A Special Guest Post From Mardi!

We've got a special treat for you today, folks! A guest post from the friend single-handedly responsible for the Christmas Penstravaganza and my vintage fountain pen obsession, Mardi!

I'd also like to clarify that Mardi has way better cursive writing than me. I have an odd mix of print and cursive. I cannot write in pure cursive. I'm working on it!!

'My charming young new friend Chloé challenged me to write a guest review for her blog, so here goes nothing, as we say on this side of the pond. It’s my first review, and I am nowhere near as charming as she is, so be gentle.

After years of collecting fountain pens, from vintage models to insanely expensive Japanese pens, it’s quite incredible that I have never owned a Lamy pen. I’m sure many of you reading this have at least one. The popular Lamy Safari is often a person’s first fountain pen, but somehow they never leapt up and caught my attention. However, as I was browsing through my local art supply store, I made the mistake of casting my eye over their selection of fountain pens.

This was the result. In my defense, both pens were on sale.

These cool modernist packages contain two different Lamy pens. The sleek aluminum case holds a ruthenium colored Lamy LX, which is an anodized aluminum pen, and the bottom cardboard box holds a Lamy Vista, the demonstrator version of the Safari.

I’ll write mainly about the LX, since the pens are very similar. Apparently it is pronounced “Lux” for luxury. From what I understand, the LX is an upgrade of the Al-Star model, designed for “style-conscious trendsetters who enjoy a touch of luxury.” The aluminum tube packaging does rather say “special!” The LX comes in four colors: marron- (a deep copper color,) palladium, rose gold, and ruthenium, all with matching cases. Mine is the ruthenium model. It has a special PVD coated laser etched stainless steel nib, a dark grey translucent grip section, and a ruthenium plated clip. Like all of the Lamy Safari model fountain pens, it is not round, it has two opposing flat sides. The grip is on a flat side tapering to more of a triangular shape, designed to be more ergonomic. Each flat side has an ink window, as do all of the Lamys made in this style. And as you can see, they are made in Germany.

I have shied away from Lamys because I generally prefer fatter pens. For some reason, when I saw these two they said “fat enough,” and they were right. I find them both very nice to hold. The triangular grip with the rounded back is very comfortable. I like to post my pens, and because of the lightweight materials of both of these it does not make them feel top heavy. The LX is slightly heavier than the Vista, 24 grams vs. 20.

These two pens are virtually the same, except that the Vista is obviously made of plastic. The cap has a broad band of chrome around the top, which is a nice detail, and might add a bit of weight. (I don’t have a regular Safari to compare it with.) Other than the material it is very similar to the LX in shape and in feel. The LX feels cooler and more luxurious, as it is meant to. Both pens have interchangeable nibs, an F on the LX and an EF on the Vista. Both come with ink cartridges, you have to purchase a converter to use bottled ink. And of course, the LX costs more than the Vista, but is still easily within the range of what I think of as affordable - appropriate since they were originally made with students in mind. Even more affordable on sale!

Now, um, for the writing. Sadly, using a fountain pen does not in any way improve my usual scrawl. Apologies.

Top, Lamy Vista extra fine, J. Herbin ink, Poussière de Lune (Moon Dust) Bottom, Lamy LX fine, J. Herbin Bleu des Profondeurs (Blue of the Depths) Tomoe River paper

Tomoe River paper is considered very good for fountain pens. It is also very, very thin. But both pens laid down a nice clean line. They nibs have a bit of tooth to them, but I don’t mind that. I think they would be great writers on any fountain pen friendly paper. I should add that Herbin inks are generally thought to be on the wet side, so you might get different results with other inks. I suppose I should have filled one with something else, but Herbins are my favorite and I wasn’t thinking about writing a review when I filled them!

Conclusion - I like these pens, and I think I will use them often. They are great “everyday carry” pens, if you lose or damage one you won’t feel like jumping off a bridge. I’m not going to be a Lamy collector, but I am glad to have finally made their acquaintance.

That’s it! Thanks for reading, and thank you Chloe for the invitation.'