Lamy 2000 Inconsistencies

[markt]

Well, this is week 2 with my newly purchased Lamy 2000. I went with a fine nib based on reports of typical wider than fine lines from the factory. What I have been experiencing is a relatively scratchy nib on finer paper. The pen is pretty smooth on cheap paper (Walmart Brazilian made notebooks), gets scratchier on Rhodia, and downright unpleasantly scratchy on Clairefontaine. I am pleased with the line width and it appears to be maybe 5-6 on a 10 scale for wetness. I have never experienced this with any other pen in my collection. The tines are not misaligned (under loupe). There is definitely a sweet spot in nib positioning, but that is why I have waited this long to post my experiences with the pen....giving me time to adjust my writing with the pen and consciously watching that I am not rotating the nib during writing. Alas, I still hate the feel of it on my most favored paper. I am using Waterman Florida Blue, so nothing wild with regards to ink.

As a comparison, I have a TWSBI Mini with Medium nib that writes pretty much the same on all three papers, except that the cheap paper produces a wider line, but the smoothness of the nib is the same on all 3 grades of paper. The 2000 and the TWSBI lay down about the same line width, by the way.

I am debating whether to send it back to Lamy with my complaints and see if they can maybe take crack at resolving the issue, or ask for a nib replacement to Medium or will that be a waste of time? I know there are a lot of folks out there with this pen, so share some of your experiences.

[AndrewW]

I would suggest a light figure-eight or two on some 12,000 grit micromesh. Manufacturing isn't perfect, even for gold nibs, so one or two rougher nibs will often slip past. Try to pin the direction that you feel the scratchiness in and do couple of light figure-eights, with emphasis on that direction. I find it helps remove scratchiness and tooth from all but EEF needlepoint nibs. Granted, do be very careful with this, as you can't replace tipping material.

[ThirdeYe]

I was less than pleased with my Lamy 2000 when I bought it as well. I got it early last year, and I got a fine nib as I was told they tend to run wide (I usually like a medium). The nib was dry and had such a small sweet spot that it was difficult to write with. I sent it to Lamy (Filofax) and they replaced the feed/gaskets, but it still tends to write dry and it's still tough to find any sort of sweet spot. It'll skip in one direction or the other, depending on how you hold it. It's never "just right". I contacted them again and asked if I could switch the nib, and they told me I would have to pay for a new one. On the other hand, when I sent in my Pilot VP to Pilot due to erratic flow and skipping in directions, they replaced the nib free of charge and it writes much better now.

[Pommel]

Something must have changed during the years! My F nibbed Lamy 2000 from the 1980's is super smooth with a generous ink flow.

[picautomaton]

The tines probably need a minute adjustment.

[markt]

Thanks all. Going to try some more minor tweaks on the nib and a few passes on the 12000 grit fingernail stick. Don't cherish the idea of sending back to Lamy, even though their reputation is pretty good. Just don't want the hassle of mailing and waiting.

[AndrewW]

Thanks all. Going to try some more minor tweaks on the nib and a few passes on the 12000 grit fingernail stick. Don't cherish the idea of sending back to Lamy, even though their reputation is pretty good. Just don't want the hassle of mailing and waiting.

Do consider it, actually. When I first got my 2000, it had a death-valley-dry nib and a few other odd problems such as the piston leaking. I sent it along to Lamy USA, and week and half later, it came back, with a fully adjusted nib in a new pen body. And I didn't even purchase it originally; it was a gift from another FP collector who had it for a while.