Thank you, Doodlebud. I knew the Lamy 2000 was a complex design but you have helped me understand it a lot more. Of course most of your focus was on the cap, nib and feed. I suppose a great deal of thought went into designing the piston mechanism as well. I have never been a fan of Safari's or Al-Star's but the 2000 is a masterpiece in engineering.
The first video I saw of L2K which talked about the engineering perspective of it. All others talks about it's aesthetics, features, performance, material, history etc. I am grateful you created this video
A very different review! A delight to watch. Regarding the Lamy2K, what I think is so interesting about it is that this pen in sooooo unasumming. To the untrained eye it is just another pen, one rather cheap, but once you start looking at it in detail you understand it is a unique pen, a fantastic one. This is so refreshing in a world where it seems that every product and every person tries to shine.
I think the copper colored spring material is likely to be a phosphor bronze alloy, I've seen it used as springs in model railroad coupler applications, as well as "wipers" for picking up electricity from wheels, for some of the same reasons: it is softer, a little, than the steel, but wears a LONG time and is nicely springy within motion limits.
I believe you are correct. Straight copper would be too soft & would also oxidize significantly over time. Need to be some kind of alloy to give the springy property, be softer than the steel, and not have a heavy oxidation
The caping mechanism, just the compression bars, is a little bit like the Pilot E95S. I don't own any Lamy, but according to what I have heard, Lamy and Pilot (this one I know for experience), are brands that truly make writing instruments and I really appreciate that. Other flashier brands that I've tried, like Conklin have been troublesome, in those cases I'm thankful for Amazon returning policy.
After I bought many pens that I like considering the look I've decited to buy the one, that will last me decades. I bought a Lamy 2000 EF and I think it will be THAT pen... Great vid, thanks for sharing so many cool details.
🤣 It's a balancing act. On one hand it's a way to protect your design & your work. Make it so complicated & designed it's hard to copy. On the other side, a simple & smart design is something to admire. Going to do a bit of a German VS Japanese comparison on pens.
Impressive. Much of the world of pens centers around the jewelry aspect of the writing instrument, but here, with its impressive Industrial Design, the Lamy 2000 is an Emperor of machining and thoughtful technology. Thank you for the journey under the skin of this seemingly understated fountain pen, where it's plain appearance obviously hides a masterwork.
Great breakdown of a a seemingly simple looking pen and cap. The manufacturers definitely thought about this one. I believe some of the earliest f.ps. had " slip caps", that is simply a cap that was held on by friction , very easy to manufacture but prone to falling off and ink drying issues. Threading the cap is far safer and provides an anchor for sealing in the nib. " Snap caps" are undoubtedly the most enjoyably tactile --- and who knew how technical they could become?! ----, but I'm old fashioned and LOVE threaded caps ! 🤗✒️
I love my Lamy 2000 F. I love its tasteful, un-pretentious appearance. I love its engineering. I love its quality material. I love the tight tolerances. I love the way it writes. I even love the honest lines it produces (forcing the writer to stay humble in his writing). I have other pens that are ostentatious. My Mont Blanc 149 with rose gold accents and a M oblique nib is almost a ceremonial experience! The Lamy 2000 is just class. There I love my Lamy 2000. 🙂 Great review of all the thoughts that have gone in this pen, thank you.
That was one hell of a journey, deep-diving into the engineering of a pen. That metal injection moulding bit, caught me off guard. Now inkmow why it carries that cost. Its a pretty amazing piece of engineering.
Just bought myself one a day or so ago so perfect timing! I love aprichiating brilliant design work like this where I can. Diddnt know it had that many features! Great video
Your video came across my suggestions and I can't stop watching your videos. You do an awesome job just talking to the viewer. I don't know if you do any prep for your videos, but they seem natural and practical. You aren't trying to sell anything and you don't have a bloated wallet that you are buying or talking about pens that I'll never be able to afford. Keep making your videos.
Thanks buddy. No rehearsal what so ever lol. I did one on how I shoot my vids. You can do a decent job with basic gear. ruclips.net/video/sYknCV0cUhk/видео.html
Thank you for sharing with us this fascinating look inside the workings of this much celebrated pen. Until I watched your video I had no appreciation of the amount of engineering thought and calculations that went into that 'click'! Your videos are watched by many from all around the globe, and you may rest assured that there are many who value them deeply. As a vintage pen aficionado I would like to request you to make a similar 'engineering and innovation' focused review on the Sheaffer's Snorkel (the PFM or the regular snorkels). They may be considered idiosyncratic by today's standards of practicality, but if there was a pen which could display a subtle drama every time you filled it up, and put to the paper, it could only be one from the Sheaffer's Snorkel range! It is a pen that does engage with the writer. Greetings and lots of appreciation from Dhaka, Bangladesh.
God I love my lamy 2000 I had a custom grind to a Japanese fine and it’s my go to edc pen. But right after I got it back from the nibmiester I dropped it at work and stepped on it. On a dirt road so it had some decent dings. But the makralone was sooo easy to touch up with 2k sand paper it’s like new. Can’t say enough good things about this pen. Definitely a favorite
Excellent, excellent, excellent video. Thank you for the detailed and thoughtful breakdown of this. It’s was truly fascinating. Would love to see you do the same for the MontBlanc 149.
Excellent video. I love the details you provided in the video I love my Lamy 2000 as well. It is one of my favorite in my collection. Looking forward to the next video.
I was never a fan of hooded nibs due to which i never was really keen on buying the Lamy 2000. But now i think i am going to get one for myself. Amazing details covered in this video.
Wow! What a brilliantly made and instructive video this is. I was mesmerised by the detail you went into and how well you filmed/scripted this. I am retired now, but I was trained as a design engineer (got a BSc 1st back in 1981) and worked in the Telecoms industry on digital transmission/coding systems. I used a Sheaffer fountain pen all through my college time and working life. Goodness knows how many 'miles' of writing this pen did, but I had to eventually retire it as the nib was totally worn away. I don't do a great amount of hand writing these days but I do have a have a few Lamy Safaris. I am, however, tempted to treat myself and get either a Lamy 2000 (just on the strength of this video) or a Pelikan M800. Maybe I should get both!
Glad you enjoyed the vid, there's a part 2 if you haven't seen it. There were a few things I didn't go over as I figured it was too detailed but viewers wanted more so I gave them more LOL. If you have the option of trying out a pen in person I would definitely recommend it. I'm happy with how the L2K fits in my hand, but for some it doesn't work for them at all.
further thoughts regarding your video... yes genius engineering, great quality control of production, but really is it worth all the engineering, not quite the model of the Bauhaus and the elegance of design and function of the breakthrough design of Maholy Nagy's Parker 51. I don't own the 2000 but do own an early 51 from 1943 that writes flawlessly for everyday use. Today I am writing with a Jinhao 166 with a lamy copy nib, it is truly fun to write with, made of cheap plastic, feels great in my hand, made in the probably hundreds of thousands, simple design and cost less than $4.00, and can modify and lose and not think about it. It may not last as long as the Lamy and not have status in fashion, but it should also be celebrated along with my vintage and modern pens.
You're doing a brilliant job of doing different and interesting videos; keep it up! Just looking at my pens, I think the one that looks most interesting from an engineering p.o.v. is the Pilot Petit1, which is probably my cheapest brand-name pen.
Wonderful video. Ive never seen this kind of depth when it comes to admiring the features of a fountain pen and Im truly in love with it! Keep up the great work - Ill be sketching notes with my Lamy 2000 regarding these features now
The ''original'' Parker 51 fountain pen was there before all the more modern manufacturers. It has stood the test of time on every level : Engineering /Quality of materials etc. which is why so many working examples are still in existence and sort after by collectors. Often imitated but never bettered !!
The Parker 51 has existed since 1941. Lamy, meanwhile, has existed since 1930. As for quality, the 1970s Soyuz fountain pen I own from the USSR, also my first, beats the Parker 61 I inherited from my grandfather on every technical level. Inkflow, tolerances, etc. Its not even close. Its also worth mentioning that both pens are in top-tier condition, so the Parker's inferiority can't be attributed to that specific pen having a problem. As for the subject Lamy 2000, I'm confident it would blow both the Parker and the Soyuz out of the water.
@@jakekaywell5972 My comment was made with regard to the PARKER 51: NOT the 61 which was apparently made as an upgrade of the 51.Sadly the plastics used were inferior and shells shrunk and replacements especially in black are virtually unobtainable. The 51 market has a very good following and as most existing examples still work and don't need parts,there are many pattern parts available to restore when needed.
@@stephenheliodor776 Interesting information. I didn't know that the 61 was actually inferior in quality to the 51, despite it supposedly being an upgrade. However, the comments I made regarding both my Soyuz and the Lamy 2000 still apply. The 51 market has a very good following simply because so many of them were made over the decades, and therefore spare parts are still readily available. I sincerely doubt that the reliability of the Parker 51 is signficantly higher than any equivalent fountain pen of the era, such as the Sheaffer Snorkel.
