A Comparison Review of Stub-Italic Pens:

[QM2]

A Comparison Review of Budget Stub-Italic Pens:

Rotring Art Pen, Lamy Joy, Pelikan Script

 

http://queenmargot.com/stubs_fanout.jpg

 

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SUMMARY TABLE:

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appearance: RAP 4 / LJ 5 / PS 4

design: RAP 4 / LJ 5 / PS 3.8

durability: RAP 4 / LJ 5 / PS 3.5

performance (flow): RAP 5 / LJ 4.5 / PS 3

performance (nib): RAP 5 / LJ 4.7 / PS 3

italic qualities: RAP 4.5 / LJ 4 / PS 5

cost: RAP 4 / LJ 4.5 / PS 5

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total score: RAP 28.5 / LJ 32.7 / PS 27.3

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Appearance:

 

The Lamy Joy is long, sleek and faceted, shiny black, with an attractive red tip and clip. The form of the pen starts out as a Lamy Safari, but the barrel is prolonged as it gently tapers, like a classic desk pen, to a stub-like flat point at the end. This is a very elegant pen with an almost Japanese look of quiet beauty to it. There is no stamped text to interrupt the flow of the glossy black surface. The engraved “LAMY” logo and the ink window blend into the design of the barrel tastefully.

 

The Rotring Art Pen has a matte black surface, white tip (the tip is prone to attracting dirt and scratches), a basic metal clip, and white cap with the size of the nib written in a black circle. There is a thin red ring (“rotring”) just below the cap. The “rotring ArtPen” is stamped onto the barrel in white. The barrel of the pen tapers to a round point. The overall look of the pen is minimalist and utilitarian. It looks like an artist's tool. The shape of a classic desk-pen, does lend it some elegance.

 

The Pelikan Script has a dark late semi-gloss barrel and a powder-blue cap. The clip and the end-cap are the same colour as the barrel. The point at the bottom of the barrel, where it tapers, is the same colour as the cap. The colour scheme is very pleasing to me, and the contrast-trim is a nice design. The Pelikan logo is stamped in silver on the end-cap, and then again on the barrel, along with “Pelikan Script 1.5”. The clip is a somewhat crudely made chunk of curved plastic.

 

http://queenmargot.com/stubs_sizecomp.jpg

 

Design:

 

The basic principle of these pens' design is identical: All three are in the shape of desk pens and made of plastic. The only differences are these:

 

The Pelikan Script is considerably shorter than the others. This can be seen on the image with the length comparison below. This will make it easier to handle for people with smaller hands.

 

The Rotring Art Pen has a ribbed gripping section (not pictured in this review, sorry). You will either like this or dislike this. The ribbing massages the fingertips while you grip, but some people may find that it interferes.

 

Te Lamy Joy is basically the exact same design as the Safari; same durability, same gripping section, same cap and clip, same ink window -- only elongated. The unique thing about this pen as compared to other desk pens is that the cap posts. To me this is a huge deal, and makes a big difference in how comfortable the pen is to use. Others may not care. Also, unlike the others, the Lamy Joy has an ink window. Personally, I find those things useless, but others may value this feature.

 

http://queenmargot.com/stubs_caps.jpg

 

Durability:

 

The Lamy Joy is as durable as the smooth plastic Safaris. It took me a while to trust its durability, because the pen's beauty makes it seem fragile. But it is absolutely fine as a knock-about pen.

 

The body of the Rotring Art Pen is even more durable and scratch-proof than the Lamy Joy, because it is made of a matte, textured plastic that seems pretty indestructible. However, the lettering on the barrel can get scratched off over time, and the white end-point on the bottom of the barrel is prone to dirt and scratches.

 

The Pelikan Script is easier to scratch up than the other two. I think the plastic must be softer, especially the cap. Also, the stamped lettering comes off very easily. You can see that the Pelikan logo on the cap is in pretty bad shape already and this pen is less than 2 months old.

 

 

Performance (Flow):

 

The Rotring Art Pens will take anything, including a variety of non-FP inks. (Do that at your own risk; I am not advocating it.)

