Lamy Al-Star

            I recently made a stop at the Bromfield Pen Shop in Boston, MA, while visiting a friend. Brick and mortar pen stores are fading, this is the only store in New England that specializes in almost all aspects of fountain pens. Selling pens, inks, and doing repair work are their specialties. Today’s pen was purchased at their store, let’s look at the Lamy Al-Star.

            Stats:

Diameter – Body 13mm

Diameter – Grip 9mm

Length – Body 130mm

Length – Overall (Capped) 140mm

Length – Overall (Posted) 170mm

Weight – 22g

Available Nib Sizes – Extra Fine (reviewed), Fine, Medium, Broad, 1.1mm and 1.5mm Italic

Street Price – $40, extra $5 for converter

            Looks

            The Lamy Al-Star is a pen almost every pen collector owns. They come in a very wide variety of colors, some of which are special or limited editions, and is a pen that every pen retailer carries. My Lamy Al-Star is in the 2014 Special Edition Bluegreen color, which is a very nice shade of teal. The aluminum body gives slight shine and adds to the overall industrial look to this pen.

            The flat finial of the cap is black and resembles a cross-shaped flathead screw. Immediately following the finial is a metal U shaped clip, which is almost reminiscent of a paper clip. Following the cap the body is a cylinder, except the cylinder has two flat-parallel sides. On these flat parts of the body are windows to view how much ink you have left in the converter. Sadly these windows are not sealed off making this pen impossible to use as an eyedropper filled pen.

      
            Popping off the cap reveals a transparent grip that tapers to a smaller nib. The grip has two notches for your fingers, which are positioned well and aren’t a pain to hold. It is pretty cool to see the ink flow through the fins of the feed as it makes way to the nib. Lamy nibs are made of stainless steel, however they all write somewhat smoother than other steel nibs. With the Al-Star you can swap nibs incredibly easy, just slide it off! You could slide one nib size off and replace it with another in the middle of writing a letter if you wanted. Unscrewing the grip from the body reveals a proprietary Lamy converter or cartridge, either of which holds more than your regular Standard International Converter.

            The aluminum body of this pen is smooth to the touch and pleasant in the hand. As far as weight goes, this pen is extremely well balanced.

            Writing experience and Writing Sample:

            Writing with this pen is pleasant. The feed keeps up well with most inks, and the nib puts down a consistent wet line. Here is a writing sample with this pen: 

            Final Thoughts:

            The Lamy Al-Star is a great pen. Having an overall modern looking pen makes it stand out in your collection as well as in daily use. Most people wouldn’t expect to see something like this pen when they think of a fountain pen. The bluegreen color is pleasant, and pairs well with many inks. If this color doesn’t entice you, I highly suggest looking at the other colors in this line. The Lamy Al-Star is a fantastic pen that I highly recommend. 

Waterman Lauréat

            Vintage pens are easy to come across in Maine. Almost every antique shop you walk into will have a cigar box filled with old pens that need a bit of TLC to get working. Being pretty well versed with repairing and restoring vintage pens myself; I always enjoy finding a diamond in the rough at these stores. While it isn’t really a “vintage” pen; today’s pen is one of those finds: a Waterman Lauréat.

            Stats:

            Diameter – Body 10mm

Diameter – Grip 9mm

Length – Body 124mm

Length – Overall (Capped) 138mm

Length – Overall (Posted) 170mm

Weight – 65g

Available Nib Sizes – Fine

Cost When New – $55

Product Run – c. 1985 – c. 2000

            Looks:

            The Waterman Lauréat was marketed as a midline pen, definitely not a flagship model but not one to glance over either. It was marketed as a very durable fountain pen, and that reputation is one that it lives up to. After quite a few years in a drawer, the only part of this pen that has seen the test of time is the nib.

            The finial is a gold colored flat top, which connects immediately to the signature Waterman clip with the “W” logo imprinted at the top. The cap ends with a thin gold colored band that reads “Waterman. Made in France.” The cap connects to the body at a black plastic section with another thin gold colored ring. The thin brass body of the pen continues to another small gold coloers band, followed by an end piece that can be unscrewed. I’m not fully aware of why you’d want to unscrew the back end of this pen, it is just a cartridge converter that also unscrews in the usual spot above the grip.

