Lamy 2000

Overview

The Lamy 2000 is one of Garry's most-used and most-discussed premium pens -- a German-made piston filler in black macrolon (a type of fibreglass-reinforced resin), designed in 1966 and still produced today. He acquired it after years of deliberating, drawn to it despite repeatedly saying its looks don't jump out at him. In practice it has proved one of his most-reached-for pens, appearing across his Fountain Pen Tournaments all the way to the Final, in multiple 'pens for life' and 'black pens' round-up videos, and in numerous monthly rotations. Its nib -- a 14 karat gold broad that writes with a stubby quality -- consistently draws praise for producing a characterful, shaded line, though the lack of tactile feedback is a recurring trade-off he accepts. He owns one pen (one copy, in black macrolon), with a single broad nib.

Design & Appearance

Material: Black macrolon -- a fibreglass-reinforced plastic/resin -- with stainless steel trim. Garry uses the term correctly across his reviews but the transcript garbles it several ways; see the Fuzzy Match table.
Shape: Streamlined, flat-topped and flat-bottomed silhouette that tapers gently toward both ends. Garry describes it as 'a well-designed boring pen' when being slightly critical, and a 'rockstar of pens' when being more affectionate -- both descriptions in the same channel. He consistently acknowledges it has been in production since 1966 and says this longevity counts for something.
Cap: A pull-off cap with extremely tight tolerances -- 'you can hardly see the join' is a phrase he uses more than once. The clip is spring-loaded at the top and he finds it easy to use.
Section: Stainless steel. He notes it can feel a little narrow/thin in the hand for longer writing sessions, and this is his most consistent comfort critique of the pen.
Filling mechanism: Piston filler. One of the selling points he highlights is the ink window -- small but present -- allowing him to check ink levels, which he explicitly contrasts with the Visconti Homo Sapiens in a direct showdown.
Pen Looks scores across reviews: 8/10 (vs Visconti Homo Sapiens), 8/10 (vs Leonardo Momento Zero Grande in the same video group shot) -- consistently described as elegant and understated rather than visually exciting.

The Nib

Material: 14 karat gold, platinum plated (the plating gives it a silver appearance; Garry notes he normally prefers to see the gold but understands the design choice given the all-black aesthetic).
Size: Broad -- but every review emphasises that it writes with a stubbish character, giving wider down-strokes and narrower cross-strokes. Garry checked this himself by removing the nib unit, confirmed it is marked broad, and concluded this is simply how Lamy 2000 broads behave -- he's been told by viewers it's very common to the model.
Feel: Extremely smooth, close to frictionless. He describes it variously as: 'not quite like writing on ice but getting close,' 'like writing on glass,' 'like using an Apple Pencil on an iPad screen -- really glassy and overly smooth,' and 'feels like it's self-lubricating.' He accepts the smoothness but consistently says he normally prefers feedback, and this pen gives very little.
Sound: Very quiet -- 'barely a whisper,' and in the Tournament Final the quietest of the three pens in the lineup.
Line character: The stub nature produces visible line variation (wide down, narrow across) and natural shading -- he repeatedly praises this as 'character-filled' writing.
Writing Experience scores: 9/10 (vs Visconti Homo Sapiens), 9/10 (vs Leonardo Momento Magico in Semi Final 3).

Filling Mechanism

Piston filler. Garry consistently praises this -- he prefers piston/vacuum fillers over cartridge-converter pens generally, and the Lamy 2000's piston mechanism is so cleanly integrated into the body that the join is nearly invisible. Ink capacity is good; he does not report needing to refill frequently.

Measurements

Measurement	Value
Total length (capped)	13.8-13.9 cm
Length unposted	12.3 cm
Length posted	15.3 cm
Body width	1.21 cm
Cap width	1.41 cm
Section width	1.0-1.11 cm (tapered)
Full pen weight	26-26.2 g
Body weight alone	17-17.4 g
Cap weight	8.8-9 g

One of the shorter pens in his collection; he notes it is slightly shorter unposted than the Pilot Metropolitan, shorter than the Visconti Homo Sapiens, and shorter than the Pelikan M1000.

Writing Experience (Ink Flow & Comfort)

Ink Flow scores: 9/10 (vs Visconti Homo Sapiens -- the ink window being the deciding factor giving it one point over the Visconti) -> high across every review. He has noted the Lamy 2000 combo with certain inks dries fast (notably the Tournament Semi Final), while Colorverse Aquarius Whispers took around a minute to dry fully.
Comfort scores: 8/10 (vs Visconti Homo Sapiens) -- the section feels a little thin for long sessions, and is his most consistent mild criticism.

Inks Used (as referenced across reviews and monthly rotations)

Ink	Context / Notes
Diamine Writers Blood	First Impressions, vs Look-a-likes comparison, and multiple other videos -- his go-to debut ink for this pen; a dark red that shows the stub line variation well and shades nicely
Colorverse Pink Salt	vs Visconti Homo Sapiens showdown -- an unusual colour choice he says doesn't look too bad in this pen
Diamine Weeping Willow	Tournament Heat 7, Semi Final 3, and the Tournament Final -- he likes the shading this ink produces through the stub nib
Diamine Fireside Snug	Semi Final 3 (in the Visconti that round, not the Lamy, but mentioned together)
Diamine Earl Grey	April 2021 Pens In Use rotation; he says finding this ink transformed his experience of the pen
Colorverse Aquarius Whispers	Tournament Heat 8 (vs Pelikan M1000 and Diplomat Arrow)

Comparisons and Rankings

vs Kaco Edge and Jinhao 80 (three-pen Lamy 2000 look-alike comparison)

A direct side-by-side of three visually near-identical pens at very different price points. Garry's verdict: the 2000 is 'a joyful pen to use,' with the most character-filled line of the three thanks to the stub broad nib. He did the maths and could buy over 60 Jinhao 80s for the same price. Yet over three weeks of keeping all three inked together, the 2000 was the one he reached for every time -- though he honestly questions whether that was because he truly preferred it or because he knew it cost the most.

vs Visconti Homo Sapiens Dark Age (dedicated showdown, Colorverse Pink Salt vs Diamine Ghost)

A German-vs-Italian, 14K vs 18K showdown. Garry rated looks equally (8/10 each), build quality equally (9/10 each), and writing experience equally (9/10 each). The Lamy won on ink flow (9 vs 8) because of its ink window; the Visconti won on comfort (10 vs 8) because its wider section and weight feel better in the hand for longer sessions. Value for money Lamy 8/10, Visconti 7/10 (given the much higher price). Both tied at 8.5/10 overall.
Lamy 2000 = 8.5/10, Visconti Homo Sapiens = 8.5/10

Fountain Pen Tournament -- Heat 7 (vs Pens By Casey Tokubetsu and Leonardo Momento Zero Grande, audience-decided)

Went in as Garry's German representative in that heat. He praised the stub nature and ink window as talking points, noted the section was 'a little bit on the thin side for me.' Left to an audience vote; Garry did not declare a personal winner.

Fountain Pen Tournament -- Semi Final 3 (vs Visconti Homo Sapiens and Leonardo Momento Magico, audience-decided)

A three-pen rematch including the Visconti. Garry described the Lamy as the most glassy/smooth of the three but praised how it looked on paper -- 'gorgeous' natural line variation. He mentioned he wished for a wider ink window. Left to an audience vote.

Fountain Pen Tournament -- Grand Final (vs Majohn P139 and Platinum Preppy, audience-decided)

Reached the Grand Final of his pen tournament -- one of only three pens to make it through all the heats and semi-finals. In the Final itself Garry noted the Lamy was the quietest of the three pens and the smoothest on paper, and praised the stub character of the broad nib. Left to an audience vote (no personal winner declared).

Tournament Heat 8 -- 2025 version (vs Diplomat Arrow and Pelikan M1000, audience-decided)

Described as 'a classic' and a 'good solid pen that writes well' by Garry. Compared directly against the Pelikan's much wider, softer, wetter nib, the Lamy came across as the more controlled and drier writer of the two. Again left to audience vote.

'5 Fountain Pens for Life' (included in his personal five-pen selection)

One of five pens he would choose if he could only keep five fountain pens. A meaningful inclusion given the breadth of his collection.

'5 Black Fountain Pens That Will Make You Regret Not Buying Them Sooner'

Included in a five-pen showcase of his favourite black-bodied pens -- described as very quiet when writing ('I don't even know if the mic would have picked it up').

Overall Scores Summary

Review	Score
vs Visconti Homo Sapiens	8.5/10
Average (scored reviews)	8.5/10

(Tournament heats, semi-finals, and the Grand Final were audience-decided rather than personally scored by Garry. The look-alike comparison was not formally scored.)

By category (averaged across the one explicitly scored showdown)

Category	Score
Pen Looks	8/10
Build Quality	9/10
Writing Experience	9/10
Ink Flow	9/10
Comfort	8/10
Value for Money	8/10

Build Quality

Excellent -- 9/10 in the one review where it was explicitly scored. He has owned the pen for over two years at the time of his most recent reviews with no issues. The engineering quality (barely-visible piston join, tight tolerances throughout) is consistently noted.

Value for Money

Rated 8/10 in the direct showdown. He describes the price as 'spot on' for a gold-nibbed German-made pen. In the look-alike comparison, he acknowledges the price is high relative to budget alternatives but says 'you are getting what you pay for' -- and his behaviour (always reaching for the 2000 over cheaper lookalikes) backs this up in practice.

Key Recurring Themes

'A well-designed boring pen' that he keeps reaching for -- he repeatedly acknowledges the 2000 looks unremarkable but consistently reaches for it in practice, and included it in his personal five-pens-for-life list.
A broad that writes like a stub -- the natural line variation from the stub nature of the broad nib is the single most consistently praised characteristic, appearing in every review.
Glassy smooth, minimal feedback -- his one recurring trade-off: very smooth but almost no tactile or audible feedback, which he says is 'not for everyone' and doesn't perfectly match his usual preference.
Tournament pedigree -- one of very few pens to reach his Fountain Pen Tournament Grand Final.
Narrow section as a mild comfort critique -- noted consistently but never a dealbreaker.
Ink window praised over piston-filling contemporaries -- explicitly highlighted as an advantage over the Visconti Homo Sapiens (which has no ink window) and praised in general.
'Macrolon' mis-transcription -- the material name comes through several ways in transcripts; see Fuzzy Match table.

Source Files

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