Lamy 2000 Anniversary?

[pepsiplease69]

I've taken my L2K's out of daily rotation as punishment.

[A1979]

I've taken my L2K's out of daily rotation as punishment.

:)

[prashant.tikekar]

I've taken my L2K's out of daily rotation as punishment.

Punishment to whom?

[pepsiplease69]

Punishment to whom?

Just punishment..

 

Punishment to all involved.

 

Punishment to the "timeless design", most of all.

[Tedium42]

IMG_20150308_103313.jpg only one was ever made

Holy cow that's a gorgeous pen! I hope I'd never pay 30,000 for a pen, but that red 2000 is making me doubt my self-control.

[Calabria]

Holy cow that's a gorgeous pen! I hope I'd never pay 30,000 for a pen, but that red 2000 is making me doubt my self-control.

I think three were made. I love that pen. Eventually, Lamy will of course play with the colors of the Makrolon version, I'm sure. And if it's not neon lime frappuccino green, I may be tempted.

[Pointyscratchy]

I'm sure Lamy must read this; given we're a nerdy bunch but where better to get informed feedback.To be frank Lamy have made a complete pigs ear of this.I'm sure they have some good people and they would insist they have valid reasoning to how they have left us so mightily disappointed.

I suppose what they would say in essence is that they have a huge and hugely successful business that supplies quality pens at reasonable prices.For example German school kids are a big market.So i suppose pandering to a few pen fetishists is not a core mission.Also this 50th 2k lamy will hit all financial targets anyway.This company does not consider itself Mont Blanc, and doesn't want to be considered as such either.

 

I think they are wrong.There is a huge market for boutique versions of the 2k.The company is hugely short sighted in this- sack the lot of them.

[Tas]

Just punishment..

 

Punishment to all involved.

 

Punishment to the "timeless design", most of all.

 

[Hayseed Brown]

This thread is quite odd. There is such an outcry for what a terrible job Lamy did on this anniversary pen, but it is likely that no one commenting has seen this pen in person. If Lamy sells all of these pens at listed MSRP, will most still consider this a failure or misstep? It sounds like everyone just wants another Makrolon pen with a slightly different feature. If that's the case, just get a standard Lamy 2000. What difference does it make if there is an "L" on it somewhere? Just odd.

[praxim]

Actually a fair few people liked the pen, with the price a turn-off, so I am not sure the remaining generalisations stack up.

[a m a r g o]

This thread is quite odd. There is such an outcry for what a terrible job Lamy did on this anniversary pen, but it is likely that no one commenting has seen this pen in person. If Lamy sells all of these pens at listed MSRP, will most still consider this a failure or misstep? It sounds like everyone just wants another Makrolon pen with a slightly different feature. If that's the case, just get a standard Lamy 2000. What difference does it make if there is an "L" on it somewhere? Just odd.

 

It's called a facsimile version and I think everyone thinks that would have been a better option than just coating their Lamy Stainless Steel version in some weird named paint color. An almost exact reproduction, because the new section should stay, of the 1966 Lamy 2000 with a special booklet or packaging that tells how the pen become to be... That would have been a proper recognition to an iconic design.

 

I'm pretty sure that everyone who got excited about the anniversary pen already have one or more Lamy 2000. I do not see someone buying the anniversary pen as their first purchase in the fountain pen world, it is a niche product directed to a specific group of people that know the story behind the pen.

[Hayseed Brown]

 

It's called a facsimile version and I think everyone thinks that would have been a better option than just coating their Lamy Stainless Steel version in some weird named paint color. An almost exact reproduction, because the new section should stay, of the 1966 Lamy 2000 with a special booklet or packaging that tells how the pen become to be... That would have been a proper recognition to an iconic design.

 

I'm pretty sure that everyone who got excited about the anniversary pen already have one or more Lamy 2000. I do not see someone buying the anniversary pen as their first purchase in the fountain pen world, it is a niche product directed to a specific group of people that know the story behind the pen.

 

The problem is that the current Lamy 2000 is almost an exact reproduction of the original with proper recognition to the iconic design. So they would be coming out with the same pen. So basically you just want them to come out with a booklet for the anniversary?

 

In all fairness, I'm not going to spend nearly $600 on this pen. But maybe some will. I honestly do not know. Something like an 18k red gold nib would've been nice or something, but we'll wait and see how this one sells.

[Pointyscratchy]

Can i just agree with the last poster and disagree with 'the odd thread' poster.

 

Yes the new pen will be a financial success, and to a degree follows baccus precepts (simplicity).