@@jakekaywell5972 The Parker51 is more reliable than it's compatriates: The ink sac known as a ''glass'' was neoprene and therefore didn't rot out like the equivalents used in Sheaffers etc that used conventional rubber.The earlier 51s were vacumatics which were less reliable but when the press bar filling superceded this the reliability was vastly improved.The Hooded shell and feed - an original51 feature allowed a much better and consistent ink flow than many open nibbed pens.
I agree to an extent but I prefer the heft of the Steel 2000. There is a Chinese version of the Steel 2000 . It would be interesting to watch you do pull apart comparison. The Chinese manufacturers have done something's differently as in not using the ring with ears.
Nice! Was hoping to get more engineering angles. Only downside is that now I'm interested in the 2000. I'll second another comment that I was secretly hoping for the 823, but with your explanation I can totally see why you made the choice. Maybe next time we can see the 823 😁
Before you named the pen, I was reaching for my 2000 BB. And just as you were discussing the spring ears that snap the cap, I realized mine was missing the part. I must've disassembled it for cleaning and misplaced the tiny part. Luckily, I have two, so I'll keep the BB inked up and spring capped as I see if Lamy will send a replacement. Synchronicity of a sort. Thanks.
I wouldn't recommend taking out the piston often, if at all TBH. I did it for the video but there is the risk of damage. It cleans out pretty easy and basic cleaning does the trick. When you remove the section, screw the piston back and add a small dab of silicon grease every now and then and it will last a lifetime
The manufacturing, design, engineering is really amazing. But keep in mind it still might not be a good fit. Personally I like it, but some don't like the section or other parts of the pen. Thanks for watching my vid
@@Doodlebud I'm in it for the experience and fun. I have tried all sorts of other fountain pens. They bring me joy to try them and the engineering of the Lamy 2000 has me interested. Just got done watching part 2. Well done again!
@@slo_carry Good to hear you liked it. I just want to make sure people don't think I'm trying to sell/push a pen. I got some mega long emails from this video LOL 🙄🤣
@@Doodlebud interesting. That's not the vibes I got from the video at all. You just seemed genuinely interested in the engineering that went into the pen. 🙂
I have a few Lamy 2000s. The Cap does come apart. But here’s the thing: 2 caps unscrew at the top very easily. 2 of them don’t. I mostly did my experiments on the rollerballs, not the fountain pen. Buy a roller ball version of Lamy 2000 it’s cheaper 😂👍🏻 good luck. This is my fav video of all time. 😀
Yeah I've seen some people take it apart, but mine wasn't budging. I imagine I could remove it, but the force I was using was as high as I was willing to exert on the part. Didn't see the benefit of taking it apart while running the risk of damaging something. Glad you enjoyed the video :)
No problem as far as I can see, Db; it's a mechanical engineering masterpiece, & as you assert, the thought process, that is Bauhaus, is phenomenal - it's stood the test of time - never been out of production, & for all of the reasons you have illustrated. It certainly has my vote. Good call !!
The lamy 2000 is so aesthetically pleasing that sometimes, instead of using the darn thing I will just sit there and stare at it. Am i losing my mind or does this happen to other folks too?
I bought my Lamy 2000 as my first gold nib pen earlier this year based on the research that it is generally the smoothest pen out there. (Especially on Clairefontaine paper with very wet ink.) That turned out to be true for me, even using Chou Kuro on Midori/Muji paper. The Lamy 2000 was so good, it actually spoiled my expectations of my blue titanium ensso pocket Italia and the Ultem ensso Italia (though I love the look and design of the Ultem model) I just received today. The Bock nibs feel like garbage compared to the Lamy and even my Pilot Explorer which was only $30. I'm not unhappy with the ensso pens, which were great with the 35% off price, but the nibs and feeds are plain underwhelming. Now I have to decide if I want to take them to a 12000 grit strop or see about a nib upgrade. Unfortunately, the cost to upgrade the nibs might be near the parity of buying a Pilot e95s. Or I could buy the steel Lamy 2000...
Glad you liked the video, I have a part 2 as well. It's exceptionally well built, but it's not for everyone. Some don't like how it feels in the section. Also the nib sizes are wider than normal. Build & engineering is great, but user preference plays a big part so keep that in mind 👍
I agree 100% with your thoughts, just had one more thing to add though,the makrolon also seems to be hygroscopic and turns from matte black to a shiny pen after prolongated use, the only other pen that i know that does this is the visconti homo sapiens lava.
Really nice video, thank you very much. The engineering side of the pens get lost most of the time. Really interesting that you Analyse your pens so deeply. You should take a look at a modern Montblanc Limited edition (like PoA 4810) they are extremely good engineered. You will find details (like the cap mechanism of the Lamy 2000) all over the pen.
Glad you liked my engineering side of things. I go so much positive feedback I did a part 2 if you want to look. I'd love to get my hands on some of the modern MB pens, but the prices are just too much for my budget
Thank you for this level of detail (and the effort to show it on screen). I would be interested in a similar exploration of the Lamy 2000 piston mechanism, which I presume is a more difficult engineering challenge. My experience with that mechanism has not been as carefree as my experience with the cap closure mechanism has been. It does not feel as solid and perfectly engineered as I would like. I wonder if there aren't additional refinements that would be beneficial for the user, similar to pistons in other pens. I would be encouraged if Lamy were working on their piston mechanism and would issue an improved version, possibly in a Mark II model of the 2000.
Oh wow haven't heard many issues with the piston mechanism. That part actually isn't as complex as you think & many other pens have a system which is very similar. The front end of the pen is what really impressed me
I have about 90 fountain pens. Half or more are vintage, and the rest are modern ones. Using almost all of them in rotation (looking at my current set on my desk - 2 x Sailor King of Pen, 1 x Sailor 1911 Large, 1 x Pelikan M1000, 1 x Pelikan M805, 2 x Pilot 912 Falcon FA modified, Visconti Homo Sapiens LE, Montblanc 149 Calligraphy - and Lamy 2000 Medium. Guess which pen I reach for first when I’m not thinking? Lamy is just excellent, perfect design... and to think it’s about 40 years old design... but I must admit, my Lamy 2000 Broad - I just can’t tame that nib. As much as medium is perfect - broad is beyond my ability 😁 Next in terms of quality and engineering I would say Pelikan...
@@Doodlebud If you have a chance - do it. But are they worth the money - that is a conversation over a glass or two of a good whiskey. Nibs are excellent, I have one fine and one medium - typically for Sailor - they don’t make mistakes with nibs. Some softness to them, big pen and externally very Montblanc 149-like. But - engineer in me cringes every time I hear the price of some pen - and it doesn’t have a piston filler or at least eyedropper conversion option. Anyway - by far the most frustrating thing is - small volume of ink. Nibs are “thirsty” and juicy - and that cartrige converter is shameful. The whole thing looks like if you’d fit 4 cylinder engine into Chevy Suburban 😄 But, I use them all the time so I guess I’ve accepted the frustration. Those ebonite versions look mighty sleek, more expensive though... but at least you can’t mistake them for MB 149 (of which I have 3, and it’s funny when I line them all up with Sailors.
Sir Doodlebud- may I ask you to do a video on how to fix a leaky pen? I have a few leakers and take a bath in ink when I remove the cap and take the grip in hand. They don't burp. I thought maybe with your engineering background you may have some tips. Thanks for considering.
All depends on where the leak is coming from. First place I would look is the nib unit. Is the housing properly threaded and seated, possibly in need of a spot of silicon grease. Are there any o-rings missing inside the body or housing unit. Have a look to ensure the nib & feed are properly seated and fully pressed into the pen.
In depth video, I just purchased this pen, its in shipping. I needed to try it, to see what all the fuss is about. You spent a lot of time on the clipping mechanism. From a regular Joe's perspective, it seems a lot of work went into making a clip that yes works well, but also leaves two metal pieces in direct contact with the users fingers. In my mind that is a terrible design, functional yes but the pilot prera has a nice click clipping mechanism and a 3 dollar rollerball has a click mechanism, they all work. My thought is why make such a mechanism with so much time and effort and have two metal pieces exposed? why not have a lip in the section that would line up with a similar groove? Just my thoughts on the cap.
I was hoping you would say the Pilot Custom 823. There’s something about Lamy fp that don’t do it for me. I’m somewhat attracted to the CP1 but I have heard the paint peels off, so I haven’t dared getting one.
823 has amazing build quality & the design for sure. But the parts are pretty simple (not a bad thing). I was really impressed by the L2K simply from the extent of the engineering of the components
It's rather sad that a Waterman pen wasn't chosen, considering they helped create the more common style of fountain pen. But I agree with you, however, I write fast and a lot, when I do, and no pen with a converter can keep up with me. I have to use a piston filler pen so that I can push the ink down when a vacuum occurs. This, for me, makes a clear demonstrator pen necessary, and for price, that gives me wing sung 3008a, after I ground the nibs to italic stub nibs and widen the ink channels. My brass t1 moonman is one I did grind the nib to a stub italic, but I never had to mess with the ink channel, and often, I don't have a vacuum issue. However, it is is flawed in that it has no pocket clip, so it can slip out of your pocket or lay sideways. If not for the cap being a bit too heavy and the lack of a pocket clip, I would nominate the t1 moonman. What do you think?