            
            Popping off the cap reveals a tapering-ribbed plastic grip. The grip fits well in the hand, and the grips ensure that there will not be any slipping while holding the pen. This pen’s nib is a gold colored steel nib. On my model the coloring has begun to wear off to reveal the steel, but remember this pen is around 30 years old. An interesting thing about this nib is the lack of a breather hole, which means that the line this pen creates will be on the finer side and lacking some line variation. The nib and feed are friction fit and can be removed for easy cleaning.

            Unscrewing the grip section from the body will allow you to use Standard International sized cartridges or converters.

            In my previous review (which can be read here:We Be Pens "Cocobolo"), I talked a lot about how the weight of that pen was a downside. While the Waterman Lauréat is an all brass pen; I feel that its weight is exceptionally well distributed. Being a smaller pen, as far as girth goes, it means that less metal is used in all.

           
            Writing Experience and Writing Sample:

            
            Writing with this pen is pleasant. Because this pen has a finer nib, if used with a drier ink you can even use it on “worse” paper and experience no feathering or bleed-through. The nib is as smooth as a steel nib can be, and it puts down a decent line. Here is a writing sample with this pen:

            Final Thoughts:

            The Waterman Lauréat is a fantastic pen. It fits very well in hand and is a nice writer. Finding this pen second hand means that it will need some intense cleaning before you can use it, and that might be too much for some pen users. If you do see this model pen at your local flea market or antique store; I would highly recommend it.

We Be Pens: Cocobolo

            Today we are talking about a pen turned by a Maine pen maker: We Be Pens. A very heavy pen with a terrible nib.

Stats:

Diameter – Body 15mm

Diameter – Grip 7mm

Length – Body 120mm

Length – Overall (Capped) 135mm

Length – Overall (Posted) 154mm

Weight – 130g

Available Nib Sizes – Fine

Street Price – ~$40

Looks:

            We Be Pens are a Maine pen turning company. Ran from a small town near Bangor, Maine, they are known for making pens out of a variety of materials. A few notable pens of theirs are made from the wood of a local pizza shop, and an abandoned sail boat from Wiscasset, Maine. Today’s pen is made from Cocobolo wood, a typical material of kit pens.

            
            This pen starts with a boring black dome finial, which is screwed in place to hold down a very tight gold colored clip. The very tight clip ensures that the cap will not let go from whatever you clip it too, but good luck getting the clip onto anything. However only the cap will hold on. The body of the pen easily unscrews from the cap and will rumble around inside your pocket.

There are three center bands; a very small gold colored one, a black one, and a larger gold colored one. The black center band is made out of plastic and was not properly fitted to the cap, as it spins freely around with an audible rattling noise. The pen continues with the cocobolo wood, until an end piece. The end has threads that allow you to screw the cap to the barrel for posting.

           
            Unscrewing the cap reveals a very thin plastic section which slightly tapers to a gold colored band, followed by a very small steel nib. The nib is your typical Iridium Point Germany nib you’d expect from a lesser quality pen, and writes scratchy and dry. The nib and feed are friction fit and can be swapped for any other Number Four sized nibs. The body unscrews from the section to hold a large Standard International sized converter.

            The major downside of this pen is the weight. The body and cap of the pen are lined with metal, and the end of the pen is also solid metal. Unposted this pen is very back-heavy. Posting this pen is makes it unusable, as almost the entire weight is in the back of the pen. As you can see in the following picture: the pen's center of balance is very far back.

            Writing Experience and Writing Sample:

            
            Writing with this pen is not too great, because of how back heavy it is. Ignoring the weight the writing is bad. The nib is scratchy, dry, and often skips. Here is a writing sample of this pen. Notice that during the writing sample I hold the pen at a very low degree to the paper. That is because the weight of this pen, combined with how small the grip section is, makes using this pen difficult to use. 

            Final Thoughts:

            I would say this pen looks nice in the box it comes in; but the box is just cardboard. I have tried out several pens by this manufacturer and they all are relatively similar to this one. Kit pens are, in general, bad. Remember when buying fountain pens to always purchase them from brands that are trusted; and if you're purchasing a pen in a store, remember to always try it out before buying it. I cannot tell you to stay away from this brand enough.

Pelikan Classic M200 Cognac

            This week we will be looking at a pen by the renowned company Pelikan: the Classic M200 in a Cognac finish. A traditional styled piston filler pen.

