[Pen/Pencil Review] The Lamy Tip Rollerball Medium Point
Originally published at Rhonda Eudaly. You can comment here or there.
This week’s pen review is a “nicer” rollerball (but fun) pen from Lamy. I picked up the Lamy Tipo Rollerball from JetPens in December. It’s referred to as a “medium” point, which I think is a 0.7mm. Part of what makes it “fun” is, in fact, the box the pen comes in.
The Lamy Tipo is a plastic retractable pen with a metal conical tip. However, the design is sleek, modern, and artistic. The Tipo I picked up is the graphite body with black accents, it does come in other body colors for a fashion statement, if you’re into that kind of thing. The body is about 5″ long. The clip is the clicker. It’s black plastic and sticks up above the flat top of the pen for an architectural look. The tip retracts by pressing the clip at the top to release the spring.
The ink is dark and smooth. I believe it’s a 0.7mm. It doesn’t seem to smear as much on nicer paper. It dries quickly and well. The grip is ribbed in black plastic and molded through to a smooth base. It’s a decent writing experience.
The box is a fold open with a nested frame that makes it look like airplane wings. For a Lamy, the price isn’t all that bad. It’s expensive for a generic rollerball - but there’s nothing GENERIC about Lamy. It’s a cool little pen. You might like it.
The Numbers.
1. How does it work? - 1 - This is a solid working pen. The ink is decent. The point is solid. The retractor mechanism takes a moment to figure out.
2. Look and feel - 1 - It’s a touch on the short side, but it has a good look and feel - artistic and sleek with a nod to ergonomics and balance.
3. Material - 0.5 - For the brand I would’ve like to see a better material than plastic, but seems sturdy.
4. Overall Design - 1 - It’s fun. It’s functional. It’s an average length retractable pen with some artistic details.
5. Price Point - 0.5 - This pen is on the pricy side. On JetPens, they run $10.50 - which is pricy for a plastic retractable pen. It is refillable. It’s nice, but maybe as a gift pen - because you’re also paying for the cool box.
4.0 out of 5 bronze pencils.
