Lamy 2000S Are Overrated...

[ParkerDuofold]

...Anyway, I asked for a ride to the subway and the mechanic says nah, Ill give you a loaner and tosses me the keys to an 89 LaSabre. Complete with tall side walls, pillow top seats and butter soft suspension it dont think Ive smiled that wide sitting in traffic in a long time. I wish I could have kept it for a few days, but handed it back over at the end of the day. Got into my 09 Taurus and felt like I was driving a go-kart with plastic seats compared to the old Buick.

 

On the flip side, I borrowed my dads Outback for a few weeks and when I got my Taurus back it felt I was driving on a cloud. So.. perspective I guess.

Hi Bemon, et al,

 

Good to see you back.

 

This is why I prefer vintage American luxury.

 

I still have my '98 Lexus LS400... at least for the time being... but my late '80s Lincoln Town Car Cartier is probably the best car I've ever owned... I traded it for the Lexus in '01... and to this day, there are still times I regret not keeping it.

 

 

- Anthony

 

 

EDITED to highlight quote.

Edited February 6, 2018 by ParkerDuofold

[ParkerDuofold]

I miss my Park Avenue!

Hi again,

 

Another great American car lost to the Euro-Asian influences of today.

 

Fortunately, my mom still has hers... an '01... in fact, I was her advisor when she bought it.

 

 

- A.C.

 

 

ETA: Just to keep this on-topic... L2K's are NOT overrated... so there.

Edited February 6, 2018 by ParkerDuofold

[bemon]

Hi again,

 

Another great American car lost to the Euro-Asian influences of today.

 

Fortunately, my mom still has hers... an '01... in fact, I was her advisor when she bought it.

 

 

- A.C.

 

 

ETA: Just to keep this on-topic... L2K's are NOT overrated... so there.

Mine was a 94. Not as comfy as the final gen but had a great feel. I think the next car will be a Regal, but the euro suspension and 2.0t have me concerned.

[AL01]

On those old Buicks you need the pillow like suspension to smooth out the feel of hitting the curb and running over a few side walks. In modern times we like to avoid hitting the curb altogether so they provide performance suspension and steering for better cornering.

 

Lamy 2000 is modern unlike the old Buick.

 

It's like the classic car that never exsisted.

 

It's forever classic and modern at the same time.

 

Analog and digital.

 

It has all the amenities you need...

 

No updates.

 

But yet it's classic.

 

It handles and speeds up better than anything contemporary to it.

 

Daggomit.

 

I wish a car like that would exist.

[MYU]

The OP sure didn't do his homework, and severely overpaid for his 2000 from a very suspicious retailer. If I saw all those defects, I'd have walked away... especially after hearing the price. Open up your smart phone and check Amazon or eBay, and you'd see how it compares. I'd tolerate a 20% markup from a retailer, for great quality service and warranty handling. More than that, and it's throwing money away.

 

I've had my 2000 in black makrolon since around 2009. The fine nib it came with wrote like a fat medium... and I ended up getting it stubbed. But unfortunately, the person left some sharp edging on it, almost like a cursive italic, but they didn't mean to. It turned out to be a botched job that a real nib meister fixed up. Now it writes wonderfully. So easy to clean. Yeah, it's not flashy, as that's the way of the Bauhaus style. Understated to the extreme. All the glory is in using it, not being a bystander.

Edited February 8, 2018 by MYU

[torstar]

to repeat, If you just jumped on at this point, the 2000 is a very good pen, mostly affordable, a unique design and part of my rotation often with pens costing a multiple of the price.

 

My complaint is it can be mistaken for a basic roller ball pen capped and that can lead to madcap adventure indeed.

[Drubbing]

The OP sure didn't do his homework, and severely overpaid for his 2000 from a very suspicious retailer. If I saw all those defects, I'd have walked away... especially after hearing the price. Open up your smart phone and check Amazon or eBay, and you'd see how it compares. I'd tolerate a 20% markup from a retailer, for great quality service and warranty handling. More than that, and it's throwing money away.

 

OP is in Australia. What he paid is not out of the ballpark of prices here. It's the same for any items that US and Eur citizens are buying. We pay double what you're used to. So he didn't get ripped off for price, Although he could have done a bit better. Also, Dymocks are a national bookstore chain, so hardly a back alley operation. But I wouldn't have bought pens in the condition described.

 

For those who don't know, and give advice on buying online, many retailers on Amazon will not ship here, A couple do for this Lamy, but you either go with the nib sizes available or wait for stock. You'll find more on ebay, but it increases your chances of dodgy retailers/fakes.

[praxim]

Remember also the amount is in AUD, not USD, so probably more like US$240 or so. This includes a form of VAT but is free of shipping compared with buying it overseas. It is true one can get them for a decent amount less here by shopping locally on-line, or marginally less than that buying from Europe (add delay and warranty worries). Taking account of Drubbing's points also, the price paid at a B&M is not surprising really, so "severely overpaid" is simply untrue in all the circumstances.

