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1 person found this helpful
 I've been a long time..., August 27, 2012I've been a long time fan of just about anything Lamy makes. I've owned more
than a few of their Safari fountain pens and have owned (and, sadly, lost) one
of these Tipo pens. I first found the Tipo at a local shop in my hometown. I
went in looking for a good everyday roller that I could throw in a pocket or
messenger bag that I could jot notes with. And I was looking for one that
wouldn't break the bank. I got one and loved it. I used it for quite a while
until it slipped out of my pocket one day, never to be seen again. It was cheap
enough that I didn't fret about it and moved on.
I had forgotten about the Tipo and when I saw Jet Pens was selling them, I
eagerly added one to my cart and proceeded to check out.
Just a few minutes with my new Tipo and I remembered why I loved this pen in the
first place and felt sad that I had gone this long without replacing my original
Tipo.
These pens are lightweight and compact. Carrying them in a jeans pocket is
effortless and carrying them in a messenger bag will leave you hunting to find
it in a deep pocket. Despite their plastic construction, they feel well-made and
the grip is wide and comfortable to hold, albeit a little slick. I would prefer
some rubber in the grip area rather than smooth, textured plastic. It's not
uncomfortable though and unless you're pressing monstrously hard, you won't lose
grip.
The most notable feature of the Tipo is its integrated clip/plunger. The shirt
clip is also the plunger for extending the retractable tip. Give it a click from
the top of the clip (which sticks up from the end of the pen by about a quarter
of an inch) and it slides down with positive resistance and comes to rest
happily in a circular notch in the body of the pen with the top of the clip just
flush with the end of the pen. Push the top of the clip in (there's even a handy
little detent for your thumb or finger) and the tip retracts, pushing the clip
back to its extended home position. This whole process has a very solid, sturdy
feel and my only complaint would be that when extending the tip for writing, the
plunger doesn't really 'snap' into place, but sort of comes to rest gently in
its groove. It's also handy for people that clip their pens in a shirt pocket as
the pen can't be extended and the clip pressed over a shirt at the same time. So
you'll save on your dry cleaning bill and avoid those embarrassing moments when
your co-worker points out that you have yet again ruined a perfectly good pocket
bottom with a slurry of unwanted ink.
The Tipo comes with what I believe is a 0.7mm tip (similar to your
run-of-the-mill gel roller from any major office supply store). It's nothing to
write home about (pardon the pun), but it offers a smooth, skip-free writing
experience with little resistance. Put that pen tip to finer paper (i.e.,
Moleskine, Rhodia, Leuchtturm) and you're set for a day of note-taking and
doodling. I normally prefer a finer tip for everyday writing and doodling and
was happy - no, ecstatic - to find that the cartridge from a Pilot G-2 0.38 fits
PERFECTLY into the Lamy Tipo! Double score! The value of this pen increased
exponentially. I may even invest in one of the aluminum counterparts for when I
want to be really fancy. :)
Anyway, if you're looking for a good, well-made, everyday roller that you can
slip in a pocket or bag, and that can accept some cheaper refills, the Tipo is
the way to go. Especially at its meager price point.
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 This pen writes OK, but..., July 23, 2012This pen writes OK, but really not worth the price. The pen is constructed out
of light weight plastic. The retraction mechanism feels "cheap". If you are
looking for a good roller ball pen, try the Tombow Zoom. I love my Lamy fountain
pens for their quality and style, but this pink Tipo roller ball pen is not up
to the normal Lamy standards.
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