Lamy 2000 - Ef Or F Nib?

[HoosierGeek]

I have decided that I am going to get a Lamy 2000, but I'm not sure which nib size to get. I've read blogs, I've looked at the nib nook resource on Goulet... and I still am not sure.

 

Here are the pens I currently use, and my thoughts about the nib sizes.

 

Safari EF - scratchy, but I use it for grading papers, very poor quality paper so the EF works well.

 

TWSBI Eco F - I basically just use it for writing checks.

 

TWSBI Vac Mini, 1.1 Stub and Fine - love both of these nibs, the fine is a bit wider and wetter than the Eco fine

 

TWSBI 580AL F - My favorite pen, the nib seems to write smaller than my Jinhao M pens but wider than my Eco F.

 

 

So medium wet nibs are too much for my smaller handwriting. Most EF nibs are way too scratchy for my liking. I would prefer a smooth, wet writer that is on par with my 580AL Fine nib. I've been reading that the Lamy 2000 nibs tend to write a little broader, so I'm concerned that a fine nib would be too wide for my liking. At the same time, the EF nib looks like a needle and I've read about the tiny sweet spot.

 

Any suggestions?

[Cryptos]

Just recently got a 2000 with extra fine and I like it very much. On cheap paper it will write a little thicker, naturally. I've currently got it inked with Sailor ink and it runs about half as wide again as a Pilot Custom 823 fine using Iroshizuku tsukiyo ink.

 

As far as small sweet spots... well, yes, it is quite small so it will test the consistency of your hand positioning. You could consider a Pilot 912 or 742 with a Posting nib (PO). I have heard they are needles and yet still quite smooth.

 

Wetness of the ink and the flow rate of the nib will affect line width on absorbent paper too, irrespective of the width of your nib.

[Cryptos]

Here are the two pens mentioned (2000 and 823) on Rhodia paper. Squares are 5mm apart. Hope this helps.

 

[bogiesan]

You're not oging to know till you get it. then tell us about it.

My Al Star nibs are huge, even the EF is wider than any other fine I have. \

dunno about the 2000's nib, though, they're different.

[HoosierGeek]

I think I'm going to go with the EF nib. I'll be ordering it at the end of next week so I have a few days to think it over, but based on the fact that I want it for an EDC, and there's a lot of not-so-great paper at work, the EF will probably be the better choice.

 

I'll definitely post my thoughts when I do get the pen!

[Laura N]

I have both, and keeping in mind that every nib has some variance, I recommend the fine. The 2000 extra-fine is excellent, but very dry and with a tiny sweet spot. Mine needs a very wet ink. (A lot of people adjust the 2000 extra-fine nib to try to increase the flow, but that will also broaden the line.) Looking at the pens you use, I think you'd be much happier with the 2000 fine. You are talking about an "every day carry," I believe? That's the 2000 fine.

 

The 2000 fine is is not as dry, and it's easier to use, with a bigger sweet spot. Yet it's still a fine nib -- I've had three over the years, and none ran wide. Use a light touch, as with any fountain pen, and it will write a fine line. If you are having trouble with very bad paper, you can adjust for that with the ink.

[HoosierGeek]

I have both, and keeping in mind that every nib has some variance, I recommend the fine. The 2000 extra-fine is excellent, but very dry and with a tiny sweet spot. Mine needs a very wet ink. (A lot of people adjust the 2000 extra-fine nib to try to increase the flow, but that will also broaden the line.) Looking at the pens you use, I think you'd be much happier with the 2000 fine. You are talking about an "every day carry," I believe? That's the 2000 fine.

 

The 2000 fine is is not as dry, and it's easier to use, with a bigger sweet spot. Yet it's still a fine nib -- I've had three over the years, and none ran wide. Use a light touch, as with any fountain pen, and it will write a fine line. If you are having trouble with very bad paper, you can adjust for that with the ink.

I thought I'd made up my mind, and now I'm not sure again.

 

I've got at least a week before I can order one, so I'll do some more research.

[plumista]

With a Lamy 2000 you simply can´t go wrong, it is the one pen I recommend for any starter who wish a gold nib and a piston filler.

 

Regarding Lamy nib widths, in my experience the EF is quite wide, even wider that many F from other brands, but the good thing is the generous flow it provides (well, good news if you like the wet side!).

 

I have not noticed so far any sweet spot nor heel (Lamy 2000 nibs from EF to BB), but please note that many Lamy EF 14k gold nibs (I do not include here the steel nibs) tend to write the opposite of the stub/italic, I mean, they write a wider horizontal stroke, a thinner vertical stroke, so be prepared for this and ask yourself if you could bear such a writing condition. Some people in fact use those 14K EF´s for arabic or hebrew writing.

 

Enjoy your Lamy!

plumista

[dadbar]

I bought a Lamy 2000 with an extra fine nib and I find it slightly underwhelming. The nib is a bit scratchy and I find that I have to turn the pen to a weird angle to get it in the sweet spot. It's a nice enough pen but I've relegated it to my desk at work with green ink for occasional editing. My Parker 51 and 75 are getting much more pocket time.....both of these are more enjoyable to write with in my opinion.

 

The EF nib writes a lot more broadly than I expected....it seems more like a medium-fine nib to me.

