LAMY 2000 quality control issues are not related to the "sweet spot"

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by pajaro

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Xuben

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by carlos.q

Before you return the pen give it another opportunity and try it with something else than Lamy black, which is a notoriously dry ink. My Lamy 2000 with a fine nib doesn't like dry inks either. However it works great with Sailor Souten. Same thing happens with a vintage MB146: it definitely dislikes dry inks but it sings with Sailor 4B.

---

Too late, it's returned as well! That was a LOT of anxiety. I hope it doesn't kill my nascent fountain pen fascination. I planned on getting that LAMY for months and was really excited when I finally pulled the trigger it; like a kid at Christmas. Now i'm leery.

---

Yes, it's too bad it didn't work out better. I think the seller should have adjusted the nib for how you intended to use the pen, so you rightly returned it. Results like this do sour some people on fountain pens. If you still have the interest to buy a fountain pen, you might consider a Pelikan. These pens usually have the ink flow to support a lot of writing. The seller should adjust the pen to how you intend to use it.

---

Does Pelikan have a gold nib in the price range of a LAMY 2000?

I can't really say, because it has been some time since I bought any pens, and prices have gone up, and not all equally. The Pelikan M4xx has a gold nib, but the M6xx would be a closer model to the Lamy 2000 in terms of size. I suspect the Pelikans might be more expensive new.

Both the Lamy 2000 and the Pelikan M400 and M600 are pens that normally write perfectly all the time and do not dry up for months or years. Almost as good as a vintage Parker 51 or a Sheaffer inlaid or Dolphin nib Touchdown Imperial. If you buy a new pen, you should be sure to have the seller adjust it for your intended use, and you should tell the dealer what that use will be, or you might find yourself in the same position as with the two Lamy 2000s you bought. Purchase from such a seller isn't going to be the lowest priced, but it will probably be worth it in the long run.

Both Pelikan M400 and M600 will be more expensive than a Lamy 2000. If you're looking for a gold nib pen at a similar price point as the L2k this video may help:

https://youtu.be/2lShhpHfApg

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Xuben

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by azkid

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Xuben

Too late, it's returned as well! That was a LOT of anxiety. I hope it doesn't kill my nascent fountain pen fascination. I planned on getting that LAMY for months and was really excited when I finally pulled the trigger it; like a kid at Christmas. Now i'm leery.

---

Fear not. I really feel you will have far better luck with certain other brands.

What other pens do you have currently?

We can always recommend pens that are more likely to work out of the box.

Also, some of the folks on here sell vintage pens they repair and restore (penwash, Deb) so you know a live human has tested the pens. I occasionally do too (for fun; I am no pro). I always test and tune them until they work properly or I won't sell them.

---

On a whim I bought a Pilot Metro fine point which I enjoyed and then I bought a LAMY Studio (fine) which I love and which writes like glass although a bit wetter than perfect. It's because I like my Studio so much that I was so surprised and disappointed with my 2000. I'd like to buy an "entry level" gold nib and now that I've written off the 2000, I'm kind of thinking about the 3776. I don't love the look of it, but a traditional style to start off with might not be the worst thing and I tested the medium in store and liked the way it felt. I went with the medium instead of the fine, because the fine in the Studio writes like a medium anyway.

I'm not interested in amassing a huge collection, but rather spending about $200-$300 (Canadian) in a pen like once a year and then, in ten years, getting a grail pen in the $1,000 range. I figure that would be a decent collection in about ten years.

---

What color 3776 are you thinking of? I have the Bourgogne in Medium and it has NEVER been de-inked since I bought it a few years ago.

I also have the Chartres blue in Broad, and it's a firehose. I haven't yet found an ink I like for it.

Got both from Amazon.

I'm pretty pleased with the gold nib on my Stargazer which I guess is a fancy Stella 90s. I've tested a Pilot Falcon and a couple other gold Pilot nibs all of which were really quite nice.