T1 is a good pen, especially for the price. But to build it, it's a very simple process. And that's a good thing, don't get me wrong. But as far as design consideration, build quality, how parts fit together, manufacturing process, etc... The L2K goes deep. I have part 2 of the video coming to go even deeper lol
I've had problems with mold on my inks, so I no longer fill pens dipping them on the bottles. But I really want to get a lamy 2000, is there any other way I would be able to fill it?
You could remove the section & use a syringe to fill the piston section with ink. But I would first look into your mold problem. If you're getting mold on your inks regularly there's some issue going on. You don't want to be filling your pens, dipped into the ink or filled otherwise, with moldy ink. Look into how your ink is being stored or if contaminates are getting into your inks. I've only had 1 one bottle of ink get moldy on me & I got rid of it.
@@Doodlebud I think the problem came from mold inside a cap (probably stored humid after cleaning) then that to bottle ink. I now have my ink divided like if they were samples. The thing is, mold grows fast, one day there's none nex day is full of specks. So although I don't have any problems right now, I want to be extra careful, ink isn't cheap in my country.
I’m looking into the Peneida inkwell. The other thing is Twsbi makes some nice little ink wells which can be counted and cleaned out which may help with your problem. But that’s a good tip I didn’t know that you could contaminate an ink bottle that way thanks for the contribution cheers
Very cool video, I'm going to watch part two now. I am on the fence about ordering a Lamy 2000. What pen did you use to draw the diagram? I love the colour of it.
People mention that to me often. Not trying to be like him but similar background & general approach to life I think. Cut from the same cloth or something. I always take it as a compliment when people mention that 👍
Watch part 2...piston is disassembled without the need of any tools. Never personally had an issue with the sweet spot, guess it's dependant on writing style.
You are definitely only 1 skookum short of the entire AvE vibe. I only wish I could care for this pen as much as I care for the magnificent engineering! I'm into the looks and features but the nib feel doesn't set my heart a flutter the way Pilot nibs do.
Skookum is a regular part of my vocabulary. The engineering is great, but it's not my favorite pen. For writing, my MB 24 with the OB nib is crazy. As soon as it hits the page, time slows down a little bit
@@Doodlebud What do you think would be considered the Juicero of the pen world? Watching your Appelboom video I can't believe I never thought to whip out my collection of whetstones and strops to work on my nibs instead of just micro mesh 😲
That is the diplomat aero. Great pen, lots of colors. Heres my review, was like my 5th video so it's pretty basic. ruclips.net/video/R26_sIJDjyE/видео.html
The loose ring for keeping the cap on is the worst part of this pen. It is easy to lose or misplace. Not sure why it is not embedded into the pen. Not even sure you can get a replacement for it if it does go down the drain while cleaning.
Two years late to this video, i am new to fountain pens. I am curious, do the metal bits protruding from the tabbed spring where you hold the pen while writing, do they scrape against your skin at all? I live in a remote location, would take me 3.5 hours one-way to get to a pen shop where I could actually hold one. Many thanks!
It all depends on how you hold your pen. I feel them but they don't scrape. However I know someone else where those tabs drive them nuts. So I guess its a personal type thing and depends on how you hold a pen.
@@Doodlebud thanks so much! i think you might be on lower mainland, i'm in Victoria and very new to FPs. Wish i wasn't so far from Van Pen Shop, et al...!
Hello just fount this channel, nice review I've buyed my first big boy fountain pen a Lamy 2000 Macrolon... But I have noticed that the clip has play from side to side and a little up and down...is this normal because of tolerances?
Thanks for watching! I can get back to you and give it a look. It does have a little play because of the spring-loaded action of the clip, but I don't think it should be anything significant and definitely shouldn't be loose.
@@Doodlebud thank you for the reply...this is a video of my Lamy, with the clip play: ruclips.net/user/shortsgQNFtiByrl8?feature=share take a look is it the same as yours?
Doodlebud, Doodlebud, Doodlebud. Because of this video (Part 1 & 2) I bought the stainless steel version. I was not a fan of the 2000 or Lamy in general (mostly because of the Safari). Then I got a Studio, and it wrote well, and I heard good things about the 2000, but this video converted me. I don't really like the makralon, and then I saw the stainless steel version. It really is a great pen. I hope this video finds it's way to Lamy. May be it has, but don't be surprized if it does.
Lamy 2000 is a wonderful piece of engineering, but it's not a revolutionary design. If you open a Lamy 27, a design from 14 years BEFORE the 2000, you'll have the same nib, same feeder, same piston mechanism... it's the same to the point that you could interchange the parts between the 27 and the 2000. The external design of the 2000 was new, but the guts are from 14 years before. So one tip: if you need a spare part for your 27, you could use 2000 parts.
YOU CAN DISASSEMBLY THE CAP AND THE PISTON MECHANISM! FOR THE CAP TAKE A PENCIL OR PLASTIC PEN AND PUT A RUBBER BAND ON TOP OF IT AND STRETCH IT ( NOT THE POINTY END) , THEN PUT INSIDE THE CAP AND FIRMLY PUSH IT AGAINST THAT INKED BRASS THREADED PORTION,THEN FIRMLY GRIP THE POLISHED PART ( NOOO PLIERS UNLESS THEY PLASTIC) AND UNSCREW IT, IF SUCCESSFUL YOU CAN NOW REMOVE THE INNER PARTS OF THE CAP. FOR THE PISTON JUST UNSCREW IGNORING THE CLICKS AND YOU WILL DO IT. THESE METHODS IF DONE CORRECTLY WONT RESULT IN ANY DAMAGE.(THE CAP THEADS MIGHT BE GLUED SO IF YOU CAN'T UNSCREW IT YOU CAN USE HOT WATER TO SOFTEN THE ADHESIVE, THE PISTON HAS DIFFERENT PARTS INSIDE SO KEEP TRACK OF THEM ALL).
Part 2 I took out the piston. A viewer sent me a video of taking off the top of the cap. I've tried that but would have to exert more force than I felt comfortable with. I figure if everything comes apart with ease, maybe they made the cap not so easy to disassemble for a reason. I've had customers do their own "service" on equipment way beyond what documentation supports. And they end up having to send it back. I look at it when it arrives and shake my head thinking "what the hell were you doing!"
Many people say it's strong but there are multiple complaints of cracking. You have been using this pen for a while, you know its strong and week places. I also cracked my Lamy 2000 EF near grip section after 2 days of purchase, now ordered Medium after returning. Can you enlighten me about its strong & week points, and how to not damage it for a lifetime use?
@@Raj-viz I know that these crack on the edge of the cap sometimes but that happens due to either dropping too many times or manufacturing defects caused from the ring that's inside pushing the cap .
Question about Lamy nibs, are the nib widths and ink flow the same with the 2000 as with the less expensive models like the Safari? This way I might be able to figure out which one I want.
@@Doodlebud I'll look into that. Having made 3 pens now with a metal lathe and more/less copying designs to get the proportions "close" to what I want and using existing feeds, sections, and nibs to do it and not even trying to make a cap but a roll stop on one of them, people way under estimate the effort that goes into good design that looks effortless!
@@fr.marklichtenstein8892 oh I hear ya. No shortage of armchair design experts on the internet who've never made a damn thing. And a pen is a simple thing to make but still take a ton of work! The sure sign that someone doesn't know what they're talking about is when they start off with "all they have to do is...."
Is it the best engineered because you could take it apart, piece by piece, and it seems so modular? That's a bit like cutting open a toad and because you could identify all the organs and surmise their functions, it's the best engineered creature in history.
Many pens break down to their bare parts, so not the main reason. It's the culmination of all the design considerations/features and how they come together. I have a part 2 vid coming to answer some of the questions & go over more engineering design details I noticed.
I have a Lamy Safari, I want to like my Lamy, but I can't. I like to write with a F-XF nib. Lamy dropped the ball with the nibs. F writes like a Jowo M. Bought another nib in XF, worse than the XF. Either QC took the day off or???????
