The Lamy 2000 Experiment

[John Cullen]

If I remember correctly, Nathan Tardif (sp?) long ago on Alt-collecting posted the results of an experiment in which he ran over a bunch of Sheaffers with his car to check their durability. I am not sure if he ran over other brands too. I think he was running over snorkles but I may be mistaken. Perhaps he was comparing 51s to snorks?

 

Anyone else remember this?

 

As for the Lamy experiment, I think it was quite interesting and applaud the experimenter. The 2000 continues to intrigue me simply because people's experiences seem to vary widely, perhaps more so than with many other pens.

 

 

[Bill Smith]

Why would you want to torture your 2000?

[PaulK]

And let me add to what everyone else said: I'll be watching to see when this pen comes up in the Marketplace.... :roflmho:

 

More seriously, never expected anything but the results you reported. My 2000 is absolutely great!

 

-P

[13R14N]

  PaulK said:

... when this pen comes up in the Marketplace. ...

  FrankB said:

... in the 1920's the Parker folks did drop a "Big Red" from an airplane ... I wonder if the 2000 ...

If I could convince Matthewst1 to sell me this pen , AND if I could convince a pilot to let me drop this out of a [heated] airplane, AND if it is still winter here in Chicago (its been another brutal season so far) ...

I could replicate this series of test, North-American style (everything to excess, got me this far ).

However, it would probably take me until summer to find the darn thing.

 

--Brian

 

[Djehuty]

 

And I say again:

 

I can't imagine ever doing that to my Lamy 2000 (I just had to go visit it and reassure it that it's a good pen and I'm not tossing it off of any roofs, stoops, or other structures), but I'm glad you did. It's nice to know the pen really is as tough as it seems.

 

[MYU]

  tadster said:

Could you please show us a picture of what your Lamy 2000 looks like now? Do you still use it--or is it so scarred from that 2-story fall that you do not use it in public?

 

I appreciate your durability assessment, but I'm afraid your mad experiment may have voided the lifetime warranty of your pen... even if you sent it in for a nib replacement several years from now, Lamy will no doubt see the damage and declare that your pen is the product of abuse. Nevertheless, I'm sure you realized this before your tests, and, in full consideration of the detrimental future consequences of your heinous actions, you have sacrificed your pen for the good of the pen community. The quest for knowledge continues.

Yes, I'd like to see some pictures as well!

 

Quite frankly, I'm amazed that dropping the pen 2 meters onto concrete did not cause any abrasions to the smooth top end of the cap (given how it landed on it). Perhaps it landed square on... because from an angle, I'd guarantee that the sharp edge would be knocked flat. I got my L2K used and there are a couple of extremely small flat spots on the edging that I can see up close with the naked eye.

 

Question: When you exposed the L2K to extremely cold temperatures, did it have a full load of ink? I wonder if the pen could hold up to a full compliment of ink freezing and expanding (ink will expand as it freezes, less so with Noodler's Polar ink).

 

In any case, I applaud you for being so bold with your L2K. Talk about having faith in the pen. I know someone who has some real beater L2K parts... likely from being exposed to harsh sunlight for many years (cap cracks galore, and much fading on cap/barrel). If he could assemble a pen from parts that have unslightly blemishes (parts he wouldn't otherwise use) and then go gangbusters on more aggressive testing, it would be fascinating. This is of course assuming that the existing damage hasn't weakened the Makrolon to the point where it'll easily fail.

[J0rdan]

Bravo, bravo. If only you had video taped the drop...

[matthewst1]

Hey all,

 

I don't sell my pens; so no, it won't be in the marketplace

 

As for the two meter drop, it landed pretty square on, thats why there aren't any marks from that test. As for the reasons behind the experiment - or - 'torture;' I mainly wanted to test the reputation of the pen, and have a bit of fun! After all, there's plenty more 2000s out there.

 

Here is a pic of the cap after the tests:

 

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y269/matthewst1/P1000135.jpg

 

Cheers!

[ppenloverr]

i always wanted that pen.. maybe one day i will have the courage of getting it. but blowing almost 100 pounds is a bit too much... will try ebay some day... (72 degrees is damn hot)

[PS280]

Wow... although I would never subject any of my fountain pens to that kind of punishment I do commend your valuable information. I was thinking of buying a Lamy that I wouldn't be able to scratch or damage and you just proved how tough the 2000 is. It is probably more than as tough as I would need it, as I am not intending to drop it off a building

[matthewst1]

  ppenloverr said:

i always wanted that pen.. maybe one day i will have the courage of getting it. but blowing almost 100 pounds is a bit too much... will try ebay some day... (72 degrees is damn hot)

 

I got mine for 89 USD (100 with shipping); so there are some good prices out there. Yeah in Oz in summer temperatures in parked, exposed cars can get up to and even over 30 degrees above the outside temperature. Lots of dead babies, unfortunately.

 

[yachtsilverswan]

The Lamy 2000 - now proven to be the perfect pen for Parkours.

 

A rugged pen for a punishing sport.

 

Well done Matthew.

 

[matthewst1]

Yep, Parkour is good - I'm also into Chinese martial arts... wonder if I could kill someone with a Lamy 2000? Hehehe.

[Daedalus1]

This test reminds me of how a Glock 17 pistol was test.

Now I have full trust in durability of my 2 L2k. Woo hoo!

[MYU]

Here's just how nasty some of these abuse tests can get:

 

BEFORE

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3018/2647653135_154a128a36.jpg

 

AFTER

http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/1403/fenixt1evalpostcar2tt4.jpg

 

Of course, the L2K is made of a fiberglass/plastic material. The Fenix T1 shown above is made of tough metal.

 

I'm now tempted to get a beater Rotring 600 and run it through some abuse tests.

Edited January 24, 2009 by MYU

[matthewst1]

Wow that would have been fun! I'd probably imagine that a 600 would be even tougher; I just don't want to destroy my 2000 - so this is as far as I go haha!

[excarnate]

  matthewst1 said:

My family and I went to Austria for Christmas,...

Assuming you flew :-) and used the pen on the flight, how did the pen do? Any blorping (drops of ink coming out like giant radioactive ants inexorably advancing toward the paper), ink on the section/inside the cap?

[pen2paper]

  WillSW said:

If I see you comin' at me with a ladder, I'm not stickin' around to find out why.

 

:ltcapd: yes-WillSW..

but thanks for sharing the test results-tough pen-certainly meets the measure...and then some.

[Lloyd]

What's next, a dip in a deep fat fryer?

 

I'd like to see you "have at it" on a MB 149 and a Pelikan M1000. THEN, we'd know which is the tougher high-end pen.

Edited January 25, 2009 by Lloyd

[digitalnative]

I love my Lamy 2K so much I went out and bought the roller ball version as well. Dropping, freezing and boiling are not in their immediate future, but thanks for stepping up with your tests.