Results 1 to 7 of 7

Thread: Lamy Ideos

  1. #1
    Senior Member fountainpenkid's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Nouvelle Angleterre
    Posts
    3,675
    Thanks
    3,483
    Thanked 1,222 Times in 598 Posts
    Rep Power
    18

    Default Lamy Ideos Review

    A high production value teaser video...
    A new shape...


    It's just another pen, folks. Such seems to be the tepid response to the Lamy Ideos.

    As I've written elsewhere on this forum, I've developed, over the past decade of using fountain pens, an extreme preference for "vintage" pens--their materials, their styling, their ergonomics, and most of all their nibs. So my sudden attraction to this pen bewildered me. I chalk it up to the effort at novel design it makes. While it certainly borrows the proportions and some styling from the cp 1 when capped, and the Studio when uncapped, the way it integrates a teardrop shape in a functional, coherent way throughout the design feels entirely new.

    IMG_8255.JPG

    ~~Out of the pocket...~~
    Though it's a long-ish (5.65 in.) rod of a pen when capped, it's svelte (1/2 in. diameter) and light (27g) enough to be pocketable. It adds an alluring technical look to a coat or shirt; the asymmetric positioning of the clip on the teardrop does most of the work. The spring-loaded clip is excellent: the extension above the pivot point combined with its width and smooth action makes it among the best I've used.

    IMG_8272.JPG

    The filling system--Lamy's standard c/c--is accessed via a bayonet/snap sort of mechanism, a unique and well-executed touch which makes refilling and more importantly, ink-level checking, a tiny bit easier by shortening the screw to just a half-turn. A reassuring "click" announces you've properly replaced the barrel in its correct orientation.

    IMG_8289.JPG

    ~~...into the hand...~~
    The palladium finish is very tactile and well done--running your finger over it produces a pleasant ceramic sort of sound. It approaches sculpture in your hand--the ridge of the teardrop, the polish of the ever-so-slightly convex 'bar' clip...what really detracts from this tactile experience are the clip's very sharp edges, and the imperfect interface between cap and barrel. Still, it will probably satisfy the twiddling instinct many people have while they listen.

    IMG_8256.JPG



    IMG_8261.JPG

    ~~...and onto the page.~~
    The cap pulls off with a slightly rough and inelegant tug; I suspect it was difficult to get the fit and mechanism to work with the shape. Still perfectly functional. Revealed is the smooth platinum-plated (?) section, which maintains the teardrop shape at first but tapers into a round shape by the time it meets the nib. This is where the teardrop does its great ergonomic work, positioning the fingers in that comfortable triangle grip suitable for long writing. I took a 21-minute road trip with the pen, using Pelikan 4001 blue and decent copy paper, and indeed had no ergonomic disasters during the extended writing session: the pen remained comfortable and my hand cramp-free. It's a well-balanced pen in the hand, neither nib- nor barrel-heavy. The curved underside of the section did not bother me as I had feared, nor did the polished metal--it did not become slippery or sticky etc. Of course, this is partially a use case thing: if you often have oily hands, or sweaty hands, or don't use a triangle grip, this pen may not work for you. But for me it faded into the background and became an efficient (and unhesitant) tool to put thoughts on the page.

    IMG_8276.JPG

    A a vintage nib lover, the lack of any springiness in the nib made the experience less than ideal, as this nib was too toothy to use a featherlight touch with: at times, the barrel felt it was 'jumping' out of the web of my hand. I am glad they used the new duck-bill nib though--it really looks great here, and it's a shape I've been drawn to since the now-discontinued Pelikan Ductus.
    Once the timer was up, I put the cap back on and was reminded of the pen's difficulties.