Based on my own experience and what I've read about low end Pilot nibs—not only have they all worked for me, they all write exactly the same—I have a feeling you're very unlikely to get a bad high end Pilot nib. That's why I got the stargazer as my first $150 pen

I have a feeling Pilot has applied automation and Denning style statistical process control to their nib manufacturing. To me they are the Seiko of pens where even the cheap stuff is really good and consistent.

I've also tried high end Pelikan (400, 600) and those were excellent without qualification. But the M205 I just got is really disappointing. It looks and feels really cheap and the steel F nib writes really rough, like a stick on cement, as if it was "polished" with 80 grit sandpaper. Ugh.

My Kaweco Dia2 is easily twice the pen and more, and the nib is very nice, albeit small-looking. The level of detail, fit and finish, and overall design just exudes high quality. It is about as heavy as a Metropolitan.

If you have a local pen group that meets that is the best way to try different pens and get a better sense of what impresses you and what doesn't.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by azkid

I'm pretty pleased with the gold nib on my Stargazer which I guess is a fancy Stella 90s. I've tested a Pilot Falcon and a couple other gold Pilot nibs all of which were really quite nice.

Based on my own experience and what I've read about low end Pilot nibs—not only have they all worked for me, they all write exactly the same—I have a feeling you're very unlikely to get a bad high end Pilot nib. That's why I got the stargazer as my first $150 pen

I have a feeling Pilot has applied automation and Denning style statistical process control to their nib manufacturing. To me they are the Seiko of pens where even the cheap stuff is really good and consistent.

I've also tried high end Pelikan (400, 600) and those were excellent without qualification. But the M205 I just got is really disappointing. It looks and feels really cheap and the steel F nib writes really rough, like a stick on cement, as if it was "polished" with 80 grit sandpaper. Ugh.

My Kaweco Dia2 is easily twice the pen and more, and the nib is very nice, albeit small-looking. The level of detail, fit and finish, and overall design just exudes high quality. It is about as heavy as a Metropolitan.

If you have a local pen group that meets that is the best way to try different pens and get a better sense of what impresses you and what doesn't.

---

Pelikan M2XX pens are drier writers than the gold nib Pelikans. You could adjust for flow. Sometimes the medium, going up a size, will be satisfactory.

I think a better choice is the Lamy 2000, even for the OP, but buying from someone who can provide the initial set up service of adjusting the nib. I find the Lamy 2000 long run less expensive and more durable than the other brands mentioned. I still use mine. It can survive more accidents and still look nice.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by arrow

On the more practical side, I have heard complaints on most brands, including the best top models, just not two times in a row by the same buyer.

---

I went 0 for Pelikan until i got one from Mottishaw. Then i unloaded most of them and went vintage.

I've had to tune most of my Lamys, but then I've had to tune most of my other pens, too.

People have problems with high end Pelikans out of the box too (anecdotes).

If you want a 2000 that works, get it from Dan Smith or John Mottishaw. They'll tune it for you and make sure it suits you. I'd recommend buying Pelikan from one of them also.

Pilots I've found to be great writers from the get-go.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Xuben

What really irks me is the glib dismissals of what I now know are genuine and accurate complaints about LAMY's embarrassing quality control. If you are considering buying a LAMY 2000, and are worried about this issue, don't let people tell you it isn't real. It 100% is and I've experienced it first hand. Buyer beware.

---

Just because your pen had a QC issue doesn’t mean most other complaints AREN’T the result of a small sweet spot. You’re projecting.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Lamy offers a gold nib for their Studio. It seems to sell for about $75. Looks easy to install...not as easy as swapping an Esterbrook or Pelikan nib, but you pull the old nib straight out, push the new one back. There are videos on Youtube. Seems like the one trick is to wrap some scotch-tape around your pulling finger.

Or get a Parker 45 and find a gold nib, if you want to try gold.. Parker sold them with gold nibs at first (best I remember from 1960 or '61) and then offered steel, 10K, or 14K nibs. The nib unit unscrews, just like the old Esterbrook or most Pelikans.

However, if you like the feel of the Studio, keep it. If it works for you, then don't replace it. People used to have one fountain pen. I had one P-45 from 1960 - 1968. Feel a little ashamed when I look at the ready-to-hand pens in the mug just to the right of my monitor. No need to buy a stack of fountain pens.