What is the line width of your Lamy F nib? My Lamy F nib is 0.4 mm and I consider it to be the correct size. Out of the box, it was a bit scratchy and its flow was a bit uneven. To adjust the nib, I ran some micro mash, no more than three times (once=10 eights or infinity signs). It was reasonably smooth. Then I opened the nibs somewhat against a glass table, a little, 2 times for 8 seconds. Now I really enjoy writing with this Lamy. To optimize its performance, I use Waterman Serenity blue. Care must be taken when spacing the tip, because if you overdo it, the nib will come close to an M. In any case, you have to keep in mind that Lamy manufactures with a tolerance of ± 0.6 mm, that means that occasionally an EF nib might have a thicker line than an F nib. www.lamy.com/en/lamy-nib-guide/ Lamy F and EF nibs have the same width in the nib groove. The difference in flow and width depends on the width of the groove of the tip. Sometimes this groove is very narrow, less than 0.01 mm. The balance is very precarious, any variation can leave a space that is too narrow. The grooves of the tins and the tip in Lamy nibs are not continuous. They are conical in shape. The narrowest EF is 0.3 mm. I have read a lot about lamy nibs. In the comments on a German channel, one user claimed that when he wanted to buy a Lamy EF nib, he went to a store and tried 20 fountain pens. Of those 20, one EF wrote beautifully. I have read a lot about lamy nibs. In the comments on a German channel, one user claimed that when he wanted to buy a Lamy EF nib, he went to a store and tried 20 fountain pens. Of those 20, one EF wrote beautifully. The person in charge of the channel is very critical of Lamy nibs, talking about 4 good out of 20. However, I have bought 4 and am very satisfied. Fitting the EF was quick and easy. I asked the person in charge of a Mexican channel and he told me that his 12 Lamy wrote very well. Now, if you want a 0.4 mm F nib, the Schneider Base is amazing. And the consistency of the nibs seems very good, I have two Schneider and they write exactly the same. Another gem of German engineering. Very little known in this case. In EF nibs, the German brand with the best reputation is Faber-Castell. I have an Ambition M and it is at the top. That nib is amazing.
The Lamy 2000 looks like the old cheap fibre tip Papermate pens I used to use. Even the clip is the same. I don't think it looks worth all that money. My daily user is my good looking metal bodied Shimmering Sands Jinhao X750 with a Bock 1.1 stub nib. A simple well built converter pen that can be used with standard international cartridges when I am travelling anywhere in the world. And no big deal if it's lost or stolen as it only cost me £18 including the great German nib.
You are right I too thought well it doesn’t look very impressive. It’s one of the reasons that it’s just not been on my radar for quite a while. But what it does it does well and the thing is that when you’re out and about and you flash out of the Visconti Homo sapiens you could easily be mugged however nobody is going to mug you for this pen because they won’t know what it is. I just want a pen that really really writes and this seems to do the job and do it well. The only one that seems to be a really good writer that I’ve seen so far is the pilot 823. Another iconic pen. I wish you could do a review on this. It’s a lot of Australian dollars here so I really want to know whether it’s worth the effort. Thank you for your videos they’re the first ones that actually give information that’s useful in order to make a decision. I think you’ve just saved me a hell of a lot of money. Thank you
18:23 I was gonna make that comment LOL. Typical german over engineering. I can kinda understand why they need to do that much for the cap. But that seperate piece on the feed seems to be excessive imo. Also the Lamy 2000 piston mechanism is also somewhat over engineered compared to Pelikan's.
Given the minimalist aesthetic they follow, the cap-retaining tabs on the barrel are a deal-breaker for me. Looks like an ugly kluge, unlike the E95s. However I still am on team LAMY as my current favorite pen is the CP1.
Hello Doodlebud, Thank you for this informative pair of videos, & your engineer's perspective. I got my first L2K about 12 years or so ago. Sometime after that I found this video which shows the disassembly of the cap: [ ruclips.net/video/5V0jZAlelAE/видео.html ] I have never followed it through, I see no need. I disassemble the bodies of my pens every 18 months to 2 years to give them a deep clean, pop the cap into my ultrasonic & then apply a little silicon grease to the piston, its screw drive & the body threads. Other pen companies (purveyors of bling) require special tools for disassembling their offerings & will void the pen's warranty if the user dares to maintain their own pen. Lamy appears to respect the intelligence of their customers: They are smart enough to use Lamy products! The only tools that I have ever needed, other than the little ultrasonic & my two hands, are a couple of glass or porcelain trays (one per pen) to hold the various parts. These are German instruments & there are quite a few little bits & pieces that are vital to the operation of these pens... BTW: Having several of these pens is not a frivolity, I find it a pleasure to work with well made tools. I use EF, F, & M nibs, with archival inks for graphic work. I like the italic quality of the B nib for writing. Printing really, I've forgotten how to do running writing. My L2Ks live between my desk & the studio area. I have some Safaris, colour coded to indicate nib size, for use in the wild. ;-)
Many people say it's strong but there are multiple complaints of cracking. You have been using this pen for a while, disassembled it many times, you know its strong and week places. I also cracked my Lamy 2000 EF near grip section after 2 days of purchase, now ordered Medium after returning. Can you enlighten me about its strong & week points, and how to not damage it for a lifetime use?
I wonder if you are able to figure out the path that air takes to get to the reservior (air flow)? I can't seem to figure it out on the 2000 nor the Safari/Studio feed.
Nice analysis. Engineer to engineer, I appreciate the detail. Since you expressed interest in what's inside the cap (under the plug) -- check out this video that shows how it comes apart. (Hint: the plug has a metallic shaft that is threaded, and it unscrews counter-clockwise.) ruclips.net/video/5V0jZAlelAE/видео.html
When I looked I couldn't find a video like that. I see a couple differences in some of the components. Wonder if there may be some small changes over time
@@Doodlebud By the way, did the video link not come through? (I am wondering if RUclips suppressed the link to the video I referred to.) Either way, the first thing the guy did was with his fingers, simply unscrew (normal counter-clockwise) the finial on the top of the cap and the clip fell off and the inner parts of the pen were able to be gently pushed out with a wooden dowel.
@@Doodlebud The only manufacturers who might come close to the Germans would be the Japanese, although they tend to be anally retentive more on the craftmanship side, rather than the engineering side. Of course, the Vanishing Point is an engineering feat, fountain pen-wise.
@@ycplum7062 yup, I have a follow up video coming tomorrow. Thinking of doing a German VS Japanese comparison. Very different approaches to design & engineering
Thank you, Doodlebud. I knew the Lamy 2000 was a complex design but you have helped me understand it a lot more. Of course most of your focus was on the cap, nib and feed. I suppose a great deal of thought went into designing the piston mechanism as well. I have never been a fan of Safari's or Al-Star's but the 2000 is a masterpiece in engineering.
I didn't get too much into the piston system as many pens have that & it's not as complex as you'd think. But the front has a lot to it
The first video I saw of L2K which talked about the engineering perspective of it. All others talks about it's aesthetics, features, performance, material, history etc. I am grateful you created this video
A very different review! A delight to watch. Regarding the Lamy2K, what I think is so interesting about it is that this pen in sooooo unasumming. To the untrained eye it is just another pen, one rather cheap, but once you start looking at it in detail you understand it is a unique pen, a fantastic one. This is so refreshing in a world where it seems that every product and every person tries to shine.
Glad you enjoyed it. Thought I would share what I see when looking at the L2K with my engineering hat on
I think the copper colored spring material is likely to be a phosphor bronze alloy, I've seen it used as springs in model railroad coupler applications, as well as "wipers" for picking up electricity from wheels, for some of the same reasons: it is softer, a little, than the steel, but wears a LONG time and is nicely springy within motion limits.
I believe you are correct. Straight copper would be too soft & would also oxidize significantly over time. Need to be some kind of alloy to give the springy property, be softer than the steel, and not have a heavy oxidation
I’m really glad I found your channel, I’ve been so enjoying binging your videos!🎉❤
Thanks, thats good to hear!
The caping mechanism, just the compression bars, is a little bit like the Pilot E95S. I don't own any Lamy, but according to what I have heard, Lamy and Pilot (this one I know for experience), are brands that truly make writing instruments and I really appreciate that. Other flashier brands that I've tried, like Conklin have been troublesome, in those cases I'm thankful for Amazon returning policy.
After I bought many pens that I like considering the look I've decited to buy the one, that will last me decades. I bought a Lamy 2000 EF and I think it will be THAT pen... Great vid, thanks for sharing so many cool details.
wow... the most in depth video on Lamy 2000 I have ever seen. I feel like a super proud owner of a L2K EF now B-)
Glad you enjoyed it
18.20 'There is a bit of a trend with overengineering of german products...!
You got me. Subbed!
German engineer here
🤣 It's a balancing act. On one hand it's a way to protect your design & your work. Make it so complicated & designed it's hard to copy. On the other side, a simple & smart design is something to admire. Going to do a bit of a German VS Japanese comparison on pens.
Impressive. Much of the world of pens centers around the jewelry aspect of the writing instrument, but here, with its impressive Industrial Design, the Lamy 2000 is an Emperor of machining and thoughtful technology. Thank you for the journey under the skin of this seemingly understated fountain pen, where it's plain appearance obviously hides a masterwork.
The amount of time spent "at the drawing table" on simple parts we see is far greater than people assume
Great breakdown of a a seemingly simple looking pen and cap. The manufacturers definitely thought about this one.
I believe some of the earliest f.ps. had " slip caps", that is simply a cap that was held on by friction , very easy to manufacture but prone to falling off and ink drying issues.
Threading the cap is far safer and provides an anchor for sealing in the nib.
" Snap caps" are undoubtedly the most enjoyably tactile --- and who knew how technical they could become?! ----, but I'm old fashioned and LOVE threaded caps ! 🤗✒️
I love my Lamy 2000 F. I love its tasteful, un-pretentious appearance. I love its engineering. I love its quality material. I love the tight tolerances. I love the way it writes. I even love the honest lines it produces (forcing the writer to stay humble in his writing).