 

The Lamy Joy has the same flow properties as the Safari: overall excellent, but dislikes a few specific Herbin and Noodler's colours.

 

The Pelikan Script, in my experience, has temperamental and unreliable flow. It skips and sometimes stops writing altogether for no reason. Initially I thought that this was just the one pen I bought, but I tried others at a B&M shop and same problem.

 

Performance (Nib):

 

All of my Rotring Art Pens had smooth nibs out of the box.

 

All of my Lamy Joys had smooth nibs out of the box, but sometimes the Safari steel nibs like to catch things in between the times, so you have to watch for that. If you suddenly feel some tooth, it may just be a microscopic hair or piece of fiber stuck between the tines.

 

My Pelikan Script nib is not as smooth around the edges as the other two brands. Also, the steel seems to be of lesser quality, because the tines like to bend and move apart under the slightest pressure (like when you make circles over and over to try to get the flow going!).

 

http://queenmargot.com/stubs_writingsamples.jpg

 

Italic Qualities:

 

All three pens are stub italics, rather than formal or cursive italics. All three pens are great ways to try caligraphy or italic writing at a low price but without resorting to the truly cheap-feeling pens. The Rotring Art pen and the Lamy Joy nibs have similar italic properties. Perhaps the Rotring is a tad bit crisper. The Pelikan Script however, is considerably crisper than the other two, and when it actually behaves well enough to write, the writing it produces looks a bit nicer. Also, as you can see in the writing samples, the actual widths of the lines these nibs put down are not necessarily consistent with the sizing.

 

Cost:

 

I believe that in the US, the prices of the Rotring Art Pen and Lamy Joy are about $25 each, and the Pelikan Script is about $16. However, in Europe, the prices are: 19eur for the Rotring Art Pen, 16eur for the Lamy Joy, and 14eur for the Pelikan Script. In my view, the Lamy Joy is the best value of the three.

 

Conclusions:

 

I now own 3 Lamy Joys, 2 Rotring Art Pens, and 1 Pelikan Script. I shall not be buying another Pelikan Script unless I am assured that it works perfectly, and even then I will be suspicious - this is a shame, because I prefer the crisper line this pen produces, if only it produced it consistently! I am quite pleased with the other two brands and have no significant complaints about either: So, if you want to try a stub at a low price, you cannot go wrong with a Rotring Art Pen or with a Lamy Joy.

 

My personal overall favourite is the Lamy Joy: The elegant looks, the reliable Safari design, the convenience of being postable, and the easily interchangeable nibs, make it the clear italic of choice for me.

Edited July 1, 2008 by QM2

[Edgar Allan Bo]

Great review, there isn't much to add to that!

 

I also have all three pens, and my TOP 3 list would look like this:

 

Nr. 1 - Rotring ArtPen

...

...

...

Nr. 2 - Lamy Joy

...

Nr. 3 - Pelikan Script

[Univer]

Hi,

 

A thorough and informative review - thank you.

 

One comment: I have three rOtring ArtPens - two older pens in the matte black finish, and one newer gloss black pen with an 18K nib (none of these is a calligraphy pen; the nibs are the F and EF "sketching" versions). The two older pens do post; there's a sort of extra, narrow "inner cap" inside the pen's cap, and the white end of the barrel fits snugly into it. The resulting configuration looks a bit odd, because the open lip of the posted cap "floats" free of the tapered barrel, but the arrangement is quite secure. Interestingly, the newer 18K model doesn't post. When I first bought it, I confidently plunged the barrel end into the cap, expecting it to hold fast; it didn't.

 

I also wonder how the "deluxe" Sheaffer calligraphy pens would compare. I happen not to care for the rubberized section, but the clipless black quill design looks rather elegant.

 

Cheers,

 

Jon

Edited July 1, 2008 by Univer

[oberon]

Very cool thanx for the review. Have a Rotring, but have planning to purchase the Lamy Joy set with 3 different sized nibs from isellpens, he now carries them. I use them to ink my shop drawings for design work in my bartist blacksmith shop. I have noticed that Rotring offers the art pen with a gold nib. I wonder how it compares to the steel nib?

