Pen Review: Lamy 2000 (Original Makrolon Version)

April 5, 2017

I can’t believe that in the nearly four years I’ve been writing this blog, I’ve never done a proper review of the Lamy 2000, a pen that I often recommend and which headlines my recommendations for a best first fountain pen over $100. I currently have three of these pens in my personal collection - a standard EF nib, a fine nib ground to a cursive italic by Mark Bacas, and a Stainless Steel model with a medium nib that Mark ground into a reversible “Italifine” nib with a cursive italic on one side and an extra fine point on the reverse side. While you may or may not appreciate the design, this is a classic, well-built fountain pen that everyone should try at least once.

History

It’s safe to call the 2000 Lamy’s flagship pen. Designed by Gerd Muller in 1966, the pen has been in continuous production, and the design hasn’t changed, for the past 50+ years.

The integrated ink window, brushed stainless section, and hooded nibs are hallmarks of the Lamy 2000's design.

According to Lamy, the 2000 was the first pen to feature an “even surface of both stainless steel and plastic,” presumably referring to the way in which the brushed stainless steel section, Makrolon body, and other components are flush with one another. Because Lamy's manufacturing tolerances are very high, the seams between the section, body, and piston knob are all but invisible. The Lamy 2000 also claims to be the first pen with a solid stainless steel clip. Note the subtle engravings not only on the outside of the clip ("Lamy"), but on the inside as well ("Germany"). Details!

Why do I like this pen so much?

The Lamy 2000 engenders strong feelings in people. They either love the pen or hate it. Many claim that it looks “boring” or “generic.” Personally, I don’t find this pen boring at all - the simple, straightforward design reflect the pen’s Bauhaus-inspired aesthetic, not a lack of creativity. While I have my own penchant for loud colors (red and yellow, especially) and patterned celluloid, sometimes I just want an understated workhorse pen that holds a lot of ink and won’t draw a lot of attention in crowded meetings or in court. The Lamy 2000 fits the bill.

The hooded nib on the Lamy 2000 makes it difficult for the casual observer to distinguish the Lamy 2000 fountain pen from a standard rollerball or a ballpoint, which is why this is a great pen for use in situations where you don’t want to draw atten… — The hooded nib on the Lamy 2000 makes it difficult for the casual observer to distinguish the Lamy 2000 fountain pen from a standard rollerball or a ballpoint, which is why this is a great pen for use in situations where you don’t want to draw attention to yourself.

Construction

The body of the pen is made from Makrolon, a polycarbonate/fiberglass composite that is both strong and lightweight. The section is made from brushed stainless steel, which adds just enough weight to give it a nice balance in the hand. While there is an ink window, it’s translucent and somewhat narrow, only providing you with a general indication of how much ink remains in the pen. The pistons on my pens all operate smoothly, and they hold a good deal of ink, which I would peg at around 2ml (nonscientifically).

A shot of the cap on a Makrolon Lamy 2000. Note the matte finish on the body and clip, compared with the polished end cap.

A note on cleaning: It IS possible to disassemble the Lamy 2000 for cleaning the inside of the barrel, feed, and nib, though the pen contains multiple small parts that can easily get lost. If this sort of “deep cleaning" is needed - and it shouldn’t be necessary on a routine basis - make sure you’ve set up a workspace where you can keep track of the parts.

Writing Experience

While I’ve known a couple people who have purchased Lamy 2000’s with nib issues - mainly caused by misalignment of the tines - every single one of the pens that I have purchased over the years (four total) has written just fine out of the box. The 14k gold nib offers a fairly wet, slightly springy writing experience, and as a result I would say that these pens tend to write on the wider side of their designation. For example, if you want a medium nib, I’d recommend that you try a fine; if you want a fine nib, consider the extra fine, etc. (The broad nib is very, very broad, at least for me.) I would say that there’s no true “extra fine” nib size available - if that’s what you’re looking for, you’ll likely need to have someone work on the nib aftermarket.

I prefer to use the pen posted, thought many people find it pleasant to use unposted as well. Posted, the pen is just under 6.2 inches; unposted 5.5 inches, so it’s a respectable size either way, neither too big nor too small.

Where to Buy

[UPDATE] As of April 2023, The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of Lamy Pens, so we are pleased to be able to offer this pen to you directly as part of our effort to become self-sustaining. We no longer rely on paid advertising or third-party affiliate programs, and enjoy having full responsibility over our readers’ experience with the pens we recommend, instead of relying on third parties to deliver quality service.

