PDA

View Full Version : Lamy Imporium Review



dapprman
November 8th, 2018, 03:52 PM
Not seen a review or comment thread here on the Lamy Imporium, so starting a new one to provide my views.

https://dapprman.wordpress.com/2018/11/08/377/

Chrissy
November 9th, 2018, 12:17 AM
Thank you for the review. :) It's a pen I regularly search for but have so far not found at a good enough price to buy. :(

thebenedictine
November 9th, 2018, 04:43 AM
I’ve always wondered what makes an Imporium worthy of purchase compared with the venerable 2000.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

azkid
November 9th, 2018, 07:56 AM
Thanks for the great review!

dapprman
November 11th, 2018, 04:48 PM
I’ve always wondered what makes an Imporium worthy of purchase compared with the venerable 2000.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I've had a think about this one and it also may be an excuse for a review of my 2k in a few months time. I personally think they are different pens in different target markets. The 2k is thinner, lighter (and shorter?) and I'd say actually would go up against the Pelikan M600 and Montblanc 144. For anyone just using one or a few pens then I see no point in having both, just the one you're more comfortable with. Personally I prefer the Imporium over the 2k, though the latter I got after.

migo984
November 12th, 2018, 12:11 AM
An interesting read, thank you. Very thorough.You don’t see much mention of these pens.

Have you ever had the chance to put your Imporium side-by-side with the original Persona model to compare? I ask because 3 years ago I was lucky enough to pick up, at a very competitive price, a mint first edition Lamy Persona Model 21 (titanium black oxide). It has an 18k nib, unlike the later run Persona & all Imporiums, which have 14k nibs (as you mentioned in your review). It’s interesting that Persona nibs are easy to remove, á la Safari. Is that the same with the Imporium?

Being from a very early run the pen I bought does not have the little bump roll-stop; personally I prefer that, from a design aesthetic point of view. Interestingly it doesn’t seem to roll anyway....

The one I bought doesn’t have problems with the cap cross-threading when closing. The cap threads are incredibly finely engineered so perhaps with a lot of use it could become an issue? That’s just speculation on my part though. I love that it opens with just 1/2 turn.

The downside to the pen is its weight. It’s far too heavy for me. But I bought it for my partner & he’s ok with it. It hasn’t made his regular line-up though so I think would consider selling it on now.

I must admit that, like other Lamy pens, the design leaves me cold. Whilst being a Bauhaus fan, & admiring the Lamy design ethos, for me their architectural, pared down styling doesn’t translate to pen designs I personally can warm to or love using. There’s no denying though that the Persona/Imporium is an eye-catching pen.

Thanks again for your review.

ps as an aside we jokingly refer to the Imporium as the Impersona :-)

pajaro
November 12th, 2018, 10:43 AM
So, do you people think this is a better pen than the 2000?

dapprman
November 12th, 2018, 11:42 AM
Have you ever had the chance to put your Imporium side-by-side with the original Persona model to compare? I ask because 3 years ago I was lucky enough to pick up, at a very competitive price, a mint first edition Lamy Persona Model 21 (titanium black oxide). It has an 18k nib, unlike the later run Persona & all Imporiums, which have 14k nibs (as you mentioned in your review). It’s interesting that Persona nibs are easy to remove, á la Safari. Is that the same with the Imporium?

I've come close to buying one in the same colour combination a couple of times and have regretted not doing so. I suppose I need both an early 14k and a late 18k one :)

dapprman
November 12th, 2018, 11:43 AM
So, do you people think this is a better pen than the 2000?

I'd consider them different types of pens due to size and weight. In the same way I'd suggest the Imporium is targeted at the Pelikan M800, I'd suggest the 2k is up against the M600.

thebenedictine
November 12th, 2018, 07:56 PM
So, do you people think this is a better pen than the 2000?

For me, after looking at both, I think the 2K is better value for money in my books. I actually prefer it’s styling over the Imporium. That plus the fact that here in Australia, an Imporium is at least 2.5 times the cost of a 2K at retail (which is putting it into Visconti Homo Sapiens oversized territory).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

manoeuver
November 13th, 2018, 12:14 PM
So, do you people think this is a better pen than the 2000?The Persona, maaaybe. The Imporium, eff no.

inklord
November 23rd, 2018, 08:56 AM
So, do you people think this is a better pen than the 2000?

... better? Not really. But whereas the 2000, Aion, CP1 and Safari are basically just "writers" within each of their niches, the Imporium, Scala, Studio, Accent and Dialog series are more like playful design experiments; they basically all write the same with only the gold and steel nib divide making a difference... obviously the L2k is in a class of its own as a piston-filler that doesn't use the standard LAMY nib format. If you enjoy an architectural, art deco style, the Imporiumor Persona would fit into that aesthetic a lot better than the 2000 or the Aion.

dapprman
November 23rd, 2018, 12:16 PM
I actually much prefer my Imporium to my 2k, which I've been reminded as I've leant the former to a fellow reviewer of mine from the same pen clubs and have been using my 2k instead.

It all depends on what you prefer. The 2k is a workhorse pen, but I find it a little too small for my liking. Also the nib on the 2k is not as nice to me as the Z55 nib (a lot will be down to it's small size).

Eciton
November 23rd, 2018, 03:34 PM
I followed up Gary's review with mine (thanks for the loan!): https://ukfountainpens.com/2018/11/20/i-really-wanted-to-like-the-lamy-imporium/ . Funnily enough I prefer my 2000, but as Gary says the Z55 is probably a better nib.

orabellemia
May 15th, 2023, 07:41 PM
Thank you very much. This information is really useful for me and I want to tell you that the article is great tunnel rush (http://tunnel-rush.co/)

Dougc
May 15th, 2023, 08:55 PM
Years ago I bought a Persona rollerball. I rarely used it so I found the nib and section at the old Lamy usa site for $100.

The downside is that there is a spring at the bottom of the body that is meant to support the RB refill so the converter will not fit (I haven't been able to remove the spring). This means I have to use cartridges but it's a compromise I'm willing to live with.

Sent from my SM-G781V using Tapatalk

Namo
May 21st, 2023, 05:15 AM
Excellent review, thank you! I have a hitch for the Persona ancestor of this pen. The nib was just amazing. The Imporium seems to have upgrade the threads thought. They are very sharp on the Persona. I for one like the "not so functional" experiment with the Persona and Imporium pens and the clin d'oeil to classical architecture. I think the designer was an architect (Mario Bellini?).