            Stats:

Diameter – Body 11.9mm

Diameter – Grip 8mm

Length – Body 121mm

Length – Overall (Capped) 124mm

Length – Overall (Posted) 148mm

Weight – 14g

Available Nib Sizes – Fine, Medium, Broad (reviewed), and Italic

Street Price – ~$120

            Looks:

            
            The Pelikan Classic M200 Cognac is a limited edition version of the standard M200 pen. Regularly coming in a Black body/Gold trim or Black body/Silver trim; the Cognac is a translucent amber body with gold plated trimming. For those who are new to fountain pens this type of see through body is referred to as a “Demonstrator”, as you are able to see all the inner workings of the pen. The nib unit, section, ink reservoir, and piston mechanism are in full view.

            The finial sports a black circle with the Pelikan logo, which is present on all pens in the Pelikan Classic series. The gold plated clip is tight, but can easily slide and hold onto any material, and it is also stylized to resemble a pelican’s beak. Finally the cap ends in a gold plated center band that reads “Pelikan” and “Germany”. After the center band the body continues until another gold plated ring and the piston operating nob. The piston turns smoothly and draws up a large amount of ink, far more than any cartridge or converter.

            Unscrewing the cap reveals a very small grip section made of the same resin as the rest of the pen. The threads on the body of the pen are smooth, which is good if you tend to hold your pen higher. This pen’s nib is made of gold plated steel. The nib writes buttery smooth, but offers a little bit of feedback. Being a steel nib it does not offer much in the way of line variation. However a good feature of this pen is that the nib and feed are part of a nib unit, which easily unscrews from the body and allows for swapping to the 14K Gold nibs of higher end Pelikan M400 series. The Pelikan M400 has nib sizes which include Extra Fine, Double Broad, and several Oblique cuts.

            Writing Experience and Writing Sample:

            This pen is very well balanced, even when posted, which makes for a very pleasing writing experience. The nib did write fairly dry when I first received it, but that was easily fixed with some tinkering. My only gripe with the nib is that it writes more like a fat medium rather than a broad (I own a couple pens with “Medium” nibs that put down a far more broad line than is pen). Here is a writing sample of this pen. 

            Final Thoughts:

            The Pelikan Classic M200 Cognac is a great first entry to the Pelikan line up. The price reflects the high quality of this pen, as well as the piston filling mechanism and the limited edition. This is a very well made pen that is a joy to use, and a pen that is almost always inked. I highly recommend this pen.

Jinhao X450

For my first fountain pen review we’ll take a look at one of the first pens I purchased: the Jinhao X450. A pleasant writer with decent weight at a very reasonable price.

Stats:

Diameter – Body 13mm

Diameter – Grip 10mm

Length – Body 124mm

Length - Overall (Closed) 141mm

Length - Overall (Posted) 160mm

Weight – Overall 42g

Looks:

The Jinhao X450 is a medium sized metal bodied cigar shaped fountain pen that comes in three colors; Blue Twist, Frosted Black, and Red/Gold.

The red/gold finish is a base color of red, with patches of gold and black over the pen, which gives it a vintage look. The finial is nothing special; just a rounded off black dome. A gold colored clip with a raised pattern in relief is tight and will securely hold onto a dress shirt or coat pocket. The gold colored center band reads “Bullow” (the sister company of Jinhao) and is nothing special. After the center band the pen continues to a smaller gold colored band followed by an end just like the finial.

Popping off the cap reveals a small plastic section, which tapers to the nib, but flaring out with a gold colored ring followed by the nib. The section has three grooved divots which are a tad too small for my hands. A very wet-writing two-toned steel nib is what the Jinhao X450 comes with, I swapped mine out for a Noodler’s Flex Nib. However the factory nib is smooth to use and offers a good deal of line variation.

Unscrewing the barrel from the section reveals a nondescript brand converter that is exactly what you’d expect from a Chinese made pen. This pen cannot be converted to an eyedropper, as the entire body is made of metal, which would have adverse effects with whatever ink you’d use in the pen.

Writing Experience and Writing Sample:

In hand this pen is well balanced, however posting makes the pen back heavy and difficult to write with. The grip section, although too small for me, is smooth and would fit well in smaller hands. The feed keeps up with ink, even while using a flex nib. Here is a writing sample of this pen.

Final Thoughts:

For $8.50 you get a great pen. A smooth writer that gives just enough feedback to let you know that you’re using a fountain pen. Nice finish that could stand beside vintage pens. Decent weight, but top heavy while posted. The ability to swap the nib with other #6 size nibs is great. Overall the Jinhao X450 is a staple in any beginning fountain pen user’s collection and I do recommend it.