Lamy Vista For Taking Notes In High School?

[ChelleW]

awesome thanks for the quick replies

 

any inks you guys suggest (dark blue or black)? i was thinking of going with diamine but i have no idea. diamine registrar's seemed pretty cool b/c it changes colors (lul) but apparently noodlers bp black and r&k salix blue is also good? i've heard the iron gall type inks are best for permanent writing that doesn't smudge very well and that doesn't feather much....

 

but yea, im 99% sure im getting the vista as its only $18

 

 

Actually Lamy ink (carts or bottles) is quite good with questionable less than FP friendly paper. Lamy ink is a bit dry. When you're writing on less than optimal paper, a combination of a dry ink and fine nib would give pretty good results.

[pen2paper]

Ditto+ Lamy, and Waterman bottled ink excellent on your basic, whatever, paper.

 

Save your full cartridges for quick drop in refill during class, or tests.

Save your empty carts to refill from a bottle using a pipette, or syringe, (cost saving too).

[View from the Loft]

My son has just survived his exam season with his Vista (his trusty every day pen) and Noodlers Bullet Proof black. He had no problems with the very poor quality booklets that they use for the exam scripts.

[John12]

ok so it sounds like i should switch to ef nib? and not order anything fp related at amazon b/c of packaging issues?

 

o and thanks for the eco paper tips guys. might try that out

 

 

although, i wasn't exactly sure about the amazon thing. is it bad to buy inks or pens (or both) there? b/c amazon has the free shipping deal soo....

Edited May 25, 2012 by John12

[tomgartin]

You might want to go with an extra-fine nib. I have both EF and Fine, and either would be fine with lamy ink, the EF will do better with other inks which might run very wet in the lamy pen.

 

+1 on going down to EF. Lamy's nibs tend to write on the wider side. I use cheap paper too and had a fine nib in my Safari for a while, but the feathering made it write more like a medium.

[coleam]

ok so it sounds like i should switch to ef nib? and not order anything fp related at amazon b/c of packaging issues?

 

o and thanks for the eco paper tips guys. might try that out

 

 

although, i wasn't exactly sure about the amazon thing. is it bad to buy inks or pens (or both) there? b/c amazon has the free shipping deal soo....

Mostly it's the inks, unless you're getting cartridges. Amazon's packaging is a bit stingy for glass bottles.

[Dioxazine]

The Safari range is absolutely perfect for use on cheap paper (Perhaps that's why they write so dry?) - if you're using super ultra mega cheap paper, use some thinned Noodler's Heart of Darkness or X-Feather (yes, X-Feather thins well) and you can't go wrong. In fact I'd recommend a 4.5oz of HoD to go with that!

[Chrontius]

awesome thanks for the quick replies

 

any inks you guys suggest (dark blue or black)? i was thinking of going with diamine but i have no idea. diamine registrar's seemed pretty cool b/c it changes colors (lul) but apparently noodlers bp black and r&k salix blue is also good? i've heard the iron gall type inks are best for permanent writing that doesn't smudge very well and that doesn't feather much....

 

but yea, im 99% sure im getting the vista as its only $18

 

My best ink for borderline paper was the Montblanc Midnight Blue, a modern iron gall ink. The chemistry is less harsh than older ones, and it has the benefit of being waterproof.

I hear good things about Noodler's bulletproof blue, and a friend let me play with it a little a while ago - it's an attractive color, and has a mild lubricant effect that makes even cheap nibs write nicely.

 

Let me also suggest Staples Sustainable Earth paper - I've been buying their composition pads on sale regularly, and they're just as good in many cases as luxury paper. I'll have to grab some now that the filler's on sale now, actually.

 

Oh, and welcome to FPN!

