Pocket Size Review 30: Lamy 2000, Lamy Petrol
Lamy is a funny sort of a company. They have some of the most iconic designs in the pen world, and they make some of the most beloved and enduring products, and many of them at an unbelievably affordable price point. Case in point, the Lamy 2000, with its hooded gold nib, it’s piston filling mechanism, and it’s iconic matte makrolon and steel finish was only recently raised to $219 MSRP, but you can find it under $200 at most retailers, and even under $150 on many occasions. It is tough to find a better deal on a gold-nibbed piston-filler from an established brand, which is one of the reasons why this is such a heavily recommended pen for people who are just starting to test the waters of pens over a hundred dollars.
Lamy’s main line of ink also recently saw a slight MSRP increase to a whopping $12, but two years ago when Petrol hit the shelves, it was still only $10 a bottle. Compare this to all of the other companies out there either charging $30 a bottle, or reducing the sizes of their bottles (or both) and you can appreciate just what a value Lamy is giving with their standard ink line, especially when it contains such gems as Lamy Turquoise, and comes with “free” blotting paper.
But part of what makes Lamy funny is how they seem to endlessly fail to fulfill the full promise of what they are bringing to market. This Petrol ink proved very popular, and the Dark Lilac ink the year before proved even moreso. Lamy had issues meeting demand for both inks, but rather than see this massive demand as a call to release these inks permanently, Lamy seems to have shrugged and moved on. Lamy could easily release $30 bottles of Dark Lilac and Petrol and they would sell. While I appreciate Lamy not raising those stakes so high in terms of ink price (their recent gem ink line in smaller bottles is still only $16), I’m truly disappointed that they have chosen to withhold these ink shades from the world for further release.
In pens as well, Lamy has made some odd choices. After years of fans clamoring for new colors of Lamy 2000 pens to be released Lamy made the call to do a special edition makrolon color this year, only the color is an incredibly close navy blue. Also, if you want that color, the pen is only available with an Extra Fine nib. Also, the price for the limited edition navy blue extra fine Lamy 2000 is $500. Depending on where you shop, you could buy three black Lamy 2000s for that price, and have money left over for a couple of bottles of ink.
None of this makes me love my Lamy 2000 or my Petrol ink any less. Petrol is an amazing Teal-Black ink, leaning greenish, with a red sheen in the right light/on the right paper. I’m going to keep using and buying Lamy products. I just wish that they would release and price more products in a sensible way, so that I could give them even more money. When it comes to a Dark Lilac or Petrol rerelease, the money is on the table just waiting for Lamy to collect it, but they’ve been leaving it sitting there for years.
