Fountain Pen Review: The Curious Case of the Lamy Vista

In less than 10 days, The Gentleman Stationer will be 10 years old! That’s a milestone that sort of snuck up on me, and while I’ve certainly thought about it over the past few months, the significance really hit me this past week. I have some fun ideas for the month of April, including a bit of a retrospective and a few giveaways. But the main project I’ll be continuing is catching up on my review backlog. After 10 years, there remains a long list of pens that I've (inexcusably) never reviewed, including today's subject: The Lamy Vista.

Is The Vista Just a Safari by Another Name? Kinda. But It’s Still Cool.

Yes, the Vista is “just” a demonstrator Safari, but it's a well-executed example of a demonstrator that costs no more than the standard pen. (As enthusiasts know, sometimes adding “demonstrator” to the product also adds to the price.) For those new to fountain pens, a "demonstrator" is the term used to refer to a transparent pen that allows you to see the pen's internal mechanisms. Traditionally, these pens were used by salespeople to showcase a pen's filling system and other internal components to potential customers. Collectors covet rare vintage demonstrators, and most modern manufacturers have introduced at least one "demo" into their standard lineup because clear acrylics tend to look good and sell very well, especially once you get into colored transparent materials. (More on that later.)

You can add a pop of color to the Vista by using a bright ink (here, Laban Hera Green).

There's nothing fancy about the Lamy Vista - except for the transparent plastic, the Vista shares the same shape as the Safari, feels exactly the same in the hand as the Lamy Safari, and uses the same interchangeable stainless steel nib. I've long considered the Safari a core "Workhorse Pen" due to its combination of quality and value, and I view the Vista the same way. As with the Safari, some people will have issues with the pen's triangular grip. Fortunately for me, it fits with how I hold a pen, but you're either a "Safari person" or you're not. It's one of those pens that either works for you or one you have to pass on it and there's not too much you can do given that the molded grip is a key part of the Safari (and AL-Star) identity.

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WHERE ARE THE OTHER COLORS!?!

Most notable about the Lamy Vista is the conversation surrounding the pen. Lamy has kept the Vista as part of the standard lineup for years, without giving it any sort of special treatment in the form of a special edition, a new color, or even updated trim (wouldn't a black clip and nib look great!?). Don't get me wrong, it's fine to have a standard clear demonstrator in your lineup, and the Vista continues to sell relatively well, but Lamy (and it's retailers) would literally print money if Lamy started releasing the Vista in blue, green, red, yellow, smoke black... you get the point.

I’m quite excited about his year’s AL-Star releases. Wouldn’t those sections look great in a full-sized Vista demo?

We know that Lamy is capable of making transparent acrylics. For example, the promotional photos of the new Lamy AL-Stars in "Fiery" and "Aquatic" (metallic red and blue) show transparent blue and red sections on those pens. I should have them in-hand early next week and will post live photos, but how great would those colors look on a full demonstrator? Similarly, the Lamy Balloon rollerball adopts a similar format to the Vista, in full-color transparent acrylics. Why not expand this to the fountain pen formula?

IMHO, there’s no reason why Lamy couldn’t go full TWSBI ECO or 580 with the Vista lineup. The Vista (center) is shown here with the TWSBI ECO in Creme and Rose Gold (left) and the TWSBI Diamond 580 ALR Matte Black.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

I love demonstrators, and keep a bunch in my personal collection. The Lamy Vista is an excellent, often overlooked pen that I just wish Lamy would expand on a bit more. The company could really take the demonstrator concept and run with it, and it strikes me as a bit of a no-brainer from a business perspective. That said, I have no visibility into Lamy's manufacturing situation so there may very well be logistical issues that to date have prevented them from expanding the Vista line. (The demand would be insane, for one thing, and probably difficult to predict and manage.)

The other way to add a pop of color to the Vista: Use the converter with the red piston knob!

If you enjoy the look of the Vista, you can get one directly from us! The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of Lamy pens, and while we don't stock the full Safari range (yet?), we do offer the Vista in all of its various formats. With the Safari, if you like a color you can typically assemble as set that includes the fountain pen, rollerball, ballpoint, and mechanical pencil in matching colors. You can do the same with the Lamy Vista. Pricing is identical to the Safari, with the fountain pen at just under $30, the rollerball at $20, and the ballpoint and pencil both at $16. Also, the latest Lamy AL-Star pens are now available for pre-order, and should start shipping Monday along with a full restock of the new Safaris.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. Your loyal readership and support is what has kept us going for the past 10 years, and we greatly appreciate it!