I don't understand how lamy make this their 50th, they are older than that.They were re invigorated by the 2k design 50yrs ago that's the extent of the connection.It was a huge risk.They paid the modern products designer bonkers money.I'm sure lamy snr thought his son might have gotten this wrong.It paid off.The stainless steel version came later (and yes like a lot of other people i have both versions).So really we are actually talking about the makralon version alone that should be celebrated, and we are certainly not talking about the whole product range.I don't see why us brits can't have a union jack version, and our cousins a stars and stripes.As was pointed out in an earlier thread L (as in lamy) actually means fifty- they didn't need to write 50.Price is not an issue, lack of imagination is.

[Pointyscratchy]

Just wondering is there such a thing as an after market? If Lamy haven't got the brains to make the most of their own product/'s is there a company around that could say take the standard black Makralon version and customise it or give it a paint job?

Is this even possible? But when you think about it the value of a customised version- given that the red one sold for thousands- would be huge.So £100-£150 (and whatever that is in dollars) wouldn't be such a big deal.- still cheaper than a 149, an exclusive one off, and whatever you came up with better than Lamy's accountants version.

[Mon34480]

Price is not an issue, lack of imagination is.

 

To be fair there are very few pen companies who will try to revolutionize or create something which is bold/new, most right now are comfortable selling innovations from the previous generation because there is no need to improve. As it is right now there is no incentive why would they spend a lot of money trying to update the design when the one right now still sells just as well?

 

Taking the vanishing point for example, it began as a twist system in the early 1960s then the knock system in the late 1960s (push half way down to expose nib, push fully down to retract nib) then was improved every few years (knocking, click and even slide mechanism) until mid 1990s they settled on the current design and since then there has been next to no updates. Their design had already been established, it works, sells and there were next to no complications.

 

To be fair you never know they might already have multiple generations of lamy 2k planned and will be announced when the sales of the current one starts to dwindle in a sense it's just maximizing profits improvements will be made when there is a need.

 

 

Just wondering is there such a thing as an after market? If Lamy haven't got the brains to make the most of their own product/'s is there a company around that could say take the standard black Makralon version and customise it or give it a paint job?

 

There are many companies who already do that for example colorware, the difficult thing about these is that the market for such things are so niche that it isnt really worth them updating the machinery...etc to produce which is probably why the 2k only has the 2 options.

 

The red customized lamy was sold for such a price because it was legitimately one of a kind, you can probably get the exact same finish for less than a fraction of the price but it wont be the one of a kind red lamy made specifically for the event so hardly fair to compare it to just any run of the mill customized lamy.

[RMN]

Lamy is much older than 50 yrs.

They are celebrating 50 yrs L2000 and in that 50 yrs Top Design in write ware

 

 

After Market? Well, as already said, that would be probably a niche market. And it could be dangerous, some brands do not take kindly to such practices. Another German brand reportedly is coming down in force on companies doing that for profit..They claim infringement of their design.

 

As has been said: Lamy is celebrating 50 yrs of almost no change to the L2000. So they won't celebrate that with a hugely different design. Coatings seem the thing right now, so they have a new coating on their metal version to celebrate. You like it or you dont. It's a matter of taste. De gustibus non est diputandum.

 

If you like it, you decide if the bling is worth it to pay the price. Many people are willing to pay much more for a special edition by other big brands. Others will say, thanks but no thanks. Lamy will eventually sell their anniversary edition, no doubt. Their Marketing section will have looked into that.

 

 

D.ick

[Cryptos]

History has shown that the Lamy 2000 design was a perfect example of its creation ethos. To change its design or material elements would be to remove that significance and thus diminish the product.

 

Lamy have got it right. By not deviating too far from the original they have retained its icon status.

 

Lamy have not missed the boat. It is the customers who have not understood the concept.

[rafapa]

I don't get why Lamy choose as base model a model from 2012 to celebrate the 50th anniversary.

[MediaVita]

I think we all agree that for the anniversary, they wouldn't make a significant change. And I think it's not necessary as the pen itself is perfect in its makrolon version.

That said, the options I see are two:

1. As many have said above, a different colour or colours is something many of us expected. Not too risky, not too safe... But it would have kept the price.

2. I think this could have been the best option. A change in the materials used. Visconti has been doing that with their Homo Sapiens with great results. At the price range of the new limited edition of the Lamy 2000, I expected a big change in materials, and not a coating in their stainless steel edition. I do t know much about materials, but for sure they could have made something more interesting. For example, a demo version would mean more than a coating.

[Cryptos]

That kind of misses the point about the design. To change the material and keep within the original design ethos, the material would have to be something specific to our age and still reflect the Bauhaus minimalism.

 

By contrast, Visconti's HS line says nothing, adheres to no obvious design ethos other than 'hey, we can try this material' (at least so it seems to me).