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Be nice, this is my first review and I'm new. LAMY 2000 REVIEW Body: makrolon Nib: broad Ink: J. Herbin “Perle Noir” Paper: Rhodia Dot pad # 16 Vendor: Pen Chalet (for all items) This fountain pen has been written about for a long time and at length, by much more experienced people than myself. That said, I think those who are relatively new to FPs and a certain pen may offer a perspective that is beneficial or informative to other newbies or people who have not owned or wrote with this pen. That said, I feel like I am late to the party. APPEARANCE: I would imagine that this pen either speaks to people or it doesn’t. I don’t think it is polarizing, if you will, as much as people either “get it” when it comes to the whole purity of form following function, or they don’t. I can only speak for myself and the aesthetics of this pen are right smack in my wheelhouse. I think the design is simple, sleek, and drop dead beautiful. 5/5 BUILD QUALITY: I have looked, felt, and tested every centimeter of this pen and I am impressed. The body is perfect and uniform in color. The transition between barrel and piston-knob is practically invisible to see and feel. I am astonished by the fact that I LITERALLY have to hold it under a bright light and angle perfectly in order to even see the transition. The same goes for the transition of barrel to grip section, only more so, as in totally and completely seamless by touch. The clip springs with just the right amount of feedback and flexibility. The cap snaps securely and is removed easily, with just the right amount of effort. Even the “grip clips” or extensions, or whatever you want to call them, are not that big a deal unless you are your grip is high and heavy. I wrote with my fingers on them so I could say I did and wanted to know what it felt like. To me it felt like no big whoop. YMMV. 5/5 SIZE & WEIGHT: It is hard to grade a pen on these qualities given that we are all different and these qualities are inextricably linked to the size of our hands, fingers, grip, etc., so on, ad infinitum. For me, it felt perfect. The material and purchase I was able to achieve was ideal, the pen seemed neither light nor heavy, and perfectly balanced. As a rule, I don’t post. I just don’t. I think pens don’t look as good and usually, and this is just my opinion, become back heavy. I posted this pen so I could write about what it felt like and I HONESTLY plum forgot. Now, it does post deeply and securely, all without much pressure, so that is atypical, in and of itself, IMHO. The pivotal moment for me was when I had pen in hand I no longer wanted to just ogle and or study it, I wanted and NEEDED to ink it up and start writing! I am new to this game and that was a first for me. Full disclosure, I am a modern minimalist at heart, so do with that information what you will. 5/5 ß-- for ME, YMMV PERFORMANCE: Threw caution to the wind, didn’t flush with water or anything else, just filled and put nib to paper. I was rewarded with a nice wet line and consistent flow of ink. I have read about this pen having a small or smaller “sweet spot,” and that was certainly the case for me. The nib, due to being semi-hooded and small to begin with, exacerbates this quality. If you have a tendency to roll your pen, I can see how this might be frustrating for some. Again, a number of variables to consider if you will decide to make this pen worth the trouble and keep it, or a nightmare of annoyance and dump it. I don’t roll my pen and adjusted rather quickly. 4/5 FILLING SYSTEM: Who doesn’t love a lot of ink and being easy to fill, right? I can’t speak about capacity, ease of filling completely, or how difficult and time consuming it is or isn’t. I filled it using only one attempt and the pressure was neither light nor difficult, and gave me the same kind of feedback that when closing a well-designed door. It feels solid and secure, but surprises you by how easy it is to maneuver. The pen is not huge and I am sure the capacity is neither monumental, nor puny. Again, I always seem to come back to a balance of proportion and good design in all things. 4/5 BOTTOM LINE: Okay, lets not beat around the bush here. With an MSRP of $200 and street price of $160, I got mine for $135 on a Cyber-Monday sale from Pen Chalet. At any of the aforementioned prices, this pen is a steal. It is an iconic piece of art that functions superbly. The quick and easy removal of its cap, size and weight, coupled with higher than average ink capacity and what appears to be all but unbreakable (nib aside, of course), I totally get why people use this as their day-to-day, go-to workhorse. I obviously don’t have to worry about paying $200 for this pen, but if I was in a shop and could try it in a variety of nibs and was new and know what I know now, I would pay it and be quite happy. As a matter of fact, this might be the pen you buy multiples of with varying nib sizes for different tasks if you like the design. This pen has stood the test of time and Lamy should be congratulated for not fixing something that isn’t broken, but only addressing ways of making it better. People can say what they want about QC all day long, but in the grand schemata, I have noticed that the people who are most vocal about these kind of issues take these matters personally instead of bad luck or that the world isn’t a perfect place. There, I said it. 4.5/5