Lamy Tipo Rollerball

Looks like it's ready for take off

Once again, thanks to JetPens for supplying this Lamy Tipo Rollerball for review. It's one of the more interesting designs I've seen, and has 'fun' written all over it. Check out OfficeSupplyGeek's review of the Tipo as well.

First, the box (couldn't get a good picture of it, so I'm borrowing one from JetPens). That has to be the coolest packaging I've ever seen, something like a trapezoid shape that flips open and reveals the pen like a single flower in a vase. Very spare and definitely amazing.
 

The pen itself has a big diameter, definitely not your slim Hi-Tec-C or Cavalier. The plastic grip and barrel are sturdy, and feel like they can take some rough handling.

The really interesting feature is the clip, which keeps the pen from accidentally staining your pocket.

There's a small hole in the side of the pen that catches the clip, so when the tip is extended the clip won't work. Of course, if you're used to just stuffing the pen in your pocket rather than clipping it, this won't work. But for the more precise pen users among us who appreciate and use their clips, this is ideal.

I like the medium rollerball cartridge that comes with this pen, but I'm sure you can swap out for a finer point. Great handfeel, four colors to choose from, and not exceptionally expensive in a refillable rollerball.

Very simple design for this pen, just a barrel, grip, and the rollerball ink cartridge. There's a spring inside the grip area that doesn't come out, something I'm always worried about losing with my other retractable pens.

The Tipo is a great addition to Lamy's pen lineup, and worth a look if you're interested in adding a new rollerball to your collection.

Lamy CP1 Titanium Fountain Pen

I love slim fountain pens that fit snugly in my hand, so the Lamy CP1 Titanium Fountain Pen was certainly on my list to add to my collection.



This is a light-weight pen with a sleek design: the titanium body has a matte black lacquer finish, an impressive brushed steel clip, and a thin, pointy polished steel nib. The fine nib writes more like a medium to my eye, but other than that it's a great writing instrument.



If you like to post your cap, that detail seems to add to the overall appeal of the pen as it makes it seem slimmer yet more substantial at the same time. And if you are interested in details, on the side of the clip is the word "Lamy", while under the clip it says "Germany."

The CP1 also comes with a converter so you don't have to remember to get one, and the stainless steel case is an added bonus.

Overall this is a beautiful fountain pen at a very good price, and if you are looking for something slim and sleek the Lamy CP1 fits that description perfectly.

Lamy ABC Fountain Pen

Billed as the perfect pen for beginners young and not-so-young, the Lamy ABC is a sturdy wood and plastic fountain pen with a medium-ish nib that is cartridge-fill only (taking away one of the more intricate maneuvers, filling a fountain pen from a bottle of ink). Mine came in a shipment from Lost Crates, not something I would ordinarily be interested in but since it was part of the package I thought I'd give it a try. (Cat tail not included.)

The instruction booklet is printed in 6 or 8 different languages, along with illustrations on how to open the pen and insert the cartridge. There's also a blank strip for you to write your name (or whatever else) and attach it to the pen cap.



The Lamy ABC cap, section, and jewel comes in either red or blue, and are block-y so that the pen and cap won't roll off a table. The jewel at the end is pretty big, and won't fit inside the cap so the piece can't be posted. As I'm apt to leave things behind I could easily see myself forgetting the cap, otherwise this is a really cute, really usable pen for children and adults.


The nib doesn't leak nor did I have any skipping (although that may be as much a paper factor as the pen). As big as this pen is, it feels comfortable in my hand, and I enjoyed not having to mess around with filling a converter. Just pop in the cartridge and start writing (no dry start on this one, which was nice).


The Lamy ABC has the kind of design that gives adults permission to use and enjoy it, a quirky pen that's not really as strange-looking as it may seem. If you're interested in the unusual, check out this pen.

Lamy Al-Star in Coffee Brown

Looking around the Art Brown website I came upon this Lamy Al-Star in Coffee Brown in the new Coffee Brown color. Definitely putting this on my wish list, they are available in May and I would imagine will be in stock for the Spring pen fair in (Wednesday, May 12 to Friday, May 14 from 9:30 to 5 pm). There's a rollerball as well, and a ballpoint--I don't remember looking at the Lamy ballpens as I only had eyes for the fountain pen and rollerballs so seeing it will be interesting. Especially if it will accept a gel ink refill, which I've done used my Rotring 900 and Faber-Castell ballpens.

Lamy Rollerball

There are lots of reviews of Lamy fountain pens, so I thought I'd do something different and mention the Lamy rollerball. I bought both at the recent Art Brown International Pen Shop Fair; the new purple black pens went fast, there were about 8 or 9 fountain pens when I stopped in the first day of the fair and bought my own fine point, and none on the second day when I went back for the rollerball.

This is a great pen, I'm liking it quite as much as the Tombow Object Rollerball. It's lightweight and the ink flows evenly, while the pen itself is a smooth writer. A real joy to use, although I'm so accustomed to a fountain pen that I keep thinking there is something wrong with this pen's "nib." It's a very nice, relatively inexpensive rollerball that will add some flair to meetings and to your writing.