#al-star

((Oooooh my god @al-star thank you so much I’m dying over here aw god I just get so self conscious with how I write cause I’m always going back, rereading, making sure I say what I have to say and making sure these dorks say what fits them. I just always feel like something may be missing and in turn I go back cause I want to make the best thing possible!

(The following was the mun rambling on the writing process a bit)

To give an example on attention to speech, I think when I started this blog Ghetsis sounded different. If none of you have noticed, Ghetsis hardly uses contraction. I chose that as he would have received the best schooling and I would think his teachers would have frowned upon such. I have to go back and fix Ghetsis’ lines because of that. 

Symbols are important to me too like N and the white wilting rose. I’m trying to think what else there is but I’m on blanks. I love flower symbolism a lot.

(Ramble over)

The Lamy Al-Star and it’s entry-level sibling, the Lamy Safari are part of most fountain pen users' pen journeys. If you’ve followed my blog for some time, you may have noticed that two Lamy Al-Stars frequently make appearances: 2014 Special Edition Blue Green and the 2015 Special Edition Copper Orange.

I have yet to do reviews for the Al-Stars but they are on the list. Straight-up, I love them. I find the moulded grip comfortable. The shape of the barrel is sleek and modern. I love the way they write.

With this being the 50th anniversary of Lamy Bauhaus design, and being a Lamy aficionado, I was excited to see what Lamy had in store for us. Prior to the reveal, I had put the Lamy 2000 50th anniversary pen on my wish list. After the reveal I adopted a “wait and see” approach on the Lamy 2000. I was, however, attracted to the Lamy Lx.

So, when the pens hit the shelves at Wonder Pens, I think 1-2 weeks before our friends to the south, I put an order in for the rose gold version of the Lamy Lx. They also come in ruthenium, palladium and gold colours.

This is not intended to be a detailed review of the Lamy Lx but rather, a quick comparison of the Lamy Lx with the Al-Star.

Appearance

Dimensions and overall pen shape and design echo that of the Lamy Al-Star. This includes the cap and barrel shape.

Clip of the Lx is coloured the same as the body. In this case rose gold. For the Lamy Al-Star, shiny chrome.

The Lamy logo on the barrel of the Lx is polished and glossy while on the Al-Star, it is just an outline and almost indiscernible.

Cap screws made of a shiny and polished rose-gold coloured metal in the Lx. In the Al-Star it is made of black plastic.

The tail end is made of the same polished matching metal in the Lx. In the Al-Star it is made of black plastic.

Overall, the grip section shape and material is the same moulded plastic featuring the famous Lamy “triangular” grip. The grey on the Lx appears darker that that of the Al-Star.

Nibs on both pens are made of stainless steel. On the Lx it is coated black with a rose gold laser etching that outlines the slit and breather hole. This slit is longer than in the Al-Star. The Al-Star nib also does not have a breather hole. The design of the nib is reminiscent of the nib on the Lamy Studio Wild Rubin.

Packaging

Lamy Al-Star comes in a small cardboard box which I have long since put into the recycle bin.

Lamy Lx comes in a aluminimum tube anodized the same colour as the pen body. It makes a sturdy but slightly bulky pen sleeve.

Value

The Al-Star retails in the US for $38 while the Lx retails for $56. At Wonder Pens, these are selling for C$53 and $89 respectively. The weak Canadian dollar is very painful for Canuck pen fans.

In the $50-60 range, one could get into the likes of TWSBI 580, Pilot Prera, Monteverde Intima etc. These are all good pens and I think the Lx is well-priced to contend from a features perspective.

As for the $18 or 47% premium over the Lamy Al-Star? The design upgrades and aesthetic features are well with the price premium. Yes, it’s a 47% premium but for less than $20 or a bottle of ink, you get a very modern upgrade for this classic pen. In my opinion, the sleek black nib looks awesome. I love writing with this pen and I feel very stylish doing so. Now if only i could get a matching iPhone in rose gold…

I had hoped to get some shots of the Copper Orange along with Lamy Al-Star Blue Green and the Lamy Lx. Unfortunately, I could find it in the few areas that I normally store my pens and pen supplies. This is a sure sign that some maintenance and reorganization is in order...but this is a post for another day.

Picking up from the purple ink theme that started last week with Noodler's Purple Martin, this week I'm looking back on Diamine Amazing Amethyst. It's another another ink which I had only got as a sample.

Handwritten Review

Pen: Lamy Al-Star LE Blue Green 1.1 Ink: Diamine Amazing Amethyst Paper: Rhodia No. 16 Grid

Ummmm.... This colour is powdery. Not at all what I expect for Amethyst.

Is it mixed with water or the last ink colour? Dunno. It's not very vibrant nor saturated.

So after writing a few lines/pages, it still looks the same. So indeed this amazing amethyst is not so amazing. Just kinda powdery. Not my fave.

East, west, north, south. Any food is good food as long as it tastes yummy.

Pen: Lamy Al-Star LE Blue Green B Ink: KWZ IG Turquoise

Brush: Kuretake No. 8 Brush Pen Ink: Kuretake Black

Is it cool to have X-Ray vision?

Pen: Lamy Al-Star LE Copper Orange 1.1

Ink: Akkerman 22 Hopjesbruin

Brush: Kuretake No. 8 Brush Pen Ink: Kuretake Black

It's a challenge to write Chinese characters using a bold nib on 5 mm dot grid ruling. I had to turn the pen over to do reverse writing and get a finer line.

Pen: Lamy Al-Star LE Blue Green B Ink: KWZ Iron Gall Turquoise

Brush: Kuretake No. 8 Brush Pen Ink: Kuretake Black