Fountain Pen Review: The Pilot Explorer is a Low-Cost Workhorse

If I've learned one thing over the past 10 years of writing The Gentleman Stationer, it's how difficult it is to make a consistently good fountain pen at the lower end of the price spectrum. Often companies will release a pen with an excellent nib but a flimsy body, or a decent looking pen that doesn't write well (or doesn't actually write at all). It's still somewhat uncommon to find a pen at the $25-and-under price point that delivers the entire package. While new users and/or those looking for an inexpensive daily writer certainly have had options, the addition of the Explorer fountain pen to Pilot's lineup was a welcome addition!

While I’d probably prefer no logo, at least it matches the underlying pen color. On an inexpensive pen I’m more tolerant of visible branding.

Wait, Doesn't the Pilot Explorer Already Exist?

While your mind isn't playing tricks on you, the "old" Pilot Explorer is long gone. Pilot made a 1990's-era retractable rollerball that I'm pretty sure I used for a few years in high school after my parents bought a case of them. Discontinued long ago, Pilot has resurrected the "Explorer" name for this new fountain pen. While there is some passing resemblance in the overall aesthetic, including the incorporation of a somewhat prominent Pilot logo, these are completely different products.

I chose the matte black version for my first Explorer, but every time I unpack a new shipment or set up for a pen show, I want a grey, then a blue, then a red....

Where Does the Pilot Explorer Fit in the Current Pilot Lineup?

The Pilot Explorer fountain pen sits alongside the Pilot Metropolitan in the $20-30 price bracket. Both pens share a nearly identical MSRP and you can typically find them priced within a few dollars of each other. That said, I don't get the feeling that Pilot intends for these pens to "compete". The Metropolitan features a more modern design, while the Explorer has all the hallmarks of a classic "Workhorse Pen" such as understated looks, lightweight construction, a reliable nib, and a comfortable section that should work with most grips. But despite a relatively conservative design intended to appeal to the broadest possible audience, the Explorer still looks sharp. At the recent Arkansas Pen Show, I had a table full of Pilot Explorers sitting alongside Vanishing Points and Custom 74s, and the Explorers held their own. The red and grey pens caught the eye of nearly everyone who came by the table.

The translucent section is quite comfortable, and Pilot makes an excellent stainless steel nib.

Nib and Writing Experience

The Explorer is a Pilot pen, so it writes well out of the box. That's expected. What surprised me the most was the level of comfort. Pilot clearly designed the Explorer to be an all-day-every-day writer. Posted or unposted, it's one of the more comfortable fountain pens I've ever used. (Posting the cap adds little to no weight.) The nib is the same stainless steel nib Pilot uses on other pens, including the Metropolitan, the Kakuno (minus the smiley face), and the Prera, and is available in either a fine or medium.

Personally, I prefer to refill my Pilot cartridges using a syringe, but the press converter included in the box works perfectly well. It also makes it very easy to clean the pen by flushing it with water.

Unsurprisingly, the Pilot Explorer uses a cartridge-converter filling system. The pen ships with both a cartridge and a converter in the box, allowing you to use bottled ink without having to shell out extra money for the converter. The converter is the same press-plate sac converter that ships with the Metropolitan and certain other lower-cost Pilot pens. That said, if you want to upgrade your converter experience, the Explorer's barrel is long enough to accommodate other options, including the higher capacity CON-70 with the pump filling mechanism.

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Takeaways and Where to Buy

I love the Explorer. As someone who finds the Metropolitan somewhat awkward to use due to the step-down on the barrel, I welcome this new arrival. Both pens use the same nib and make excellent everyday writers, but the designs complement each other by appealing to different users. More traditionally "professional" than the Kakuno, the Explorer won't look out of place at the office, and it's inexpensive enough that you shouldn't hesitate to leave it on your desk at work or buy a few to keep inked up and at the ready if, like me, you have several locations that you rotate between during a typical week.

This pen writes on the wet side, especially with Pilot’s high-capacity cartridge. The ink shown here is Pilot Iroshizuku Sui-Gyoku, a new favorite.

