Notes on the Lamy 2K for potential purchasers

[opitzs]

Just to add a few points, I now have six of them, been using them for years:

 

1). The nib runs wider than its designated size.

 

Based on what? No two makers agree on exactly the same width, sometimes not even between there own pens. And the next question would be, if the buyer is more used to Japanese nibs, which are smaller. I can agree, that it is on the broader side...

 

5). The pen is featureless and symmetrical and you can sometimes start writing with the nib orientated incorrectly.

 

That is what eyes are made for

But honestly, most pens are symmetrical, so those who have this problem would have it with other pens, too. I guess the problem is more the hooded nib.

But when you get to know the pen, your fingers turn the pen correctly, without you noticing it any more, than with any other fountain pen...

 

7). The cap doesn't post securely and anyway marks the barrel.

 

It posts definitely securely and I guess the marks might depend on the ink. My oldest have very faint marks.

 

8).The pen develops leaks and needs a full service every couple of years or so.

 

I have heard of that, that is why Lamy redesigned the feed. According to hearsay the problem should be solved.

 

I have four with the old feed design and no leakage...

[GeeTee]

 

8).The pen develops leaks and needs a full service every couple of years or so.

 

I have heard of that, that is why Lamy redesigned the feed. According to hearsay the problem should be solved.

 

I have four with the old feed design and no leakage...

 

The problem isn't the feeder. Mine is leaking though the "ears". I know of at least one other case with the same problem in a relatively new pen.

[opitzs]

There has also been some suggestion lately that Lamy's quality control may be slipping, even compared to their previous "if you don't like it send it back and we'll try again" attitude. I don't know if this has been just a coincidence of customers who drew the occasional lemon, or if there is really something more going on. It bears looking into, especially with a pen that has had so many different but rare problems reported over the years. If Lamy starts to get really careless, there are apparently lots of things to go wrong on the 2K.

ron

 

I have heard this, too, several times and not just lately, however no one can substantiate it. It is always preceded with "I've heard..." or something similar.

A pen like the Lamy 2K is an affordable premium pen, which means, that there will be many sold. As there is no subforum for Lamy, all those with problems go to Writing Instruments.

Result: Everyone notices problems with them, but no one really knows, how many of the sold pens have problems. It is just a distorted image of reality. Then someone talks about QC issues, these rumours are spread without any further knowledge about the matter. I have 6 L2K and not one of those is less than perfect. If there really were QC issues, shouldn't I have at least one with problems?

This really makes me mad!

[opitzs]

 

8).The pen develops leaks and needs a full service every couple of years or so.

 

I have heard of that, that is why Lamy redesigned the feed. According to hearsay the problem should be solved.

 

I have four with the old feed design and no leakage...

 

The problem isn't the feeder. Mine is leaking though the "ears". I know of at least one other case with the same problem in a relatively new pen.

 

Through the ears? then a redesigned feed will not solve this problem... Are those the new ones, where no plastic feed is visible around the breather hole?

[79spitfire]

 

8).The pen develops leaks and needs a full service every couple of years or so.

 

I have heard of that, that is why Lamy redesigned the feed. According to hearsay the problem should be solved.

 

I have four with the old feed design and no leakage...

 

The problem isn't the feeder. Mine is leaking though the "ears". I know of at least one other case with the same problem in a relatively new pen.

 

There is an O-ring seal under the section with the "ears". The o-ring is leaking or the section has a small crack. Send it to Lamy and they should take care of it.

[cbbp]

Mine is leaking though the "ears".

 

Faulty or missing O-ring maybe?

[GeeTee]

Mine is leaking though the "ears".

 

Faulty or missing O-ring maybe?

 

Don't know...never disassembled it. I don't really like the pen (for reasons mentioned above) so i don't think i will ever bother to send it to Lamy. I have so many other good pens, i see no reason to trust this one again.

[spiv]

I don't really like the pen (for reasons mentioned above) so i don't think i will ever bother to send it to Lamy. I have so many other good pens, i see no reason to trust this one again.

 

 

Pity - apparently all you pay is postage, and then you will have a marvellous starter pen to give some young relation to start them using FPs or some old friend with arthritis and bic pens.

 

just because you don't trust it doesn't mean someone you know might not like it.

[rwilsonedn]

..."It is just a distorted image of reality. Then someone talks about QC issues, these rumours are spread without any further knowledge about the matter. I have 6 L2K and not one of those is less than perfect. If there really were QC issues, shouldn't I have at least one with problems?

This really makes me mad! "

 

Well, no. The pen could be shipping with 80% failure rate and it still would be possible for someone to get six good ones in a row. When members write in reporting problems they have personally experienced, it is clear that Lamy is shipping some number of defective pens. You are correct that we can't establish the actual frequency from incidental reports, but that is not the point. For a pen as expensive as the 2K, with today's manufacturing technology, anything above zero defects shipped is ridiculous.

ron

[spiv]

For a pen as expensive as the 2K, with today's manufacturing technology, anything above zero defects shipped is ridiculous.

ron

 

 

Are you familiar with automobiles?

good luck reaching 0 defects in anything manufactured.

[KKieffer]

Mine is leaking though the "ears".

 

Faulty or missing O-ring maybe?

 

Don't know...never disassembled it. I don't really like the pen (for reasons mentioned above) so i don't think i will ever bother to send it to Lamy. I have so many other good pens, i see no reason to trust this one again.

