Jump to content

Lamy Studio Review


a.lachlan

Recommended Posts

I got this pen in two colours; the black and stainless steel, as they were both on sale on the WHSmiths website for only £26 and £24 respectively (normally they’d be around £40), as I had been so impressed with the black version. Being from WHSmiths both initially had medium nibs but I got an extra-fine nib for the stainless steel version having tried a fine on it which was very similar to the medium - I’m guessing there can be quite a bit of variation between nibs with Lamy as it was definitely a lot broader than the fine nib I had on my Safari.

Initial Impressions:

When the black version arrived I was very impressed straight away, it feels bery well built, the cap clipping on very precisely with the satisfying click you always look for, both over the nib and when posting - it has a special ring on the back for posting. The nib seemed very smooth and wet as well. The matt black finish looked really good as well, the whole pen infact looks really sleek and cool. The grip section it polished steel, with a slight convex, which I think looks good with the black and didn’t seem slippery at all despite my hearing that it was and being afraid it would be!

The stainless steel version was much the same, I didn’t think the stainless steel finish looked quite as good as the black, but it has a rubberised grip though that I think makes up for it and I definitely prefer the feel of over the polished steel grip of the black version. The polished grip section definitely suits the black version more though, I think a black rubberised grip with the black body would just be too much.

Design:

The pen has a bit of weight to it but I certainly wouldn’t call it an overly heavy pen, but I wouldn’t post it as it becomes a bit top-heavy. The clip has an interesting shape you’ll see in the pictures that actually works quite nicely, it’s a little springy and its shape helps it slide on easily.

The grip section is relatively comfortable to hold but its shape isn’t very ergonomic. It isn’t that slippery, obviously it can be in certain situations (i.e. If you have particularly sweaty hands...) but usually I haven’t had a problem with it in that aspect. One thing it does do however is attract fingerprints quite a lot and it needs a quick wipe to clean them off every now and then.

The body comes off the grip section nicely, there aren’t any plastic threads holding it on which is always a plus in my opinion, I’ve never liked pens that have a solid metal body that screws onto the grip section with delicate plastic threads. The finishes on the body of both versions are pretty tough and so far haven’t scratched at all after a couple of months use.

Overall it’s a pretty well-built, sold feeling pen and looks awesome but I think they gave form priority over function.

Score: 6/10

Nib and Performance:

The nib is the same used on the cheaper Lamys like the Al Star, Safari, Nexx, etc. Not that I’m complaining though, it can be a very nice nib! The medium is ultra smooth with only a little feedback, just enough to let you know you’re touching the paper. One thing I did find though was that it seemed to have a bit of a sweet spot - it has to be at the right angle to get the most ink flow and smoothness. The medium Lamy nibs I’ve tried have definitely been the broadest I’ve used and this follows that trend, albeit being a little bit drier than the Al Star I had used before (although that is an incredibly wet pen!). The feed keeps up nicely but I’ve had a lot of false starts, although this may only be because I’m not quite on that sweet spot I mentioned before, it’s a bit of a nuisance at times.

The extra-fine nib wasn’t quite as smooth obviously but it is a very fine nib. It’s perfectly usable though and I’ve found it perfectly pleasent to use. Please note however that I haven’t had that much experienced that many extra-fine nibs!

8/10

Conclusion:

Overall it’s a nice, solid, smooth-writing pen, but I don’t feel it’s up there with the best. I can see it being ideal for those who don’t require it for lengthy writing, maybe a nice pen to keep in your pocket for quick notes here and there; however for someone who does a lot of writing it’s just not comfortable enough for me. Don’t get me wrong though, this is certainly a good pen and I’d recommend it, especially for anyone who’s a fan of the nibs they’ve had on the cheaper Lamy’s and want to try something a bit more expensive and higher-end.

Score: 15/20

 

Pics!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7366/12254538864_27597e9b57_c.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7417/12254537934_2cb83137ae_c.jpg

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3814/12254273883_331e828454_c.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7292/12254099685_ff953c63f6_c.jpg

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5527/12254271813_77ca20f2eb_c.jpg

 

Finally, with the grip sections swapped out which I think looks a lot better...

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3722/12254271023_65ae3a76d5_c.jpg

 

Writing sample with comparisons...

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7352/13166469415_2e3fa31e49_c.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7007/13166733314_51ccd3a148_c.jpg

 

And a size comparison...

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2857/12254281983_82b552b578_c.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7440/12254281053_a872506103_c.jpg

Sheaffer 300, Sheaffer 100, Sheaffer Prelude, Lamy Studio, TWSBI Diamond 580, Kaweco Allrounder, Pilot Prera

Edited by a.lachlan
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 13
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • a.lachlan

    3

  • inotrym

    2

  • watch_art

    1

  • perth

    1

Is the chrome pen actually thicker than the black?

I suppose not, but it definately looks so in the pictures..

Nope, they're identical in size except possibly for the grip section which might be a tiny tiny bit thicker on the black version (i.e. with the chrome grip section), but not enough to be noticeable

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks, perhaps it's the color difference that makes me think of that.

Yeah, when I was comparing the color difference made it pretty hard to see even in person!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really like LAMY pens, and keep wanting to pick up a Studio in the stainless steel. I just like the look of it. Thanks for the review and the writing samples.

It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt. - Mark Twain

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have both of those pens and I prefer the black one as well. They're nice, solid, well-performing pens, sort of one tier up from the Lamy Safari / Al Star line. Sometimes I carry one with me as an emergency backup in case something happens to my main pen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good review, and thanks for the pics! At first I was confused by the first one because I couldn't figure out why they were different sizes, then I realized the picture is at an angle... I really do have a college degree, I swear! :-P

Fountain pen blog | Personal blog

 

Current collection: Pilot Vanishing Point, TWSBI Vac 700, Kaweco Al Sport, Lamy Safari, Nemosine Singularity

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have the Studio in Royal Red with a LH nib. It's a great pen. I'd love to try it with a gold nib.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the great review. I really like the clip design, it looks so smart.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Great review. I’ve had the Studio ballpoint for eight years and use it every week. I just got my Grey Platinum Studio EF and absolutely love it, too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One of the best pen for the price IMO. I've been seduced by the Pearl white seasonal edition. For some reason, I prefer to use it with a steel nib, using the gold one with my Safari. Go figure. Thank you for this excellent review of a wonderful pen!

amonjak.com

post-21880-0-68964400-1403173058.jpg

free 70 pages graphic novel. Enjoy!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33494
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26624
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...