At $25, the Explorer competes with the TWSBI Swipe and offers a similar value proposition. I would recommend the Explorer to those looking for a more traditional design, and while the Swipe isn't heavy at all, the Explorer is remarkably lightweight. It was a complete no-brainer decision for us to stock both pens in our own shop, and we currently have the Explorer available for purchase, in a range of colors and both the fine and medium nib sizes.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the TGS Curated Shop and pledges via the TGS Patreon Program.

Putting an Extra-Fine Point on It: Pens and Pencils for Tax Season

If I’ve seemed a bit absent from the pen internets lately, it’s not without good reason: I’ve spent much of the past two weeks either traveling to pen shows or finalizing taxes, like everyone else here in the States. While I do have an accountant to help me finalize any submissions, I’m in that weird spot where my business isn’t large enough to justify the expense of a regular bookkeeper, so I still do much of the work myself, and a lot of it requires manual review of invoices, reports, and related documentation.

But enough about the nuts and bolts of tax prep. Nobody really wants to read about that, and those of you who aren’t serial procrastinators probably finished your taxes weeks ago. Every year, however, I always plan to write a post about what pens (and pencils) I use to make it through the first weeks of April, and never get around to it because the entire experience burns me out and I don’t want to even think about taxes more than I have to. But this year is different! 2024 tax season overlapped with an interesting vintage acquisition that I made at the Arkansas Pen Show, inspiring this morning’s post.

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Three pens/pencils for tax season: The Penco Prime Timber 2.0 leadholder, a Caran d’Ache Fixpencil, and a vintage Parker 51 “Flighter”.

Vintage Extra-Fine Nibs and Dagger-Sharp Leadholders

If there’s one frustration among those of us who naturally have very small handwriting or or work in professions where we regularly annotate documents or take smaller notes, it’s the absence of (1) truly “extra fine” fountain pen nibs that write consistently small out of the box and (2) reliably good pencils - and sharpeners - that can hold a point for any substantial length of time. Sure, all of these things do exist, but mostly in import products and on the higher-end of the price spectrum. The standard steel “fine” or “extra-fine” fountain pen nib from Bock and JoWo - ubiquitous in modern pens - isn’t small enough for the type of notetaking I do regularly, so I have to rely on custom-ground needlepoints and Japanese gold nibs like the fine and extra-fine nibs from Pilot and Sailor.

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This particular Parker 51 almost gets me as fine a line as I can get out of my Pilot Vanishing Point extra-fine nib.

This wasn’t always the case. Back when most bookkeeping and accounting work was done manually, it sustained a market for truly “extra-fine” nibs (preferably ones that were stiff to allow you to write very, very small with consistent inkflow, and which you sometimes see designated as “accounting nibs”). Case-in-point: the extra-fine nib on this Parker 51 “flighter” fountain pen I picked up at the pen show last week. I own a lot of Parker 51 fountain pens, and most of the nibs are standard fines or what I would consider a fine-medium: nothing like the smooth extra-fine nib on this one, which so far has held up wonderfully with reliable inkflow. I wouldn’t go so far as to call this pen a “needlepoint,” but it writes a line comparable to the extra-fine nib in Pilot Custom 74 or Vanishing Point, which I consider the most reliable, readily available, and reasonably priced writing experience for those looking to write very small with a fountain pen.

Otherwise, for very small writing I’m using a mechanical pencil, a .5mm low-viscosity ballpoint, or if I’m looking to keep things interesting, a leadholder pencil. One thing that I love about leadholders like the Caran d’Ache Fixpencil or the Penco Prime Timber is the ability to put an extremely sharp point on them, making them a favorite for art, drafting, or - like me - writing absolutely minute script. The 2mm and 3mm leads that these pencils use often sharpen better than the standard cores used in woodcase pencils, and you can easily change the hardness of the graphite to adjust point retention. In my experience, leadholder graphite tends to run slightly harder than its designation, so even a B or 2B drafting lead can get you both a very sharp point and a dark line.

To get the best point on a leadholder, I’d recommend you invest in a stand-alone lead pointer with replaceable blades, as the integrated sharpener in the cap of many leadholders isn’t of the highest quality. Sure, it’s serviceable in a pinch, but you won’t get the needle-tip that you see pictured here.

