Lamy Vista FP clip

Lamy Vista Fountain Pen Review

19 January 2015 By ian

Lamy Vista FP review

The Lamy Vista is plastic bodied fountain pen (also available as a rollerball, ballpoint and pencil). It’s available with extra-fine, fine, medium, broad and left-handed nibs at the point of sale but several italic nibs (such as this 1.5mm one) are available as extras. It costs around £14 in the UK and $30 in the USA – a rare case of something being cheaper on this side of the pond.

Lamy Vista FP ink window

It’s possible to find the occasional dodgy Lamy nib but it’s quite rare. I’ve got…more than I want to admit to…and only one of them has caused me problems. This 1.5mm nib is great and the Lamy Vista feed easily keeps up with it with all but the gloopiest of inks. It’s smooth and brings out the character of the ink.

Lamy Vista FP nib

The grip is the standard Safari/Vista/AL-Star triangular affair. It suits me fine, I find it very comfortable. You may find the same. Or you may not. The only way to find out is to try. Maybe go to a real actual shoppy shop and pick one up, see how you get on.

Lamy Vista FP uncapped

The barrel is a good size and very light, so will be comfortable in any hand. The cap posts securely and being so light doesn’t throw off the balance at all.

Lamy Vista FP posted

The clip is a strong loop of chrome-plated brass and not only looks great, works well too. It clips onto things.

Lamy Vista FP clip

Lamy use their own cartridges and converters. Lamy converters are pretty good and aren’t expensive as these things go.

Lamy Vista FP deconstructed

When I wrote the handwritten part of this review I was under the impression my first Lamy pen was an AL-Star. It was actually a black Safari but that was a very long time ago and I lost it sometime in the distant past. I liked the Safari but didn’t have anything else to compare it to at the time. The AL-Star was an early purchase during this current obsession/interest/passion and I didn’t like it much. I still don’t. It’s completely lacking in character. I bought this Vista because it was on eBay. (That’s all it seems to take.) I’m so glad I did: it’s great! Such a fun pen.

You can find some more reviews of the Lamy Vista (including non-fountain pen versions) on Pennaquod.

Lamy Vista FP handwritten review