From the Vault: Favorite Pilot Pens

March 29, 2017

I'm facing a hellish week of work travel, so I decided to dig some older reviews out of "the vault" and highlight them for newer readers and those who may have missed them the first time around. I selected some reviews of Pilot pens for this retrospective - these pens are some of my favorites, and I've been getting a lot of questions about my preferences among the various Pilot models. If you haven't already, check out the following reviews:

Pilot Custom Heritage 92. Probably my favorite pen in Pilot's current line. This piston-fill demonstrator is not only easy on the eyes, but it's the perfect size for me. Pilot, please bring the color demonstrators to the U.S.!
Pilot Metropolitan. I've been deep into this hobby for years, and I still use the Metropolitan regularly. I have two inked up as we speak. Don't forget to check out the new version with the stub nib.
Pilot Custom 823. A true workhorse, this large ink tank holds enough to last for weeks. Though vacuum fillers are becoming more common nowadays, this is still the best, and one of the highest-capacity.
Pilot Custom 74. The "in-between" size between the Custom Heritage 92 and the Custom 823. I've owned two of these over the years, and I still regret selling one.

Happy reading! Things should settle down and get back to normal this weekend.

Pen Review: The Fisher Space Pen

March 25, 2017

A staple of the everyday carry community, Fisher Space Pens tend to get overlooked by pen addicts who tend to instinctively avoid ballpoints, and that's unfortunate. Fisher Space Pens are great "write anywhere" additions to your arsenal, and despite a few small nits, their widespread availability and versatility make Fisher Space Pens an easy recommendation.

History

If you grew up in the 1980s or earlier (at least in the U.S.), you recognized the Fisher Space Pen by the ubiquitous magazine ads touting the brand's association with NASA. The original Fisher Space Pen was privately developed by Paul C. Fisher as a pressurized ballpoint pen that would write in a zero-gravity, extreme-temperature environment, with the intent of marketing the pen to the U.S. space program. Sorry pencil fans, but Snopes has busted the long-touted myth of the Fisher Space Pen as a solution in search of a problem, and a symbol of overpriced and over-engineered 1960s Space Race excess. As it turns out, "the Russians just used a pencil" story isn't exactly true: while all space programs used pencils in the early days, broken pencil leads pose a hazard when floating around in zero gravity, and woodcase pencils are, well, flammable, especially in a pure oxygen environment. Paul Fisher apparently spent a ton of his own money developing the pens and eventually succeeded in selling them to NASA and other space programs.

Writing Experience

Fisher Space Pen refills come in two tip sizes: fine and medium. Here, the Titanium Nitride pen (far left) has a blue "fine" refill, while the other two have black "mediums."

The Fisher Space Pen refill is highly engineered to perform pretty much anywhere. According to the company's website, the "sealed pressurized ink cartridge performs in temperatures from -30F to +250F, underwater, in zero gravity, at any angle - even upside down!" While I've not had the opportunity to test these more extreme claims (and probably/hopefully never will), the pen does an excellent job of writing on multiple surfaces - including the Field Notes Expedition notebooks - and, yes, it does write upside down, making it a convenient choice for situations when you don't necessarily have a flat writing surface available. The refill writes like a traditional oil-based ballpoint, and the only drawback I've found is that the tip can develop a bit of crust if you let the pen sit unused for too long. (A simple wipe or scribble normally solves the problem.)

A Fisher Space Pen writing sample. While there's not a huge difference, I prefer the fine.

Bullet or Click Pen?

The Fisher Space Pen Company sells multiple models of the Space Pen, but the most popular is the ubiquitous "bullet pen," available in a variety of finishes. I own three: the classic matte black, the black titanium nitride, and the brass. When closed, these pens are tiny, and slide easily into a pocket. When posted, they expand to a reasonable length, which allows them to be used for most types of writing. One thing I will note - the bullet pens aren't particularly scratch or dent-resistant. Given how small they are, I've dropped mine on hard surfaces several times, and they are prone to developing small dents in the tips. (The dents aren't severe, and don't show up very well in the photographs.)

My three Fisher Space Pen Bullets, from left: Titanium Nitride, Brass, and Matte Black (with clip). Check out the gallery below for additional images of the pens extended, in hand, etc.

My favorite Fisher Space Pen, however, is the original Astronaut Space Pen, which according to the company is essentially the same pen as the one taken to the moon in 1969. I own the "Shuttle" version with the black grid design. I love the click mechanism on this pen, which has a button on the side that you use to retract the tip. It's a slim pen, similar to a classic Cross Century II, but it has added length that makes it a better pen for extended notetaking in meetings, etc.

