Monday, August 13, 2007

Poll 1 - Lamy 2000

OK, so the poll closed a while back, and I thought I had better save the results for posterity. I can't see any feature for saving polls, other than typing up a whole posting like this, so...

Question: "Is the 'feel' of the Lamy 2000 the best of all the pencils in the world".

The 82 votes were cast as follows:
11 x YES.
14 x NO.
53x Don't know because I haven't got a Lamy 2000.
4 x No, and Dave, you are an idiot for suggesting it.

Right, well then, those of you who said 'NO' or 'NO... and you are an idiot...', now's the time to speak up. Whats better than the Lamy 2000? I await your comments.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't think you're an idiot but I did say NO.

It's funny but the Lamy 2000 is the pencil I use every day. I haven't found a better feeling mechanical pencil but its feel is not perfect. I journal 3-10 pages a day (and I write very small) so it sees a LOT of use. But I find the surface to be a little bit too slick for me to call it the best feel. The Lamy 2000 multi-pen has a thicker barrel and I feel the grip is far superior to the narrower pencil and ballpoint pen.

Since you said "best of all pencils", I have to say that I prefer the feel of a real wood pencil. The lacquer of a Palomino or Faber-Castell 9000 is wonderful to the touch and has better grip than the Lamy 2000. I also really like the wood pencils that come with the Faber-Castell Perfect Pencil (the expensive model) but they are outrageously priced. But wood pencils are hopelessly impractical compared to mechanical pencils.

Anonymous said...

Hi dave,

i was 1 of those that also said 'no' and that was mainly due to the fact that theres better out there. Its not quite the best.

You dont really get to see too many of its features on the outside while writing and it feels rather slick and slippery it mite be better if it had some form of a grip.

I for one, prefer the Faber Castell TK Fine Vario Pencil, the metal grip/barrel gives the pencil a nice balance nd and its not as plain, but with a good little lead degree indicator at the bottom it sure does 'show-off' its features.
Thanx,
Marya

* said...

On the low end, pricewise: the good ol' Pentel P205 et al. series.

It's a tool, and for the price of a Lamy I can get two dozen on eBay.

Anonymous said...

I'll remember that for when I need to write with two dozen pencils.

Anonymous said...

I don't disagree that the Lamy 2000 is not a flashy pencil because it's not. But the point is its simplicity. There is nothing extraneous and that is the philosophy of Bauhaus design. It even eschews polished surfaces for something quieter. Compare it to the Barcelona chair or Brno chair by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. I'm not a big fan of Bauhaus architecture because it leaves me cold but I really like Bauhaus furniture.

I think Rick Conner summed it up best when he said the Lamy 2000 is the anti-statement pen. (He was talking about the fountain pen.)

Other than perhaps the slightly too slick of surface (which isn't too slick if you tend to be a sweaty hand person), it's a functional pencil.

To me, lead indicators are useful for artists and draughtsmen only who tend to use identical pencils with different grades of lead. For everyday writing, I doubt people switch lead grades often if at all.

Anonymous said...

lamy 2000 has the best lead mechanism in the world. The lamy 2000 has been manufactuared with few changes since 1966. The lamy 2000 is light weight and tough and is built for the real world.
dave i agree with your assumption.

Anonymous said...

dave have you ever contacted lamy officials, i bet they love your reviews and would give you a free pencil

Kiwi-d said...

Hi Anonymous - no, I've never contacted Lamy.

Anonymous said...

Hi Dave!

I am the one who was/is unsure if I should get a Lamy 2000 with 0.5 mm or 0.7 mm :P

I have only one 0.7 mm and it's a Lamy Scribble, I found it very pleasant to write with, and the 0.7 mm never breaks for me.

On the other hand, the 0.5 mm have a line that I like more, but it's more toothy compared to 0.7 mm, and I break the lead occasionally :P

Which lead size do you think is better for me? :)

Kiwi-d said...

I don't think I can really advise you on this as it is a personal choice. Seeing a Lamy is an expensive pencil why don't you try a good quality (e.g. Pentel) 0.5mm lead in a cheaper 0.5mm pencil just to see if you like the 0.5mm lead and have breakage problems, etc?

Anonymous said...

That's a good idea, I have never thought about quality of pencil leads, only quality of pencils :D

I am gonna try what you said, or maybe I'll just buy them both, not at once though :D

Anonymous said...

I love all this great attention to detail - thank heavens for people like all of you. I need a mechanical pencil and the Lamy 2000 appeals to the kind of aesthetic I favour. I don't own one yet and will also have to decide between 0.5 and 0.7 mm.

Can anyone advise on the Lamy 2000 roller ball vs ball point as the better pen for writing?

Penmaniacs said...

lamy makes really nice rollerball pens, but i would go with the even better ballpoint one which writes really nicely.

Penmaniacs said...

It all depends on what kind of writer you are, if you have a light hand then go with the rollerball, if you have a heavier hand go with the ballpoint.

Anonymous said...

The "feel" of any writung instrument is obviously going to be vary for different users as dexterity, hand size. persperation etc. etc. all play a role. The Lamy 2000 pencil's enduring populariy over the course of the last three decades did not come from nothing and it remains a design icon among countless designers and architects. No single object is going to appeal te everyone.

Anonymous said...

The best? Rotring 600 of course.

Anonymous said...

You are a little late :D

-Arne, who owns some 600s

Anonymous said...

how about the newer rotring rapid pro? it's looks like a 600 but it has some improvements.

Anonymous said...

Just bought a 2000. I like the feel very much, except for the pronounced and sharp seam where the barrel splits. Have other L2K owners noticed this? I'm wondering whether this is normal, or if I was unlucky. Dave's usually pretty picky, so I would've expected to see something about that in the review.

Ed said...

My 2000 pencil has the sharp seam and I think all the 2000 pencils have it too. I have a brown pentel SG## (excalibur) it feels better than any other pencil I own. It just feels right.

Kiwi-d said...

Anonymous and Ed - My 2000 pencil, and other persons BP and FP I have seen, have no sharp seam at all. The seams join together very well. Sure, if you go looking and feeling, you can notice the join but I'm really surprised at your comments. Not sure what this means - a decline in Lamy standards for new production? Seems hard to imagine. I hope others will comment on this too.

Ed said...

Sorry, I should have explained myself, the seams do join very well. I thought it was sharp because it could be seen and be felt if rubbed down, but it is no big deal, I can hardly notice it, same with my 4 color lamy 2000 pen. It is a great pencil.

Trent said...

I'm the anonymous above--thought I should give myself a name. I stopped by my local Paradise Pen store and checked out the Lamy 2000 pencil they had on display, and the seam was much, much more subtle on that one, so I guess I was just unlucky. I'm going to contact Lamy and see what they can do.

Kiwi-d said...

Trent - good luck - I would expect Lamy take these sort of complaints seriously. Be interested to hear the final outcome.

Pedro Vazquez-Casta said...

Well, right now I have a Lamy 2000 in my hands, bought at eBay new for $52 with shipping included. For artists is has one thing very nice, you can turn the pencil around so that the lead is always smooth. Its easy to turn and you can draw without exerting too much pressure on the pencil, one thing that helps for the shadows. It may at first look as an unimportant pencil, but you learn to love it. I don't make pencils a political fight, most of us can buy many of them, all the best brands of pencils that we like, so what is the deal in forming political parties here? Peace for all...