Calling All Lamy 2000 Skeptics (Current and Former)

[Karmachanic]

7 minutes ago, HartGummi said:

They do not have enough gold in them to justify the price.

 

Today at $69.50 per gram

[HartGummi]

33 minutes ago, Karmachanic said:

 

Today at $69.50 per gram

For each gram of the nib weight the gold costs around $40.

A lamy nib has at best $40 worth of gold in it. The nib costs significantly more.

[Karmachanic]

5 minutes ago, HartGummi said:

For each gram of the nib weight the gold costs around $40.

A lamy nib has at best $40 worth of gold in it. The nib costs significantly more.

 

Every manufactured object costs more than the raw materials, for obvious reasons. Steel nibs cost more than the price of the raw material.

[bayindirh]

 

1 hour ago, HartGummi said:

Lamy has flex?🤨

 

2000's nib, even with its hood, feels softer than many of the steel nibs that I have. It's not soft as Cross old 14K or Sheaffer upturned nibs however, it's softer than steel. Of course, it doesn't have flex per se. But I tried to say softness. Writing fast in a foreign language is not easy sometimes.

 

1 hour ago, HartGummi said:

Marginal utility does diminish.

You may desire a pen badly enough to spend a lot of money on it but that isn't how you should measure utility. I suspect the user who asked the question has similar thoughts as I, else he would not have asked that question.

 

If we're talking about pure utility, you're right.

 

1 hour ago, HartGummi said:

I like the 2000's  nib but there is no point in using gold to manufacture it. Its characteristic comes from the grind which would remain the same even if the nib were made of steel.

 

I actually don't agree about it because the nib is not a nail per se. Cross' modern nibs are literal nails. Lamy's steel nibs can be considered as nails but they have a subtle softness. Lamy's gold nibs (2000 and regular shaped nibs) are softer than steel ones. So gold has an effect on the feel of the pen. It's not the grind only.

 

1 hour ago, HartGummi said:

Sorry, I have developed a habit of calling gold nibs "tiny". It is meant to be tongue in cheek.

They do not have enough gold in them to justify the price.

 

No problem. However, pure gold is not cheap per gram, as others mentioned.

[AL01]

 

 Gold has become expensive and the margins for wholesalers are unknown to me. Like the diamond market, the price of gold is carefully regulated. (Used to be in the jewelry business.)

 

What one gets out of a pen is subjective as one's perception of a pen is much more than the functional purpose a fountain pen serves. For me, it is the design, tolerances, the way the pen feels in my hand, and its "heritage". 

 

 A good portion of what I desire in a pen is irrational, and if it were rational, could easily be met by two Sheaffer No-nonsenses, one with a fine nib and the other with an untipped stub, but I guess I jus' like spendin' money...                                                                                             😁

[Glenn-SC]

29 minutes ago, AL01 said:

A good portion of what I desire in a pen is irrational, and if it were rational, could easily be met by two Sheaffer No-nonsenses, one with a fine nib and the other with an untipped stub, but I guess I jus' like spendin' money...    

 

Exactly, anything beyond a BiC Stic and a #2 pencil is frippery.

[AL01]

 

 You're not wrong!

 

 I still remember the utter disbelief when a peer realized that I spent more than $5.00 for a pen...

[Al-fresco]

I don't think the 2K is expensive compared to the competition. I paid about £120 for my Makrolon version last year.  For a piston filler with gold nib that seems pretty reasonable to me - I paid about the same for a Faber-Castell e-motion. (Steel nib, cartridge converter.)  Both are nice pens but the Lamy 2K is, I think, much better value.  

My 2K didn't suffer from any of the problems that have been mentioned - no noticeable 'sweet spot' for example. A good, reliable writer, nice design, build and weight.  The only niggle for me are the 'ears' - they fall under my thumb and forefinger when I'm writing and while I can't say they're worse than, say, the threads on a Pelikan M600 I do find them noticeable and ever so slightly irritating.  Doesn't stop it being one of my top 3 pens though.

[es9]

9 hours ago, AL01 said:

 A good portion of what I desire in a pen is irrational, and if it were rational, could easily be met by two Sheaffer No-nonsenses, one with a fine nib and the other with an untipped stub, but I guess I jus' like spendin' money...                                                                                             😁

 

+10.  For me it would be an Esterbrook J with a couple nibs.  

[AL01]

 

 An Esterbrook would be much better.

 

 Or an Eversharp Skyline...