[Tumbleweedtoo]

Some time ago, I reviewed the Lamy Vista EF nib here on FPN. Currently, Jetpens has the Vista for @26.00 with free shipping. The converter is currently $4.50. In my experience, Jetpens ships tremendously fast and packaging is excellent. What I had not seen before, until I checked on their current prices for this post, is the Lamy T52 Fountain Pen Ink + Ink Blotter Tape - 50 ml Bottle - Black. There is actually ink blotter tape built into the bottle, and I have never seen that before! The ink with blotter tape seems to be a reasonable $7.50. I know Lamy blue ink writes nicely from the cartridge in the Lamy EF nib pen, so I cannot resist buying the Lamy ink for the unusual bottle with the blotter paper.

 

All the Best,

T

[pen2paper]

T, I have nearly emptied a bottle of Lamy Blue.. a very nice, well-behaved blue.

Cool bottle with the blotter paper.

[Tumbleweedtoo]

T, I have nearly emptied a bottle of Lamy Blue.. a very nice, well-behaved blue.

Cool bottle with the blotter paper.

 

Oh! You are right! I went back to the website and there are Lamy bottled inks in Black, Blue, Blue Black, Turquoise Blue, Green, and Red (but Jetpens is sold out of Blue). Now you have opened a whole new door for me with respect to these cool bottles. Looks like I will buy Black and Turquoise Blue, since I have never had a Turquoise ink! Thanks for the tip!

 

All the Best,

T

[XiaoMG]

If the paper is bad enough, even an EF Lamy with Noodler's Black might not save you. Luckily, a lot of cheaper loose leaf paper and low-cost notebooks are reasonably usable with liquid inks, though it may take some experimentation to find the right one for you. I often find myself surprised at how well some papers take fountain pen ink, and how badly some others do it.

 

I have always carried at least one pen with a very feathering-resistant ink, and there have been times when it was just much easier to reach for a Signo DX or a Jetstream. You said you liked the Pilot G-2, but you did not mention the size you like (1.0, 0.7, 0.5, 0.38). I tend to the smaller end of things, and find the G-2 a middling competitor among the finer points. An EF Lamy will write something between the 0.5 and 0.7mm Pilots, if my memory serves right.

[nickapos]

so i'm thinking about getting a fountain pen for high school. i really like the pilot g2 (rollerball), and i thought that if fp's are smoother why not give them a try

 

i've settled on getting the lamy safari vista fine point:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Lamy-Vista-Fountain-Demonstrator-L12F/dp/B0002T405A/ref=lh_ni_t

 

i will be using just regular college-ruled lined filler paper....the stuff that costs like a dollar for 100 sheets

 

the thing is, whenever i read about these fp's, people seem to always be using some really high quality paper like rhodia and clairevosalskdfjasdf...??

theres no way i will buy that type of stuff, as i take LOTS of notes and stapled books of 48 sheets for $5 is just waay overpriced for simply high school notetaking

 

 

so my two main questions are, is the lamy vista a good pen for a first fountain pen? and would it be a satisfactory experience to use it with regular cheap lined paper (b/c i've heard of feathering and that stuff and i'd rather that not happen)?

 

I believe that you will be fine. I have used my Vista (medium) with photocopier paper and the performance was quite decent.

In some cases if the paper had absorbed moisture from the environment there was some feathering, but generally it was all right.

You will be using the fine version of the nib, so yours will be drier than mine.

[CAG_1787]

With apologies for endorsing other people's posts, I used a Lamy Safari (same nib as a Vista) for long periods with many types of lined paper while I was in school and had no problems. I would concur in going as narrow a nib as you can stand, as the Lamys trend quite wide in my experience (but I like really thin nibs). Noodler's Black is always a good fall-back, in terms of ink.

[Jimmy Joe]

I use several Lamy Safari and a Vista regularly (different colors of ink). My go-to source for them is the Writing Desk. Shipping to the US is about the same as most places shipping within the US, and the listed prices include 20% VAT, which is not applied for people outside the UK.

[deeroo]

I used a Hero 329 all through school - from year 4 to year 12 with Parker Quink ink. I would suggest any fine point nib for the cheap paper and a washable ink if you're going to have classmates who would want to try your pen

Edited May 26, 2012 by deeroo

[John12]

An EF Lamy will write something between the 0.5 and 0.7mm Pilots, if my memory serves right.

