Lamy Ideos Palladium Fountain Pen

[maclink]

This is my first fountain pen review but felt inclined to do it since I found this pen interesting.  I've always been a fan of Lamy pens, my favourite being the Lamy 2000.  I have therefore tried and owned most of their offered models, the Studio being a notable exception.  I came across a thread on the recently released Lamy ideos and decided to give it a go.  On first glance, it looks like a CP-1, but I think that it to be a different design on many levels.  Let's dive in:

 

Packaging

I'll not say much about the packaging since I don't care a lot about it.  Albeit, I can say that it's modestly packaged in a plain rectangular box and that it comes with a blue ink cartridge.  It does NOT come with a converter.  I had to purchase one separately.  I got mine through Pen Heaven, a UK reseller, for £115.  I would expect a pen at this price point to come with a converter, but alas, it did not.

 

General appearance:

 

 

On looking at the pen in the picture you think CP-1, but it's actually considerably larger.  It has that general bauhaus shape as the CP-1 but it's considerably longer and thicker.  Here is a size comparison with other Lamy pens going from left to right, the cp-1, ideos, accent and aion.

 

One big difference between the ideos and these other pens is the teardrop shape of the profile all along its length.  This can be best appreciated on this pic of the finial, as well as a head on view of the nib and section.

 

 

This 'tear drop' contour extends throughout the barrels length and into the section.    The head-on view of the nib and section gives the illusion of a gap between section and barrel, but this isn't really the case but just reflections off the shiny section.  This profile view better illustrates the shape of the section:

 

 

This offers an interestingly comfortable, Safari-like grip for the pen.  One that I definitely like.  The pen will not have a tendency to rotate in your hand and I think this may well create polarising experiences in that you either love it or find it a showstopper.  Interestingly, I found the shiny section to be much less slippery than the matte finish of the barrel and cap.  I had no issue writing with the pen.  I much prefer the nib's size, shape and proportion when fitted to this pen vs the aion.

 

The clip is hinged and spring loaded as is typical for Lamy pens and it works well.  However, the edges of the clip are quite sharp and the shiny surface a fingerprint magnet.  I also don't know how the clip, being reconciled with the tear drop profile of the barrel, comes off.  I'm ambivalent about it, neither liking or disliking the effect. 

 

It's a slip cap pen and snaps into place securely.  I do not expect this pen to dry out easily, but only time will tell.  However, from my experience with this type of slip cap, I'm confident.

 

Filling mechanism:

It uses Lamy proprietary cartridges of any size, and also, the standard Lamy converter.  Interestingly, the section doesn't screw into the barrel, but is ratcheted out and into place with a 90 degree twist.  I'm thinking this is a way of ensuring that the ridge along the section and barrel are always properly aligned.  The mechanism reminds me of how the nib unit of the Pilot vanishing point is held in place in the section.  I took a pic of this part of the ideos for you to look at:

 

 

Posting:

The ideos does post and it posts very securely.  However, ergonomically, it's ridiculous when posted and I certainly wouldn't recommend it for use when posted.  It's plenty long enough to use un-posted anyway.  Here's a pic of it posted beside a Montblanc 146 that's at my personal limit of length when posted.

 

 

How does it write:

The nib that came with mine is a Fine and it's VERY well tuned.  It required no fiddling out of the box.  I am very pleased with it.   I think that I could write for long sessions with this pen because the comfort of the grip afforded by the teardrop contour along the barrel and section, the relative size of the nib, as well as the length and weight when un-posted, do press most of my ergonomic buttons.

 

 

My main pros:

- It looks great

- It's very comfortable and stable to write with thanks to the grip section

- The ridge along the barrel (tear drop contour) makes for a great roll stopper if you rest the pen down uncapped.

- the nib is perfectly sized for the this model and is very well tuned out of the box

 

My main cons with this pen are: 

- it actually comes with specific design elements at the end of the barrel allowing secure posting. However, it's not practically useable when posted.

- the clip is sharp around the edges which can be uncomfortable

 

Conclusion:

I'm happy that I got this pen and my initial impressions place it second to the Lamy 2000 in terms of comfort to write with.  

The teardrop contour along the length of the pen in interesting and will likely not go down well with everyone.  But if you love the Lamy Safari grip, then you will feel the same about the section on this pen.  Considering the size of the pen as well as how the pen is engineered, and here I'm referring to the ridged contour, as well as how the section and barrel are fitted together, the premium pricing isn't surprising when compared with other Lamy offerings.

 

I therefore recommend this pen to Safari users who like the triangular grip.  Metal pen users who find metallic finishes slippery, I would definitely advise avoiding this model.  Albeit, it's more comfortable than I expected.  The ideal thing would be to try one.  You may be as pleasantly surprised as I am.

 

[senzen]

Thank you for this very informative review, there are several aspects I had missed when it was launched. It seems like a more interesting pen than at first glance, I would probably benefit from the section shape but having suffered with slippery Studios, that's a big no no.

 

You could make the point that chromed sections look more dazzling and some users don't much suffer with them, but also that a less slippery material would make these pens appealing to more people; the market has in some way voted as you can find Studios for a lot less money than MSRP, my guess is a lot of people eventually give up on them, let's hope for Lamy's sake that it won't happen again with the Ideos.