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Properly sharpened graphite will almost always get you a finer line than a pen.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

I’ve been using my Penco leadholder and new 51 nearly exclusively for the past week, and recommend both as excellent tools for everyday work. Unfortunately, finding a suitable vintage nib for your needs likely requires a trip to a pen show or some back-and-forth with a reputable vintage pen dealer. Parker 51 nibs typically aren’t marked, and I’ve noticed a lot of variability in size between different pens that supposedly have the same nib, so I almost always like to write with them before I purchase. I acquired this particular Parker 51 from Danny Fudge at The Write Pen, who has become my go-to resource for all things vintage. The Penco “Prime Timber” leadholder is sold in our own shop - it’s an inexpensive quality leadholder that includes an excellent lead pointer in the packaging. We also have a selection of Caran d’Ache Fixpencils and graphite refills, as well as the ultra-sharp M+R Brass Lead pointer, which has holes for sharpening two different lead widths and replaceable blades.

Do you have a favorite tax-time tool? (Not Turbotax or Quickbooks, sorry, analog only! :)) Bonus points if you still use a leatherbound ledger!

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. If you enjoyed this content, please consider supporting us directly!

First Look: 2024 Lamy Special Edition Safari and Inks

Lamy takes a lot of criticism - some fair, some not - about a perceived lack of “risk-taking” in their product line, especially when it comes to special editions. Frankly, Lamy tends to err on the side of caution, releasing pens (ahem, Safaris) certain to sell well among a broader, more casual audience even if they don’t excite the pen enthusiast crowd. As a longtime Lamy fan, this year’s Safari release is a welcome departure from what Lamy typically does, and I hope it signals the beginning of more experimentation with color.

Two New 2024 Lamy Safari Designs: “Violet Blackberry” and “Pink Cliff”

This year, Lamy appears to have specifically responded to criticism of their recent limited edition “Strawberries and Cream” Safari release for failing to mix and match colors. This time, not only have they given us multicolored Safaris, but these have radically different barrels and sections, including one pen with a hot pink section that caught me totally by surprise with how good it looked.

I love that one of the two pens is glossy and the other is matte. Many enthusiasts strongly prefer one of the two Safari finishes, and I’ll take a matte Safari any day.

“Violet Blackberry” features a two-toned purple finish, with a glossy muted dark violet/eggplant barrel and a brighter, matte section in a tone of purple that I assume is the “blackberry” portion of this pen. Paired with a black clip and nib, both colors make for a nice combination. That said, I’m partial to the second pen “Pink Cliff.” (Shocking, right?) Despite finding the name a bit confusing, I’m all over this one, which pairs a matte slate-blue barrel with a bright pink section.

Each pen has a cap finial to match the section. The colors look much more vibrant (and honestly better) in person than they did in the early promotional photos that Lamy released. I hope that once people see these pens in person - or see retailers’ own product photos - the pens will get more attention.

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Two New Matching Inks for 2024

As I mentioned up top, I consider Lamy to be at their best when they release darker inks. Their lighter tones tend toward undersaturation, but their standard blue-black remains a favorite, and past limited edition inks such as Petrol and Dark Violet command steep prices on the secondary market. Though perhaps not quite as unique as those two tones, this year’s “Cliff” and “Violet Blackberry” releases return to that darker palette. I would describe “Cliff” as a dark navy with subtle red/pink sheen, and the more conservative of the two options. “Violet Blackberry” will get the most attention - it’s a super-sheener ink that lays down a dark purple line when wet, but a gold sheen takes over almost immediately. Despite the heavy sheen, the ink seems to behave well, and my initial swatch didn’t have issues with smearing after it dried. Longer term testing will be required, of course.

I love the base tones for both of these inks. As you’ll see in the next picture, the gold sheen appears as the ink dries and will cover most of the purple, in the same way that the greenish sheen on Dark Lilac did in wetter pens.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Though the color combinations are somewhat nontraditional, I really enjoy what Lamy has done this year. So far, Pink Cliff is my favorite of the two pen designs, mainly because of the matte finish. The juxtaposition of the blue-grey and “hot pink” will also annoy people at work - even better! (j/k) And while I can’t yet declare a favorite between the two inks, I suspect I will lean towards “Cliff” because I’m a sucker for really deep blues. That said, I’m absolutely inking up both this morning into their respective matching pens, and plan to write with them for a while before declaring a winner. I’m not normally a fan of the so-called “sheen monster” inks, but I might enjoy Violet Blackberry if keeps up the good behavior.

