As a pen made for high-schoolers (used by every single German 10-15 year old), it is extremely durable and well balanced for easy and comfortable writing. Now in its 4th decade, it has become a true design classic and has excellent street cred amongst creatives.
This model called the Vista is really a Safari Demonstrator (the name given to clear bodied pen and originally used by pen salesmen to show the objects inner workings) Looks aside, the clear model is a good choice if using several Lamy's simultaneously with different coloured inks.
Unfortunately, no longer family owned, as of 2024, Lamy was bought by Japanese stationery powerhouse Mitsubishi Uni. Nevertheless Lamy remains German run, with its state of the art factory in Heidelberg which produces 95% of pen parts needed to build a full writing implement. Night and day the factory is able to produce parts unmanned. Similar to the Japanese pen making philosophy, Lamy believes in limiting outsourcing and 70 parts are produced in-house, which is nothing short of amazing from an industrial point of view. Our visit to the factory in 2023 corroborated much of the above impressions.
The company was founded by Josef Lamy in 1930. Prior to starting his own business, Josef Lamy had in fact been working as a sales rep for Parker. This influence can be found in Lamy's early pens, which used the same filling system as Parker, and whose conservative designs were loosely based on the classic 1921 Duofold.
Where he, and his son Dr. Manfred Lamy, did innovate radically is by using moulded plastics - as opposed to hand-turned acrylics and celluloids. Much like Braun, Citroen, Olivetti, post-war companies interested with ideas of modernity, Lamy broke with the past by creating mass-manufactured quality writing tools with a design focused approach.
Cleaning: Fountain pens should be cleaned regularly, at a minimum once a month, even if writing well. Dry ink, dust and paper fibre can accumulate internally causing disruption to the ink flow, scratchiness or skipping. When changing ink colours, especially when moving from a dark to light colour, it is important to flush out a pen for best colour clarity and stability. To clean a pen, first remove the lid, unscrew the nib/grip section from the barrel/pen body and if using, dispose of the cartridge, or remove converter. Hold the nib section downwards under a cold stream of water or tap, allowing for water to flow through the feed until the water runs clear.
For thorough or deeper clean, soak the feed section in a glass of clean water for a few hours, then dry with a towel or tissue paper. Once dry (may need drying overnight), install a fresh new cartridge, and re-assemble the pen.
Don’t forget that dry ink can also cause damage to the cap threading. The pen body, inside the cap and all pen parts should be clean and tidy. A well kept pen should only show inkflow in the nib tines/slit.
Storage: When not in use for over a week, pens should be stored clean and empty. Especially in hot climate (over the summer) and if used only sporadically, fountain pens will need extra cleaning. The nib is the most delicate part of the pen, it should not be dropped or shocked. When the tines come apart from each other, this is a called a sprung nib and will need repairing or changing. Ink: Only use ink labelled as fountain pen safe. Drawing inks such as China Ink or Indian ink should never be used in fountain pens. Ink choice can affect flow as some inks are more lubricating and others more pigmented. Pigment is a physical particle relative to dye which does not harden and stays liquid. As a rule of thumb black ink is more pigmented and 'dryer' than blue which is lubricating and the optimal colour for ink flow. While shimmering inks and iron gall based inks which are fountain pen friendly can be used with fountain pens, they may dry up faster and may require more regular pen cleaning. Sharing: Pens are best used by a single unique person. Not unlike leather shoes, the nib will gradually mould to your hand and handwriting style. If used by another person it may be that the pen feels different after or worse, that the tines are sprung (when the tines become splayed).
Length: Closed 13.8cm, Posted 16.3cm
Diameter 1.2cm
Weight: 15g
Body material: High quality scratch-free ABS plastic with sturdy metal clip
Nib Size: Medium
Nib Material: Stainless steel chrome-plated nib
Cap Type: Click cap
Cartridge type: Takes Lamy T10 cartridges only
Included: One blue washable ink cartridge
Made in Germany
