Pen works great, and is definitely the genuine Lamy, no knockoff. Lamy ink provided with the pen is ok, if a bit wet compared to the Pilot Metropolitan I have been using, which is filled with Noodler's "54th Mass." bulletproof blue. I got the Lamy converter too, and will fill this pen tomorrow with the Noodler's I keep at work. Update: with the 54th Mass. ink, the pen writes a bit heavier lines than the Pilot fine point, but doesn't dry out in the nib the way the Pilot does.
I never used a fountain pen before this year, and am pleasantly surprised at what I've been missing. I started down this path when looking for an ink pen for note taking that would be truly "permanent" - i.e. stand up to industrial solvents, oils, as well as water. This was after losing a couple of pages of notes when some glycol spilled on them, even smearing and dissolving some Sharpie "permanent marker" marks I'd made. That led me to the Noodler's bulletproof inks, and thus to refillable fountain pens.
I've read a lot of reviews, which pointed me to the two pens mentioned here. Both work great, and write easily with very little to no pressure on the page, unlike ballpoint pens I'm used to. The Lamy EF point seems to produce the same line thickness as the Pilot Metropolitan Fine point, as expected from other reviewers - but only when I remember to use a light touch and not bear down like using a ballpoint. I like this Lamy pen a bit more than the Pilot Metropolitan, if only because of the pocket clip, which looks like it will stand up to being stuffed in and out of a thick work shirt or jacket pocket without bending or breaking (though the Pilot has held up well in/out of my wool jacket pocket over the last month. I also like the triangular grip section of the Lamy a bit more than the Metro, the cap area of the Metro digs into my fingers a bit when I grip it too tightly. But I also like the sleek look of the Pilot when it's capped, and its anodized aluminum finish. The Metro looks like it should be twice the cost of the Lamy but is actually about half the cost, which made me hesitate to buy it. Then I figured that I'm probably going to spend about a tenth of the cost of disposable pens before the $13 bottle of ink runs dry, and figure who cares about the initial cost of a few tens of dollars for either pen. I'll keep both, and maybe put red ink in one for marking up drawings.
Oh, and the Noodler's bulletproof ink is just what is says - I haven't found a solvent (water, oil, glycol, acetone, toluene, ethyl alcohol...) that smears it, once it has had a few minutes to dry.
| Manufacturer | Lamy |
|---|---|
| Brand | Lamy |
| Item Weight | 0.564 ounces |
| Product Dimensions | 8.3 x 1.2 x 7.5 inches |
| Item model number | L16-EF |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Color | Red |
| Closure | Snap |
| Grip Type | Contoured |
| Pencil Lead Degree (Hardness) | H |
| Material Type | Plastic |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Size | 1 Count (Pack of 1) |
| Point Type | Extra Fine |
| Line Size | 0.7mm |
| Ink Color | Red |
| Manufacturer Part Number | L16-EF |