[jchch1950]

Thank you for the review. From the picture of the Ideos at the side of the Aion it seems that both pens are almost the same width. But how different is the feeling at the section? Is it much heavier than a Safari?😀

[maclink]

On 10/14/2021 at 2:16 AM, jchch1950 said:

Thank you for the review. From the picture of the Ideos at the side of the Aion it seems that both pens are almost the same width. But how different is the feeling at the section? Is it much heavier than a Safari?😀

 

Capped Length:

• ideos  142mm
• Safari 136mm
• cp-1   132mm
• aion    141mm

 

Uncapped length:

• ideos 128mm
• safari 128mm
• cp-1   118mm
• aion   130mm

 

Posted length:

• ideos 183mm
• safari 162mm
• cp-1   158mm
• aion   162mm

 

Width:

• ideos 9-10mm
• safari 10mm
• cp-1   7mm
• aion   10mm

Section width:

• ideos 7mm - 9mm(when measured at widest with teardrop contour)
• aion   10mm
• cp -1  6mm
• safari 10mm, although it's triangular shaped.

Weight

• ideos   31g  (uncapped 21g)
• aion     35g  (uncapped 24g)
• cp-1     19g  (uncapped 11g)
• Al-Star 24g (uncapped 12g)

 

The ideos has a narrower section than the aion when gripping since the ridge will be at the top.  I prefer the ideos grip.  Additionally, my aion is completely brushed aluminium along barrel and section making the pen noticeably slippery when writing.  The ideos is heavier than a Safari/Al-Star.  The ideos is pretty average in weight when compared to a lot of my other pens.

[Calabria]

Such an amazing review @maclink! I have seen some of your other pen choices so I trust your judgment!

 

I’m not sold on the design - it does remind me of the accent - but of course I’ll get it anyway. Interesting barrel / section connection! I can’t believe the aion is actually heavier.

 

Thank you so much.

[jchch1950]

maclink: Thank you for the information. An Ideos will be my next pen buy.😀

[peroride]

Thank you for a comparative review and comprehensive specifications.👏 I could not find the weight of ideos anywhere on retailer pages or social media but was concerned about that robust brass weight. I enjoy the Aion so glad the Ideos is lighter for longer writing sessions 😄 

[maclink]

5 hours ago, peroride said:

Thank you for a comparative review and comprehensive specifications.👏

 

You're welcome!!  It was informative for me too actually.  I like the weight of it, but didn't actually check until I was asked about the weight of it vs the Safari.

 

 

[gmax]

Thanks for your excellent review - really helpful information 😀

[hari317]

Thanks for the useful review 👍

[namrehsnoom]

Thank you for this great review - lots of very useful information. I especially read with much interest how you describe that the tear-drop shape guides your grip, just like with the Lamy Safari. I find Safari’s very comfortable, so that’s a plus for me. Not sure about the metal grip section … that’s often a hit or miss with my pens (hate it on my Visconti Van Gogh, no problem at all on my Parker Sonnet). 

I initially gave this pen no attention, because I thought it to be a variation on the aion - I rather dislike the aion design, finding it to bulky-feeling. I much prefer the slender lines of the CP1, and from the comparison pics the ideos seems to have more cp1 dna. I’ll definitely get me one to see it in person.

[austollie]

This is an excellent review.  I really enjoyed reading it and looking at the photos.  I also like the look of the pen and I consider myself to have been warned to look elsewhere, if I want a pen where I can post the cap.

[Gloucesterman]

thank you for an informative review. I enjoyed you clear style and understandable perspective.

 

I am one of those people who would not purchase this pen because of the metal section. I have several with this type of section and found them to be of limited use/comfort especially for anything other than short writing periods.

 

Please continue to share your experiences with us.

[maclink]

@Gloucesterman, @gmax, @namrehsnoom, @hari317and @austollieThanks for your comments!!  I'm happy you liked it.  I'm now thinking of sharing my thoughts and experience with the Schon DSGN Ultem.

[bbs]

Great review, really thorough - thank you! 
 

And yes, I’d be very interested in your review of the Ultem ….

[Orval]

Interesting pen design. The almost round/triangular shape of the section reminds me the Omas 360, wich has - for me - the most comfortable grip of my little collection. My 360 tapers at the widest part of the section down from 13mm to 12mm.

Thanks you for the very informative review.

[maclink]

As my acquaintance with this pen grows, I’m thinking that I would have much preferred it without a clip.  It could have been Lamy’s clipless offering. 

[Calabria]

11 hours ago, maclink said:

As my acquaintance with this pen grows, I’m thinking that I would have much preferred it without a clip.  It could have been Lamy’s clip less offering. 

That would totally make sense 

[prometheus13]

Any thoughts/experience with the Ideos vs the Studio?  Different styles I know, price points not vastly dissimilar.  I've had the Studio on my "next pen" list for a bit (and now there are a few discounts about) but then I saw the Ideos.  Decisions, decisions.

 

[peroride]

I was really excited about the Ideos and currently enjoy my EF, but...

 

For me so far, Studios > Ideos by a slight edge.

 

You can't go wrong as I think they are really different pens.

 

Ideos likes:

• I like the Ideo triangle grip and don't mind the metallic which is the same as my Black Forest Studio, not slippery enough for disdain.
• Palladium finish is subtle and nice
• Asymmetric aesthetic also a plus
• Aion nib is great
• I prefer the movable clip

 

Ughs:

• My particular Ideos has a mushy soft clip capping, and less positive click than Studio; how long is that going to last?
• Despite posting pins, Ideos not a poster: too long and hard to post, whereas Studios are easy and balanced posters
• New section to barrel join based on pin vs screw that I wonder if friction will wear down.
• I can overscrew counterclockwise and ruin the asymmetry along the barrel spine, similar problem with PenBBS Model 380 pseudo Decapod

 

Why Studio?

• I can swap nibs with Dialog cc and Safari with the same look.
• I like the balance posted and unposted
• More colorways currently
• Nice aesthetic taper lengthwise

Who knows if Lamy came out with a Stealth Black Ideos version that rivals Studio LX Black then maybe I'd reconsider but then again that is moving into Lamy CP1 or Hongdian Black Forest vibe.

 

I'll make it easy: Just get a Studio matte Black Lx if you like black, it's killer.🖤