heath
October 18th, 2013, 12:53 PM
Ok, this is another one I posted on my blog today. There's tons of pictures over there if you want to see the whole thing (also, some of the formating gets lost here in the forum): http://penpaperinkletter.com/lamy-al-star-review-matte-black-2013-edition/
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If you are new to fountain pens you might not know all the issues surrounding the Lamy name. It seems to be a company, and in-particular this model pen, that attracts the love it or hate it attitude. Much in the same way people look at Noodler’s ink company these pens are seen as a break from tradition. Don’t get me wrong, Lamy isn’t a new company but a lot of their designs have been called futuristic. Mostly I think they could be called modern industrial design.
This pen is the 2013 limited edition Matte Black version of the Lamy Al-Star which is essentially the metal counterpart to the ever popular Lamy Safari. These two models, and the Vista demonstrator, all have a notched section that puts your fingers in a particular alignment with the nib when holding the pen. This may be the biggest issue people have with the pen but it is also what helps it stand apart from so many others. My first fountain pen was a Lamy Safari Charcoal and having never used a fountain pen I found the notches quite helpful. I didn’t have the issues of holding it wrong and scratching the paper that you can have learning with a round section. As I have continued to use these pens I have not tired of the notches but I have also become equally as comfortable with the round sections. For anyone with experience in fountain pens this then just comes down to personal preference.
The look
The Al-Star is defined by four major design aspects in my opinion. The section we just talked about, the unique clip, the ink portal window and the flat/round body portion.
The Section
It has a translucent plastic notched section that is comfortable to hold and quite helpful in maintaining a proper grip.
The Clip
It’s usually described as paperclip-esque in shape. It is a bold rounded wire clip that has enough flex to be useful but is quite firm.
The Ink Portal Window
I love this feature of the pen. You can see the ink amount even without taking off the cap and it adds to the unique design. That being said it is often this design feature which gets mocked for making the pen look a bit like a pregnancy test.
The Body
There is nothing magical here but the fact that it is not round makes it unique enough in the fountain pen world. Imagine a round barrel that was put into a toaster so that the two sides touching the elements are now melted flat but the top and bottom are still round.
And the body is also the portion that contains the sole branding on this pen. Lamy is etched into the barrel at the end away from the nib. It is also worth mentioning that the logo, although looking quite similar to the one on the Safari, is not done the same way. On the Safari the entire Lamy name is recessed into the body but on the Al-Star only the outline of Lamy is etched in. I assume this is due the the fact that it is metal and the plastic Safari is molded which makes the indentation easier to accomplish.
Function
This pen is a workhorse. It’s simple but well thought out design leaves few areas to fail and the flexibility of easily changing nibs means that even a catastrophic nib failure can be repaired but even the most novice user.
The Nibs
Choices – There are technically 12 choices that I am aware of.
In Silver and labeled on each nib:
EF – Extra Fine
F – Fine
M – Medium
B – Broad
1.1 – Italic 1.1mm
1.5 - Italic 1.5mm
1.9 - Italic 1.9mm
LH – Left handed nib (slightly tuned to help with left handed handwriting action)
In Black and labled on each nib:
EF – Extra Fine
F – Fine
M – Medium
B – Broad
I have almost all of them but the best place I know of to see the differences in the nibs would be the Goulet Pen Company’s Nib Nook. It’s a bit aggravating that they don’t make the italic nibs in black but it’s not the end of the world.
The Converter
The Al-Star, Safari, Vista and a few others use one of two proprietary Lamy converters. To most people this will likely be a hassle. They cost a bit more, they only work in one brand pen, and not all pens from Lamy, and they only offer a twist convertor. All that being said I am actually a fan of the design for the most part.
The Nubs
On opposite sides of the converter there are two nubs that stick up a bit that seat nicely into a slot on the Al-Star’s section. It lets you have some assurance that the converter won’t dislodge in your bag or pocket, places this pen does well because of it’s robust design.
The Mechanism
This is a simple twist convertor but there is one part that might be a bit different. The part you hold to twist is similar in shape to the body of the pen. It looks quite nice but it does make spinning the knob to clean the pen a bit more of a chore.
Price (difference in the Safari and Al-Star)
I was tempted to have an entire section on “the cost” explaining why it was worth it to move up from the Safari but I don’t want to preach to hard if this is a place of contention. I imagine the Safari is the top end of the fountain pen range for many that found the hobby through Pilot’s Varsity and the Platinum Preppy. They’ll try a handful of pens under $20 before ending up splurging one day on a Safari and then they’ll be content. For those that are not ever going to be collectors I applaud that restraint and contentment. For those that are going to be carrying only one pen and want to last a bit longer or have many pens and are looking for a robust pen to fill that niche I say it’s worth the extra. Well, I guess I wrote a section on price, what can you do?
In Conclusion
I love this pen. It’s not for everyone as some will have issue with the grip and others will simply not fancy the design but it is for a lot of people. It seems that a lot of people that have been drawn to the design from the cheaper Safari do eventually make the leap but if you are one of those who hasn’t yet let me encourage you to take the plunge. It’s not a revolutionary step forward but the simple step from plastic to metal gives a bit more piece of mind when you are carrying it away from your velvet pen case.
This has probably been my most detailed review to date but I still feel I am leaving things out. I do plan to cover the Lamy Safari in a separate review in the future and may just say what ever else I could have said there as so much overlaps.
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6221
If you are new to fountain pens you might not know all the issues surrounding the Lamy name. It seems to be a company, and in-particular this model pen, that attracts the love it or hate it attitude. Much in the same way people look at Noodler’s ink company these pens are seen as a break from tradition. Don’t get me wrong, Lamy isn’t a new company but a lot of their designs have been called futuristic. Mostly I think they could be called modern industrial design.
This pen is the 2013 limited edition Matte Black version of the Lamy Al-Star which is essentially the metal counterpart to the ever popular Lamy Safari. These two models, and the Vista demonstrator, all have a notched section that puts your fingers in a particular alignment with the nib when holding the pen. This may be the biggest issue people have with the pen but it is also what helps it stand apart from so many others. My first fountain pen was a Lamy Safari Charcoal and having never used a fountain pen I found the notches quite helpful. I didn’t have the issues of holding it wrong and scratching the paper that you can have learning with a round section. As I have continued to use these pens I have not tired of the notches but I have also become equally as comfortable with the round sections. For anyone with experience in fountain pens this then just comes down to personal preference.
The look
The Al-Star is defined by four major design aspects in my opinion. The section we just talked about, the unique clip, the ink portal window and the flat/round body portion.
The Section
It has a translucent plastic notched section that is comfortable to hold and quite helpful in maintaining a proper grip.
The Clip
It’s usually described as paperclip-esque in shape. It is a bold rounded wire clip that has enough flex to be useful but is quite firm.
The Ink Portal Window
I love this feature of the pen. You can see the ink amount even without taking off the cap and it adds to the unique design. That being said it is often this design feature which gets mocked for making the pen look a bit like a pregnancy test.
The Body
There is nothing magical here but the fact that it is not round makes it unique enough in the fountain pen world. Imagine a round barrel that was put into a toaster so that the two sides touching the elements are now melted flat but the top and bottom are still round.
And the body is also the portion that contains the sole branding on this pen. Lamy is etched into the barrel at the end away from the nib. It is also worth mentioning that the logo, although looking quite similar to the one on the Safari, is not done the same way. On the Safari the entire Lamy name is recessed into the body but on the Al-Star only the outline of Lamy is etched in. I assume this is due the the fact that it is metal and the plastic Safari is molded which makes the indentation easier to accomplish.
Function
This pen is a workhorse. It’s simple but well thought out design leaves few areas to fail and the flexibility of easily changing nibs means that even a catastrophic nib failure can be repaired but even the most novice user.
The Nibs
Choices – There are technically 12 choices that I am aware of.
In Silver and labeled on each nib:
EF – Extra Fine
F – Fine
M – Medium
B – Broad
1.1 – Italic 1.1mm
1.5 - Italic 1.5mm
1.9 - Italic 1.9mm
LH – Left handed nib (slightly tuned to help with left handed handwriting action)
In Black and labled on each nib:
EF – Extra Fine
F – Fine
M – Medium
B – Broad
I have almost all of them but the best place I know of to see the differences in the nibs would be the Goulet Pen Company’s Nib Nook. It’s a bit aggravating that they don’t make the italic nibs in black but it’s not the end of the world.
The Converter
The Al-Star, Safari, Vista and a few others use one of two proprietary Lamy converters. To most people this will likely be a hassle. They cost a bit more, they only work in one brand pen, and not all pens from Lamy, and they only offer a twist convertor. All that being said I am actually a fan of the design for the most part.
The Nubs
On opposite sides of the converter there are two nubs that stick up a bit that seat nicely into a slot on the Al-Star’s section. It lets you have some assurance that the converter won’t dislodge in your bag or pocket, places this pen does well because of it’s robust design.
The Mechanism
This is a simple twist convertor but there is one part that might be a bit different. The part you hold to twist is similar in shape to the body of the pen. It looks quite nice but it does make spinning the knob to clean the pen a bit more of a chore.
Price (difference in the Safari and Al-Star)
I was tempted to have an entire section on “the cost” explaining why it was worth it to move up from the Safari but I don’t want to preach to hard if this is a place of contention. I imagine the Safari is the top end of the fountain pen range for many that found the hobby through Pilot’s Varsity and the Platinum Preppy. They’ll try a handful of pens under $20 before ending up splurging one day on a Safari and then they’ll be content. For those that are not ever going to be collectors I applaud that restraint and contentment. For those that are going to be carrying only one pen and want to last a bit longer or have many pens and are looking for a robust pen to fill that niche I say it’s worth the extra. Well, I guess I wrote a section on price, what can you do?
In Conclusion
I love this pen. It’s not for everyone as some will have issue with the grip and others will simply not fancy the design but it is for a lot of people. It seems that a lot of people that have been drawn to the design from the cheaper Safari do eventually make the leap but if you are one of those who hasn’t yet let me encourage you to take the plunge. It’s not a revolutionary step forward but the simple step from plastic to metal gives a bit more piece of mind when you are carrying it away from your velvet pen case.
This has probably been my most detailed review to date but I still feel I am leaving things out. I do plan to cover the Lamy Safari in a separate review in the future and may just say what ever else I could have said there as so much overlaps.
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