Lamy 2000 And The Origins Of Lamy Design

[lemanfan]

This thread probably means I'll buy one sooner or later. Thanks, I think.

[PensAndLeather]

Very thorough and informative, learned a lot about the Lamy 2000 pens, thank you for doing all that work. I will have to Tweet your link to all of the Pens And Leather fans, awesome job!

[lurker]

http://www.threadbombing.com/data/media/2/busey_clapping.gif

Seriously amazing work.

 

Now, if only there was a Lamy forum where this could be pinned...Oh wait, there is.

this

[a m a r g o]

[PenandDesign]

Fantastic article! A truly informative, scholarly, and captivating review - I quite enjoyed it Thanks for your hard work, and for sharing it with us. As of publishing time, I'm in the midst of writing a (smaller and less-detailed) article for Pen&Design about how the 2000's design DNA is relevant today in the sense that it can be compared to a certain commonplace object today whose function is vastly disparate. Perhaps the Lamy 2000 is more popular to scrutinize, analyze, and study today than it has ever been before; especially with the 2000M being released just a few weeks ago.

[Namo]

The curve on the back of the mixer is referenced in the body curve of the Lamy 2000 barrel. Additionally, the pen and mixer share similar internal proportions: the top third of the KM3 is in proportion to the nib and metal section of the Lamy 2000; the middle third of the mixer is in proportion to the pen’s barrel from section to body curve; and the bottom third of the mixer is in proportion to the remaining body of the pen. To again quote Rams’ Ten Principles of 'Good Design'", “The aesthetic quality of a product is integral to its usefulness because products are used every day and have an effect on people and their well-being…. Products fulfilling a purpose are like tools. They are neither decorative objects nor works of art. Their design should therefore be both neutral and restrained.” The aesthetic qualities of curve and internal proportion are illustrated below.

 

Resized to 94% (was 640 x 497) - Click image to enlargehttp://farm9.staticflickr.com/8167/7706311988_8baaf6004d_z.jpg

Design consistencies in Müller’s work for the Braun KM3 and the Lamy 2000.

 

Another design cue Müller carried forward from Braun to Lamy is the similar portion of metal to plastic in the razor and the pen. The similarity is striking and the implication is clear: in each product, the “business” end is constructed of metal (shaving foil, nib and grip section) and the plastic body conceals the inner workings (electronics and power supply; ink chamber and filling mechanism). To directly quote Rams’ “good design” principles, this design choice concentrates on essential aspects that "emphasize the usefulness of [the] product while disregarding anything that could possibly detract from it.”-

 

 

I've been reading and re-reading this great essay concerning the Lamy 2K. Amazing work, congratulations and many thanks. What is said about good design is fascinating, and I have no doubt that the 2K is following this line of work. I doubt some other high(er) end production could say this, concerning the honesty part of the good design...

 

Do you know if these proportions found in the Brawn products and the 2K are based on some kind of ergonomical considerations? I ask this because I've always found the 2K to be extremely comfortable comparing to models about the same size and weight.

 

Thanks again!

[trent]

An amazing and knowledgeable review, thank you.

 

The Lamy 2000 is a pen I wanted to love, but I experienced severe leaking on two of them around the nib area. It seems that with the change to an all-metal breather-hole, this problem might have been solved. So perhaps I might give Lamy one more try...

[PenandDesign]

Ok! My article about the Lamy 2000 - which was written with a similar vein of interest - has been released on my blog: http://bit.ly/TUjCTb. I talked a bit to bphollins, and I think that it'd be mutually beneficial to post it up here. It's about the Lamy 2000's Bauahus influence, and how it compares to the iPhone and Braun Sixtant. Writing this article really helped me to see just how consummately written this review is. A veritable treasure chest of information and expert writing indeed! :clap1: :clap1: Well done OP!

[bphollin]

Nice! Added to my Instapaper reading list... which I'll probably look at on my iPhone in due time.

[PenandDesign]

Nice! Added to my Instapaper reading list... which I'll probably look at on my iPhone in due time.

 

Thanks! Blogger only sporadically seems to work with my Instapaper though... :roflmho:

[pienaar]

bphollin: I am changing your user name to Dr. Lamy!

[landrover]

Thank you for such a comprehensive article, it was an absolute delight to read.

I have a number of Lamy 2000 Fountain Pens and Ballpoints, and am delighted with them all.

[bphollin]

Thanks landrover! I'm flattered that your first post, after two years on FPN, is such a nice compliment of my article. I'm glad you liked it.

[bphollin]

pienaar, you're too kind! The *real* Dr. Lamy you should be praising is the man himself, Dr. Manfred Lamy, father of the Lamy 2000.

Edited September 14, 2012 by bphollin

[MCN]

bphollin: late but sincere thanks for your terrific work.

 

A question for you: I have two tradtional 2000s and I just got a new 2000M. You point out the inset metal disc on the bottom of the normal 2000 piston knob. (Minor quibble: this looks to me more like aluminum than stainless steel.) But on the 2000M, this appears to be simply a foil sticker! I haven't had the guts to try to remove the sticker to see what (if anything) might be beneath it. Does this look like a sticker to you? Any idea what's underneath?

Edited September 17, 2012 by MCN

[bphollin]

I just examined all of my 2000s, including 2000M, under a 20x loupe. It does not appear to be a sticker, foil or otherwise.

[linux3214]

I don't comment much, but you have made a must read encyclopedic reference to my favorite pen.

Thanks

[Xenomorph]

Great article =)

[auto winder]

Amazing article! I was thinking about buying a Lamy Studio but now I *really* want a Lamy 2000

[cdvd]

Outstanding Review! this will help me enjoy writing with my Lamy 2000 even more! Chris