The Fisher Space Pen Astronaut "Shuttle" pen with the black grid design. Aesthetically, this is one of my favorite models of the Space Pen.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Like I said, Fisher Space Pens are an easy recommendation if you're looking for a relatively inexpensive, write-anywhere option. Personally, I use the Astronaut pen more than the Bullets on a day-to-day basis, but the latter are a fixture in my travel bag when I'm on the road due to their compact size. As long as you can tolerate ballpoints, the refill is reliable and readily available in fine or medium widths either online or in most brick-and-mortar office supply stores. (Most Fisher Space Pen refills also come with a small plastic adapter that allows you to use them as Parker-style refills in other pens, if you enjoy the refill but find the Fisher Space Pen bodies too small.) The pressurized Fisher refills can be somewhat expensive, but they seem to last longer than a typical ballpoint refill.

UPDATE: As of 2024, we now carry a selection of Fisher Space Pens in our own shop, including the Bullet Pens, the original AG7 Astronaut Pens, and the Shuttle Pens, along with a wide array of Fisher Space Pen refills.

Further Reading: If you like the Fisher Space Pen "bullet" form factor, but find yourself losing a lot of Space Pens, check out my review of the Pokka Pen, which was designed as a solution to this specific problem.

Disclaimer: I purchased the pens featured in this review with my own funds, for my own collection.

Muji: Quality Inexpensive Stationery from Japan

March 18, 2017

I visit New York City fairly regularly, and I've always maintained a short list of stationery stores that I visit when I'm in town: Fountain Pen Hospital, Kinokuniya, C.W. Pencil Enterprise, and McNally Jackson. Due to rising real estate prices, the stationery (and especially the fountain pen) scene isn't nearly as vibrant as it was five years ago, after Art Brown International Pen Shop and others were forced to close. This past fall I decided to mix things up a bit and visit a store that I'd never been to before but had heard a lot about: Muji.

I'd describe Muji as a Japanese Ikea/Crate & Barrel-type store that sells their own brand of household goods, including kitchenwares, candles, and of course, stationery. In their larger stores and online, Muji sells larger items like rugs and furniture. I had heard good things about Muji notebooks and gel pens, and spent a half-hour or so rifling through the pen display in the SoHo store on a Saturday afternoon. Here's what I came away with:

From left: Muji .38mm needle-tip polycarbonate click pens in blue and orange; Muji needle-tip .25mm stick pen in blue-black; Muji .38mm round conical tip stick pens in black and orange.

Muji sells inexpensive gel pens that are available in a range of tip sizes, from the standard .7mm to the ultra-fine .25mm (in some models). I was mainly interested in how Muji could execute on the finer end of that range, in the .25mm and .38mm tip sizes, which is difficult to do well. I grabbed a small handful of pens in black, blue, blue-black and orange, and overall, was pleased with how they performed, especially given the price point. Other ultra-fine tip Japanese gel pens like the Hi-Tec-C and the Uni Signo DX can run as much as $3.50 per pen, depending on where you buy. With the exception of the .25mm needle-tip pen ($3), Muji's offerings generally are priced at $1.50-1.75 per pen.

From left: Muji conical-tip stick pen; Muji needle-tip stick pen; Muji needle-tip click pen.

Of all of the pens I tested, my favorite is probably the standard round .38mm conical-tip stick pen. Both the black and the orange write consistently, don't skip, and the round bodies are comfortable to hold. My second favorite is the .25mm needle-tip stick pen, which is a nice shade of blue black but writes an extremely fine line and is uncomfortable to grip for long periods of time. I would not purchase the polycarbonate click pens again. The orange pen barely writes at all, and the blue pen writes inconsistently, alternating between skipping and blobbing. The hexagonal plastic bodies dig into my fingers, making for an awkward and uncomfortable writing experience.

Maybe I just got a couple duds with the click pens, but it's enough to make me not try them again. (Note that the orange is dried out and skippy. The blue looks fine in the picture, but it tends to blob ink.)

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Two out of three ain't bad, right? Next time I find myself in a Muji store, I'd have no hesitation about picking up a fistful of the round stick pens. I don't really have a use case for the .25mm needle-tip, but it's a good writer for something with that fine of a point. Based on my experience, I'd recommend that people take a pass on the click pens. There are better options out there. Eventually, I plan on testing out Muji's notebooks, mechanical pencils, multipens, highlighters, and even - maybe - their aluminum fountain pen.

