The Lamy 2000 Experiment

[matthewst1]

Funnily enough, I didn't use the pen on the plane - in hindsight, this would have been an excellent test - but I was going though a lot of security checks - even interrogation at DBX! I didn't want to risk ANY sharp or even pointy, pen like implements; for fear of confiscation. Silly, I know, but being a young man makes me such a prime target for crazy airport security.

 

I WISH I could even afford a 149 or M1000 - let alone 'test' them hehehe.

[MYU]

I've flown with an L2K... no problems during flight or after. The reservoir wasn't completely filled with ink (I think about half-way), but the next time I fly I'm going to take a few pens with me for "flight test" purposes.

 

Btw, my pen made it through airport security in my breast pocket. There is so little metal, that it doesn't trigger any alerts.

[Usui]

Glad your 2000 didn't break.

 

My 2000 was broken on the insides It's currently at the doctor at FiloFax.

 

I miss my black fiberglass friend

 

[dogpoet]

It's a pen, not Captain Scarlett, mate.

[sam235813]

remind me never to trust you with any of my relatives. well, maybe step-mum.

[matthewst1]

It's a pen, not Captain Scarlett, mate.

 

O....k..... I didn't intend on drawing comparisons between puppets and pens, but you can if you like.

[ofpwriter]

Impressive, thank you for this review. I'm not willing (or able) to spend that much on a pen at this moment, but I really want a L2k now.

 

How often do you practice the 'discipline', and find yourself having a pen with you when doing some flips or something similarly risky (not to Lamy obviously). I also do these kinds of things, and always worry about my pens when I forget to take'm off my collar before a handstand or... Now I know, it's because I haven't tested them. Hmm... maybe not. Too scared to break'm.

 

Also, are you using the name Parkour, and do you have any negative associations to it, or are you using something else. I have some experience with the 'discipline' but never have I felt like a real practitioner (I don't say I am, because I don't practice it with the needed seriousness); I tend to dislike any given name (ADD, Parkour, Freerunning) and the different 'schools' branching out the original idea too, but use "Parkour" because it's the most known.

 

And once again: excellent tests. Me like! :clap1:

 

-O

[matthewst1]

Impressive, thank you for this review. I'm not willing (or able) to spend that much on a pen at this moment, but I really want a L2k now.

 

How often do you practice the 'discipline', and find yourself having a pen with you when doing some flips or something similarly risky (not to Lamy obviously). I also do these kinds of things, and always worry about my pens when I forget to take'm off my collar before a handstand or... Now I know, it's because I haven't tested them. Hmm... maybe not. Too scared to break'm.

 

Also, are you using the name Parkour, and do you have any negative associations to it, or are you using something else. I have some experience with the 'discipline' but never have I felt like a real practitioner (I don't say I am, because I don't practice it with the needed seriousness); I tend to dislike any given name (ADD, Parkour, Freerunning) and the different 'schools' branching out the original idea too, but use "Parkour" because it's the most known.

 

And once again: excellent tests. Me like! :clap1:

 

-O

 

I carry my Lamy 2000 with me at uni; and my uni is great for getting around a little quicker than the horde by using parkour - so I do use it often on the fly, my L2K always clipped to my front-left pocket of my jeans Funnily enough, I was out to lunch with some friends at the tavern and some drunk was being reckless and a fight broke out; yes, I managed to get involved to protect my friends and the L2K was unscathed following the incident

 

I'm using the name parkour because thats what I practice - I don't do any freerunning; though we all train together considering the closeness of the two sports/disciplines/whatevers. You are correct though, Parkour as a term is often misused due to a general misunderstanding of the differences; but its ok, we don't expect everyone in the world to have an in-depth understanding, nor do we force it on people.

 

Glad you liked the review

 

[Ondina]

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

 

Curious. I had a chat last week with a Pediatrician that was using a Lamy 2000 as daily pen, asking if Makrolon was suited for the most used sanitizing methods, if she used it daily, if she has any issues with the described leaking when warming I've read at some thread here at the forum..... She said her only complain was the progressive enforcement of digitalized records and prescriptions and added that she liked to think it was an instrument she was saving lives with.

[ofpwriter]

I carry my Lamy 2000 with me at uni; and my uni is great for getting around a little quicker than the horde by using parkour - so I do use it often on the fly, my L2K always clipped to my front-left pocket of my jeans

Sure, (m)unis are much more versatile in getting around than, say regular bicycles. You can stop anytime without stepping off, take your uni easily with you, if you feel like taking a bus,...

 

Talk about similar interests.

 

-O

[Robert Alan]

Drop your Lamy 2000 from 2 storeys again but now with the cap taken off.

Oh dear. I don't know about that one! I'd imagine it'd probably land nib first - then there would be some serious problems! From a sitting height onto carpet; nib first is no worries - but I'd imagine onto wood or concrete it'd be a different story.

 

Hi guys! I laughed out loud when I read the details of your experiment and some of the replies. You are a brave soul!

 

I own two L2K fountain pens and all the matching writing instruments. They have served me well for years. My EF nib has been flawless and wrote perfectly out of the box. I used to own an L2K with a fine nib but it wasn't fine enough, compared with my perfect medium-nibbed L2K. I sold the L2K with fine nib and never looked back after getting the EF.

 

I have only had one problem with an L2K and that was when I cranked out the piston to empty the pen and unscrewed the entire piston mechanism. That's not a big problem, however, since the piston is easily reinstalled.

 

The Lamy 2000 fountain pen is a true icon. Cheers! Robert

 

 

 

 

 

[matthewst1]

I carry my Lamy 2000 with me at uni; and my uni is great for getting around a little quicker than the horde by using parkour - so I do use it often on the fly, my L2K always clipped to my front-left pocket of my jeans

Sure, (m)unis are much more versatile in getting around than, say regular bicycles. You can stop anytime without stepping off, take your uni easily with you, if you feel like taking a bus,...

 

Talk about similar interests.

 

-O

 

I was referring to the structure of the university itself. It lends itself heavily to using Parkour to get around. I also drive. No buses for me. But I appreciate the gentle sarcasm.

 

@ Robert - it certainly is an icon! Also, I used it to write a nice 15-odd page exam today - it never stopped!

[lowks]

I've flown with an L2K... no problems during flight or after. The reservoir wasn't completely filled with ink (I think about half-way), but the next time I fly I'm going to take a few pens with me for "flight test" purposes.

 

Btw, my pen made it through airport security in my breast pocket. There is so little metal, that it doesn't trigger any alerts.

 

On that note, M1000, OMAS Paragon and MB 149 were all tested on my trip to Singapore recently. All half filled, no problems.

 

[chartoune]

Gday,

 

I recently purchased a Lamy 2000 after much careful consideration from PenGallery (no aff.) and it has quickly become one of my favourite pens. I wrote all of my exam notes and all of my exams with it last semester, and it never disappointed with it's large ink reservoir and surprisingly smooth EF nib. Afer hearing many people on this forum having troubles with theirs (especially with the EF nib) I was somewhat apprehensive in buying one; but as I said, I was blown away. After using it for a few months and dropping it a few times without any problems; I decided to do a bit of an experiment to see just how tough the Lamy 2000 is. Note that I have not taken the pen apart at all, nor have I removed or replaced any components at any time. This pen is as I bought it, as an average user would use it; intact and containing ink at all times. Also note that this experiment isn't serious in any way - If I really wanted to be unbiased then I'd also grab a second 2000 for comparison. I'm pretty sure I just managed to bag a good one

 

Onto the tests:

 

Test 1 - Shock and durability

 

For this test I dropped the pen (capped) from several heights, 1 meter, 2 meters, and finally, off of a two story house.

 

1 meter - The pen bounced as it hit the concrete surface, landing on the top of the cap. No damage to outer surface, piston, nib, or otherwise. No nib leakage.

 

2 meters - The pen bounced as it hit the concrete surface, landing on the top of the cap again. No damage to outer surface, piston, nib, or otherwise. One or two spots of ink on the nib/in the cap.

