Lamy Nexx

June 3, 2012

This review is also maintained at my blog, The Inked Nib.

Ink: Lamy Blue (cartridge)

Papers: Staples Signa Legal Pad (page 1), Top Flight Single Subject Notebook (page 2), Staples Sustaintable Earth Legal Pad (page 3), and TOPS Second Nature legal pad (page 4)

Full disclosure: I won this pen from FPGeeks.com on their May 28, 2012 web/podcast. FPGeeks got this item from Filofax, the United States distributor for Lamy and vendor of this pen via the LamyUSA website. I am not required as a term of winning this prize to review the pen or give it a positive review. I chose on my own to review the pen, and I can tell you now it will be a mixed review.

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Lamy Nexx by Erechtheus, on Flickr

What do I like about this pen? This pen caught my eye about a year ago, and I imported one along with other items from The Writer’s Desk (UK). It was a broad nibbed Lamy Nexx M in orange. The difference in the Nexx and Nexx M is the cap and specifically the clip on the cap. This Nexx has a plastic clip while my Nexx M has a metal one. Yes, it seems the “M” may be for metal!

The design is more fluid with the Nexx, but the clip on the Nexx M is much more functional. I love the feel of the rubberized triangular section in my hand. It is the same basic structure as the Safari but thicker and shorter. I also like the smooth feel of the aluminum barrel in my hand. Finally, I like both the orange color of my “M” and the yellow with hint of green of this Citron model.

Ugh. My biggest complaint about this Citron Nexx is the anemic flow I am getting from its fine nib. Lamy Blue is not what I’d call a dry ink, but I was getting enough flow issues my handwriting had to be slowed. Even then, the ink the ink just wasn’t coming down right. As soon as possible, I will pull the fine nib this pen came with in favor of a different one. At this stage in the review, I have switched to my Lamy Nexx M for writing (it’s the red ink color, the original Nexx is the blue). It is on the dry side but not overly so.

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Lamy Nexx by Erechtheus, on Flickr

Another issue I have with the Nexx generally is that the end of the pen is triangular. Anyone who has heard me talk about the Omas 360 knows I just cannot wrap my head around a triangular pen. This pen’s barrel tapers to round form at the halfway point so it is less disconcerting to me. My final point of contention is with the clip. My Nexx M has a wonderfully functional clip. The Nexx clip is clearly worthless. It easily bends away and would not securely hold anything.

(I switched back to the Nexx for page 3, the Sustainable Earth paper) Flow on this paper is slightly better but still pretty anemic. I searched for a spare Lamy nib I have but cannot find it at the moment.

At any rate, the cap posts well on the triangular barrel. It wobbles just a bit. The pen feels balanced with or without the cap, but the cap’s oversize nature sometimes bugs the web of my hand when writing.

I think I paid less than $20 for my Nexx M thanks to a favorable Pound-Dollar conversion rate. Lamy USA’s list price for the Nexx is $32 and $38 for the Nexx M. Neither pen comes with a converter. At those prices, I cannot advise anyone to buy this pen over a Safari, an Al-Star, or something like a Noodler’s Konrad or TWSBI 540. Lamy USA is the exclusive American retailer for now, but The Writing Desk, eBay, or Jet Pens are all better options for a buyer from the United States.

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Nexx and Safari by Erechtheus, on Flickr

All told, I would rank the Nexx as a C+ pen and the Nexx M as a B- pen. This rating does not really penalize the Nexx for the nib issue because that’s just something that happens with any Lamy pen occasionally. It is mere coincidence it was an issue with the Nexx and not the Nexx M.

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Lamy Nexx by Erechtheus, on Flickr

The very absorbent nature of this paper helps the ink flow, but I still get skipping. These pens lose points for being cartridge/converter, having a cap that can irritate my hand when posted, having triangular design, having flow issues, and having a useless cap on the Nexx (not the Nexx M, thus the different grade).

All in all, they are both pens I will enjoy, but I will not buy more of them at the price point set by Lamy USA. I think it is outrageous that, at the price point chosen, these pens are shipped without a converter.

I do thank Filofax and FPGeeks for this prize, and I hope this review is helpful to people looking to buy this pen.

Handwritten review:

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Lamy Nexx by Erechtheus, on Flickr

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Lamy Nexx by Erechtheus, on Flickr

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Lamy Nexx by Erechtheus, on Flickr

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Lamy Nexx by Erechtheus, on Flickr

Reverse of the Second Nature page with an excessive amount of showthrough:

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Lamy Nexx by Erechtheus, on Flickr

Edited June 3, 2012 by Jimmy James

June 4, 2012

I prefer Safari's over these anyday. The cap as you mentioned is irritating, I find they don't look as pleasing aesthetically as the Safari's/Vistas/AL'Stars, and haven't used mine nearly as much as i thought i would.