Oberon

[QM2]

  sk2yshine said:

I also have all three pens, and my TOP 3 list would look like this:

 

Nr. 1 - Rotring ArtPen

...

...

...

Nr. 2 - Lamy Joy

...

Nr. 3 - Pelikan Script

 

Interesting. What makes you like the Rotring Art Pen so much better?

 

 

  Univer said:

One comment: I have three rOtring ArtPens - two older pens in the matte black finish, and one newer gloss black pen with an 18K nib (none of these is a calligraphy pen; the nibs are the F and EF "sketching" versions). The two older pens do post; there's a sort of extra, narrow "inner cap" inside the pen's cap, and the white end of the barrel fits snugly into it. The resulting configuration looks a bit odd, because the open lip of the posted cap "floats" free of the tapered barrel, but the arrangement is quite secure. Interestingly, the newer 18K model doesn't post. When I first bought it, I confidently plunged the barrel end into the cap, expecting it to hold fast; it didn't.

 

Hmm... I definitely have the older version RAPs; the ones I reviewed are the plain steel nib pens. However, mine absolutely do not post. I had heard from others that they do, in the way you describe, and that is why I bought them in the first place (ordered them online, so did not check for myself). But in my pens, there is no narrow space inside the cap where the tip can possibly go, just a flat "wall". Maybe there are different versions of this pen?..

 

 

 

 

[oberon]

I wonder if it would be possible to install a gold nib from a Lamy studio in the art pen?

Oberon

[QM2]

  oberon said:

I wonder if it would be possible to install a gold nib from a Lamy studio in the art pen?

Oberon

 

If you mean into the Lamy Joy, then yes, technically they are compatible. But then the gold Lamy nibs do not come in factory stubs, so you would have to regrind it first.

 

But if you mean whether the Rotring Art Pen nibs are interchangeable with the Lamy Safari nibs, I don't think so, as these are entirely different brands. Or is there something I don't know?

Edited July 1, 2008 by QM2

[oberon]

I was referring to adapting the lamy gold nib to the Lamy art pen. Do you think that there would be a noticeable difference in feel and performance?

Oberon.

[Univer]

  QM2 said:

...snip...

  Univer said:

One comment: I have three rOtring ArtPens - two older pens in the matte black finish, and one newer gloss black pen with an 18K nib (none of these is a calligraphy pen; the nibs are the F and EF "sketching" versions). The two older pens do post; there's a sort of extra, narrow "inner cap" inside the pen's cap, and the white end of the barrel fits snugly into it. The resulting configuration looks a bit odd, because the open lip of the posted cap "floats" free of the tapered barrel, but the arrangement is quite secure. Interestingly, the newer 18K model doesn't post. When I first bought it, I confidently plunged the barrel end into the cap, expecting it to hold fast; it didn't.

 

Hmm... I definitely have the older version RAPs; the ones I reviewed are the plain steel nib pens. However, mine absolutely do not post. I had heard from others that they do, in the way you describe, and that is why I bought them in the first place (ordered them online, so did not check for myself). But in my pens, there is no narrow space inside the cap where the tip can possibly go, just a flat "wall". Maybe there are different versions of this pen?..

Hi,

 

Well, my own experience - two posters and two non-posters - supports the notion that there are multiple versions. I had always assumed, uncritically, that the difference was due to production date; but that may not be correct. Very interesting!

 

Cheers,

 

Jon

 

[QM2]

  oberon said:

I was referring to adapting the lamy gold nib to the Lamy art pen. Do you think that there would be a noticeable difference in feel and performance?

Oberon.

 

Take a look at this thread to read what i think of this project:

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=67409

 

But basically:

Yes I think the gold Lamy nibs are much better than the steel (I have 2 gold-nibbed studios)

... but I think they would be out of place on the Safari/Al-Star/Joy line

... and the gold nibs do not come in factory stub versions, so you cannot get an italic one

... plus, the gold nibs run wider than the steel nibs, so the XF gold is more like a F/M steel

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

 

Edited July 1, 2008 by QM2

[AfterMyNap]

Q, thanks so much for the excellent review! You've motivated me and I sent for my Joy 1.9 just after reading this.