 

Two floors up - Landed rather violently on its side and top. Small abrasion to the smooth part on the top of the cap, no damage elsewhere. Again, only a few drops of ink in the cap; and after all drops, the pen still wrote flawlessly. For this test, Waterman black was used for ink.

 

Test 2 - Extreme Heat

 

Living in Australia, it gets damn hot in summer, up to 45 degrees C (113F). As such, I needed a pen that could withstand the heat during everyday use. For this test, I continued to use the pen inside, outside and at work; carrying it in a bag on an awkward angle for a few days, and then left in a bag in my car for the remainder of the week (4 days) to see what happened. I put a thermometer in my car and the highest reading I received one afternoon was 72 degrees C (162F). At the end of the week, I removed the pen from the bag and took the cap off. There was quite a bit of ink leakage, but after wiping it off with a tissue, the pen still wrote flawlessly. For this test, Waterman black was used for ink.

 

Test 3 - Freezing Cold

 

My family and I went to Austria for Christmas, and some nights the temperature got down to around -12 degrees C (10F). I took my pen with me fo writing when I was there; and decided to conduct another test. I left the pen outside for 3 days; where it was exposed to temperatures ranging from 1 degree to -12 degrees. This test is also a testament to Noodler's Polar Blue ink, because after bringing the pen in on the final morning and struggling to get the cap off (it was frosted shut) - the pen still wrote without a problem. It would have been about -3 degrees at the time. The pen was also tested within the 3 day period at 1 degree, -4 degrees and -8 degrees. All tests were successful, with the pen working without a hitch.

 

 

To conclude, I know that this little experiment isn't especially sophisticated or anything, it was really just a bit of fun over the holidays and I also wanted to verify the 2000's 'tank-like' status. I suppose I've been pretty lucky with regard to my 2000, because a lot of people do seem to have problems with it. Either way, this pen has been through a lot and I hope to see many more years of good use from it

 

 

Nice experiment, but if I may, -12 c aint cold, it's barely fresh ! just kidding, but come in quebec one day to test that in -30 ish temperatures

[duende]

I was at the supermarket and let my girlfriend borrow my Lamy 2K to jot down some notes. When she was about to hand it back, she dropped it. The cap was off.

 

It's been over a month since I sent it for a nib replacement, and I finally got it back today.

 

 

 

[dogpoet]

What happened to your girlfriend?

[matthewst1]

Nice experiment, but if I may, -12 c aint cold, it's barely fresh ! just kidding, but come in quebec one day to test that in -30 ish temperatures

 

Yeah I'm pretty sure I'd NEVER get used to that! Haha we can swap locations and you can enjoy (or not!) my nice 45c degree summers

[DawnOfChaos]

Thanks for the tests!!! I was looking at them before, but now I must own one.

[fmp]

Thanks for the tests!!! I was looking at them before, but now I must own one.

 

Awesome test.

 

I will give in my two cents on misc stuff.

 

I owned two L2k and now have one, cause one was lost to destructive testing.

 

L2k's outer polish, I believe they do it after assembly, as such, if you have more than one pen, you may find that not all parts match if you swap. Reason I was doing that, it;s because there was this stainless steel shealth in the fron of the pen covering the section, and in my case, ink seep up from the nib to the circular gap where the shealth meets the black fiberglass. I believe it is caused by caplliary due to sealant gap, I subsequently fixed it by dropping some wax over the gap and heat the section to drawn IN the liquid wax to seal the internal gap.

 

But for the first one, I try to open up the shealth and find that the black fiber glass, Makrolon, was really tough to crack open, very resistance to flame (it bubbles, but does not seem to burn, and you can polish it back to normal anyway), pretty much drop proof, (one reason they do not need a metallic reinforcement ring on the cap), Overall, one tough pen.

 

My only hope is that they polish it concentrically(if you turn the knob a quarter or half a turn and feel the edge, they do not neccessaroily line up, one compromise they need for seemless gap when closed??), and make the clip to be able to cover thicker fabric....

 

For it's price, it is pretty much unbeatable.

 

 

[duende]

What happened to your girlfriend?

 

She was distressed about the whole thing because she knows how much I love this pen. I once called it the pen that "God used in his book of life." We're still together. :ltcapd: