After I learned the lesson the TWSBI Eco and a slew of budget failures imparted, I decided that my next purchase would be an incremental upgrade. I think at that point, I had no idea of how deep down the fountain pen rabbit hole I would fall and didn’t really want to spend a huge amount more than I had previously. I also wanted a stylish, office friendly pen. Enter the Lamy Studio, which ticked all those boxes for me. The fact that its nibs are interchangeable with the Lamy Safari was an additional bonus.
Purchase price
£37.65 (Amazon)
Essentials
Capped: 14cm, Posted: 15.5cm, Weight: 31g
Looks
Taste is obviously subjective, but in my opinion, the Lamy Studio is a lovely looking pen.
It’s classic yet distinctive, minimalist yet not at all boring. In similarity to the 2000 and Aion, the Studio clearly takes its design philosophy from the Bauhaus movement.
Like most pens, the Studio is tubular in shape. Facetious reductionism aside, the sleek, tubular shaped barrel and cap of the Studio are augmented with flattened polished chrome cap and barrel finials, which contrast nicely with the matte, brushed finish of the rest of the pen. A similar chrome finial also adorns the end of the grip.
The grip polarises opinion. In some variants, the grip is polished metal which is either no issue at all or completely ungrippable, depending on whom you believe. Owning the brushed stainless steel version, however, this is not an issue for yours truly – the grip on the stainless steel version is made from a black, rubberised material. Whilst this does slightly detract from the overall design aesthetic, as a somewhat moist fingered writer, it is a sacrifice I was willing to make. Happily, being a Lamy pen, sections are available to purchase separately so if the brushed stainless steel finish isn’t to your taste but you suffer from the curse of sweaty palms, fear not.
The cap sports a propeller shaped clip, which is also made from polished chrome. And it looks amazing! I think it was what caught my eye with this pen. While the clip looks fantastic, it is more of an ornament than a practicality. In fact, it is so stiff that I quickly stopped trying to use it in it’s intended fashion. The cap is a snap cap which is removed and replaced with just the right amount of effort and a very satisfying click. It can be posted, but this tends to make the pen very back heavy. I generally write with my pens unposted, so this is not an issue for me.
One thing to note, and it could be that this is more visible on the stainless steel variant, is that the pen picks up scratches easily. This is especially true of the area under the clip.
Writing & filling
The supplied stainless steel medium point nib wrote perfectly out of the box for me, with no skipping, scratchiness or hard starts. As I have mentioned previously, I have never had an issue with Lamy nibs. They aren’t the most exciting of nibs, but all sizes are, if you’ll excuse the pun, fine. Obviously, the usual caveat about German nibs being wider than Japanese nibs applies. Even so, I find Lamy nibs to be that bit broader than others.
The Studio is a cartridge converter pen, so accepts either proprietary Lamy cartridges, or can take a Lamy converter. The Studio may come with a converter, as with Japanese pens, this appears to be a bit of a crap shoot, and more dependent on the retailer than on the manufacturer. Assuming you need to purchase a converter, you are looking for the Z27 converter, although according to this page, all Lamy converters will fit the Studio.
Lamy’s converters are fine, albeit a little small on capacity. Holding 0.7ml of ink, they are markedly smaller than Lamy T10 cartridges, which offer a 1.15ml capacity. Anecdotally, I have read of people using blunt syringes to fill empty T10 cartridges and gaining an ink capacity of 1.5ml. Whichever method you of ink chose, the cap on the Studio protects the ink from drying out – my own pen has never dried out, even if I leave it for a few weeks between uses.
The all metal construction of the Studio does add some heft to it, and this is something to consider if you prefer lighter pens. As I mentioned earlier, while the pen posts, this does make it slightly unbalanced and top heavy. At 31g, the Studio is slightly heavier than average, but by no means unwieldy.
One of the great things about Lamy fountain pens is that nib replacements are readily available, what’s more, the nibs themselves are simple to change. With the exception of special editions, the Studio comes with a Stainless Steel Z50 nib, replacements for which are available in sizes EF-1.9, additionally beginner (A) nibs and left handed and oblique nibs are available.
There are some Studio variants, notably the piano black and palladium editions, which are premium versions. In addition to premium finishes, these pens come with 14k gold nibs as standard, however, these pens often cost three times the price of a base Studio unit.
Pimp my ride…
The thing is, especially if you can’t try a pen before you buy it, and particularly if you don’t know whether you want to shell out the extra money to buy a special edition Studio, you don’t need to. Thanks to Lamy’s modular system, you can buy a Studio and add a gold nib later, should you wish to. I waited for over a year before doing so. There were too many other pens to try and buy first. Sometimes, in a pique of naivety, I wish I had done so sooner to staunch my journey down the fountain pen rabbit hole.
There are some who will say that doing so, for an extra £80 / €90 / $100 is a waste of money. By that point, your Studio is in the price range of a host of great pens, many of which come with 14k gold nibs as standard. But, this hobby is nothing if not subjective. For me, adding a Z55 14k gold nib was totally worth it.
I love the look and feel of the Studio, and while Lamy stainless steel nibs are perfectly serviceable, I adore writing with the Z55 nib. The difference between gold and stainless steel nibs is often massively overstated (and grossly over simplified). You don’t get a better writing experience by simply getting a gold nib, and a stainless steel nib can be a better writer than a gold one, easily. How a nib performs is far more complex than reducing it to material considerations alone.
That said, there is no escaping the inherent differences in materials. Gold is a softer metal than steel. So soft, in fact, that 14k gold only contains 58.3% of actual gold. Pure gold is so soft as to render it useless as a nib, or as a ring or necklace for that matter. The softness of the 14k Z55 nib adds touches of springiness and bounce to writing, it allows for a little bit of flex and a hint of writing variation and shading. And finally, it just feels more luxurious. Words glide across a page, and it is a joy to write with. Whether this is worth the extra cost, however, is up to you to decide. It is also worth noting that the increased softness means that, typically, a gold nib will write broader than a steel nib. This is especially true of Lamy pens.
Conclusions
As you might have already guessed, I am a huge fan of the Lamy Studio. I am in love with its looks, impressed by its build quality and feel it is an ideal work pen. It manages to straddle the difficult bridge between innocuous and interesting with ease, without ever verging into gaudy or ‘busy’ territory. In contrast to other manufacturers, there is enough of a difference in the construction of the Studio to make it stand out from other Lamy pens. The smooth Z50 stainless steel nib isn’t likely to blow you away with its performance, but it is unlikely to disappoint either. All this in a pen which is, in all honesty, only a slight notch above entry level. For the non gold nibbed price, it is a bargain.
It is a cartridge converter, and while it would be nice to see a different filling option, TWSBI and some Chinese brands aside, very few other manufacturers offer piston or vacuum fillers at this price point. Being fairly weighty, and with reports of slippery grip sections, this is definitely one to try before buying. It is also worth bearing in mind that the pen is prone to picking up scratches on its brushed finish.
Alternatives
Lamy Aion – slightly larger and heavier than the studio, designed by Jasper Morrison, slightly more industrial in design. Distinctive nib. Similar price.
Faber Castell Ambition – Faber Castell nibs are awesome. Small and slippery section. Variety of finishes. Cap might not appeal.
Sailor 1911 Young – Low key style, fairly conservative design. Nice stainless steel nib.
Fountain Pen Writinerary 