Since the TGS Curated Shop is an authorized Lamy retailer, we have stock of all of the new Lamy Safari pens, including fountain pens and rollerballs. We also have limited stock of the bottled ink, though we can probably get more if it sells out quickly. When I visited with Lamy at NY Now earlier this month, I didn’t get the impression that supply was overly limited, though the cartridges are not yet available.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

Pen Review: The TWSBI Precision Fountain Pen

Despite epitomizing so-called old technology, do you know what product continues to be enduringly popular? The woodcase pencil. Do you know what else tends to sell insanely well, though they’re a bit more of a cult taste? Hexagonal pens designed to mimic the feel of the pencil. Often marketed as “drafting” or “technical” pens, these are one of the most heavily requested products, both for review purposes and for the shop. The now-discontinued Rotring 600 fountain pen remains the darling of this category, yet for years TWSBI has sold a fountain pen version of its “Precision” line. I can’t believe I’m just now reviewing it.

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Hexagonal Pens: They’ll never roll off the desk! The TWSBI Precision fountain pen, second from right, shown with the Caran d’Ache 849 Paul Smith (top), the Rotring 600 (right), the Mark’Style Days Metal Gel Ballpoint, an the TWSBI Precision Ballpoint/Mechanical Pencil (far left).

I first got my hands on the Precision ballpoints and mechanical pencils last year. I loved them both and they are constantly in my “go-anywhere” rotation, especially when I’m working and need a reliable, understated no-nonsense writing instrument. The Precision fountain pen is a larger take on the same format, with brushed “gunmetal” construction that assumes as understated a look as a fountain pen like this one can possibly have. I do appreciate added texture on metal pens: this one feels especially good in the hand with excellent balance and just the right amount of “grippiness” to prevent slippage.

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Something about a technical pen gives you an increased sense of … precision… especially when writing or annotating. I opted for a fine nib on the fountain pen, and I’ve been using it regularly to take smaller notes. The nib is the same as on the TWSBI Diamond 580, though you will need to swap the nib manually (friction fit) as I’m told the nib units are designed slightly differently.

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Though traditionally intended for “technical” professionals such as architects, there’s no reason you can’t use a so-called drafting pen for everyday writing. The Precision writes comfortably due to the rounded section (no knurling here), and I’ve found the pen to feel best unposted. That said, the piston knob/blind cap on the back of the pen does come equipped with a double set of o-rings to allow you to post the cap securely, and while a touch long for my taste, the pen certainly remains usable.

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Like most TWSBI fountain pens, the Precision fills with TWSBI’s reliable piston mechanism, and this particular model includes an ink window just above the section threads so you can monitor your ink level. Here the Precision borrows from the TWSBI “Classic” - yet another TWSBI back-catalogue item I’ve never reviewed. While the Precision doesn’t hold as much ink as the TWSBI ECO or the Diamond 580, you’ll still get a significant amount of writing from each fill. I’ve had this one inked for a couple of weeks and it’s not run dry on me yet despite fairly heavy use at work. As noted above, the pen sports the same nib as the Diamond 580, and offers the same reliable writing experience.

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The TWSBI Precision (Center) compared against a TWSBI Eco and a TWSBI Diamond 580. Size-wise, the precision sits in the middle of the pack, more akin to the Classic.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

The TWSBI Precision reaffirms, once again, my decision to spend some time revisiting companies’ “back catalogues” and reviewing older models that I bypassed in the early days of T.G.S. The Precision is an excellent fountain pen, especially for $80 (compared to $300+ for some of the vintage Rotrings), making it a great way to try out this type of writing instrument. The nibs are standard TWSBI Diamond 580 nibs, though the nib units are slightly different and you will need to swap the nib directly (by pulling and replacing) rather than using the Diamond 580’s threaded nib unit. The design offers TWSBI fans and/or those looking for a reasonably priced “technical” fountain pen something quite different to add to their rotation.

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I’m somewhat surprised TWSBI has not expanded the Precision fountain pen lineup with at least one or two other colors, such as standard black and silver to match the ballpoint and mechanical pencil. Given the demand for this type of fountain pen, and Rotring’s exit from the technical fountain pen market, there should be a natural opening, and that brushed metal finish would look exceptionally good in multiple colors.

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For further reading, be sure to check out our review archive featuring additional reviews of TWSBI and other brands. You can purchase the TWSBI Precision fountain pen, as well as other TWSBI products, directly from us in the T.G.S. Curated Shop. The content side of the Gentleman Stationer is entirely self-supported via the shop and the Patreon Program.