I just took delivery of a Lamy 2000 with an EF nib. It is my second 2000 (working on a swap with @HoLmeSlice at the moment). Both 2000's wrote immediately from the box and never gave/give issues. The EF nib seems to have no sweet spot and is so very smooth. I am carrying it in my Franklin planner and using it every day, all day, as I work. I purchased the EF nibbed model from Endless Pens for what seems to be a very good price. I do believe this one could become that mythical One pen we've heard tales about.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kulprit

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Xuben

What really irks me is the glib dismissals of what I now know are genuine and accurate complaints about LAMY's embarrassing quality control. If you are considering buying a LAMY 2000, and are worried about this issue, don't let people tell you it isn't real. It 100% is and I've experienced it first hand. Buyer beware.

---

Just because your pen had a QC issue doesn’t mean most other complaints AREN’T the result of a small sweet spot. You’re projecting.

---

Do some people complain about the pen because they are unaccustomed to the sweet spot? Sure. Do dealers try to pass of genuine complaints as sweet spot issues? Also yes. That's not one Lamy I bought that had this issue, it's two in a row. And many, many people online complaining about similar issues being dismissed by people, like you, out of hand as just having trouble with the sweet spot. It's annoying.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by manoeuver

People have problems with high end Pelikans out of the box too (anecdotes).

If you want a 2000 that works, get it from Dan Smith or John Mottishaw. They'll tune it for you and make sure it suits you. I'd recommend buying Pelikan from one of them also.

Pilots I've found to be great writers from the get-go.

---

I ended up getting a 3776 directly from Japan and I'm pleased with it. I'll probably have a nib smith open the tines a little to get a bit more flow and a bit glassier/smoother, but it is pretty damn good. The next pen I buy, however, will definitely be from one of these guys, so thanks for the advice. I really feel that paying a bit extra to have a nib smith smooth it out before I even get my hands on it would be worth it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by welch

Lamy offers a gold nib for their Studio. It seems to sell for about $75. Looks easy to install...not as easy as swapping an Esterbrook or Pelikan nib, but you pull the old nib straight out, push the new one back. There are videos on Youtube. Seems like the one trick is to wrap some scotch-tape around your pulling finger.

Or get a Parker 45 and find a gold nib, if you want to try gold.. Parker sold them with gold nibs at first (best I remember from 1960 or '61) and then offered steel, 10K, or 14K nibs. The nib unit unscrews, just like the old Esterbrook or most Pelikans.

However, if you like the feel of the Studio, keep it. If it works for you, then don't replace it. People used to have one fountain pen. I had one P-45 from 1960 - 1968. Feel a little ashamed when I look at the ready-to-hand pens in the mug just to the right of my monitor. No need to buy a stack of fountain pens.

---

I have a Studio and I love it, which is why I was so surprised (both times) with the 2000 writing like a dog tooth.

I was unsure if I wanted to weigh in on such a declaratory statement as the thread title.

I am glad you found a pen you liked. My first expensive pen was a Pelikan M805 with massive baby's bottom, though not all of them come that way. It almost turned me off pens. I would highly suggest getting a jewelers loupe. It is such a good investment for this hobby. You can see what exactly is wrong or right with nibs. The nib on the Lamy 2000 is cut way different than any other fp nib I have seen. I have both a fine and a BB Lamy 2000. Both have a foot with less rounded sides than the normal "iridium" blob. I like how they feel and my pens definitely have a sweet spot just like other Lamy 2000s I have seen.

But, sometimes packages fall in shipping or pens leave the factory with a misaligned nib. It happens with every brand.

So, what is to be done?

I have had three EFs that had no issues. One fine with no issues.

Just to voice in, I am the current owner of a L2K broad nib and it seems to write swimmingly. I have had no issue with it thus far.

L2K BB owner here, great writer!

I always thought my Lamy (f) held quite a bit of ink until I got a bb. Now it holds just enough. 🙂