[QM2]

  AfterMyNap said:

Q, thanks so much for the excellent review! You've motivated me and I sent for my Joy 1.9 just after reading this.

 

eeeeeexcellent!..........

 

 

enjoy Italicaland; there is no return

: ))

 

 

QM2

[MYU]

Very nice comparative review, QM--thank you!

 

I also think the Lamy Joy is an excellent value and has great aesthetic appeal. Rotring makes great nibs, but the cheap plastic bodies of some models (like the Art Pen) can be a real turn-off. No wonder why you have 3 Lamy Joy's.

[Souljer]

Hello,

 

I love the review forum! I've spent hours just reading about pens and what peoples experience with them has been. I find it fascinating to see what is important to the reviewers by what they cover and ignore or don't mention.

 

I'm new here by the way; this is my second post I think.

 

Anyway, even though I'm late here -I wasn't around when this was current- I have several Rotring Art Pens. Overall I feel blah about them. Not impressed but they get the job done, so I've no serious complaints. As mentioned the cheap bodies are a turn off. I am also of the opinion that the older version of the construction included inner caps that accepted the cap posting. I noticed newer pens suddenly lost this ability. It was at that point that I stopped buying them. My 0.9 Rotring is easily over ten years old and does allow the cap to post.

 

When you mention that the white tip collects dirt and scratches, posting the caps is exactly how most of that happened to my pens. I did not mind as these are for work and I'm in general not too delicate with my stuff. As a matter of fact I'm rather rough and if something can't take the wear and tear, when it breaks or fails it's replaced with a more durable version. Slightly off topic, but this sort of touches on my philosophy of buying the better, sometimes more expensive version (pen, watch, etc.) because it will actually be cheaper in the long run since it will not need to be replaced as often, or maybe ever. You know, quality stuff that still works good and looks good even after decades of use.

 

Next time I'm at the art store I'll look for the Lamy version. I just got my first fountain pen for myself as a daily writer (story's in my intro post). It's a Lamy Studio with a medium point. So far it only skipped once but that was after I had previously written a check and pressed very hard to make the copy show. Maybe I bent it? Did I mention I play a little rough? It seemed to recover eventually and carried on working.

 

I was wondering if anyone knows how if it would be possible to have this tip changed to write with a line more like my 0.9 Rotring Art Pen? A small italic font? Is that a "Broad" or "Oblique"?

[QM2]

Souljer, welcome to the forum. I agree with your comments pretty much, particularly as I also treat my pens a bit rough. The best italic pens I have found so far are Reform Calligraphs. Basically, since having gotten these, I have not picked up any of the pens reviewed in this thread.

 

Regarding nibs for the Lamy Studio: These pens accept nibs from the Lamy Joy. You can simply buy some italic Lamy Joy nibs and swap them back and forth on your Studio.

 

Good luck!

QM2

[Tsujigiri]

Thank you for the review! I have the Rotring Artpen with the 18k gold nib and shiny black body, too, it's an excellent pen and an amazing value ($50 for a new pen with an 18k gold nib that's not hooded and a decent size!). I would have gone for the Lamy, and was about to, but the gold-nibbed Rotring caught my eye. You might want to look for one of these; I suspect you may end up liking them better than the Lamy.

[CharlieB]

After reading this excellent review, I just added the Lamy Joy to my "to buy" list. I already have three pens in the Lamy Safari model, so I feel like I know (and trust) this brand well.

[Robert Hughes]

I have a Rotring Art Pen, given to me by a friend, and am satisfied with it. Not a "bling" pen, it's a writing tool without pretension.

[blackranger63]

Surprised you didn't consider the Pilot 78G in B. Very nice. I don't own the others but it probably would have done well in your test.

 

Just my two cents.

 

Cheers,

 

Tony

[Struthious]

Avoid The Pelikan Script

 

I purchased one and I won't ever purchase one again. The ink flow is too much, then too little.

Only some cartridges stay put, most shake loose. Rotring makes a FAR superior budget pen.

I haven't tried the Lamy Joy I've never known a Lamy to let me down.