I have other pens that are ostentatious. My Mont Blanc 149 with rose gold accents and a M oblique nib is almost a ceremonial experience!
The Lamy 2000 is just class.
There I love my Lamy 2000.
🙂
Great review of all the thoughts that have gone in this pen, thank you.
That was one hell of a journey, deep-diving into the engineering of a pen. That metal injection moulding bit, caught me off guard. Now inkmow why it carries that cost. Its a pretty amazing piece of engineering.
Part 2 goes even deeper.....
Just bought myself one a day or so ago so perfect timing! I love aprichiating brilliant design work like this where I can. Diddnt know it had that many features! Great video
Your video came across my suggestions and I can't stop watching your videos. You do an awesome job just talking to the viewer. I don't know if you do any prep for your videos, but they seem natural and practical. You aren't trying to sell anything and you don't have a bloated wallet that you are buying or talking about pens that I'll never be able to afford. Keep making your videos.
Thanks buddy. No rehearsal what so ever lol. I did one on how I shoot my vids. You can do a decent job with basic gear.
ruclips.net/video/sYknCV0cUhk/видео.html
You have some excellent understanding of the functioning of pens. Excellent video. 😊
Thank you for sharing with us this fascinating look inside the workings of this much celebrated pen. Until I watched your video I had no appreciation of the amount of engineering thought and calculations that went into that 'click'! Your videos are watched by many from all around the globe, and you may rest assured that there are many who value them deeply. As a vintage pen aficionado I would like to request you to make a similar 'engineering and innovation' focused review on the Sheaffer's Snorkel (the PFM or the regular snorkels). They may be considered idiosyncratic by today's standards of practicality, but if there was a pen which could display a subtle drama every time you filled it up, and put to the paper, it could only be one from the Sheaffer's Snorkel range! It is a pen that does engage with the writer. Greetings and lots of appreciation from Dhaka, Bangladesh.
God I love my lamy 2000 I had a custom grind to a Japanese fine and it’s my go to edc pen. But right after I got it back from the nibmiester I dropped it at work and stepped on it. On a dirt road so it had some decent dings. But the makralone was sooo easy to touch up with 2k sand paper it’s like new. Can’t say enough good things about this pen. Definitely a favorite
Good to hear your pen still lives on! I do wish their XF was more of an XF, or at least they came out with an XXF to appease the XF nib point lovers.
Excellent, excellent, excellent video. Thank you for the detailed and thoughtful breakdown of this. It’s was truly fascinating. Would love to see you do the same for the MontBlanc 149.
I wish you were a part of my family lol, you must be the coolest dad, uncle, etc :) love your videos
LOL well I can be part of your pen family 👍
Excellent video. I love the details you provided in the video I love my Lamy 2000 as well. It is one of my favorite in my collection. Looking forward to the next video.
Glad you enjoyed it
Your reviews never cease to impress me. Fascinating. Thank you!,
I was never a fan of hooded nibs due to which i never was really keen on buying the Lamy 2000. But now i think i am going to get one for myself.
Amazing details covered in this video.
Wow! What a brilliantly made and instructive video this is. I was mesmerised by the detail you went into and how well you filmed/scripted this. I am retired now, but I was trained as a design engineer (got a BSc 1st back in 1981) and worked in the Telecoms industry on digital transmission/coding systems. I used a Sheaffer fountain pen all through my college time and working life. Goodness knows how many 'miles' of writing this pen did, but I had to eventually retire it as the nib was totally worn away. I don't do a great amount of hand writing these days but I do have a have a few Lamy Safaris. I am, however, tempted to treat myself and get either a Lamy 2000 (just on the strength of this video) or a Pelikan M800. Maybe I should get both!
Glad you enjoyed the vid, there's a part 2 if you haven't seen it. There were a few things I didn't go over as I figured it was too detailed but viewers wanted more so I gave them more LOL. If you have the option of trying out a pen in person I would definitely recommend it. I'm happy with how the L2K fits in my hand, but for some it doesn't work for them at all.
further thoughts regarding your video... yes genius engineering, great quality control of production, but really is it worth all the engineering, not quite the model of the Bauhaus and the elegance of design and function of the breakthrough design of Maholy Nagy's Parker 51. I don't own the 2000 but do own an early 51 from 1943 that writes flawlessly for everyday use. Today I am writing with a Jinhao 166 with a lamy copy nib, it is truly fun to write with, made of cheap plastic, feels great in my hand, made in the probably hundreds of thousands, simple design and cost less than $4.00, and can modify and lose and not think about it. It may not last as long as the Lamy and not have status in fashion, but it should also be celebrated along with my vintage and modern pens.
Bro you are literally the AvE of fountain pens. I mean that with the highest of complements. Keep doing what you’re doing dude!
Its funny that I had never heard about AvE until a viewer mentioned him to me LOL
It would be fascinating to know how many pens you had to go through to pick the Lamy as the winner.
And I want a video answer for this
Can do
One: Lamy 2000.
Video DONE! Part 2 coming on Wednesday 8am PST
@@Doodlebud that's great :D
As a retired mechanical engineer, I enjoyed your analysis. Especially that they have some mistakes sitting around that won't open LOL.
I just shot part 2 to go even deeper believe it or not lol. Keep an eye out for it in a few days
You're doing a brilliant job of doing different and interesting videos; keep it up! Just looking at my pens, I think the one that looks most interesting from an engineering p.o.v. is the Pilot Petit1, which is probably my cheapest brand-name pen.
Your best video yet. I was throughly entertained from start to finish. U described the pen perfectly. I will never look at my Lamy the same again!
Thanks buddy. Every video is an experiment to see what people like. So feedback always helps me know 👍
I agree the lamy 2000 is great I have mine for years now and still use often
Wonderful video. Ive never seen this kind of depth when it comes to admiring the features of a fountain pen and Im truly in love with it! Keep up the great work - Ill be sketching notes with my Lamy 2000 regarding these features now
Glad you enjoyed it, I have part 2 coming... Going even deeper!
@@Doodlebud absolutely CANT WAIT to see it 🤩
The ''original'' Parker 51 fountain pen was there before all the more modern manufacturers.
It has stood the test of time on every level : Engineering /Quality of materials etc. which is why so many working examples are still in existence and sort after by collectors.
Often imitated but never bettered !!
The Parker 51 has existed since 1941. Lamy, meanwhile, has existed since 1930. As for quality, the 1970s Soyuz fountain pen I own from the USSR, also my first, beats the Parker 61 I inherited from my grandfather on every technical level. Inkflow, tolerances, etc. Its not even close. Its also worth mentioning that both pens are in top-tier condition, so the Parker's inferiority can't be attributed to that specific pen having a problem. As for the subject Lamy 2000, I'm confident it would blow both the Parker and the Soyuz out of the water.
@@jakekaywell5972 My comment was made with regard to the PARKER 51:
NOT the 61 which was apparently made as an upgrade of the 51.Sadly the plastics used were inferior and shells shrunk and replacements especially in black are virtually unobtainable. The 51 market has a very good following and as most existing examples still work and don't need parts,there are many pattern parts available to restore when needed.
@@stephenheliodor776 Interesting information. I didn't know that the 61 was actually inferior in quality to the 51, despite it supposedly being an upgrade. However, the comments I made regarding both my Soyuz and the Lamy 2000 still apply. The 51 market has a very good following simply because so many of them were made over the decades, and therefore spare parts are still readily available. I sincerely doubt that the reliability of the Parker 51 is signficantly higher than any equivalent fountain pen of the era, such as the Sheaffer Snorkel.
@@jakekaywell5972 The Parker51 is more reliable than it's compatriates: The ink sac known as a ''glass'' was neoprene and therefore didn't rot out like the equivalents used in Sheaffers etc that used conventional rubber.The earlier 51s were vacumatics which were less reliable but when the press bar filling superceded this the reliability was vastly improved.The Hooded shell and feed - an original51 feature allowed a much better and consistent ink flow than many open nibbed pens.
I agree to an extent but I prefer the heft of the Steel 2000. There is a Chinese version of the Steel 2000 . It would be interesting to watch you do pull apart comparison. The Chinese manufacturers have done something's differently as in not using the ring with ears.
Nice! Was hoping to get more engineering angles. Only downside is that now I'm interested in the 2000. I'll second another comment that I was secretly hoping for the 823, but with your explanation I can totally see why you made the choice. Maybe next time we can see the 823 😁
I can for sure do that video
@@Doodlebud Awesome!
Yes this is another pen that really interests me
Before you named the pen, I was reaching for my 2000 BB. And just as you were discussing the spring ears that snap the cap, I realized mine was missing the part. I must've disassembled it for cleaning and misplaced the tiny part. Luckily, I have two, so I'll keep the BB inked up and spring capped as I see if Lamy will send a replacement. Synchronicity of a sort. Thanks.
