Lamy 2000 Vs. Pilot Falcon For Note-Taking

[Algester]

Research a Pilot Custom with PO nib, finest nib and very smooth.

the pen is a bit on the expensive side though...

[CAG_1787]

First things first: you're going to destroy the nib of the Falcon by taking notes with it. Flex is as beautiful as it is ill suited to writing quickly with out of the box.

 

I don't think you could do any damage to a nib, flex or otherwise, by normal note taking. I do concur that it could interfere with writing particularly quickly, though I don't have a problem with it. Like so much of our hobby, it all has to do with pressure

[J.P.]

I really like the 2000. Mine is a fine and it works great for notes.

 

My last two years of high school (1997-1999) is when I got bit by the fountain pen bug. Back then I used a Namiki vanishing point for my daily note taking. I liked the fine lines and the slimmer design of the pen. The new model isn't bad, even with that off-putting clip. I still bought one in matte black.

 

I had a Falcon (M), but it wasn't for me. The Pilot Custom 74 suggested above is excellent. I just got one with a broad ground to cursive italic. I absolutely love that pen. Getting it from Japan, you can likely get a stock one for around $100 shipped.

 

If you're concerned about loss/theft, I would suggest a Lamy Al-Star in EF. It is a slight upgrade to the Safari you mentioned, but still cheap enough that I was able to buy a few when I was an undergrad. I have several that I rotated throughout college/grad school. The EF was especially helpful when writing in book margins.

 

good luck!

[kbrede]

 

The "low-priced" Pelikan 200 is a little more expensive than an Estie or a new True-writer, but their steel nibs are about $25.

 

Welch, where do you pick up Pelikan 200 steel nibs for that price? I'd sure like to purchase a few.

Thanks,

Kent

[ylw]

@ylw

That is YOUR interpretation.

 

Mine is that a student has both odds the he will make it through school without incident, or he could have an incident.

It is a roll of the dice as to what happens.

Note the items that I said 1)damage and 2)loose, I did not say 3)theft but it should be in the list as well or it could be part of #2.

Of the 3 items, #1 and #2 are largely based on the user and it does not matter where he is.

#1 could be as simple as the pen rolling off the desk and landing on the nib

#2 could be as simple as walking out of classroom/library and forgetting the pen behind. Or it slipping out of the pocket and getting left behind. Leaving an item behind is unfortunately a somewhat common situation, look at all the "lost and found" things that people leave behind. I have done this myself a few times.

 

#3 is an outside party (the thief). This is where you have outside people creating the incident.

 

You are addressing the question that was asked, and nothing else.

I answered the question that was not asked but should be considered. So rather than A or B, my answer was neither.

 

It is not my interpretation, you are simply using a very bad argument to make a point since the argument can be used by someone who disagrees with you. That's because, as you say so yourself, both situations are possible: you may run into an incident, you may not run into an incident. In cases like this it is much better to educate someone and leave the decision making to them. They are seeking advice, not a decision. And that's exactly what I'm doing, not addressing the question (The actual question here is about which of the two fountain pens is better for note taking.) but helping them to make a decision and trying to educate you in using proper arguments.

 

Mind you, with your reasoning you shouldn't be buying any (fountain) pen at all because the incidents you speak off apply to everybody on the planet. That means people who are retired, people who go to work, people who study and so on (read up on the threads/posts where people talk about their fountain pen use in school, work, etc). Focusing on the incidents is just pointless, let people decide for themselves. Instead educate them on the differences between the two fountain pens (which is the real question here).

[Lovely_Pen]

(I have heard about the VP, but I'm not that keen on the retractable nib, I don't like the aesthetic as much).

 

I'm in college and while I have an assortment of pens of varying value, the Lamy Safari and Pilot Metropolitan are really the only pens I regularly take to class. I've used a TWSBI Mini Rose Gold and a Noodler's Ebonite Konrad in class before, but I got a number of strange stares from classmates, and decided to stop taking them. I wouldn't dream of taking something nicer (which in my opinion is anything $50+) to campus. It's not that I refuse to take nicer pens out of the house with me, but colleges are notorious for theft (in my opinion) and I'd be heartbroken if I lost "one of my nice pens." Back when I was in high school, my only pen was a Lamy Safari in charcoal with a F nib and I only used Lamy cartridges...

 

I will say that like you, I was not attracted AT ALL to the Pilot Vanishing Point, but just earlier today I stopped into my local B&M store and picked one up...and I fell in love! In person, they're actually very attractive and comfortable pens to hold. If you're at all curious, I highly recommend trying one in person and seeing how it feels for you!

 

I hope you find something that works out well for you.

 

Best of luck,

Lovely Pen

Edited February 12, 2015 by Lovely_Pen

[jasonchickerson]

I have a Lamy 2000 that I use for class notes. I would not have taken a pen this expensive to class when I was in high school, though. My first bit of advice would be to wait and buy it as a graduation present and use it in college.

 

But that's not what you asked. Here's how I see it.

 

Lamy 2000

Good: great looking, very durable, piston filler with large ink capacity, unique design even after almost 50 years

Bad: EF and F nibs are hit and miss, you might get a bad one (my EF was scr-atch-y), EF nib is exactly the same as F nib

 

Pilot Falcon:

Good: nib is springy/semi-flexy, cool nib design, you'll probably get a good one

Bad: nondescript design, cartridge/converter holds less ink and you have to disassemble to fill in class

 

For me, the piston-filler will win every time. I can fill my Lamy 2000 from a sample vial in about 10 seconds in class.

Edited February 12, 2015 by jasonchickerson

[KBeezie]

I have/had both. the 'had' is because I Traded away my Falcon, the soft fine was way too easy to cause line variation in just quick writing and it didn't seem to always agree with some papers when trying to quickly write.

 

The one I kept was the Lamy 2000 with an EF nib, and it is currently inked with Noodler's Black Eel (seems to be the best nib/ink combination I had so far), currently very very smooth, puts down a line with very little effort even if I just quickly hover some writing. And for the purpose of just quick notes, no line variations (for the most part).

 

Though for notes, it's not the one I go to 90% of the time. But rather I use my Eversharp Skyline with a flex-ish nib, basically unlike the Falcon it maintains an extra fine line with just a light touch (where as the Falcon was more or less a hair trigger on it, almost any weight caused brush-like strokes as it was intended to imitate asian brush strokes), but with just a little light give I can get it to around a medium.

 

While the Lamy is as smooth as the Skyline (mainly due to the extra lubrication of the black eel), the skyline is just much more comfortable for me to hold/use for writing for 2-3 hours straight in class during lectures. The Lamy 2000 isn't bad, but it's not my top pick (maybe among modern pens though).

 

Write sample showing both here (since I already traded off my Falcon before I got the L2K I don't have any same-page samples showing both of those):

http://i.imgur.com/LZ6TZXA.jpg

 

So of the two, mainly for note-taking in my opinion the Lamy 2000, just make sure you have the retailer check the nib before shipping especially if you get one in an EF. Some will either do so by default (ie: nibs.com), some will do so upon request for no extra charge (GouletPens, AndersonPens, etc).