Customer Reviews

I've had mine for about eight months now, and it seems to have settled for a consistently fat line, no matter what ink I have in it (using the converter. All parts seem well made, and the pen is comfortable to hold, though with the cap posted it seems rather ludicrously long, and even a bit top-heavy. I usually just clip the cap to my pocket or onto the rings of my sketchbook. Filling and cleaning are easy and uneventful. I honestly have no idea where they get off calling this "extra fine", because it would be at least a medium, or even broad, for my purposes. Others have had different experiences, though, so perhaps there is some inconsistency.

Just got mine delivered to me.
The pen write smoothly.
One thing bothers me though, the ink seep into the front part of the pen.
Although it is not leaking out, it stay there on the clear casing and I do not know how to clean it.
Is this a sign of defect?
Any suggestion to clean it?

I love my extra fine nib Lamy Fountain Pen. It writes smoothly with no skipping. I love the way it looks, I bought the clear body. It looks better in person than on line. I've shown it to my daughter and she wants one. I will gift her one cause this one is mine.

Great choice for a fountain pen. It's comfortable, writes smooth and looks great! A+

I've been using one of these pens for awhile now. While the I originally purchased was too scratchy for my tastes, I was able to simply purchase a replacement nib (in black!) and swap it out. Since then, this pen writes smoothly and comfortably.

To hartzog2000:

Your latest "frustrated" post indicates that you're not familiar with the fact, that there's a difference in "nib size interpritation/understanding" between East and West (Pilot vs. Lamy).
In most cases, an F German nib would correspond to the M one of Pilot. Western EF = Eastern F nib. So, the EF on Lamy would correspond to Pilot's F nib, more or less. If you do some research, even briefly, you'll find all kinds of comparison charts and diagrams.
Lamy and their nibs are of extremely good quality and Lamy is the best pen you can get for the price.

To be fair, this is my first Lamy pen and I have only just received it today but this pen with an extra fine nib writes a hair broader than my Waterman Phileas with a fine nib. I would like to try it on some more bottled ink varieties to see if this is really the case. Also feels a little top heavy writing with the cap posted. But good style, good function.

My first Lamy was the black safari which I found to write a little scratchy but ok. I figured that maybe because it was EF that was the reason why it was scratchy. Well, I lost it...the pen. I found a vista on Ebay and it wrote well enough that I ordered another one from JetPens so I could just throw one in each of my book bags. Well, the Vista from JetPens writes sooooo smooth....buttery like. I have concluded that if you get an EF that is buttery smooth, then Great, but you might get one that is a bit scratchy (2 out of 3 were scratchy). Overall I think for the money the Lamy is a great pen that when pen hits paper, the ink flows well. I use the pen in lectures and when not writing I don't always put the cap on immediately, however, the Lamy starts writing instantly once it hits paper again. I might mention that I purchased a converter and do not use Lamy ink....hum, come to think of it, the scratchy ones have the Lamy cartridges. I will try the converter in the other two and see if the ink makes a difference. I have read that it sometimes does.

I love my new fountain pen. It writes beautifully and feels great on the hand with and without the cap.

I can't say enough good things about the Lamy line. I have a classic yellow Lamy Safari I bought 20 years ago that has been all over the world and still works like a champ. I bought the Vista originally to replace a Lamy All Star that I feared was broken: I tripped over the cat, fell, and stabbed myself through the hand. My hand is ok, and the All Star surprisingly still works really well. After a sleight polish on the nib, it's right as rain.

The Vista is a great addition. The extra fine nib works fantastically for both writing and sketching. It works great, looks good, and best of all the TSA is not confused by it when you have to travel. They can see exactly what it is due to the clear body. If you're looking for a starter fountain pen or a good inexpensive workhorse, this is it.

The Lamy converter is also well designed. It mates to the pen perfectly, and you can semi-permanently snap it into place if you prefer to, essentially turning the pen into an old school pump fountain pen.

First fountain pen purchase. Great pen, smoooooth nib. Starts perfectly out of the box.

The extra fine nib is not as extra fine as the Japanese ones, but it's fine enough and writes quite smoothly.
Mine also has got ink seeped into the front part as the other reviewer mentioned, but it doesn't bother me all that much.
Overall, this pen is great starter fountain pen!

I really enjoy the look and feel of this pen. I am using it with the ink piston converter and it gives me a smooth and consistent line every time.

