Nib-Upgrade-Considerations: Z56 Anyone?

[Anderglan]

Being a father of a quiver full, I'm accustomed to several re- and upcycling, erm, cycles. Particularly nib-swapping is something that I do almost weekly, thanks to the fact that my children are powerfuld arrows

(No, don't call them spoiled brats... please!)

So, having plenty "pre-owned" LAMY FPs in my household, I'm now considering re-using some of my school-kids' FPs, but in an upgraded version.

 

Is anyone here prepared to share their experiences how the Z56 nibs do behave on a, say, LAMY AL-star, or LAMY nexx, or LAMY safari?

 

Thank you

[austollie]

Hi Anderglan,

 

I upgraded my Lamy Linea with a gold nib and it's now even better to write with. That said, the Lamy gold nibs are not particularly flexible. The reason that I think that the Lamy gold nib is such a joy to write with is that the quality control is so much better, i.e. tines perfectly aligned. With the standard Lamy nibs, some are definitely better than others.

 

So, is the upgrade worth it? It depends. The writing experience is not hugely improved (or even massively different, given the relatively, by gold nib standards, modest flex), but it's sufficiently better to make it special to write with. I certainly don't regret my purchase, albeit that I won't upgrade all my Safaris and Al-Stars with these.

 

Cheers, Ollie

[ljz]

Lamy’s gold nib certainly writes better than their steel nib, although this might not apply to Pelikan.

 

I’ve the Lamy imporium lx and I can’t say if the 14k gold nib is flexible but it’s certainly soft and nice to write with.

Edited March 1, 2020 by ljz

[bogiesan]

When I visited the Lamy shop in San Francisco, I spent several minutes patiently test driving the available pens and nibs (including all of those stupidly expensive bits I would never consider buying). I tried and I tried to FEEL IT but I could detect nothing to recommend spending huge money on Lamy's top of the line nibs.

 

Sales staff tried to tell me the black nibs are "smoother" but, nope. Nope. They're all the same!

 

I was accompanied by a non-user who quickly figured out how to use the available selection of tester fountain pens. He's an engineer, no slouch when it comes to appreciating superb instrumentation. He could discern no significant changes in the writing experience between the steel nib on the Safari, the gold nibs on the Studio and 2000, and the black/gold two-tone installed on the Imporium. He had the most fun with the 1.9mm super broad, laying down deliciously wet lines that shaded beautifully on the test paper.

 

I have some LX units and I like how the z52 black nibs look so I've swapped them out to some other AlStars. I also have a couple of z53 Aions with the rounded shoulders. They all write the same.

 

I went into the store fully prepared to spend $100 or more on a 585 two-tone gold/steel nib for my rose gold LX but the test drive quickly put that idea to rest. We agreed the reason one upgrades Lamy nibs is style, not necessarily the writing experience. The z57 makes a bold fashion statement but only to other Lamy users; no one else is going to know you spent the money.

[LyaT]

I have the black and gold 14k EF nib on a Safari. The nib upgrade is totally worth it. The EF nib writes with a fun toothy feel, not scratchy. It writes soft and wet. Really nice.

 

However, the feed does not keep up with the ink flow. In a long session of writing, the ink becomes lighter and lighter. I use the pen for quick note taking only.

[Violet.Ink]

Yesterday I inked for the first time the only Lamy I have, a Studio Palladium with OB gold nib. It wrote beautifully, it was very smooth, soft, and bouncy. Unfortunately, it fell and the nib bent downwards and offset a bit from the feed. : ( Now it looks just like an eagle beak. Surprisingly, it still writes if held a bit twisted; but bended it is super stiff. The shop where I bought it from got these pens on special this week for a price close to the price of a nib alone. Since I liked the nib so much, I decided to buy the Piano Black with an OM (the OB was great but too broad for my normal writing). I hope its as good as the previous one. I cant compare the nib to a Lamy steel one, but the nib I got felt significantly different than other steel and gold nibs I have. Also, it is the only oblique I have had, which probably accounts for part of that difference, in addition to its unexpected softness/ bounciness. Its only a sample of one and I couldnt use it much; based on the limited experience and if you have the budget, I would recommend it. I wouldnt put it on a Safari as it would seem overdressed to me (pen overdressed, nib underdressed), but I would put it on upgraded models.

Edited March 2, 2020 by Violet-Ink

[Anderglan]

Thank you all for your input!

 

I really enjoy reading your thoughtful comments

As some of you have pointed out it's indeed a bit awkward and outlandish to put an expensive nib on a budget pen.

 

 

 

 

OTOH, when I re-use my children's old pens -- that may even have scratched barrels or filing marks or whatever --, no one will expect that it's having a gold nib:

E.g., when I travel by train I can leave my possessions at my seat when I get up for stroll, I shan't distress myself that something got stolen while I was washing my hands

 

Oh, and especially my grabby kids will leave them alone -- it's just their old pens!

 

... And, at an irresistibly low price that the seller demands, there cannot go much wrong.

[SpecTP]

I bought a few of the Z56 spares. I find them to be more springy than the steel counterparts.