Do my fellow 🖋️ enthusiasts know about the Lamy brand? Is the al-star a good, smooth writer? I was thinking of getting one.

@fabio they are decent. The Safari, Vista, and Al Star are essentially the same pen, just plastic or a thin aluminum shell over plastic. I haven’t used the EF, but have used F, M, B, and 1.1 nibs and they’ve been pretty good.

@fabio I have several, love them as daily drivers. I use a fine or medium nib and have good luck on all but the cheapest of copy paper, though my usual Lochby notebook paper loves them both! Did you have any specific questions?

@fabio decent reasonably-priced pens. Dry out too quickly for my tastes.

@toddgrotenhuis @fabio That’s been my experience as well, unfortunately.

@jessekelber nothing specific, thanks. I bought a Platinum Procyon and it really disappointed me. I'm thinking of getting the Lamy to try new brands.

@pimoore @toddgrotenhuis dries out… when not in use? While writing? In the drawer?

@fabio @toddgrotenhuis Mine dried out when not in use (forgot how long it was) even though it was capped the whole time.

@fabio I’d rather get a TWSBI Eco if I were you 🙂

@fabio They have triangular grips, so some people find them awkward. Also they’re quite large - but light. I like them, though their EF is not as nice as TWSBI’s, in my opinion.

@vanessa @hjertnes TWSBI are my favourite so far but I wanted to try something different. What's slightly worrying for me is the quick dry problem. Thanks everyone for your input @pimoore @toddgrotenhuis @jessekelber @sgtstretch

@fabio 👍 Depending on your budget, you could get a Platinum Plaisir, they are lovely little pens. Or if you want something a bit different, take a look at Gravitas pens. I have two of these & they are amazing - the “starter” pen is a very good price.

@vanessa Right! However the Platinum - I have a Procyon, very beautiful little pen, however does it write horribly - starts and stops continuously after I've been writing for a few minutes. Store says nothing's wrong with it. Thanks for the Gravitas suggestion! The look is fab

@fabio I’ve had no issues with the cheap Plaisirs. I stick drawing ink in them, leave them for months and they just write. That said, the Gravitas pens are way superior & you’re supporting a small business (in Ireland).

@vanessa always happy to support small manufacturers if I can - and who knows if this cute Procyon will ever behave

@fabio 👍 I have oneof ths Skittles pens, a celtic knot one and I'm on the list for the pocket pen when it's released.

@fabio I did not think the Lamy wrote smoothly, which was a disappointment. Have been pleasantly surprised by the ONLINE pen, which I got through jetpens. Also ONLINE is German-made like Lamy, if that's a factor. (I'm a sprawly writer, and Japanese pen nibs are often too fine for me.)

@annahavron German or not isn't a factor, but thanks for the impression on the Lamy! I also have a Japanese nib and most of the time you should just go one size bigger. Will check out Online, they look fun

@fabio Lamy’s are great if you like the 3 sided grip. Al-Star or Safari are same nibs. It’s a $30 pen so depending on your expectations of smooth most are good out of the box for the price point

@mypenneedsink not sure about my expectations of smooth, I use Twsbi that are supppper smooth at any price range. Many have said that Lamys they dry up super quickly tho.