This was the first fountain pen I bought and I've been more than happy with it. It was a little odd to use in the beginning because of the way they force you to use the pen but it was easy for me to adjust. I've gotten tons of compliments and will be buying more.

Like many mentioned, the EF nib may be EF on lamy's standards, it is definetly not ef compared to the most Asian pens and my Waterman. The nib starts to get scratchy after a few days of use, and the pen skips. I also bought the converter from Lamy, but it seems like the top cover of the pen is a little too snug for it. When I screw on the housing, there is a lot of contact. The clear plastic may seem like a good idea on paper, but due to the type of plastic used, it gets scratched up in no time, and you will see white streaks inside the pen cap, caused by contact between pen and the cap when you pull the cap off. So far I have a safari and this vista, and I am wondering why I am wasting my money of this garbage. Avoid at all cost.

Thia was such a disappointment to me. After all the hype I'd read I decided to buy one. When I went to use it the EXTRA FINE nib wrote wider than the FINE nib of the Pilot V-Pen! I was expecting something as fine as the Pilot Penmanship (both are labeled as EF) but was I disappointed! I won't be buying another LAMY product, not after this!

....I did rid all of my Lamy pens of the Lamy ink cartridges and found a tremendous difference with the ink change. I use Noodlers and Private Reserve and the scratchiness is no longer there. My mom just purchased the new Raspberry Safari EF for a grad gift and I am eager to put pen to paper. I will leave another review on the nib business.

LOVE IT!
That said, I'm a bit of a pen brat, I get a handful of faves and ignore the other hundred, sticking my nose up at the thought of using them, over my present faves. Then, I reluctantly pull-out one of the exiled pens to try again and realize that it is has NOW become my new favorite. Or I get a new fountain pen and start to write with it, always comparing it to the last one that I just used. I usually give the new pen an unfair shake - it's gotta prove itself before I will allow myself to rejoice over it. Sometimes that process takes a few pages and an ink or two.
Some pens get my approval and are welcomed into the collection within minutes, however some, especially fountain pens take a little patience before they feel right. So I'm learning to be patient.

This is my second Lamy. (I have the Safari EF) It seemed as though the Safari wrote beautifully right off. Now, upon first using the Vista it - of course - wrote well right out of the box! However, the line seemed so bold. I was almost convinced that it was a different nib than was on the Safari. Upon comparison they are the same nib. Before getting frustrated, I kept writing/drawing and trying to enjoy this beauty. YAAAAY!! My patience paid off. I'm learning that some fountain pens take a little finessing. That's all. Even the exact same model with the same nib may write differently (temporarily). These nibs are responsive, not "flexi" nibs, but the do have some "give".
If you have a light touch you get a finer line, if you have a heavy hand then you will get a slightly bolder line.
I will buy more!

I just received my pen. The nib is definitely NOT extra fine. It is medium at best. The ink flows too heavily and causes "bleeding" on the paper. The ink seeps through to the back side of the paper and onto the following page! I wrote some things last nite and this morning when I returned to the page, the ink had faded to a light blue....the ink faded! The only thing satisfactory about this pen is the casing which is very attractive and very comfortable to hold. I would NOT recommend this pen to anyone. I have requested a return of the product for a full refund without paying for the return postage as it is obviously a defective product and does not perform as advertised.

JetPens, please carry more safari colors!!

Love the clear see-thru to everything. Shiny clear plastic & metal, blue ink, and the red end of the Lamy Z 24 converter!

I have several fountain pens, ranging from $3 (Platinum preppy) to $300. This pen writes amazingly well considering its price range, especially when paired up with a bottle of nice ink and a converter. Besides, I simply love demonstrator pens and Lamy has great designs. It is a wet writer, BTW, so the fine nib writes like a medium nib for those who are used to Asian brands. It is also more prone to nib creep (ink creeping onto the face of the nib) in my experience. It also has changeable nibs (sold on JetPens as well), which is very cool.

Not a bad pen at all for a starter! I've been using disposable Pilot Varsity fountain pens for a while, and finally decided to buy something more permanent. It writes very smoothly with some PR Black Magic Blue my friend let me fill it with.

I will say that this pen writes much better in my hand with the cap not posted. The cap, in comparison to the actual pen, weighs a lot. Aside from that you can't go wrong with this pen at this price!

Thanks again Jetpens! Great products, great prices, and speedy delivery!