If you don't have a Muji Store anywhere near you, most of their goods are available online, either via Muji directly or through Amazon. Currently, Amazon has several deals where you can order an assortment of Muji conical gel pens or the needle-tip stick pens in various colors, and there's even a stationery sample pack that allows you to test Muji's pens AND notebooks. If, like me, you prefer very fine gel pens and ballpoints, but tend to lose "disposable" pens and don't like to invest what can be a ton of money in Hi-Tec-C's and Signo DX's, give Muji a shot.

Disclaimer: I purchased the pens featured in this review with my own funds for my own use. This post contains affiliate links.

Flex It! A First Look at the Aurora Vintage-Style Flex Nib

March 11, 2017

While many pen companies have attempted to replicate vintage-style flexible nibs, from the inexpensive steel-nib pens sold by Noodler's to the more expensive offerings from the new Wahl-Eversharp, no one has been able to get it exactly right. Until (maybe) now. Aurora's new 70th Anniversary 88 sports a specially developed 14k flexible nib which comes as close to reproducing true "vintage-style flex" as I've experienced in a modern pen. While flex nibs aren't exactly my thing, I can still recognize a good one when I see one.

"Flexit" Events Sponsored by Kenro

The Aurora Flex Pen Demo at last week's 2017 Baltimore Washington International Pen Show

Aurora's US distributor Kenro Industries has been actively promoting the new 70th Anniversary pen by hosting "Flexit" events in cities around the country, including at the recent Baltimore Washington International Pen Show that I attended. (Just search the Instagram hashtag #flexitbwi.) Kenro had several of the new flex pens on display at their table for attendees to test, and they graciously allowed me to take one of them home to review (along with a bottle of their long-awaited Aurora blue-black ink). So what's the verdict?

I like this pen and this nib. And this is coming from someone who can't write with a flex nib to save his life. No, I'm serious, just watch the video of my comically bad writing sample. But, if you regularly write in cursive, or enjoy calligraphy, you'll want to check out Aurora's latest creation. The 14k nib is soft in the sense that it gives you easier and greater line variation than the various steel nibbed "flex" pens out there - not to mention a smoother writing experience - but it's not so soft that you feel like you're going to spring the nib. It's somewhat similar to the Omas "Extra-Flessible" nibs released a few years ago, but those were way too wet, felt extremely delicate to me when I tested them out, and I heard reports of them springing easily and not holding up well to everyday use. The Aurora nib feels sturdier, and it actually works fairly well as a regular writer, laying down a fine/medium-fine line when writing with light pressure and minimal flexing of the tines. It's a bit wet to use on office paper, but the Rhodia dot-grid paper handled it quite nicely.

The Aurora 88 flex nib is fitted with an ebonite feed so that the ink flow keeps up with the nib. The 88 also has a nice big ink window so you can see when you need to refill.

I'm not familiar enough with vintage flex pens to provide any intelligent commentary on how it compares to very soft "wet noodle" flex pens like those manufactured by Waterman in the 1920s and the 1930s. If that's your expectation with the Aurora Flex nib, you may be disappointed, but I will note that Dan Smith of The Nibsmith has indicated that he'll be able to grind the nib to maximize line variation, and I'd recommend that you contact him for additional information.

A Note on the Aurora 88

The Aurora 88 is a classic fountain pen. The version that I have is made from a dark green polished resin with gold trim.

The "88" is Aurora's longtime flagship pen, and one of those pieces that has sat on my list for years but for whatever reason never made it into my pen case. Even though I probably won't go in on the flex nib, there are some strikingly gorgeous models of the 88 out there, whether it be the Satin Black with Rose Gold Trim, last year's "Sole" limited edition, to this year's upcoming "Nebulosa" limited edition. I enjoy the size of the 88, it has a high-capacity piston filling system, and it's extremely comfortable to write with. You'll probably be seeing one on the blog soon!

Takeaways / Where to Buy

I probably won't be picking up a 70th Anniversary Aurora 88 with the new flex nib, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't! Supply is extremely limited, with only 188 pieces distributed worldwide in each color. The pen will cost $650, and will be available in limited quantities from Aurora dealers such as Anderson Pens, Vanness Pens, Pen Chalet, and the Nibsmith. If this is a pen that interests you, I'd act quick as soon as the color you want becomes available.

Disclaimer: As I mentioned, Kenro Industries loaned me this pen for review purposes. Other than a bottle of Aurora Blue-Black ink, I was not compensated for this review. This post does contain affiliate links.