Lamy 2000 F Nib - Confused

[mitchjg]

Today, I received a new Lamy 2000 in the mail. I have read, here at FPN, in numerous posting that the nibs run wide. Many here have even said that the EF is like an M.

 

So, with a target of a writer that writes like a medium, perhaps / hopefully on the fine side of medium, I ordered an F.

 

Much to my suprise: it is writing like an F!

I have compared it to my Parker 51, the lines are almost identical. In comparing to two other pens, both M, it is clear that it is writing like an F.

 

So, did they inadvertantly ship an EF? Nope. The box said F. I took the nib/filler out of the section (thanks for the instructions FPNers - it was easy) to check the nib itself. Yep, it's an F.

 

So, now what?

 

Coincidentally, I received another pen today and they accidentally shipped me a Lamy 2000 M instead of the pen I really wanted (Pilot VP replacing my lost one - another tale). They are already reshipping the correct order. But, here I sit with both.

 

Choices:

 

1 Send the M back, use the F and move on.

2 Send the M back, use the F for awhile. If it becomes annoying, order an F section from Lamy and take a small loss ($40?) by ending up with two.

3 Keep the M and use both for awhile. Decide on what is best. Sell the other here on FPN and take a small loss ($20?) on the sold pen.

4. Keep them both

 

I think I am going to take choice 3 but would like your feedback and am planning on sleeping on it.

 

Reccomendations?

 

Any comments on the "problem" - the F writes like an F?

 

 

[QuantumMisa]

Going with choice 3 buys you time to decide between 3 and 4. Maybe you'll find out you want to keep different nib sizes for different purposes...or even have one customized into something else?

 

As for the whole system of using B-M-F to describe a nib size, I find that it's subjective and depends on the speaker's frame of reference. Generally, the Western brands are known to run wider than Asian ones, but if the speaker doesn't specify which scale he's using, it can be hard to get a clear idea of how the writing will look.

 

This has taught me to take the B-M-F labels with a huge grain of salt and instead look for millimeter measurements of the written line. Yes, the width will vary with different inks or papers, but it will tell us what's feasible with common materials.

 

With a preference for fine or very fine nibs, I have had a parallel experience to yours: people would say how a nib is a solid F size, I would buy it, and disappointment would ensue when I discovered it writes like an M.

Edited May 15, 2009 by QuantumMisa

[piembi]

Choice #3 would be best IMO.

It gives you the time to decide which pen works best for you AND it has the advantage that you use the M nib in question instead of ordering an untested M nib in case you are not happy with the F nib (#2) .....

 

Preferring M and B nibs I could not understand the complaints about the L2K nibs. My M nibs are pretty much what I am expecting of a M nib.

 

 

[mitchjg]

QuantumMisa and piembi: Good feedback, thank you. It is fairly clear that there is a combination of subjectivity, etc. in assessing this stuff and the manufacturers vary.

 

I am going to mess with the pen for a couple of hours but I am guessing your advice is the path I will follow. The fact that there is an un-inked M sitting in my briefcase is all too tempting when I am wanting to do a "compare and contrast."

 

On the customization comment, that was actually a rationalization I was pondering. As I mentioned, I think I really prefer something closer to M or M/F. So, one way to go is to spend more $ and pay to grind the M to an M/F. Or get really silly and make a stub or cursive italic.

 

These things hold there value so, as long as I treat them nicely, I guess I can recover most of my money when/if I decide what to keep and what to reject.

 

BTW: I am finding that I get interesting line variation in terms of dark / light with the ink. I think it is because the nib has a slight amount of flex to it. A little distracting while writing but the color variation looks kind of nice. Is that typical for a Lamy 2000?

 

- Mitch

[chravagni]

it is pretty much random... I've got an F who writes like an M!

I love the lamy 2k, but sometimes these variations are confusing.

 

chiara

[Pelifan]

Same thing happened to me when I ordered my Lamy 2000. After all the talk on their nibs running wide I ordered an F, exepecting it to be the M I wanted. And just like yours, it writes like an F. I'm convinced it boils down to the pressure applied when writing. The nib is very flexible, harder pressure gives a wider line. I write very lightly and get a fine line.

 

Having said that, I must say that I am anyway very pleased with the pen after a year of use. The line's a bit thinner than I wanted, but to a certain extent that's compensated by it being a rather wet writer. So despite my initial disappointment I'm very happy with it now, it's certainly the best pen I've tried.

[zedcorrado]

Option #5, send it to me and forget the whole thing happened...

[mitchjg]

Option #5, send it to me and forget the whole thing happened...

 

 

Love it! It would certainly take me out of this obsessive compulsive mode (well, maybe not. Hmmm. I wonder. Myabe I should send one to you. Which one?, etc.)

 

I made a deal with the seller and got a bit off, instead of sending it back. Good psychological security (and a bit of real money!). So, I will keep both the F and the M for now, and bust out the M and ink it.

 

I could probably set up a poll:

 

Will I keep both

Sell both

Keep the M

Keep the F

Send them both to zedcorrado

 

- Mitch

[flea]

My VP F nib is very close to my Al-Star F. Very slightly thinner. I can make them even closer by exerting a tad more pressure on the VP. They don't share the same ink however and this is also a factor (Galileo Manuscript Brown-VP and J Herbin Orange Indien-Al-Star)

[Juan in Andalucia]

I have 3 Lamy 2000s with F nibs and they write like Fs (with some small differences among them), and then I also have another Lamy 2000 with an EF and there's just a slight difference with the Fs.

 

4 times lucky? dunno

 

Juan

 

 

 

[rroossinck]

Option #5, send it to me and forget the whole thing happened...

 

Best. Response. Ever.

 

(If it's VW-related, that's one of the best usernames ever, too.)

 

2000s have really weird sizing, as far as I'm concerned. Over the past three years, I've owned four of them.

 

1. (F) - Brand new. Wrote like a fat fine, and was just a little bit on the stingy side on flow.

2. (XXF) - Custom ground (by necessity; it took a nose-dive onto the previous owner's concrete floor) and tweaked; flow was perfect, but the line was a little weird until you got the hang of the sweet spot. (Coincidentally, I still own this one and it's being ground further to a tipless XF stub; after resurrection, there was next to no tipping left on it, so I decided to go whole-hog and scrap what was left of it altogether and turn it into a true-r XF stub. Can't wait to get it back!)

3. (XF) - True XF, and it was awesome. Sadly, I only had possession of it for about two or three days before a friend of mine here in town came to claim it. Nib was perfect in width and smoothness, and the flow was just a little dry...perfect for what I'd use daily.

4. (XF) - Got this one here on FPN not too long ago because it had a W. Germany-stamped cap, and it was a cool piece of history. The "XF" nib was about as close to a Richard Binder 0.6mm stub as I've EVER seen. Not even slightly XF, and it apparently came that way from the factory, or so I'm told. Flow was a little stingy until I tweaked it a little bit. Nib has been tweaked a little for smoothness and flow, too. It's now a nearly-perfect stub!

 

They can, and do, run a little weird from time to time. Nice nibs, though, for the most part.

[dogpoet]

They've obviously sent you a VF by mistake. Send them the pen back and demand a refund and an apology.