LamyAL-Star Fountain Pen (26F) Graphite + 5 Black Ink Cartridges

This pen writes very smoothly. I am not necessary a fountain pen person, but this model was recommended and has worked well. Have this one and a Safari and prefer the feel of this one over the Safari.

I own three AL-Star and two Safari fountain pens. I also own Pilot-Namiki, Pelikan, vintage Sheaffer, Esterbrook, and Parker fountain pens. Given all of these choices, my work pen, the one that I ordinarily put in my pocket or tuck into a notebook is a Lamy.This is not to say that my favorite is Lamy, rather it is the ease of maintenance combined with surprisingly well-behaved nibs and ink flow that I like. The forced grip of these pens, disliked by some, seems to improve my exceptionally poor penmanship.I have no preference between the Safari and the AL-Star. There is not a significant difference in weight or balance. In my hand, I do notice the rougher finish of the plastic bodied Safari and that may (or may not) improve the tactile grip and feel in the hand. To me, it is just a difference. Having never dropped a fountain pen, and not being one to carry my pen in a pocket with keys or coins, I cannot join the debate over the finish of one over the other. I would suggest that if aesthetics of your fountain pens are that important to you, you should perhaps treat them similarly rather than attempting to determine which looks better after it has been dropped on concrete.Nib-changing is an advantage of Lamy pens, and is easily done. I tend to prefer fine and extra fine nibs. In truth, I do prefer the Namiki nib to all others, but the Lamy nib is superior to that of the nibs used in the low priced Pilot pens such as Metropolitan. The purchaser should also recognize that western nibs are a touch wider than Japanese nibs; a Lamy fine is roughly equivalent to Pilot's medium. While the nibs are not what I would characterize as flexible, they are reasonably responsive.The only characteristic of the Lamy that I do not like is the small capacity of the Z-24 converter. I write to earn my living, so if I get on a roll, I can produce forty notebook pages at one sitting. At that point, I am just about due to have a look at the reservoir level.Summary: Neither the AL-Star nor the Safari will replace my Namikis or Pelikans for favorite pen status. The appearance of these pens is functional, not pocket sculpture. Not ugly (other than some of the peculiar colors that Lamy unveils as special editions, and which I find hideous), just unadorned. These pens become good friends, like a favorite pair of comfortable walking shoes.

I used a fountain pen for years, from the time I was in third grade through my college years. And then I started using ballpoints and gel pens during my business career. Recently, a very old friend mentioned that his sister remembers how beautiful my handwriting used to be in school, and I decided to go back to writing with a fountain pen; but I didn't want to use my old pens, which are now considered "collectibles" and are too expensive to risk losing. I did a lot of research and became curious to try a Lamy because so many people online swear by them. I ordered a Safari, but hated the way the plastic barrel felt in my hand: it was too rough and too light. I returned it, and decided to upgrade to an Al-Star. Smart choice for me! My Black Purple Al-Star, with its smooth aluminum construction is perfectly weighted for my hand. The ink flows freely from the fine nib, and my handwriting looks the way it did all those years ago. This is going to be my go-to, everyday pen. I like it so much, I'm going to order a converter, as well as a back-up Al-Star in another color. I could not be happier with my purchase, and am pleased to recommend the Lamy Al-Star to you, without reservation.

I found this on a Japanese minimalist travel bloggerʻs list of the very few things she packs in her backpack and had to try it out myself. How have I been on the planet this long without knowing about this pen!!! Iʻve loved fountain pens since I discovered the really cheap ones in 6th grade, decades ago, and theyʻve been a passion of mine ever since. I thought I was really doing well, owning several Waterman pens and using them only for "special" writing when I could take the time and muse. This one outshines all my Waterman pens, which now seem fussy and impractical and a bit disappointing. I donʻt get nearly the writing life out of Waterman pens and cartridges as I do with the Lamy pen. I find myself having to use a new cartridge for the Lamy way less often, and I can write far longer and clearer and mess-free with it. My Waterman cartridges and pens are always leaking and Iʻm always having to clean up after using them, and putting in a new cartridge, itʻs hard getting them "started" again. The Lamy pen may be much more plain and utilitarian in vibe, which suits me just fine. Iʻm writing with it now as my go-to pen, using it for everything. It is simple and minimal in design and really, if I only had one pen, like the Japanese minimalist blogger, this would be it.

I have been carrying this pen in my pocket every workday for about a month. I have already had to clean the nib once, but otherwise it's been great. It's sturdy, feels nice in the hand, and writes clean lines with no effort. I've put it through a lot of abuse and it has yet to scratch, chip, or leak on me.It came with a blue cartridge in the pen and 5 black ones in the box. I have only used the black so far, but I appreciate having an extra color to try out later.

It has excellent writing sense, can be used in both cartridges and converters, and has excellent Lamy-Nib compatibility. If you want to change the thickness of the text, it is easy to exchange it with the desired nib.When I think about everything, I think it's the best in this price range.It is not burdensome to carry and use every day.Some people are uncomfortable with triangular grips, but it has the advantage of quickly grip positioning them.

Last time I was writing with a fountain pen was more than two decades ago, and my experience with them was hit and miss: leaks, nib tips breaking off, etc). Lamy Al-Star came highly recommended by a friend of mine, and I took the plunge to test it out. What can I say? Using it is a great pleasure! The nib was a bit scratchy at first (and that's where it lost a bit of points), but working it out made the ink flow more or less effortlessly. Currently I am using it as my daily driver pen, writing work notes in style: metal body is a plus, construction is solid, and the looks are catchy! Seems slightly oversized with the cap on, but balances well. All in all, recommended! I find myself using more often over my trusted Parker Sonnet rollerball.

This is a very solid, well-constructed pen. It's comfortable in hand, and easy to write with. With the cap posted it's a bit back heavy, but I've written with more expensive pens that have much more pronounced balance issues. I only have two real complaints with the pen. The first is that for the first 2-3 months of use, the nib was very stiff and scratchy (I got the fine nib). After about 3 months though writing with the pen got much smoother and is much more enjoyable now. The second complaint is the ink level window. It's very small, and nearly opaque, and completely useless for telling how much ink is left with a converter. I don't feel like having an ink refill window is a necessary feature, but if you're going to design the pen with one, it should at least be functional. Aside from those two complaints though, I enjoy the Al-Star and it will remain my daily pen for years to come!

The pen is fine, authentic and such. The nib feels very stiff and you can see that the ink stroke is not continuous. In short, the nib's quality is very bad.I have other lamy pens, and THIS did not happen for my other pens.

I bought this as a fountain pen by accident and man what a gateway drug that was. I almost exclusively use fountain pens now and this was the first one that really got me going down that road. The weight of the pen is excellent, it writes effortlessly, it holds a decent amount of ink with its cartridges and its converters. The only drawback I can think of regarding this pen is that it is a little big, which is not really a problem for me as I have large hands.