers are only possible by sending an email to service@fritz-schimpf.de, providing the name of each item with an offer expressed in Euros. Please do not hesitate to contact us for further information. As these are rare items, please understand that quantities may be severely limited. We wish you a joyful discovery of Fritz Schimpf`s Vault.... https://www.fritz-schimpf.de/en/Smart-buys/Fritz-Schimpf-s-Vault/