Lamy 1.1 Italics Nib

[Dudley]

Did this review for fun even though my crappy handwriting doesnt do it any justice. The italics nib is normally found on Lamy Joy pens, but i just bought a spare and shoved it on the new nib unit for my orange lamy safari. I like how the new smokey clear nib unit looks, but some part of me still miss the original orange one. Sorta like how the protagonist in the sci-fi moves that have robotic limbs that miss thier natural limbs, even though thier new ones are so much better....just my imagination.

 

Review:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g265/Dudleykun/review1.jpg

 

 

Blurry close-up, with crisp text in the background:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g265/Dudleykun/Lamy_blurry_closeup.jpg

 

 

Pen now with PR Black Cherry:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g265/Dudleykun/Lamy.jpg

 

 

Pen before with Noodler Swishmix Tahitian Pearl:

 

 

http://students.washington.edu/laud/pens/Flame.JPG

[Dudley]

I just noticed that maybe i shouldn't turn off the vivid option in color balance with this pen.... it burns my eyes when i look at these pictures... esp that second one i took. Sorry guys, i was thinking about bringing out the color of the ink at the time.

[BMWRT]

Dudley,

I just got a smoke safari

 

Where did you get the italics nib from. The smoke would look good on the grey pen

[DrPJM1]

You can order the Lamy italic nibs from any store. They come in 1.1, 1.5 and 1.9. I have the 1.5 and love it!

 

http://www.lamyusa.com/joy.html

[Dudley]

Yeah i had to order from LamyUSA to get a new smoky nib section, but the Italics nib you can also get from Pendemonium for 3 bucks cheaper.

 

If you really want it on a grey pen you can order the parts seperately, but that will cost alot more.

Edited May 19, 2006 by Dudley

[Betty]

Did you wanted the smoky section? Because I ordered from swisher and only got the tiny little nib. You can pull off the nib from your orange section and change them, so you get to keep your orange section if you wanted to. Very cool review and photos.

 

Don't you think handwriting looks much neater with an italic?

[Dudley]

Hi betty, I wish i can still use my orange nib section, its slightly cracked and leaking ink. So what i did is went to LamyUSA and ordered a smokey section because i thought it would look the nicest, as well as a joy section for the italics.

 

I didn't know you can order a stand alone nib from swisher, i cant find it anywere on their site.

 

and yeah my handwriting does look neater, but just a pinch. it seems that i cant write my letters parallel to each other. :roflmho:

[chupie]

I like your writing. I think the italic nib looks fantastic and the ink is cool. I must get some red black something or other one of these days.

[pvdiamon]

At the Raleigh Pen Show, I got "turned on" to italic nibs, buying a Sheaffer Calligraphy pen, fine nib, from Susan Wirth. That became my favorite pen for writing in hospital charts, as it actually helped make my handwriting both interesting and LEGIBLE! So when I decided to spring for a Safari on a lark, I noticed the option for italic nibs and decided to get the 1.1. I agree with this review, it's a great writing nib. It's fun to write with, and makes an interesting appearance on paper. It also shows the ink colors better.

 

This as well as the Sheaffer are great ways to test italic nibs as the pens are inexpensive.

 

John

[sam]

how does the 1.1mm nib compare to a sheaffers f ital calligraphy nib in terms of line thickness?

i've got an old sheaffers calligraphy pen with a fine, med, broad nibs...but i've only really only used the fine.

[AndyHayes]

Nice review Dudley. Your handwriting is a million per cent better than mine. I bought a 1.5 italic for a Lamy lying around here, but it was a tad big. The 1.1 looks perfect! The 1.5i is Here

[pvdiamon]

how does the 1.1mm nib compare to a sheaffers f ital calligraphy nib in terms of line thickness?

i've got an old sheaffers calligraphy pen with a fine, med, broad nibs...but i've only really only used the fine.

 

They are similar in output, but the Sheaffer seems to do a little better job with the contrast between thinner and thicker lines depending on the stroke. Perhaps that's because it is a little wider. It's easier to write with the Lamy, but I like the look of the lines from the Sheaffer better.

 

John

[alpha1]

does the italic nib feel scratchy?

especially on the fast loops?

Edited September 27, 2007 by alpha1

[oberon]

What a great idea, I was going to get a lamy Joy calligraphy set with the three nibs, think that I still will but will also get a lamy all star to have a shorter more handy pen. Looks like the nibs will work as the All star is just a metal version of the Safari.

Oberon

[pvdiamon]

does the italic nib feel scratchy?

especially on the fast loops?

 

The Calligraphy nib (Sheaffer) can be a little scratchy if I hold it wrong. Less so with the Lamy. But I think that is because the Sheaffer is better at making different lines. I was introduced to these nibs at a pen show, and was really encouraged to try it. I really like it but it's the kind of nib you may want to try somewhere before buying, as there are many variations. You may want to see if you can get to a show where Susan Wirth is displaying and can show you these nibs.

 

John

[sdcurnow]

James at Pear Tree Pens set me up with a Safari Vista with the 1.1 italics nib. I was surprised when he showed me how easy it was to change the nib. (just a little bit of tape on the old nib and..YANK..out it comes). This isn't a cursive italic, so it can feel like it wants to chatch a little, especially with "thin" inks that saturate the paper quickly. I haven't had any problems with it. I can speed along with my normal handrwriting, but it looks and behaves even better when I print (I was a draftsman in my youth, so my printing is good, but my handwriting can suffer).

 

I bought the pen as an inexpensive experiment to see if I liked using an italic nib on a day-to-day basis. I think that I'm going to invest in a custom ground .6mm cursive italic, so I guess the experiment was a success.

Edited October 2, 2007 by sdcurnow

[Col]

does the italic nib feel scratchy? especially on the fast loops?

Mine doesn't seem scratchy at all, which surprised me since it is a straight-cut italic. It also surprised me that overall, the line is finer than that produced by my Lamy medium nib.

 

[AndyHayes]

Mine doesn't seem scratchy at all, which surprised me since it is a straight-cut italic. It also surprised me that overall, the line is finer than that produced by my Lamy medium nib.

 

Look at it under a loupe Col. Mine is quite rounded at the corners

 

[Garageboy]

I love my 1.1mm Italic. Gives my lousy handwriting a little more tidiness to it. It's smooth most of the time, until you go slightly off axis, then you get some feedback

[Col]

Mine doesn't seem scratchy at all, which surprised me since it is a straight-cut italic. It also surprised me that overall, the line is finer than that produced by my Lamy medium nib.

Look at it under a loupe Col. Mine is quite rounded at the corners

(Looks...) You're right - I sit corrected. It's almost as round as a cursive.