Fake Lamy Al-Star

Hello :)

I'm rather new to the fountain pen hobby. This year I discovered and fell in love with the Lamy Al-Star. I first got a purple, then a pacific and a blue-green. From past editions I was very taken with the copper orange version that is sadly discontinued. I did find many of them on eBay, but was sceptical about them being the real article. I made a few searches online and only found people who suspected they had a counterfeit pen and others who commented they seemed genuine. So I got a pen for 25 $USD. I received it this morning and it did not compare well with my other pens. I think I definitely have a fake on my hands. It's still a nice looking pen and it writes well enough, but I think I have proof of there really being fake Lamy Al-Stars out there. Perhaps that is news only to me and you are having a good laugh at my innocence ;-P Nevertheless, I have put a few photos as proof in my Instagram feed if anyone is interested at looking at them (link below). I'm still quite shocked that someone would go through all the trouble of producing such a fine copy and being brazen enough to write "Lamy" over all the parts to fool people into buying them.

Here are the differences I have noticed:
- finial cross screw not quite flush with space available - visible inside the cap
- Cap spins around pen easily when closed. Does not post well
- Nib slightly wider and longer. Inscription higher on nib and lighter in colour than original.
- Underside of feed shiny and slick.
- Logo etched darker and deeper on barrel.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BYYwAn7h...=knittyplanner

Cheers,

Audrey

I think you are right that you have a fake there, but I would not laugh at your innocence. Think about people who have bought fake Montblancs. I wouldn't even buy one online because it's too risky.

I think the Chinese make these fakes because they are relatively inexpensive to reproduce, and then they can make a good return on their costs. (I for one do not know what kind of profit Lamy makes from their pens).

It's really too bad when the Chinese can make some very nice pens. The copy of the Sailor Procolor that they make (Jinhao 992) is a very nice writer; it does have some problems with cracking, but still, I like the way it writes.

Yes, I have the Jinhao 992 and like it a lot. It's such a smooth writer and really pretty too. Recently I also got the TWSBI Eco and I'm in love with that one too. There are so many wonderful pens out there to discover, and affordable too... although the deeper I fall into this rabbit hole, the more I'm less surprised at the prices. I doubt I will ever buy a Montblanc though.

Another indicator of a fake seems to be the position of the breather hole. In a genuine Lamy nib it'll be level with the shoulders. No doubt the fakers have already twigged to that so how long that'll remain a good indicator is anyone's guess.

Really sorry you got a bad'un, Audrey. If there's money to be made, human beans will find a way. Lamy's price increase in the USA is only going to fuel the fakes, I fear. It's frustrating when you find a pen or ink you'd love to own but that went out of circulation before you had even joined the hobby, isn't it? Rest assured, there's bound to be another one along that grabs your attention. And sometimes Lamy reissue a special edition colour into the standard line-up, so you never know...

I'm sorry you have been sold a fake Lamy Al-star. It's very difficult to think of a good way to get authentic pens in those unusual colours that are no longer available. :(

Thanks :) I suspect the pictures on the eBay ad were of a real Lamy because it seemed genuine. The pen I got was slightly different. I had an inkling that the price was a little too good to be true. It's still a nice pen and I will enjoy using it. This morning I also received a REAL Lamy LX Rose Gold (my BD present from me to me) and it's so beautiful. I love the black nib, it feels very different from the regular Lamy silver nib. Now I'm not going to spend more on fountain pens for a while (famous last words) as I've invested a lot into them lately. But I do have my eye on a Caran d'Ache or a Platinum 3776 for Christmas AND let's not forget that 2018 will bring a new Limited Edition Lamy Al-Star :dance3:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AudreyP

Thanks :) I suspect the pictures on the eBay ad were of a real Lamy because it seemed genuine. The pen I got was slightly different. I had an inkling that the price was a little too good to be true. It's still a nice pen and I will enjoy using it. This morning I also received a REAL Lamy LX Rose Gold (my BD present from me to me) and it's so beautiful. I love the black nib, it feels very different from the regular Lamy silver nib. Now I'm not going to spend more on fountain pens for a while (famous last words) as I've invested a lot into them lately. But I do have my eye on a Caran d'Ache or a Platinum 3776 for Christmas AND let's not forget that 2018 will bring a new Limited Edition Lamy Al-Star :dance3:

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I must admit that I've looked at that rose gold pen on numerous occasions, but so far I have resisted temptation. :) I think I have enough pens :blink:

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Originally Posted by Chrissy

I think I have enough pens :blink:

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Steady now. :eek:

Audrey, do report this to Ebay, won't you? I know it's a pain in the you-know-what, but for the benefit of the next tempted purchaser down the road....

