LAMY Studio LX All Black Fountain Pen

The Lamy Studio LX fountain pen is a beautiful instrument. Smaller than many other fountain pens, it looks and feels more like a solid rollerball or gel pen than it does a fountain pen. But its function is every bit what you would expect from the much-loved brand. There is one flaw in the design, though, and it's a bit annoying. A ridge inside the cap causes the pen to catch whenever you do not insert the pen dead-on straight. I'm a little worried that, over time, that ridge will wear down and impact the cap's performance—something to keep an eye on.

I left the title of this review open-ended, and that's because of my dislike for Lamy's steel nibs. I know I'm in the minority on this, but Lamy's steel nibs are very scratchy, regardless of the size (they do get worse, though, the smaller the nib). Their gold nibs, however, are magical. If you can afford to upgrade the nib in your Studio LX, absolutely do it. If you want to keep the "all black" aesthetic, Lamy does offer a gold nib in black, but I don't think it's available from Truphae. But never fear; the two-tone gold nib looks beautiful on the pen and writing with it is a glassy smooth pleasure. If you upgrade the nib, add the fifth star that I didn't give for this review.

Love the smooth as butter hip on the LAMY!! Beautiful blacked-out limited edition. So glad I tried something different. Now my daily writer!