Review: Lamy Joy Calligraphy Set @BureauDirect @Lamy

Thank you to Bureau Direct for sending the Lamy Joy Calligraphy Set for me to review! Tools for calligraphy practice - yay!

ABOUT

Body Material: ABS Plastic
Trim: Plastic
Length (capped): 7.04''
Length (uncapped nib-end): 6.65''
Length (posted): 6.93''
Barrel Diameter: 0.46'' - 0.50''
Section Diameter: 0.36'' - 0.48''
Nib material: Steel
Weight (all): 17 g
Weight (cap): 7 g
Weight (body): 10 g
Fill type: Cartridge/converter
Price: £31.00
Where to buy: Bureau Direct
Recommended add-on: Introduction to Calligraphy Lettering (I have this. Love it.)

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PACKAGING

This Joy Calligraphy set came in a metal tin, with a little calligraphy and nib image on the front. The pen, the other two sections, and a box of ink cartridges all sit in a bed of foam. Under the cartridges, there are two plastic nib caps.

The packaging is kind of nice. I like the size and shape of the tin - easy to store and pack away when not in use. It's also useful because there are small parts to this set, and they can all be kept together in the tin - nothing will get lost!

There is also a little booklet that shows you a little bit about using the nibs, but I think it's lacking and would have been better with more details, like the guide that accompanies the Pilot Parallel calligraphy set.

APPEARANCE

The Joy fountain pen is mostly shaped like the Lamy Safari, except for the back end of the barrel. The cap is round, whereas the rest of the body has two flat surfaces - one with LAMY engraved on it, and the other sides are rounded like the cap. The back of the barrel is long and tapered, with a little red notch in it.

There is a window through the pen that allows you to see the ink cartridge or converter inside. The clip is built into the cap, long, sleek and curved outwards at the end of the cap. On this pen, the section is also black plastic, with two flat surfaces and a rounded bottom. The finial is a red plastic top with a hole in the center. Cute, different to the regular Safari finials.

The cap, section, and barrel are all black ABS plastic, and the clip and little notch at the end of the barrel are red. I love the color scheme. It makes me think of lady bugs. I actually prefer how this set looks to the aluminum Joy set.

NIB & PERFORMANCE

All three nibs - 1.1 mm, 1.5 mm, and 1.9 mm, are Lamy's calligraphy nibs, which you can also purchase separately and put on the compatible Lamy pens (such as the Safari, Al-Star, Vista, Studio, etc). They have a single slit and no breather hole, and are marked with LAMY and the nib size.

My favorite nib for every day writing is the 1.1 mm - it's not so big that I fill up lines with just a few words, but it's still noticeably different than a broad nib. The 1.5 mm is great for in between - practicing calligraphy, writing letters, and more. The 1.9 mm is great for practicing calligraphy as well because it allows you to make larger, more defined lines, and you can spot your mistakes more easily (and correct them more easily), but you also can use those nib for highlighting!

All of the nibs offer natural line variation based on their cut alone, and they have very little spring. Lamy nibs in general are quite rigid, so don't expect much if you apply any pressure.

None of the nibs are particularly wet - they all had pretty fast drying times, and ink flow was consistent. I found the 1.9 mm to shade the best, but that makes sense given its size. The 1.1 mm and 1.5 mm had a little more generous ink flow. None of the three nibs dried out while I was practicing with them, and even when I wrote a full page, they did not dry out. The nice thing about using them for calligraphy is you tend to go a little slower than writing regularly (I do, anyway), so the feed can keep up better.

Introduction to Calligraphy Lettering
I used this to create some of these. Yes, some of them are terrible. Actually, they're all terrible. I'm learning!

IN HAND

The clip is not too tight, but if you pull too hard, there is some give where it attaches into the cap so be careful with it. The section is probably the most controversial part of the Lamy pens as they have the two flat facets and the rounded bottom. It's supposed to help you grip your pen properly, but some people dislike it. It works for me, fortunately.

Compared to the regular Safari, it's almost the same size, but extends a little further and tapers a little more.

I find this makes it really comfortable to use unposted - it feels like a desk pen, and that really works in terms of balance and weight. It does post securely and snugly, just as Safaris do, but given the length and balance, I prefer unposted.

PROS & CONS

OVERALL

I really like Safaris, and although I use some of mine with 1.1 mm and 1.5 mm nibs, I prefer the longer, tapered shape of the Joy for calligraphy practice - I just find it more comfortable and balanced. They're great pens, great nibs, and of course, you can also put other nibs on it if you don't want to use such broad nibs. Nice packaging, a complete set. Definitely worth a look!

I received this pen free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not compensated monetarily for my review. Everything you've read here is my own opinion. There are no affiliate links in this review.