 

If one of my co-workers walks off with my Lamy 2000 FP, I won't be all that upset about it. Ironically, My Lamy 2000 ballpoint in African Blackwood is absolutely fabulous which makes the disappointment in my fountain pen all the more surprising.

Edited December 8, 2016 by dadbar

[Cryptos]

So, I'm guessing that either:

 

1. Nobody actually looked at the writing comparison I gave in post #3, or

2. There is a great deal of variation in the nibs.

 

Yes, it has a small sweet spot. However, that is hardly a fault of the nib, and is why I would recommend a Pilot with a Posting nib for anyone who wants an extra fine nail that writes more or less everywhere.

[invisuu]

So, I'm guessing that either:

 

1. Nobody actually looked at the writing comparison I gave in post #3, or

2. There is a great deal of variation in the nibs.

 

Yes, it has a small sweet spot. However, that is hardly a fault of the nib, and is why I would recommend a Pilot with a Posting nib for anyone who wants an extra fine nail that writes more or less everywhere.

 

I have a lamy 2000 with a EF, F and a M nib. The EF is easily the same, if not broader, as F nib. EF has no sweet spot whatsoever - you can actually rotate it entirely around the pen body axis and it will write under any angle. F nib has a very wide sweet spot. The M nib has a very small sweet spot and writes like a broad. EF is really, really smooth, the F nib is actually "toothier" (not scratchy!) than the EF. The M nib is really like butter on glass - you don't feel it at all.

 

It's quite a lottery with these nibs, but from my experience it's a lottery with every brand. Lamy at least hasn't failed to send me a nib that writes great, which I can't say for nearly any other brand, unfortunately.

Edited December 9, 2016 by invisuu

[PoweredByPorridge]

I have a Lamy 2000 with a medium nib. It is, as Near Mint says, like butter on glass. It's wider than I had expected, but I bought it and have used it extensively since then. I do treat myself to decent paper, so don't experience problems with the ink bleeding.

 

Perhaps* I'll treat myself to a fine nib one day?

 

* Almost certainly!

[PAKMAN]

My 2000 has an xf nib and I find it very much to my liking.

[Calabria]

I think the different views expressed here reflect the fact that the nibs do vary a lot. I got a M, B, F ... until finally finding an EF that pretty much is the perfect nib - medium wet, slight line variation, effortless writing on all papers ... and a bit of feedback to make me enjoy the nib. I use MB blue - it seems the best ink for that pen.

 

This is also the case with Pelikan btw - their EFs run from medium to fine on the M800 line. I've come to like the variation - it speaks of the actual craft involved. Lamy 2000 nibs are also in-house production -

[HoosierGeek]

Well, I guess I've decided. I ordered one with an EF nib this morning. Now I just have to wait for it to arrive! Thanks for all the feedback, and I'll post my thoughts once I've received the pen and spent some time with it.

[Jim7310]

I debated this same issue as I have wanted a 2000 for a while now. As a lefty I am concerned with getting too much ink on the page. I just ordered mine with a F nib - cant't wait to see if I made the right call!

[HoosierGeek]

My Lamy 2000 EF arrived today. Here are my initial thoughts, but keep in mind this is my first gold nib pen, and my best pen before this was a TWSBI 580AL.

 

It looks amazing - so understated but so well made. And it feels even better. It was lighter than I expected, but it does not feel cheap at all. Somehow the Makrolon feels both soft and warm at the same time. I find myself just holding it because I love how it feels. I also love the click it makes when I put the cap on. I had read others say that, and now I understand how satisfying that is.

 

The piston felt a bit sluggish to me, but after an initial cleaning I added a bit of silicon grease, using Brian Goulet's trick (see YouTube). Now it glides up and down the pen, and puts my TWSBIs to shame.

 

The first thing I did, after hearing all the horror stories, was carefully examine the nib using my loupe. It looked perfectly aligned to me. I did buy from Goulet, but I'm not sure if they still check the nibs unless asked. I didn't ask.

 

My major concern was of course, what sized nib to get. I have to say I think I chose correctly with the extra fine. For me, it falls between an extra-fine and a fine, is very smooth and wet, and I haven't had any issues with skipping, hard starts, or finding that infamous sweet spot. I think if I only used decent paper, a fine would have been my preference, but the extra fine is going to be more useful for me.

 

I also love the ink window. It all but disappears when inked, but is obvious when there is no ink in the pen. I currently have it inked with Iroshizuku Take-sumi and it seems to be a good match. I can tell that I'll want to keep darker inks in the pen, because on good paper the line is quite fine. I think my second inking might be Diamine Bilberry.

 

All in all, I love this pen. And I'm glad I waited until I had used many other pens before getting it. This is not a newbie pen. And when I first started getting into fountain pens (only 6 months ago!) I thought the Lamy 2000 was the ugliest pen I had seen. I just had to learn to appreciate it, I guess, because now I find it gorgeous.

[peterb]

i most prefer the EFs of the Lamy 2000, but also have a few bolds, potentially for nibmeistering. the middle of the road nibs are pretty unexciting.

 

custom 823 fine also a great pen. custom heritage 92 not really as great as a lamy 2000.