ABOUT
Body Material: Refined PVD (Brass underneath?)
Trim: Smooth PVD
Length (capped): 142.2 mm/5.59''
Length (uncapped nib-end): 120.8 mm/4.75''
Length (posted): 165.0 mm/6.49''
Barrel Diameter: 12.5 mm/0.49''
Section Diameter: 8.4 - 11.5 mm/0.33'' - 0.45''
Nib material: 14kt gold
Weight (all): 46 g
Weight (cap): 14 g
Weight (body): 32 g
Fill type: Cartridge/Converter (Lamy Z26)
Price: €375.00 (excluding VAT €309.92)
Where to buy:
Appelboom Pennen
PACKAGING
The packaging for this pen is quite simple. A small gift box holds the pen, but it is neat. An outer sleeve protects the box. The box itself is hard plastic. The top has two flaps with arrows at the seas, indicating the opening - when you pull them away from each other, the pen is there! The ''inside'' becomes a display - two plastic clips secure the pen in place, and there is a grey felt bed under it. The papers for the pen are clipped in place under the box.
I like the display idea, and the relatively minimal packaging. I'm not crazy about having to shove the pen into the spring-loaded plastic clips. It has not damaged the pen's finish, but it feels so wrong.
APPEARANCE
If you have seen or own the Lamy Persona, this pen probably doesn't look very new to you. I didn't think I would like it so much, but it looks interesting and feels good to hold. It is a round pen with a flat, blunt back end. The back end has a polished PVD lip (for posting the cap). There is nothing on the finial, except part of the clip. The clip is attached internally at the top of the cap, and it comes down the side. It sits very close to it, and there is a groove in the cap that allows the clip to 'nest'. The clip is polished PVD, so it is black, but glossy and a little iridescent. The side is engraved with LAMY.
The cap and barrel are refined PVD - matte black but with a bit of a sheen to it. The cap is smooth but the barrel has a consistent guilloché pattern all around it. The cap threads on and sits flush with the barrel, so the contrast from the ribbed barrel to the smooth cap is interesting, and I like it. I doubt this will appeal to everyone, though.
The section - another very interesting thing. There is a tiny step down from the barrel to the section, It's well done and I like how clean and precise it looks. There are metal threads, then the section tapers towards the nib, ending in a smooth PVD lip. The main part of the section is ribbed like the body, only in circles instead of in lengthwise stripes. Uncapped, it looks cool as the body has those long lines and the section's are circular.
Overall, a very nifty looking pen - not classic. Very German design?
NIB & PERFORMANCE
This 14kt gold nib is a fine. It has a single slit and no breather hole. It is shaped like the steel and gold nibs found on other Lamy pens we know - the Safari, Al-Star, Studio, and Dialog 3. Here, most of the nib is polished PVD so it looks black, except for a yellow gold colored stripe around the slit. The nib is engraved with F 14K 585 LAMY (in yellow against the black). As far as I understand - this is a gold nib - not just a steel nib with a strip of 14kt gold. It is also interchangeable with other Lamy nibs.
I found this nib gave a little bit of feedback - it wasn't super smooth. It also was not scratchy, fortunately. Ink flow was good and consistent, and it did not skip or hard start. It is a bit springy but dries out easily under these conditions. For a fine nib, it was a pretty wet writer, but drying times were not bad - pretty quick, actually. It is a reliable writer though, as has been my experience with Lamy - it starts up when I grab it, even if it's been sitting around for awhile.
It is a C/C filler, in this cas eusing the Lamy Z26 converter. A bit uninspired for such a design, but it does the job.
IN HAND
The clip is spring-loaded and it's really cool. It's very easy to use. It slides on to papers and into pockets and pen pouches easily. My issue with it is that it's not very tight, a nd the pen is heavy on the barrel side, so it moves around pretty easily.
The section is intriguing. The metal threads are quite smooth and not uncomfortable to hold and touch. The ridge from the barrel down to the section is a little sharp, but it's so small that I barely noticed it. The shape of the section is not an issue for me and I was surprised to find the ribs were smooth and comfortable to grip. I tried not to overthink the grip and just held it where it felt most balanced. I didn't find it slippery.
Unposted, the pen was well-balanced and it was a heavy pen, but it worked okay for me. The cap did post snugly and securely by friction, but the pen was then too long and top heavy. I had to use it unposted, but it isn't a pen I could use for hours regardless.
PROS & CONS
OVERALL
You obviously have to like the design of the pen to want this one. It is a gold nib, it's stealthy and cool (in this particular finish), and Lamy pens are pretty robust. Expensive, but pretty cool.
I was lent 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.
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