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Originally Posted by grainweevil

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Chrissy

I think I have enough pens :blink:

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Steady now. :eek:

Audrey, do report this to Ebay, won't you? I know it's a pain in the you-know-what, but for the benefit of the next tempted purchaser down the road....

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Maybe I made a mistake and should not have said it. ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by grainweevil

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Chrissy

I think I have enough pens :blink:

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Steady now. :eek:

Audrey, do report this to Ebay, won't you? I know it's a pain in the you-know-what, but for the benefit of the next tempted purchaser down the road....

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Audrey, I would not hesitate to report this purchase to eBay. At the very least you will get a full refund and the pen. :)

Thank you Chrissy and Grainweevil :) I looked at the shop I bought the pen from. They had relisted the item, but it was taken down "because of error from the seller" according to the eBay page. They no longer have Lamy stock in their store. What I didn't mention previously is that I had gotten a refund from the seller a week before I received the pen, because I had been waiting for 3 months and it still hadn't arrived. Finally the pen arrived and I could tell it was a fake. Since then I've been debating weather I should offer to pay for the pen or not. My conscience tells me I shouldn't keep a pen I haven't paid for... but then it would serve them right for the false advertising. The removed re-listing even had a new picture taken directly from he Goulet Pens web site! Well, other than for cheap Chinese pens, I'm done buying pens on eBay. I'll stick to my trusted vendors from now on.

Oh and Chrissy... do get the Lamy LX in Rose Gold, I can only recommend it. It's gorgeous. You deserve a beautiful pen ;-) The silly tube it comes with though I can't explain. My daughter loves to play with it and make it pop though, lol!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AudreyP

Thank you Chrissy and Grainweevil :) I looked at the shop I bought the pen from. They had relisted the item, but it was taken down "because of error from the seller" according to the eBay page. They no longer have Lamy stock in their store. What I didn't mention previously is that I had gotten a refund from the seller a week before I received the pen, because I had been waiting for 3 months and it still hadn't arrived. Finally the pen arrived and I could tell it was a fake. Since then I've been debating weather I should offer to pay for the pen or not. My conscience tells me I shouldn't keep a pen I haven't paid for... but then it would serve them right for the false advertising. The removed re-listing even had a new picture taken directly from he Goulet Pens web site! Well, other than for cheap Chinese pens, I'm done buying pens on eBay. I'll stick to my trusted vendors from now on.

Oh and Chrissy... do get the Lamy LX in Rose Gold, I can only recommend it. It's gorgeous. You deserve a beautiful pen ;-) The silly tube it comes with though I can't explain. My daughter loves to play with it and make it pop though, lol!

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Audrey,

I don't think you should feel guilty about not paying a seller who sends you a fake.

I bought the Rose Gold, too, and I do love it. It was the one LX that appealed to me.

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Originally Posted by Lady Onogaro

I think you are right that you have a fake there, but I would not laugh at your innocence. Think about people who have bought fake Montblancs. I wouldn't even buy one online because it's too risky.

I think the Chinese make these fakes because they are relatively inexpensive to reproduce, and then they can make a good return on their costs. (I for one do not know what kind of profit Lamy makes from their pens).

It's really too bad when the Chinese can make some very nice pens. The copy of the Sailor Procolor that they make (Jinhao 992) is a very nice writer; it does have some problems with cracking, but still, I like the way it writes.

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The only issue I've had with inexpensive Chinese pens is the inconsistency. It's like going to Vegas, whether you're going to get a good writer or not.

I have only known about the counterfeit safaris. Didn't know there were counterfeit Al-Stars as well. The Al-Star you got is definitely a counterfeit based on my observation.

I got one of these as a result of a deceptive Amazon purchase. Am azon seems like the wild, wild West. Of course you can get things there you can't find elsewhere. Like fake Safaris and Al Stars.

Although this is an old thread, I'll tell my fake AL-Star tale. Like you, I bought a copper orange Al-star last summer (July '18), even suspecting it was not genuine. (Why would a German pen cost so much less from Asia? Why would a 3-year-old limited edition color still be available? And why would they charge $2 extra for a box!) It was confirmed when I swapped nibs. Installing a genuine Lamy EF, it fit too loose on the feed. (I have since read about the same thing happening on a fake Safari.) I ended up using a spare Safari feed section that I had on hand, which accepts the genuine Lamy EF nib just fine, and all is good. Well, not quite. The fake cap fit OK on the feed it came with but spins around on the Safari feed. A thin strip of tape around the feed fixes that.

In my heart I suspected I was buying a fake. It was that orange copper color that made me do it :). To make up for patronizing a counterfeit seller, I bought another one in Pacific blue from an American importer.