 

edit:expression

Edited February 8, 2018 by praxim

[Intensity]

I think the Makrolon version (not steel) of Lamy 2000 is just dreamy, and if anyone is unhappy with theirs, I'll gladly take it off their hands No but really, it's a super nice pen. Defects happen in any pen, and not all pens are a good match for every pen user--that's why there is a wide variety of shapes, colors, materials, weights, nib sizes and types, etc., etc.

[pajaro]

I like the look of the Lamy 2000, looks like a 1960s Flair fiber tip pen. Simple and unpretentious. The new one doesn't irritate my fingers with the cap retaining bumps of the older pens.

 

.

[torstar]

I like the look of the Lamy 2000, looks like a 1960s Flair fiber tip pen. Simple and unpretentious. The new one doesn't irritate my fingers with the cap retaining bumps of the older pens.

 

.

 

That's the problem, someone else might mistake it for a simpler pen if they are in a bunch.

[Corona688]

Awesome stuff! As I've said before I really like mine, and it gets a fair amount of abuse. The clip is starting to wiggle, but I catch myself playing with it in meetings so it's probably my fault.

I've wondered this before and reading this thread, seeing the damage to pens -

 

Pilot makes three-dollar pens that could double as riot-suppression ammunition and we're expected to believe a $300 plain-finish pen should shatter when dropped? The nib and feed are more fragile by nature, surely, but the case, the lid?

 

What do they make these things out of, high explosives!?

Edited February 13, 2018 by Corona688

[bemon]

I've wondered this before and reading this thread, seeing the damage to pens -

 

Pilot makes three-dollar pens that could double as riot-suppression ammunition and we're expected to believe a $300 plain-finish pen should shatter when dropped? The nib and feed are more fragile by nature, surely, but the case, the lid?

 

What do they make these things out of, high explosives!?

I actually have to go back and edit this. Ive since held a number of L2Ks and they all have a little play at the clip. I guess this is just part of the spring assembly and I didnt notice it when it was new. Or I was treating it too carefully at that point.

 

Now I jab it (capped) at notes do I thought I was treating it rough.

 

This pen is worth the $$$. Far more so than delicate offerings from up market brands.

[MYU]

Just got the stainless steel 2000 mechanical pencil. Wow... terrific presentation. The magnetic closure rubberized finish box with grey flannel interior is wonderfully done. They even include a nice quality black microfiber cloth for cleaning.

 

The pencil is wonderful, better than I was expecting. Very thoughtfully well made. I wasn't going to get the fountain pen because of the weight and lack of ink window, and I didn't want to add another rollerball to my collection.

 

[pajaro]

My Lamy 2000 EF writes the thinnest line of any of my EF nibs. I do not think the pen is overrated. It satisfies what I was looking for -- a fine dry line and no hard starts. Perfect.

[Glenn-SC]

I have a couple of 2000s.

They do what a well designed and engineered pen should; they fill well, start putting out ink as soon as the nib touches the paper and write with a consistent line.

They have good weight and balance and feel robust.

I have more expensive (and some custom made pens) that don't work as well.

 

Their styling is what it is and you get what you saw before you bought it, good and/or bad.

 

IMHO they are not overrated, not underrated either.

[EH86055]

Hmmm, most 12 year-olds I know have experienced grabby peers. Do you go to a serious school?

I don’t know what you mean by “serious” but the people at my school are mostly nice enough.

[minddance]

Pen body and design wise, it is unique. Nib can be a disappointment for some, especially the EF and F nibs.

[torstar]

Just put it back in rotation this month, it's really isn't my favourite pen, the IT people really like it when I showed it at work.

[TonyTripleAAA]

Another perspective on the retailer Dymocks, in Sydney, where my experience has been better than average with them. They do have discounts, and until the end on this month 50% off some brands. I picked up a dialogue 3 and a Visconti Van Gough at that discounted price (okay I ended up with one more pen than I planned but no regrets 😀). My wife went and picked up a Visconti as well - they are just so beautiful but at full price we couldnt have at least in Australias high price market.

 

But the interesting part of the story is that my wife fell in love with a Visconti Rembrandt at first.... yes, 50% off too! She had help selecting it and then the sales assistant noticed a slight flaw with the end ferrule on the cap. They discussed it and said they couldnt sell it to us despite the fact that we said wed pay for it and then get the pen returned to the manufacturer for repair... they quite rightly said they would not like us to experience any disappointment should the pen not get repaired. They were happy to forego the sale rather than create potential dissappointment down the track. My wife ended up happy to buy an even more expensive pen in the end and shes very happy she did! So all good...

 

Similarly, I mentioned a slow start to the first inking of my new Lamy and they said bring it back and they will help... as it turned out it was just the first fill slows, but nice to know.

 

From what I have seen at Dymocks and from my own personal experience, Id take back a pen with cyanoacetate glue on it. To my mind it has had a life outside of the normal before you purchased it.

 

In the mean time, wow, that Dialogue 3 has become my favourite pen. Even surpassing my 1995 Elysse as my day to day... what a nib, what an engineering marvel. I love the looks it gets, surprise and curiosity quickly becomes admiration for the design and the execution. I was so impressed Ive put the 2000 on my want list... tragically they had sold out at the 50% discount at Dymocks!

 

Best,

 

Tony