Check out part 2 for a little more info. I help back but people wanted more, so I went a bit deeper even1
@@Doodlebud already been there. Geek out, Willya!
So I bought one. Gee, it worked really well. So I watched your video. Took it to bits. Put it back together. More gee. Amazing pens.
I wouldn't recommend taking out the piston often, if at all TBH. I did it for the video but there is the risk of damage. It cleans out pretty easy and basic cleaning does the trick. When you remove the section, screw the piston back and add a small dab of silicon grease every now and then and it will last a lifetime
Never been interested enough in the Lamy 2000 to actually buy one till now. Awesome video!
The manufacturing, design, engineering is really amazing. But keep in mind it still might not be a good fit. Personally I like it, but some don't like the section or other parts of the pen. Thanks for watching my vid
@@Doodlebud I'm in it for the experience and fun. I have tried all sorts of other fountain pens. They bring me joy to try them and the engineering of the Lamy 2000 has me interested. Just got done watching part 2. Well done again!
@@slo_carry Good to hear you liked it. I just want to make sure people don't think I'm trying to sell/push a pen. I got some mega long emails from this video LOL 🙄🤣
@@Doodlebud interesting. That's not the vibes I got from the video at all. You just seemed genuinely interested in the engineering that went into the pen. 🙂
@@slo_carry That's what I thought too lol. Some thought I was working for Lamy or other crazy stuff lol. When I see a big long email... DELETE
I have a few Lamy 2000s. The Cap does come apart. But here’s the thing: 2 caps unscrew at the top very easily. 2 of them don’t. I mostly did my experiments on the rollerballs, not the fountain pen. Buy a roller ball version of Lamy 2000 it’s cheaper 😂👍🏻 good luck. This is my fav video of all time. 😀
Yeah I've seen some people take it apart, but mine wasn't budging. I imagine I could remove it, but the force I was using was as high as I was willing to exert on the part. Didn't see the benefit of taking it apart while running the risk of damaging something. Glad you enjoyed the video :)
Great video. This makes me like my 2000 even more.
No problem as far as I can see, Db; it's a mechanical engineering masterpiece, & as you assert, the thought process, that is Bauhaus, is phenomenal - it's stood the test of time - never been out of production, & for all of the reasons you have illustrated. It certainly has my vote. Good call !!
I did a part 2 to go even deeper
Yup, got the Tee-shirt as well as the video..where's the mug ? 😉
The lamy 2000 is so aesthetically pleasing that sometimes, instead of using the darn thing I will just sit there and stare at it. Am i losing my mind or does this happen to other folks too?
I bought my Lamy 2000 as my first gold nib pen earlier this year based on the research that it is generally the smoothest pen out there. (Especially on Clairefontaine paper with very wet ink.) That turned out to be true for me, even using Chou Kuro on Midori/Muji paper. The Lamy 2000 was so good, it actually spoiled my expectations of my blue titanium ensso pocket Italia and the Ultem ensso Italia (though I love the look and design of the Ultem model) I just received today. The Bock nibs feel like garbage compared to the Lamy and even my Pilot Explorer which was only $30. I'm not unhappy with the ensso pens, which were great with the 35% off price, but the nibs and feeds are plain underwhelming. Now I have to decide if I want to take them to a 12000 grit strop or see about a nib upgrade. Unfortunately, the cost to upgrade the nibs might be near the parity of buying a Pilot e95s. Or I could buy the steel Lamy 2000...
I'm a senseless contrarian and have been avoiding the LAMY 2000 hype. THIS video has forced me to place this pen on my TO BUY list. Thanks.
Glad you liked the video, I have a part 2 as well. It's exceptionally well built, but it's not for everyone. Some don't like how it feels in the section. Also the nib sizes are wider than normal. Build & engineering is great, but user preference plays a big part so keep that in mind 👍
I agree 100% with your thoughts, just had one more thing to add though,the makrolon also seems to be hygroscopic and turns from matte black to a shiny pen after prolongated use, the only other pen that i know that does this is the visconti homo sapiens lava.
Yeah the material is really interesting too. Many cool properties & buy also processes Lamy had to do to get the black finish & clear ink window.
Excelent video. I love your perspective of looking at fountain pens. Thanks so much.
Hey good to hear. I can't help myself when it comes to looking at things and wondering how they were made
Thanks another great review
Really nice video, thank you very much. The engineering side of the pens get lost most of the time. Really interesting that you Analyse your pens so deeply.
You should take a look at a modern Montblanc Limited edition (like PoA 4810) they are extremely good engineered. You will find details (like the cap mechanism of the Lamy 2000) all over the pen.
Glad you liked my engineering side of things. I go so much positive feedback I did a part 2 if you want to look. I'd love to get my hands on some of the modern MB pens, but the prices are just too much for my budget
Thank you for this level of detail (and the effort to show it on screen). I would be interested in a similar exploration of the Lamy 2000 piston mechanism, which I presume is a more difficult engineering challenge. My experience with that mechanism has not been as carefree as my experience with the cap closure mechanism has been. It does not feel as solid and perfectly engineered as I would like. I wonder if there aren't additional refinements that would be beneficial for the user, similar to pistons in other pens. I would be encouraged if Lamy were working on their piston mechanism and would issue an improved version, possibly in a Mark II model of the 2000.
Oh wow haven't heard many issues with the piston mechanism. That part actually isn't as complex as you think & many other pens have a system which is very similar. The front end of the pen is what really impressed me
I have about 90 fountain pens. Half or more are vintage, and the rest are modern ones. Using almost all of them in rotation (looking at my current set on my desk - 2 x Sailor King of Pen, 1 x Sailor 1911 Large, 1 x Pelikan M1000, 1 x Pelikan M805, 2 x Pilot 912 Falcon FA modified, Visconti Homo Sapiens LE, Montblanc 149 Calligraphy - and Lamy 2000 Medium. Guess which pen I reach for first when I’m not thinking? Lamy is just excellent, perfect design... and to think it’s about 40 years old design... but I must admit, my Lamy 2000 Broad - I just can’t tame that nib. As much as medium is perfect - broad is beyond my ability 😁
Next in terms of quality and engineering I would say Pelikan...
KOP Nice! Want to get my hands on one of those 🤤
@@Doodlebud If you have a chance - do it. But are they worth the money - that is a conversation over a glass or two of a good whiskey. Nibs are excellent, I have one fine and one medium - typically for Sailor - they don’t make mistakes with nibs. Some softness to them, big pen and externally very Montblanc 149-like. But - engineer in me cringes every time I hear the price of some pen - and it doesn’t have a piston filler or at least eyedropper conversion option. Anyway - by far the most frustrating thing is - small volume of ink. Nibs are “thirsty” and juicy - and that cartrige converter is shameful. The whole thing looks like if you’d fit 4 cylinder engine into Chevy Suburban 😄 But, I use them all the time so I guess I’ve accepted the frustration. Those ebonite versions look mighty sleek, more expensive though... but at least you can’t mistake them for MB 149 (of which I have 3, and it’s funny when I line them all up with Sailors.
Sir Doodlebud- may I ask you to do a video on how to fix a leaky pen? I have a few leakers and take a bath in ink when I remove the cap and take the grip in hand. They don't burp. I thought maybe with your engineering background you may have some tips.
Thanks for considering.
All depends on where the leak is coming from. First place I would look is the nib unit. Is the housing properly threaded and seated, possibly in need of a spot of silicon grease. Are there any o-rings missing inside the body or housing unit. Have a look to ensure the nib & feed are properly seated and fully pressed into the pen.
Great video plus side of being down with Covid 19 is catching up with my pen videos. Didn’t realise that so much went into this pen
yea! I recently got my 2k and I LOVE it! Who knew!? I like it better than my platinums and sailors.
Impressive review. Now I really really want one!!!! Thanks DB!!
No problem glad you liked it. I should have asked Lamy for a cut on the new orders LOL. A few people now have ordered one 🤣
This is great! I've always thought that the 2000 is the best pen for the money...
That was fascinating. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it
In depth video, I just purchased this pen, its in shipping. I needed to try it, to see what all the fuss is about. You spent a lot of time on the clipping mechanism. From a regular Joe's perspective, it seems a lot of work went into making a clip that yes works well, but also leaves two metal pieces in direct contact with the users fingers. In my mind that is a terrible design, functional yes but the pilot prera has a nice click clipping mechanism and a 3 dollar rollerball has a click mechanism, they all work. My thought is why make such a mechanism with so much time and effort and have two metal pieces exposed? why not have a lip in the section that would line up with a similar groove? Just my thoughts on the cap.
Thanks for ur effort
As an owner of a Lamy 2k because of this video, I'd love to know what you think is the second best engineered penbis :)
Hmmmm, thats an interesting one ....
I was hoping you would say the Pilot Custom 823. There’s something about Lamy fp that don’t do it for me. I’m somewhat attracted to the CP1 but I have heard the paint peels off, so I haven’t dared getting one.
