Lamy 2000 Vs. Faber-Castell Ambition (Pearwood)

[todayilearned]

Thinking about purchasing my next FP. I'm seriously torn in the middle between the 2 so I'd like some advice.

 

Lamy 2000

 

vs

 

Faber-Castell Ambition in Pearwood?

 

I have no general requirements when picking. I just want to try something new.

[de_pen_dent]

I've had 2 Lamy 2000s - both have needed to be sent to Pendleton for fixing. I own 3 Faber Castells - 2 were superb right out of the box, 1 required some tweaking to get right but is fantastic now.

 

I just ordered the Ambition in Coco from The Writing Desk, actually. Should arrive in a couple of weeks.

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

Out of the box, Faber-Castell pens come very nice. Lamy 2000 pens though, once tuned correctly are excellent. My vote is for the 2000 since I think that it would be more satisfying. It is a piston filler with a very nice design. If you want it tuned, you can have them ship it to me, and I will tune it for you and lube the piston if needed (they sometimes come sticky) at a very low cost if any since the pen is brand new and I don't need to do any extensive assessment of the pen. If you get one, I'd like you to enjoy it. It's an excellent pen. Tuning new pens takes a little less time because I have an idea how the pen come from the factory. This reduces work time by a lot.

 

Dillon

[todayilearned]

I just noticed the Lamy has a 14k nib while the F-C has steel.

 

The Lamy 2000 is a timeless design but I've always wanted a wood pen...

 

Here is a review:

http://gemoni.tistory.com/1996

[51ISH]

I just noticed the Lamy has a 14k nib while the F-C has steel.

 

The Lamy 2000 is a timeless design but I've always wanted a wood pen...

 

Here is a review:

http://gemoni.tistory.com/1996

 

 

Hi

 

To me, these are 2 very different pens....you are correct the L2k is a gold nib...and mine is very smooth...and was good OTB...

 

However, there is no denying FC quality, I have the same nib on a FC Basic and it too was good OTB....

 

I think neither pen will be a disappointment to you (unless you really want a gold nib )

 

Incidentally, at UK RRP the Lamy is double the price of the Ambition

[jar]

There are also the GvFC Guilloché and Classic to consider.

[todayilearned]

There are also the GvFC Guilloché and Classic to consider.

 

Trying to keep this one ~$100.

[ozsu]

I wonder if it is possible to fit a gold nib to the Ambition. I know FB doesn't make gold nibs for Ambition, but I wonder if there are FB gold nibs that might fit.

[Pennata Penna]

If you really want a wood pen then I suggest you stretch a bit for a Pilot Custom Maple/Kaede.

[Ecriveur]

In my opinion, if you're considering only looks, the Faber-Castell wins easily but looks are subjective and some people are going to prefer the look of the Lamy 2000.

 

I like having a removable converter so if that's your preference as well, then the F-C wins.

 

I'd suggest going into a good fountain pen store and trying both of them. There's really no substitute for actually holding and using a pen.

[humsin]

The Faber-Castell feels a bit cheap imo...

[TLab3000]

I'd suggest going into a good fountain pen store and trying both of them. There's really no substitute for actually holding and using a pen.

Totally agree with that!

 

I resently went to a store and tested the Lamy 2000 not because I like it, but because some people switched from a Pilot Vanishing Point (the pen I want) to a Lamy 2000. Anyway, I didn't like it. The vendor then made me test some more fountain pens, among them a Faber-Castell Ambition in pearwood I would have never picked myself. I liked the pen instantly. Only the price confused me - how could such a cheap pen compete with a Lamy 2000 or a Pilot VP? Well, I don't know*, but I think it can.

 

Just try them. If you're lucky, you'll get the same feeling of "I will never be able to write comfortably with this pen" with the Lamy 2000 and you'll take your decision within 5 seconds.

 

*That's a bit of a lie. Obviously, things like a piston filling mechanism and gold nibs make pens more expensive than the FC Ambition. But that's more about preferences than about quality.

[DaDude]

I own both a Lamy 2000 and a Faber Castell Ambition in Stainless Steel. And I have to say that both pens are completly different in Design and Handling. But the Faber Castell is a great pen for the money and the FB steel nibs are really smooth, very close to the gold nib of the Lamy 2000.

 

If you go after the design, I like the Lamy more, if you go for most "bang for the buck", get the Faber Castell. I've had the FC for 5 years and never had a problem. The catridge converter is quite handy as well.

[Joker4Eva]

I don't actually know, but I'd pick the Lamy over the Faber Castell. Faber Castells have almost always the same cap, and I cannot "unsee" that, as I don't like the design of the cap. Isn't slick at all, but quite the opposite.

[YGingras]

I have an Ambition and a Lamy Studio, which is pretty close to the 2000 in terms of look but I can't tell about the balance. Between the Ambition and the Studio, the Ambition has the best balance. The weighted cap allows you to changed the writing experience on demand and the wood body gives you a very nice grip it also comes with a life warranty. Don't kid yourself, you know you'll get both eventually. I love them both but I find the design of the Ambition more unique and this is the one that I would get first.

[NedC]

You can't go wrong with either but the 200 is a classic of Mid-Century Modern design and a great pen and a very good value.

[steb]

Look at it not so much as which one will I get, but in what order will I get them :-) lamy 2000 is a classic so I would start there, but my wife loves the wood of the Faber castell.

[goby]

I don't have a lamy 2k, but I do have an ambition in brushed steel, medium nib. It is the wettest writer I have, leaves rivers of perfectly formed ink. It's also the pen I go to if my hand starts to feel stiff, it's quite comfortable to write with. In the store I was dipping it and a GvFC with a gold nib (at three times the price) and I much preferred the Ambition nib. It's so wet and smooth that I don't mind the steel nib in the least. Now that I know how incredibly comfortable it is to write with I plan to go get another ambition in a fine nib, either the pearwood or the coconut. I like how the pearwood looks, but the coconut feels a lot better in my hand, much more like a smooth satin than the more coarse texture of the pearwood.

[max dog]

The 2000 because of the smooth more responsive nib. For me the ergonomics of both are a little awkward.

[UK Mike]

I wanted to love the Lamy 2000 but I didn't.

 

I didn't think I would like the F-C Ambition - but I LOVE it! (Medium nib)

 

Another way to see it is that the Lamy 2000 is the top of a budget range, whereas the Faber Castell is close to the budget end of an extremely prestigious brand.

 

In the end I sold the Lamy and bought a more expensive Graf von Faber Castell to complement the Ambition.