Less than glowing Lamy Al-Star review

[beluga]

Brandon,

 

you appear to have been happy with the Al-Star nib, but didn't care much for the Al-Star body.

Al-Star nibs are identical to Safari nibs and are fairly inexpensive, but can be very good.

 

 

Here's what I've done (if I'd come across this thread two years ago):

Find myself a good (maybe second-hand) Safari, don't pay to much attention to the nib it comes with and swap nibs between the two pens.

Safari/Al-Star nibs come off quite easily when you lay the nib face down onto a flat surface and carefully use a quarter to hold the nib in place while you gently pull the pen body away.

 

 

As far as alternatives are concerned, I own Safaris, Lamy 2000's, a single Studio and various Pelikan 600's (one 605, the balance Natural Wonder versions).

The best universal pen is probably the 2000, very light and the Makrolon is near-indestructible. There is a recent thread somewhere on FPN where someone exposed the 2000 to all sorts of abuses short of boiling it in tar. While I failed to understand what the practical value of his "experiment" was, the 2000 apparently survived it and still gives good service.

 

 

My black Studio came with the universal Lamy steel nib (broad) and has a nice heft and balance. I keep it filled with Lamy blue-black iron-gall ink and the two seem to get along just fine, but the pen doesn't get much use.

My Northern Lights and Niagara 600-series Pelikan are nice writers too and I come back to them all the time. Their nibs can be excellent and my binderized Northern Lights with B nib writes like a dream.

My 605 nib is not quite as nice, still writes reasonable smooth enough, but clearly cannot match the Lamy 2000 in overall resilience or nib smoothness.

 

 

 

 

Hope this helps....

 

 

 

 

 

B.

Edited April 20, 2010 by beluga

[bphollin]

Hi Beluga. I think you missed the part where I said I have a Safari and a 2000 and a M605. I think they are all fine pens for the tasks that I own them to perform. I'd hesitate to call one better than the other. I wouldn't use my Niagara Falls on a backpacking trip, but I wouldn't sit down to write a chapter with my Safari.

 

Thanks for the advice though!

[beluga]

Hi Beluga. I think you missed the part where I said I have a Safari and a 2000 and a M605. I think they are all fine pens for the tasks that I own them to perform. I'd hesitate to call one better than the other. I wouldn't use my Niagara Falls on a backpacking trip, but I wouldn't sit down to write a chapter with my Safari.

 

Thanks for the advice though!

 

 

Hi Brandon,

 

No, I got that part all right - at about the same time I had gone through enough replies to realize that I was responding a 2 year old thread.

I just had hoped that the idea of implanting the Al-Star nib onto a Safari body might still be useful to some.

 

It's funny how some long dormant threads sometimes start getting a second life, isn't it?

 

 

 

B.

Edited April 20, 2010 by beluga

[bphollin]

I just had hoped that the idea of implanting the Al-Star nib onto a Safari body might still be useful to some.

 

It's funny how some long dormant threads sometimes start getting a second life, isn't it?

[AustinMalone1999]

My Lamy Al Star in the Blue Green Finish is great with the 1.5 mm italic

[jrnabors]

The last few Lamy's I've had have been poor writers. Even when I sent them back they came back poor writers. Except for a couple of times when they've gone leaky, my Pilots have had better fit and finish and were cheaper. Japan is where it's at with fountain pens. Sorry, Europe, but you've let quality and price point slip.