823 has amazing build quality & the design for sure. But the parts are pretty simple (not a bad thing). I was really impressed by the L2K simply from the extent of the engineering of the components
It's rather sad that a Waterman pen wasn't chosen, considering they helped create the more common style of fountain pen. But I agree with you, however, I write fast and a lot, when I do, and no pen with a converter can keep up with me. I have to use a piston filler pen so that I can push the ink down when a vacuum occurs. This, for me, makes a clear demonstrator pen necessary, and for price, that gives me wing sung 3008a, after I ground the nibs to italic stub nibs and widen the ink channels. My brass t1 moonman is one I did grind the nib to a stub italic, but I never had to mess with the ink channel, and often, I don't have a vacuum issue. However, it is is flawed in that it has no pocket clip, so it can slip out of your pocket or lay sideways. If not for the cap being a bit too heavy and the lack of a pocket clip, I would nominate the t1 moonman. What do you think?
T1 is a good pen, especially for the price. But to build it, it's a very simple process. And that's a good thing, don't get me wrong. But as far as design consideration, build quality, how parts fit together, manufacturing process, etc... The L2K goes deep. I have part 2 of the video coming to go even deeper lol
I've had problems with mold on my inks, so I no longer fill pens dipping them on the bottles. But I really want to get a lamy 2000, is there any other way I would be able to fill it?
You could remove the section & use a syringe to fill the piston section with ink. But I would first look into your mold problem. If you're getting mold on your inks regularly there's some issue going on. You don't want to be filling your pens, dipped into the ink or filled otherwise, with moldy ink. Look into how your ink is being stored or if contaminates are getting into your inks. I've only had 1 one bottle of ink get moldy on me & I got rid of it.
@@Doodlebud I think the problem came from mold inside a cap (probably stored humid after cleaning) then that to bottle ink. I now have my ink divided like if they were samples. The thing is, mold grows fast, one day there's none nex day is full of specks. So although I don't have any problems right now, I want to be extra careful, ink isn't cheap in my country.
I’m looking into the Peneida inkwell. The other thing is Twsbi makes some nice little ink wells which can be counted and cleaned out which may help with your problem. But that’s a good tip I didn’t know that you could contaminate an ink bottle that way thanks for the contribution cheers
Excellent design breakdown. Your analysis reduced by concern if i ever have to take it apart. If Doodlebud can do it, so can we! :-)
Very cool video, I'm going to watch part two now. I am on the fence about ordering a Lamy 2000. What pen did you use to draw the diagram? I love the colour of it.
That is a Montegrappa Elmo in Chrysocolla, and exclusive colour from Goulet Pens.
A trip to the Lamy factory in Germany seems to be in order then . . .
Jawohl!
thx😊
Now what is the best nib for the lamy 2000? Am about to hit the button 🙏
The best nib is the nib that works for you LOL. Keep this mind before you order
ruclips.net/video/vLZH4k3MIH0/видео.html
I'm getting huge AvE vibes from you man, 10/10 content!
People mention that to me often. Not trying to be like him but similar background & general approach to life I think. Cut from the same cloth or something. I always take it as a compliment when people mention that 👍
i love you. many, many thanks, you're an amazing teacher. liked, subscribed, and binge-watching your brilliant (and funny) videos. xo
I love you too! 😆Glad to hear you're enjoying my vids. Just me having fun with my pens 🤗
But can't disassemble the piston to grease it and clean it like Pelikan and TWSBI can do. Nib has sweet spot problem. It still has its flaws.
Watch part 2...piston is disassembled without the need of any tools. Never personally had an issue with the sweet spot, guess it's dependant on writing style.
Outstanding video....Keep up the awesome work!
Thanks so much, glad you enjoyed it 👍
You are definitely only 1 skookum short of the entire AvE vibe.
I only wish I could care for this pen as much as I care for the magnificent engineering! I'm into the looks and features but the nib feel doesn't set my heart a flutter the way Pilot nibs do.
Skookum is a regular part of my vocabulary. The engineering is great, but it's not my favorite pen. For writing, my MB 24 with the OB nib is crazy. As soon as it hits the page, time slows down a little bit
@@Doodlebud What do you think would be considered the Juicero of the pen world?
Watching your Appelboom video I can't believe I never thought to whip out my collection of whetstones and strops to work on my nibs instead of just micro mesh 😲
Rad. Gosh.. it’d have to be a piston filler. I love my Lamy 2000 M nib. 💙💙💙
What’s the name of the pen that looks brown and nearly looks like a Roman pillar?
That is the diplomat aero. Great pen, lots of colors. Heres my review, was like my 5th video so it's pretty basic.
ruclips.net/video/R26_sIJDjyE/видео.html
The loose ring for keeping the cap on is the worst part of this pen. It is easy to lose or misplace. Not sure why it is not embedded into the pen. Not even sure you can get a replacement for it if it does go down the drain while cleaning.
Definitely take it off away from the sink. You can order spare ones online
Two years late to this video, i am new to fountain pens. I am curious, do the metal bits protruding from the tabbed spring where you hold the pen while writing, do they scrape against your skin at all? I live in a remote location, would take me 3.5 hours one-way to get to a pen shop where I could actually hold one. Many thanks!
It all depends on how you hold your pen. I feel them but they don't scrape. However I know someone else where those tabs drive them nuts. So I guess its a personal type thing and depends on how you hold a pen.
@@Doodlebud thanks so much! i think you might be on lower mainland, i'm in Victoria and very new to FPs. Wish i wasn't so far from Van Pen Shop, et al...!
@@rakisk8r there's 2 stored there I know if in Victoria to check out. Pretty sure they care the Lamy 2000. The Papery and Simply The Best
@@Doodlebud thank you!!
Lamy 2000 and Pelikan 140 for me.
this is engineer's art! so much engineering hidden below a seemingly simple pen :)
Part 2 I went even deeper 👍
@@Doodlebud I'm watching it right now, I have time to spare on the train 😊👍
Hello just fount this channel, nice review I've buyed my first big boy fountain pen a Lamy 2000 Macrolon... But I have noticed that the clip has play from side to side and a little up and down...is this normal because of tolerances?
Thanks for watching! I can get back to you and give it a look. It does have a little play because of the spring-loaded action of the clip, but I don't think it should be anything significant and definitely shouldn't be loose.
@@Doodlebud thank you for the reply...this is a video of my Lamy, with the clip play: ruclips.net/user/shortsgQNFtiByrl8?feature=share take a look is it the same as yours?
Doodlebud, Doodlebud, Doodlebud. Because of this video (Part 1 & 2) I bought the stainless steel version. I was not a fan of the 2000 or Lamy in general (mostly because of the Safari). Then I got a Studio, and it wrote well, and I heard good things about the 2000, but this video converted me. I don't really like the makralon, and then I saw the stainless steel version. It really is a great pen. I hope this video finds it's way to Lamy. May be it has, but don't be surprized if it does.
Hope you enjoy your stainless L2K! Thats a pretty serious pen!
@@Doodlebud Serious like a FOX! LOL
Justus 95 with con70
Damn
That was interesting
Great Video, Thanks
Lamy 2000 is a wonderful piece of engineering, but it's not a revolutionary design. If you open a Lamy 27, a design from 14 years BEFORE the 2000, you'll have the same nib, same feeder, same piston mechanism... it's the same to the point that you could interchange the parts between the 27 and the 2000. The external design of the 2000 was new, but the guts are from 14 years before. So one tip: if you need a spare part for your 27, you could use 2000 parts.
No idea the lamy 27 even existed. Thanks for the info
This The Master Video🥇
Ok this is a very good review from lamy 2000 but not the best engineered fountain pen take a conid than you see the best
Haven't seen one up close and in person yet but would love to
YOU CAN DISASSEMBLY THE CAP AND THE PISTON MECHANISM! FOR THE CAP TAKE A PENCIL OR PLASTIC PEN AND PUT A RUBBER BAND ON TOP OF IT AND STRETCH IT ( NOT THE POINTY END) , THEN PUT INSIDE THE CAP AND FIRMLY PUSH IT AGAINST THAT INKED BRASS THREADED PORTION,THEN FIRMLY GRIP THE POLISHED PART ( NOOO PLIERS UNLESS THEY PLASTIC) AND UNSCREW IT, IF SUCCESSFUL YOU CAN NOW REMOVE THE INNER PARTS OF THE CAP. FOR THE PISTON JUST UNSCREW IGNORING THE CLICKS AND YOU WILL DO IT. THESE METHODS IF DONE CORRECTLY WONT RESULT IN ANY DAMAGE.(THE CAP THEADS MIGHT BE GLUED SO IF YOU CAN'T UNSCREW IT YOU CAN USE HOT WATER TO SOFTEN THE ADHESIVE, THE PISTON HAS DIFFERENT PARTS INSIDE SO KEEP TRACK OF THEM ALL).
Part 2 I took out the piston. A viewer sent me a video of taking off the top of the cap. I've tried that but would have to exert more force than I felt comfortable with. I figure if everything comes apart with ease, maybe they made the cap not so easy to disassemble for a reason. I've had customers do their own "service" on equipment way beyond what documentation supports. And they end up having to send it back. I look at it when it arrives and shake my head thinking "what the hell were you doing!"
