For my next Fountain Pen I’m choosing between these two. Any favorite? Is there any negative thoughts on either of them?
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Lamy 2000 of Pilot VP
- Thread starter Knightsrest
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I have the Lamy 2000 "Makrolon" version, with the body some sort of synthetic material. Fine nib. Also have a couple of Pilot Vanishing Points, and a couple of their Capless Decimos, basically the same, but slimmer.
If you're not really attracted by the idea of a retractable fountain pen, I'd go with the Lamy. The Pilot capless models, VP, Decimo, and Fermo, have that clip at the "wrong" end feature, which makes them feel a little strange to hold. One can get used to it; it doesn't bother me at all on the Decimo, and very little on the VP. How a pen feels to you is an individual thing, and many people don't have an issue with this. And to be fair, the Lamy does have these two barely noticeable little metal nubs toward the grip end that can be very noticeable if you happen to hold the pen in a certain way. Still, the Lamy is a bit more comfortable for me.
But both pens can be comfortable to hold, depending on individual taste; both can write very well. The Lamy holds a bit more ink The VP has that neat and possibly useful retractable feature. Neither is my personal favorite among modern pens, mostly because there are others that just feel more natural in my hand; thinking of the Pilot Custom Heritage 92, for example. The Lamy writes as well as the CH 92, though, and with a fine nib, the Decimo/VP isn't far behind. You shouldn't go very far wrong with either as far as quality goes. And if you buy from a reputable dealer, and happen to get one of the rare duds, they should make it right for you.
If you're not really attracted by the idea of a retractable fountain pen, I'd go with the Lamy. The Pilot capless models, VP, Decimo, and Fermo, have that clip at the "wrong" end feature, which makes them feel a little strange to hold. One can get used to it; it doesn't bother me at all on the Decimo, and very little on the VP. How a pen feels to you is an individual thing, and many people don't have an issue with this. And to be fair, the Lamy does have these two barely noticeable little metal nubs toward the grip end that can be very noticeable if you happen to hold the pen in a certain way. Still, the Lamy is a bit more comfortable for me.
But both pens can be comfortable to hold, depending on individual taste; both can write very well. The Lamy holds a bit more ink The VP has that neat and possibly useful retractable feature. Neither is my personal favorite among modern pens, mostly because there are others that just feel more natural in my hand; thinking of the Pilot Custom Heritage 92, for example. The Lamy writes as well as the CH 92, though, and with a fine nib, the Decimo/VP isn't far behind. You shouldn't go very far wrong with either as far as quality goes. And if you buy from a reputable dealer, and happen to get one of the rare duds, they should make it right for you.
I've had both and enjoyed both. The only drawback with the VP/Decimo is the ink capacity.
@Slivovitz gave excellent advice regarding the pros and cons of each pen.
Personally, I think you will like either one, as they are both excellent pens.
There really isn't a wrong answer here IMHO.
One thing that I will point out that hasn't been brought up so far, is that the body of the VP is really just a big case that holds the nib unit of the actual pen. You can purchase just the nib unit for the VP without buying a whole vanishing point pen. My VP came with a medium unit. I picked up a separate fine unit on ebay for about 40 bucks iirc. It's a nice option to have. On the other hand, it is nearly impossible to purchase an individual nib for a L2k.
Anyway, it's kind hard to explain, so I've taken a couple pics of my setup.
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Personally, I think you will like either one, as they are both excellent pens.
There really isn't a wrong answer here IMHO.
One thing that I will point out that hasn't been brought up so far, is that the body of the VP is really just a big case that holds the nib unit of the actual pen. You can purchase just the nib unit for the VP without buying a whole vanishing point pen. My VP came with a medium unit. I picked up a separate fine unit on ebay for about 40 bucks iirc. It's a nice option to have. On the other hand, it is nearly impossible to purchase an individual nib for a L2k.
Anyway, it's kind hard to explain, so I've taken a couple pics of my setup.
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I am a lefty and the VP does not work for me. Love a picture of a seriously used fountain pen though. For L2K nib options check out an seller called missing-pen on the bay. No affiliation but he has been a jewel to deal with and L2K nib swaps are a snap.
While the clip on the Pilot VP's is in a place that doesn't affect my writing, the Lamy 2k has these little metal nibs sticking out in the grip area that help secure the cap when it's capped. Those, unfortunately, do get in they way for how I grip the pen, which made that one a no-go for me. Really a shame, since I love the looks of the pen, it just isn't comfy in my hand due to those protruding metal nibs.
I have multiple of each. You can't lose on either.
I don't have a lot of FPs but do have both of these. I'd say the Lamy is my favorite of the two but not by a large margin. It always starts right up even after sitting for a few days, writes beautifully with perfect flow. Never too dry or too wet. The VP is very nice and I wouldn't get rid of it or anything though. Mine is a bit slow to start if it sits for a couple days and doesn't hold as much ink but it does write very nicely. Both are very comfortable for me to write with.
i love my 2000 just be careful about nib sizes... they run very broad and my broad wrote like a sharpie until i had it serviced. great pen tho.
Sorry I got my pilolts messed up. I think the VP is too big so I would go for a Decimo, just personal prefference. Even these days the Lamy is still so timeless that you can't go wrong.
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I have a Lady 2000 pencil. It's my favourite mechanical pencil but ... The aesthetic of it doesn't really excite me so the FP version holds no intrigue for me.
I have a couple VPs and like the aesthetics and ease of use but ... I find that the nibs dry out much more quickly than regularly capped FPs, so only good in regular use but ... then the ink capacity limitations come into play.
So ... so not overly thrilled with either option.
I have a couple VPs and like the aesthetics and ease of use but ... I find that the nibs dry out much more quickly than regularly capped FPs, so only good in regular use but ... then the ink capacity limitations come into play.
So ... so not overly thrilled with either option.
For about 40 seconds I thought to myself, "I didn't know there was a 'lady' 2000 line." Then I realized there wasn't. [emoji1][emoji1]
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The Lamy 2000 Fine Point loaded with De Artamentis Document Black is a great daily driver for me. It flies under the radar at work and doesn’t miss a beat. The snap cap is very convenient for quick notes. The design is over 50 years old an still looks modern. I’m also a sucker for piston fillers. The mechanism on this one is almost invisible. For me this pen is a real classic. I love everything about it. I have both the fine and medium buns for this pen that I’ve tuned to write wet. The fine gets a lot more mileage.
A wet fine nib is my preference. Particularly at work where you have to use substandard paper from time to time. De Artamentis is the perfect black in my opinion. Permanent, smudge resistant, feather and bleed resistant, good flow, decent dry time, nicely lubricated and very black.
I have a beautiful stub VP that is wet as they come. I’d seriously consider holding one before purchasing, writing with one would be even better.
I had the nib on my Decimo ground to a left oblique, it shames all my other fp's and hasn't been put down for months.
