(This is a guest review by Bryan Gushikawa)
Ah, Lamy. The German company that stands for rugged, tank-like pens with fat nibs! They really know what their customers want and the Lamy Joy Calligraphy Fountain Pen is proof. The angled, super-wide nib makes for fun writing and can really make calligraphy pop on the page. Unlike the louder colors of the Safari and Al-Star lines, though, this one comes in a classy black with red accent plastic body, but has the same tough metal clip and triangle grip of those lines.
The body is long, almost 3/4ths of a cap length longer than the Safaris. The heavy plastic body feels rugged and is big enough to be comfortable to hold for long periods of time. The triangle grip is smooth plastic and it seems to be a love or hate thing among fountain pen users. The trademark ink window is present and this pen IS compatible with all Lamy cartridges and the converter, too. I like the black color a lot because it’s not a super fingerprint magnet, but it looks pretty stylish, especially with the red accents.
The nib is classic Lamy: built like a tank, but smooth with good flow. The angle imparts a nice flavor to the nib, even though the line is really wide, and calligraphy with this pen will be wonderful. The nibs are most likely interchangeable between other Lamy pens (not verified), so if you have another Lamy pen, this one is still a good one to get. I couldn’t find any flaws with this pen and the quality is very high for such a low price point!
It’s well known that Lamy=quality and this pen is NO exception. Classic German sensibility, design and performance. You can’t go wrong with a Lamy!!!