Many people say it's strong but there are multiple complaints of cracking. You have been using this pen for a while, you know its strong and week places. I also cracked my Lamy 2000 EF near grip section after 2 days of purchase, now ordered Medium after returning. Can you enlighten me about its strong & week points, and how to not damage it for a lifetime use?
@@Raj-viz I know that these crack on the edge of the cap sometimes but that happens due to either dropping too many times or manufacturing defects caused from the ring that's inside pushing the cap .
Question about Lamy nibs, are the nib widths and ink flow the same with the 2000 as with the less expensive models like the Safari? This way I might be able to figure out which one I want.
I'm not 100% sure on that one. The goulet pens nib nook tool might be helpful to guide you.
@@Doodlebud I'll look into that. Having made 3 pens now with a metal lathe and more/less copying designs to get the proportions "close" to what I want and using existing feeds, sections, and nibs to do it and not even trying to make a cap but a roll stop on one of them, people way under estimate the effort that goes into good design that looks effortless!
@@fr.marklichtenstein8892 oh I hear ya. No shortage of armchair design experts on the internet who've never made a damn thing. And a pen is a simple thing to make but still take a ton of work! The sure sign that someone doesn't know what they're talking about is when they start off with "all they have to do is...."
OK, D. B. Have never taken mine apart.....yet. 😉
Is it the best engineered because you could take it apart, piece by piece, and it seems so modular? That's a bit like cutting open a toad and because you could identify all the organs and surmise their functions, it's the best engineered creature in history.
Many pens break down to their bare parts, so not the main reason. It's the culmination of all the design considerations/features and how they come together. I have a part 2 vid coming to answer some of the questions & go over more engineering design details I noticed.
I have a Lamy Safari, I want to like my Lamy, but I can't. I like to write with a F-XF nib. Lamy dropped the ball with the nibs. F writes like a Jowo M. Bought another nib in XF, worse than the XF. Either QC took the day off or???????
Never been a huge fan of the safari myself
What is the line width of your Lamy F nib? My Lamy F nib is 0.4 mm and I consider it to be the correct size. Out of the box, it was a bit scratchy and its flow was a bit uneven.
To adjust the nib, I ran some micro mash, no more than three times (once=10 eights or infinity signs). It was reasonably smooth. Then I opened the nibs somewhat against a glass table, a little, 2 times for 8 seconds. Now I really enjoy writing with this Lamy. To optimize its performance, I use Waterman Serenity blue. Care must be taken when spacing the tip, because if you overdo it, the nib will come close to an M.
In any case, you have to keep in mind that Lamy manufactures with a tolerance of ± 0.6 mm, that means that occasionally an EF nib might have a thicker line than an F nib.
www.lamy.com/en/lamy-nib-guide/
Lamy F and EF nibs have the same width in the nib groove. The difference in flow and width depends on the width of the groove of the tip. Sometimes this groove is very narrow, less than 0.01 mm. The balance is very precarious, any variation can leave a space that is too narrow.
The grooves of the tins and the tip in Lamy nibs are not continuous. They are conical in shape.
The narrowest EF is 0.3 mm. I have read a lot about lamy nibs. In the comments on a German channel, one user claimed that when he wanted to buy a Lamy EF nib, he went to a store and tried 20 fountain pens. Of those 20, one EF wrote beautifully.
I have read a lot about lamy nibs. In the comments on a German channel, one user claimed that when he wanted to buy a Lamy EF nib, he went to a store and tried 20 fountain pens. Of those 20, one EF wrote beautifully. The person in charge of the channel is very critical of Lamy nibs, talking about 4 good out of 20. However, I have bought 4 and am very satisfied. Fitting the EF was quick and easy. I asked the person in charge of a Mexican channel and he told me that his 12 Lamy wrote very well.
Now, if you want a 0.4 mm F nib, the Schneider Base is amazing. And the consistency of the nibs seems very good, I have two Schneider and they write exactly the same. Another gem of German engineering. Very little known in this case.
In EF nibs, the German brand with the best reputation is Faber-Castell. I have an Ambition M and it is at the top. That nib is amazing.
Lamy 2000 🎉
I learnt :”Simple Engineering is the best engineering”.
The Lamy 2000 looks like the old cheap fibre tip Papermate pens I used to use. Even the clip is the same. I don't think it looks worth all that money.
My daily user is my good looking metal bodied Shimmering Sands Jinhao X750 with a Bock 1.1 stub nib. A simple well built converter pen that can be used with standard international cartridges when I am travelling anywhere in the world. And no big deal if it's lost or stolen as it only cost me £18 including the great German nib.
You can definitely get a cheaper pen that writes just fine
You are right I too thought well it doesn’t look very impressive. It’s one of the reasons that it’s just not been on my radar for quite a while. But what it does it does well and the thing is that when you’re out and about and you flash out of the Visconti Homo sapiens you could easily be mugged however nobody is going to mug you for this pen because they won’t know what it is. I just want a pen that really really writes and this seems to do the job and do it well. The only one that seems to be a really good writer that I’ve seen so far is the pilot 823. Another iconic pen. I wish you could do a review on this. It’s a lot of Australian dollars here so I really want to know whether it’s worth the effort. Thank you for your videos they’re the first ones that actually give information that’s useful in order to make a decision. I think you’ve just saved me a hell of a lot of money. Thank you
Postscrit sorry just found the review of the Pilot 823
18:23 I was gonna make that comment LOL. Typical german over engineering. I can kinda understand why they need to do that much for the cap. But that seperate piece on the feed seems to be excessive imo. Also the Lamy 2000 piston mechanism is also somewhat over engineered compared to Pelikan's.
Given the minimalist aesthetic they follow, the cap-retaining tabs on the barrel are a deal-breaker for me. Looks like an ugly kluge, unlike the E95s. However I still am on team LAMY as my current favorite pen is the CP1.
Ohhhh ugly kludge! If Hanz Muller (just guessing the name of a German engineer at Lamy) hears this, he will beat you with a struddle!
Hello Doodlebud, Thank you for this informative pair of videos, & your engineer's perspective.
I got my first L2K about 12 years or so ago. Sometime after that I found this video which shows the disassembly of the cap:
[ ruclips.net/video/5V0jZAlelAE/видео.html ]
I have never followed it through, I see no need. I disassemble the bodies of my pens every 18 months to 2 years to give them a deep clean, pop the cap into my ultrasonic & then apply a little silicon grease to the piston, its screw drive & the body threads.
Other pen companies (purveyors of bling) require special tools for disassembling their offerings & will void the pen's warranty if the user dares to maintain their own pen.
Lamy appears to respect the intelligence of their customers: They are smart enough to use Lamy products! The only tools that I have ever needed, other than the little ultrasonic & my two hands, are a couple of glass or porcelain trays (one per pen) to hold the various parts. These are German instruments & there are quite a few little bits & pieces that are vital to the operation of these pens...
BTW: Having several of these pens is not a frivolity, I find it a pleasure to work with well made tools. I use EF, F, & M nibs, with archival inks for graphic work. I like the italic quality of the B nib for writing. Printing really, I've forgotten how to do running writing. My L2Ks live between my desk & the studio area. I have some Safaris, colour coded to indicate nib size, for use in the wild. ;-)
Many people say it's strong but there are multiple complaints of cracking. You have been using this pen for a while, disassembled it many times, you know its strong and week places. I also cracked my Lamy 2000 EF near grip section after 2 days of purchase, now ordered Medium after returning. Can you enlighten me about its strong & week points, and how to not damage it for a lifetime use?
I wonder if you are able to figure out the path that air takes to get to the reservior (air flow)? I can't seem to figure it out on the 2000 nor the Safari/Studio feed.
Nice analysis. Engineer to engineer, I appreciate the detail. Since you expressed interest in what's inside the cap (under the plug) -- check out this video that shows how it comes apart. (Hint: the plug has a metallic shaft that is threaded, and it unscrews counter-clockwise.)
ruclips.net/video/5V0jZAlelAE/видео.html
Thanks 👍
When I looked I couldn't find a video like that. I see a couple differences in some of the components. Wonder if there may be some small changes over time
@@Doodlebud very well could be!
@@Doodlebud By the way, did the video link not come through? (I am wondering if RUclips suppressed the link to the video I referred to.) Either way, the first thing the guy did was with his fingers, simply unscrew (normal counter-clockwise) the finial on the top of the cap and the clip fell off and the inner parts of the pen were able to be gently pushed out with a wooden dowel.
Was there any doubt that it was going to be German pen? lol
Would be shocking if it was Italian 🤣
@@Doodlebud
The only manufacturers who might come close to the Germans would be the Japanese, although they tend to be anally retentive more on the craftmanship side, rather than the engineering side. Of course, the Vanishing Point is an engineering feat, fountain pen-wise.
@@ycplum7062 yup, I have a follow up video coming tomorrow. Thinking of doing a German VS Japanese comparison. Very different approaches to design & engineering