    IMG_8259.JPG

    ~~Flaws~~
    My main gripes are a result of the teardrop shape that makes the pen interesting to begin with: the capping and posting experience, and the imperfect appearance where the cap meets the barrel. Capping the pen produces a nice click and feels more controlled than uncapping, but due to the teardrop shape it requires careful visual alignment...not ideal for quick notes (although the pen seems to behave for a good while uncapped). But I'd argue larger issue is with posting. Clearly they wanted you to try posting the pen: the barrel end has notches to stop the posting 'knob' from being scratched, like the cp 1, and the black ring draws your eye to the active nature of the site. Attempt to post the pen, however, and you'll find it's more difficult than capping, almost to the point of feeling like you're damaging the pen, and the great balance the pen has unposted is thrown off with a clumsy backweight. There are many pens where posting does this, but rarely does a design encourage posting so strongly and not deliver at all.
    The visual misalignment at the cap-barrel interface seems to vary pen-to-pen, but on my example, it is distracting to the point of discouraging close inspection of the pen while capped. For such a striking design, it's a shame. Maybe this is something they can improve in their manufacture.

    IMG_8268.JPG

    ~~Final thoughts~~
    It's a good unique pen--useable and reliable and comfortable enough, but not a great unique pen. If you love the design and triangular sections, I think it'll make you happy, provided you are not too details-obsessed. I just wish they had put a bit more thought into the design to ensure the teardrop shape didn't detract from the functionality of the pen.
    Last edited by fountainpenkid; October 7th, 2023 at 02:54 PM.
    Will
    If my p.m box is full, feel free to email me at dabantur@gmail.com.

  2. The Following 6 Users Say Thank You to fountainpenkid For This Useful Post:

    amk (January 13th, 2022), Andrew_Lensky (October 28th, 2023), christof (October 25th, 2023), dneal (February 27th, 2022), Scrawler (January 15th, 2022), Yazeh (January 11th, 2022)

  3. #2
    Senior Member Andrew_Lensky's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2021
    Location
    Kyiv, Ukraine
    Posts
    312
    Thanks
    90
    Thanked 1,008 Times in 249 Posts
    Rep Power
    3

    Default Re: Lamy Ideos

    Thanks for sharing your experience!
    About fountain pens, inks and arts: http://lenskiy.org or watch on social networks
    FB: @ArtDesignPenS
    Pinterest: ArtDesignPenS
    Instagram: @andrew.lensky

  4. The Following User Says Thank You to Andrew_Lensky For This Useful Post:

    fountainpenkid (January 13th, 2022)

  5. #3
    Senior Member Scrawler's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    1,263
    Thanks
    1,818
    Thanked 1,254 Times in 562 Posts
    Rep Power
    13

    Default Re: Lamy Ideos

    I would not consider it for myself, but did enjoy reading your experience.

  6. The Following User Says Thank You to Scrawler For This Useful Post:

    fountainpenkid (January 15th, 2022)

  7. #4
    Senior Member eachan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2020
    Location
    Highlands of Scotland
    Posts
    507
    Thanks
    1,442
    Thanked 868 Times in 341 Posts
    Rep Power
    4

    Default Re: Lamy Ideos

    Like Scrawler I won't rush out to buy the pen but I did enjoy your thorough and even-handed review.

  8. The Following User Says Thank You to eachan For This Useful Post:

    fountainpenkid (January 15th, 2022)

  9. #5
    Senior Member fountainpenkid's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Nouvelle Angleterre
    Posts
    3,675
    Thanks
    3,483
    Thanked 1,222 Times in 598 Posts
    Rep Power
    18

    Default Re: Lamy Ideos

    Quote Originally Posted by eachan View Post
    Like Scrawler I won't rush out to buy the pen but I did enjoy your thorough and even-handed review.
    Not thorough enough to include a mention of the filling experience haha...just added that!
    Will
    If my p.m box is full, feel free to email me at dabantur@gmail.com.

  10. The Following User Says Thank You to fountainpenkid For This Useful Post:

    Lloyd (January 15th, 2022)

  11. #6
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Oct 2023
    Posts
    1
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
    Rep Power
    0

    Default Re: Lamy Ideos

    Thank you for sharing your experience with this Drift Boss pen

  12. #7
    Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2022
    Posts
    30
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts
    Rep Power
    0

    Default Re: Lamy Ideos

    Thank you for sharing your own experience.

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •