Customer Reviews

Writes very nicely. I save five star reviews for things which are unbelievably great. This is just very good, and I'm not inclined to pay any more than this for a fountain pen. I buy them to write with, not to display.

Writes very smoothly, and feels good in my hand. I got the extra-fine nib, and absolutely cannot tell the difference between it and the fine nib on my Lamy Safari in side by side writing. Not really important, as it's just about where I want it for the kind of writing I do.

The fact that it seems a sturdier than the Safari justifies the extra money. The Al-Star will see a lot of use.

I ordered this pen along with a converter so that I can use any colored ink that I wish. I am very glad that I purchased this pen rather than something lighter, since I prefer the feel of a slightly heavier pen. As far as the extra fine nib goes, I do not find it too fine for my handwriting, it actually makes my handwriting look much better ^.^ Now I cannot wait for my second fountain pen to arrive.

This was my first Lamy fountain pen purchase, and I am extremely satisfied. It looks great, it writes very well, and with a converter, I am able to use any bottled ink I wish. Mine is currently filled with J. Herbin's Eclat de Saphir and it flows beautifully. Now, I find myself taking every opportunity to write things down, just so I can use my fountain pens. Thanks, JetPens!

Writes beautifully and smoothly. It's slightly heavier than the Safari, which makes this just about perfect. The graphite coloring makes it feel professional, and it's a very solid construction.

The nib tends to be a tad messy using the converter cartridge, but still writes nice and smoothly.

This is actually a review for the green al-star pen. It's the best pen I have ever owned! I'vd several cheap 'fountain' pens, and have been disappointed. This pen Amazed me! Writes so smooth from the start! Its quality is obvious from every aspect, and I think if you ever wanted to try a fountain pen this is it! Use it for everything from writing to sketching and love the flow & feel.

This is my second Lamy purchase (first being the Safari Fine). I bought this because I got tired of taking my Safari pen back and forth from work to home. Went with the al-star and extra fine because I didn't want to just buy the exact same one a second time. The EF nib had a small break-in period. I even later bought a F nib thinking the scratchyness of the EF nib couldn't be helped. Well after a couple weeks of use that went away and it writes like a dream now. If anything, the EF nib feathers less on cheaper paper than F nib. I mainly write on scraps of copy paper and the cheap steno sized books that work buys. I've had the same cartridge for a month or so and it's finally starting to get low. While I have a convertor and use it at home the cartridges are much more convenient at work. I would have preferred a black nib instead of the chrome one but that's really the only issue I have with it.

While I am thoroughly enjoying the way this pen writes the grip is getting me down. There are groves in the barrel for your fingers which force me to hold the nib at a certain angle. Maybe it's because I'm left-handed but I'm finding it awkward. Next time I'll buy a fountain pen with a round, smooth barrel. I think that will alleviate the problem.

Tried to put up a review yesterday, but it didn't seem to take.

This is one of two Lamy's I bought. Got the Graphite Gray AL-Star with an extra fine nib here, and a Safari with a fine nib elsewhere. In side by side writing, I absolutely don't see any difference between the EF and F nib.

Regardless, they both write very easily, but I do like the slightly more substantial feel of the AL-Star. Since this is about the maximum I can bring myself to pay for a mere pen, I'm glad to find that it writes so well. Very smooth, and no skipping, even in the cheap composition book that I use for a journal. I bought the converter to use with it, but will use up the included cartridge first.

Very nice fountain pen!!!

Nice pen but ex-fine is better suited for sketchs and such shouldve got a medium or fine for writing . Xp

I think this is the most beautiful color in the al-star series. Writes smooth. I fall in love with fountain pens again~

My first Lamy!

I love this pen; it does not bleed ink, and it starts right up, no matter how long you have gone between uses.

Wow.. the barrel color is just absolutely stunning! Please restock!! I love Lamy extra fine nib fountain pens :)

Great writing fp.

This is a work horse of a fountain pen. I have dropped it, taken it through rough settings and it still looks great and works flawlessly. This has a pen has a very ergonomic grip, so if you have got big hands, this pen may be a bit hard to work with. The clip is pretty nice and hold snug in my pocket or shirt. The metal body guarantees a long life and i love using this pen for notes or long papers. I love this pen and expect to be buying more of them. Thank You Jetpens!!!!

Great pen! The color is just gorgeous!!!

The best fountain pen under $100. I think that's what Forbes said. Anyway, it's great! I'd recommend getting the converter though and finding a bottle of ink with a color unique to you. If you're gonna use a fountain pen, you might as well take advantage of the things that make it special. Though, by default it takes cartridges and require no more thought than a ball point pen for the most part. It's reliable, uses quality materials, and thankfully is available in an extra fine nib. I love mine.

My Lamy Al-Star fountain pen (medium nib) arrived the other day, and right off the bat it's performance is stellar. It comes with a Lamy ink cartridge (blue ink) that is not trouble to install. Well... for a newbie like myself, there was one little hiccup. When I installed the cartridge, I thought it was in securely - but there was no audible "pop" of the cartridge seal. I didn't want to force it in... that hasn't proven the best solution in experiences past. *ahem* Anyway, I proceeded to twist on the body of the pen back on and felt resistance as I was twisting it. I saw that the threads were not entirely hidden so I gently twisted the body and heard the "pop" of the ink's seal. The pen wrote almost instantly! No skipping, no dripping... smooth like butter (can you imagine lumpy butter?)!

As expected, the medium nib gave me the sort of ink flow that I desired. The blue ink looks great, although this is my first "blue" ink so my basis for comparison is well.... not a whole lot.

Still, the Lamy Al-Star is lightweight, reliable, and doesn't disappoint. The aluminum body is just a touch heavier than the Safari, but not so heavy that you'll experience fatigue whilst writing your autobiography. ;-) I'm still on the fence whether or not I'll get the converter - the ink cartridge seems to work fine... for now. As my ink and pen collection grow (cross your fingers), I may take advantage of the converter to keep the cost of the ink cartridges down.

This pen is a little more pricey, but still affordable. There are much MUCH more expensive ones out there, and their improved quality is marginal. In the world of economical "bang for your buck" deals, the Al-Star should be given serious consideration.

This pen is an OK pen, however I feel that the ink flow could be much more regular I am an "italic writer" and I use it at work which means I am writing quite fast, but I often get some blancs and the nib scratches on regular paper.
The pen is good on extra smooth paper though and is very well balanced.
For my handwriting the Kaweco sport pens are much much better.

This is a beautiful fountain pen for the price. I have yet to see a web page that accurately shows the color, however. I was expecting it to be a bright red but it is a deep satin garnet color. I ordered the extra fine. I have several Lamy extra fine and love the way they write. The nib is such a personal preference but for me, their extra fine is great. It can be a little scratchy depending on the ink and paper but for the price it writes amazingly well. I would highly recommend it.

I keep wanting to like the Lamy pens, but the way the pen is shaped is uncomfortable for me. I am left-handed, but I hold the pen the usual way, not curling my hand over. The bumps on the pen which are very comfortable when I hold the pen right-handed are awful for left-handed writing, so I end up holding the pen on the bumps, not the indentations. If I could rotate the nib a millimeter or two, I could hold the pen as designed and it would be wonderful. As it is, I continue to use the Lamy pens I have because they are a pleasure to write with.

I've found that Lamy pens have a "wet" nib with a generous ink flow. The extra-fine nib is best for me on the kinds of paper I use.

Awesome! I have a decent amount of FPs and always seem to use Lamy Al the most. This is likely due to its consistent line in all Lamys I bought so far (F si always F, Medium is always medium etc) and is the most comfortable pen ever for holding and writing for many hours. I write and draw with Lamy Al Star the most. Have few of them with different ink colors also and often give them for presents to friends, family etc.

I would love to have the same pen in piston filled style so do not have to deal with cartriges and converters (such as famous Pelikan pens) and a twist in cap as I do not trust click caps when placing in pants or shirts (had no problems yet with leaks though).

5/5

The fountain pen is classy and beautiful to behold. It comes with a blue ink cartridge. I inserted the cartridge and wrote. Very smooth, although occasionally scratching -- probably because of the extra fine nib. A wonderful pen for the price!

I love the Fine nib, it is perfect. I own a safari with an Extra Fine nib and I ended up purchasing another F nib and changing it out (there are some really simple video tutorials on youtube!) because I just write way too fast for the EF. This pen is very durable and is very attractive. It is also comfortable to write with. I love fountain pens, and the Lamy is definitely high-quality.

This pen writes great and I love the grooves on the handle that guide your fingers into the right spot.....(that's what she said?)....But honestly, it's a neat feature!

What surprised me the most is how big the pen actually is. I'm used to a Pilot Prera and the Al-Star feels like a pool cue sometimes. But the pen starts right up after being left open for a bit. (hence 4 stars vs. 5 stars)

The purple is a great color and I'll be drooling over some other colors.

Great pen!