 

 Maybe a Cross Townsend...

 

 Ah the fun of collecting...

 

[N1003U]

19 hours ago, AL01 said:

 

 You're not wrong!

 

 I still remember the utter disbelief when a peer realized that I spent more than $5.00 for a pen...

 

Then I suppose that person would really flip out if you actually told her or him how much you spend on pens overall... 😛

 

[bayindirh]

2 minutes ago, N1003U said:

 

Then I suppose that person would really flip out if you actually told her or him how much you spend on pens overall... 😛

 

 

My colleagues roll their eyes quite heavily when they find out that I use fountain pens (almost exclusively).

[AL01]

3 hours ago, N1003U said:

 

Then I suppose that person would really flip out if you actually told her or him how much you spend on pens overall... 😛

 

 

 They already know I'm crazy!

 

 😁

 

3 hours ago, bayindirh said:

 

My colleagues roll their eyes quite heavily when they find out that I use fountain pens (almost exclusively).

 

 

 Most people these days exclusively spend their hard-earned money on a phone or other tech; we just spend our money on things that will outlive us!

[Checklist]

For me, it makes a great response when I'm accused of being cheap: "I use $100 pens!"

[Checklist]

On 1/3/2021 at 4:11 PM, AL01 said:

 Do let us know how everything goes. 

 

I pulled the trigger this week, and my 2000 in fine showed up yesterday from Goulet.  I've written about two and a half pages (front and back) so far, and I love this pen!  Based on my limited experience, the line width problem appears to have been solved; the line is similar in width to the Lamy steel fine I've used for years, just wetter.  Looks great, and very well made.  (In case anyone else is wondering, the disappearing piston knob seam is real.  I still can't see it knowing where it is.)  Absolutely no regrets in buying this pen; thanks to everyone for your advice!

[Al-fresco]

5 hours ago, Checklist said:

 

I pulled the trigger this week, and my 2000 in fine showed up yesterday from Goulet.  I've written about two and a half pages (front and back) so far, and I love this pen!  Based on my limited experience, the line width problem appears to have been solved; the line is similar in width to the Lamy steel fine I've used for years, just wetter.  Looks great, and very well made.  (In case anyone else is wondering, the disappearing piston knob seam is real.  I still can't see it knowing where it is.)  Absolutely no regrets in buying this pen; thanks to everyone for your advice!

Congratulations!  The very thing that makes the Lamy 2000 stand out, it’s design, is always going to divide opinion.  The only thing you can do is try it and see if it works for you.  And if it does then you’ve found a thing of beauty that’s a joy to use.  (Meanwhile those ‘ears’ continue to irritate me!)

[AL01]

On 4/24/2021 at 8:05 PM, Checklist said:

 

I pulled the trigger this week, and my 2000 in fine showed up yesterday from Goulet.  I've written about two and a half pages (front and back) so far, and I love this pen!  Based on my limited experience, the line width problem appears to have been solved; the line is similar in width to the Lamy steel fine I've used for years, just wetter.  Looks great, and very well made.  (In case anyone else is wondering, the disappearing piston knob seam is real.  I still can't see it knowing where it is.)  Absolutely no regrets in buying this pen; thanks to everyone for your advice!

 

 I'm happy you like it.

 

 It's a fine piece of engineering.

 

 It will last you forever...

 

 Enjoy!

[Temenos]

Skeptic because a lot of the pen's appeal comes from marketing whether that's from Lamy's marketing department or from word of mouth like in this forum.

[gyasko]

1 hour ago, Modus Ponens said:

Skeptic because a lot of the pen's appeal comes from marketing whether that's from Lamy's marketing department or from word of mouth like in this forum.

 

 

So totally unlike MBs, or Parkers, Pelikans or Sailors or whatever.  

[Glenn-SC]

1 hour ago, Modus Ponens said:

Skeptic because a lot of the pen's appeal comes from marketing whether that's from Lamy's marketing department or from word of mouth like in this forum.

I am confused.

 

What other sources for something to "appeal" are there; excepting one's personal experiences? Now granted, IMHO one's personal experience is the only thing that should matter to you, how something works or doesn't for you and/or what appeals or doesn't to you.

But unless you see/read about a product from some form of marketing or see/read about a product from some form of forum (like FPN) how would you even know to look at/try the product to see if it appeals to you?

 

Are you saying that the 2000 is only "appealing" because Lamy advertises that it is appealing and only appealing because people on the FPN say that it is appealing?