I think there are many members here that would be willing to send you packing and shipping fees for it.

[spiv]

I don't really like the pen (for reasons mentioned above) so i don't think i will ever bother to send it to Lamy. I have so many other good pens, i see no reason to trust this one again.

I think there are many members here that would be willing to send you packing and shipping fees for it.

 

 

cough

 

cough

 

 

cough

[J English Smith]

I had this problem with an eBay NOS one. Yeah, it's the O-ring and they will fix it for free - LAMY USA anyway.

[tonybelding]

This is a pen I've wanted for evah, and always figured I'd get around to it someday. The functional, modern, severely understated style and its reputation for physical toughness appeal to me. The fact that it's been around for so long with minimal changes appeals to me.

 

Every time I start to buy one, though, I find myself balking. (I balked long enough for the price to go up, darn it.) For just a little more money I could get a Gate City Belmont, which is another pen I've had my eye on. There's always something else I've got my eye on, and although the Lamy 2000 has been on my want list for a long time, it never quite makes it to the top of the list.

 

I wish I could try one out. . . I've heard conflicting things about the nib sizes, for example, and not sure if I should order a F or EF.

 

The rumor of QC problems makes me hesitate too. On the other hand, it seems that Lamy does fix them when they are bad. (Unlike my experience with Sheaffer, for example!)

[GeeTee]

Mine is leaking though the "ears".

 

Faulty or missing O-ring maybe?

 

Don't know...never disassembled it. I don't really like the pen (for reasons mentioned above) so i don't think i will ever bother to send it to Lamy. I have so many other good pens, i see no reason to trust this one again.

I think there are many members here that would be willing to send you packing and shipping fees for it.

 

Ah there we are. Every time i mention that i don't like a pen there is someone who want to have it for next to nothing....

[Mango]

Mine is leaking though the "ears".

 

Faulty or missing O-ring maybe?

 

Don't know...never disassembled it. I don't really like the pen (for reasons mentioned above) so i don't think i will ever bother to send it to Lamy. I have so many other good pens, i see no reason to trust this one again.

I think there are many members here that would be willing to send you packing and shipping fees for it.

Very willing to!

 

I've had to send my pen back to Lamy USA about 3 times--scratchy nib with misaligned tines, cracked cap, ink drops leaking from where the steel meets the makrolon. I've never had to pay for anything other than the postage, and I've always gotten my pen back in several weeks. I think that over the various services, I may very well have had a brand new pen slowly put together.

[opitzs]

Well, no. The pen could be shipping with 80% failure rate and it still would be possible for someone to get six good ones in a row. When members write in

 

Yes, that is correct.

 

reporting problems they have personally experienced, it is clear that Lamy is shipping some number of defective pens. You are correct that we can't establish the actual frequency from incidental reports, but that is not the point. For a pen as expensive as the 2K, with today's manufacturing technology, anything above zero defects shipped is ridiculous.

1. Lamy is shipping out defective pens, like all pen companies

2. If you are serious about zero defects, I would advice 2 things:

1. Have a look at these forums here

2. Get out of fountain pens

 

You can easily pay triple the amount a Lamy 2K costs and get defective pens. This is just a fact of live. You can buy defective Montblancs or Auroras, that doesn't mean, that on average they are bad pens, just that to get to a zero percent defect rate is quite simply impossible.

On the plus side (I never had to send a pen to Lamy, so I go by what I have read here) Lamy is fast in repairing pens, I have sent pens to repair and they got back after 2-3 months, still with the same defect.

If someone gets a defect Lamy 2000 I won't say, that it isn't so, but even if 10 members here say they got defect Lamy 2K I guess that would mean much less than one percent sold (I can only guess here, I have no sales figures for the Lamy 2K).

Why less than one percent? If you have limited editions of 1000 pen from other pen companies, that cost more than 500 dollars and are sold out quite quickly, you can guess that 1000 pens a year sold for the more affordable Lamy 2000s are no number at all. If you put that number in relation to the defect Lamy 2000

threats posted here per year and then ignore those who d

say they bought one 2 years ago and it was defective, that means the number of defect pens is minute (again just a guess, I haven't counted the threads per year). And that is taking into account those cases, where the pens just needed a flush.

 

I am truly sorry, but that just needed saying.

[Nitesiter07]

I've had mine for over a year and LOVE it! It did get the cracked barrel just below the screw in line.... I sent it to Lamy and I had my pen back fixed in about a week. I was very surpised at the speed of their repair.

 

Thanks!

Dave

[zuku]

In the post #18 up there I wrote:

"I am thinking (my Lamy 200 being skippy) is due also to Luxury blue's thickness, so i am next to try it with Lamy blue".

I have tryed it with Lamy Blue, and i can report this: Luxury Blue is definetly a bit thicker (or "stycky", probably), and on times it needs an initial impulse to start deploying ink immediately. Lamy Blue deploys immediately, all the time, no problems.

It was not the pen, but the ink.

The pen is just there, stoicaly being 'her self', and i love her, the writting experience is so sleek.

 

Edit: Just to add that, when i cleaned the pen to load Lamy Blue, Luxury Blue cleaned easily away, leaving absolutely no strains anywhere visible (i did not disassembled the pen to clean it; i cleaned it using a 10% diluted soapy amonia solution).

Edited September 7, 2011 by zuku