 

pilot .7 is what i use

alright so i ordered off jetpens a ef vista and 2 converters...one inside the pen and another just in case it runs out and im not at home

 

and then i bought a bottle of noodlers bp black off goulet...wish goulet had free shipping shipping almost costed me half the bottle itself

 

 

hopefully my handwriting will improve....my cursive is pretty bad and my print is even worse :S

[tonydent84]

so i'm thinking about getting a fountain pen for high school. i really like the pilot g2 (rollerball), and i thought that if fp's are smoother why not give them a try

 

i've settled on getting the lamy safari vista fine point:

 

http://www.amazon.co...05A/ref=lh_ni_t

 

i will be using just regular college-ruled lined filler paper....the stuff that costs like a dollar for 100 sheets

 

the thing is, whenever i read about these fp's, people seem to always be using some really high quality paper like rhodia and clairevosalskdfjasdf...??

theres no way i will buy that type of stuff, as i take LOTS of notes and stapled books of 48 sheets for $5 is just waay overpriced for simply high school notetaking

 

 

so my two main questions are, is the lamy vista a good pen for a first fountain pen? and would it be a satisfactory experience to use it with regular cheap lined paper (b/c i've heard of feathering and that stuff and i'd rather that not happen)?

 

 

thanks in advance

 

 

 

ps. are there inks that you guys suggest? i'm looking for dark blue or black inks. i will be using a converter so bottled inks are preferred (they're cheaper if i'm correct)

 

 

For me, I had a Lamy Safari (same pen basically as the vista) with a fine pont and it was too broad for my college-ruled loose leaf sheets for notes. It felt like I was writing with a marker. So I bought the extra fine which comes out more like a gel pen line width and I use typically Noodler's Black Ink (the standard bulletproof). This ink is great because it doesn't leaf, it doesn't show up on the other side, and it's waterproof (not to mention it's REAL dark).

 

But the Lamy is a great choice for a school pen. Not too expensive, yet their quality is awesome.

 

The only problem with Noodler's ink mixed with the Vista is that there might be a serious case of nib creep. That is, no matter how much you wipe ink off the nib, ink will still creep out of the slit and breather hole and onto the nib, making it look perpetually messy. For that reason, I use Noodler's ink now only with the black Lamy nib and use Aurora black for the shiny steel nib.

 

But it's personal preference. Some people seem to not mind their nibs being messy. For me it's a huge pet peeve. Also, the fine nib might be what you're looking for. For me it was way too broad on cheaper paper. But it might not bother you. If you could, consider getting different nibs just in case one size seems to be too broad or too fine for you. That way you can switch up without having to buy new pens.

[CAG_1787]

The Noodler's do tend to have relatively large amounts of nib creep. Of course, it doesn't have any consequences and I honestly don't even notice it anymore, but it's usually one of the first things other people notice about it (right after the obligatory, "you WOULD use a fountain pen" - whatever that means)

[pen2paper]

For a 1st leap into fountain pens - student - I'd suggest.

 

Understand I know you requested Vista. Very cool to see your ink color.

Will look great for a long time.

But ABS Charcoal will look near-mint Years down the road. Usually a buck or five less than Vista.

 

Buy, or look for vendor who includes converter. (&/Or free shipping)

Buy one package of cartridges, (handy to pop in during a long test).

Save all the empty carts to refill with bottled ink. A few here have been successful refilling then adding a dab of low temp glue (craft gluegun) over opening, (pop off before you insert reused cart). Lamy carts are very sturdy, Plus, hold more ink than international size

 

Try the bottled Lamy for refills, blue is bright, outshines Any gelpen on the market. Low cost $7.

You might also want to check the vendor for an extra nib, EF - Fine - 1.1 italic.

 

It's an inexpensive, reliable, package to enter the world of fountain pens.

Next move: try Noodler's bottled inks, fun, and also inexpensive.