When I heard it was Fountain Pen Day today I thought it would be a perfect time to review my Lamy Al-Star I purchased from Europens a little while ago.
Now the first thing I have to say is Europens were fantastic. They happily answered my questions about engraving and the fonts available and were really lovely to deal with. They offer a free engraving service so I just had to personalise my pen!
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| My aqua/blue/green colour crush! |
The Al-Star is available in a wide range of colours but I went with the limited edition blue green pen. I also brought an aqua pen case, which is an exclusive to Europens, to protect it.
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| Making notes |
The Al-Star is very similar in design to the popular Lamy Safari pen but the main difference is the Safari is made from plastic and the Al-Star is made from aluminium. The Safari price starts at £12.99 and the Al-Star from £18.99 but the metal finish makes it look so much more expensive.
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| Medium size nib, turquoise ink and my awful cursive writing! |
Another difference between the Safari and the Al-Star is the bottom half (or is it the top half?) of the pen is translucent instead of a solid block of colour. I think I prefer this look and like the barrel of the pen it is also squared so it is comfortable to hold, easy to grip and it wont roll when you put it down.
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| Yes my notepaper matches my pen! |
The pen comes in a nice presentation box with a single cartridge in blue so you can use it straight away. I would take a photo of the box but I took the pen out of it and put it into the leather case straight away and now I'm not sure where the box is. I must have put it "somewhere safe"!
Pros:
- writes very smoothly, it doesn't skip at all
- the ink flows easily and at just the right speed
- looks expensive and stylish
- comes in a good range of colours, there's something for everyone
- lightweight but feels substantial in your hand
- a good starter fountain pen
- has a window so you can see how much ink is left
- affordable
- wide range of coloured ink available
- stainless steel nib
- you can purchase a converter and use ink from a bottle
- well balanced - both posted and unposted
Cons:
- aluminium might scratch or dent though I've had mine for a few months and it still looks brand new
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| Random things I write when trying out a pen |
If you want to join in with the fun today you can find the Fountain Pen Day team on Twitter and Facebook. Europens are also running a couple of competitions on Twitter and their Facebook page if you want to enter or you can treat yourself or get a head start on some Christmas shopping with 10% off your order using the code:
FPD10
The code is valid for today only
Have a great Fountain Pen Day!
