Lamy has made some interesting design decisions this year. The highly anticipated Lamy 2000 50th Anniversary pen fell flat in my eyes, and the announcement of the Lamy Lx - aka the iPhone pen - looked to be a marginal Al-Star upgrade at a non-marginal price.
I wanted to check out the Lx myself to see if the over 50% price increase from the Al-Star is worth it. Are you getting enough value to justify the price?
I don’t think so.
The selling points of the Lx (pronounced “Luxe” if you are wondering how Lamy sees this pen) are upgraded anodizing - barrel, clip, and finial - plus coated black steel nibs. The packaging is upgraded too, featuring a tube to match the color of your pen. Don't forget: You pay for packaging.
While the visual differences between the Al-Star and Lx are minimal, there is zero difference in the feel of the pen. Blindfolded, I would assume this is an Al-Star. It writes like one, which is to say wonderfully, and has the same molded plastic grip, weight, and balance.
If you are interested in the Gold or Rose Gold models, I can see the justification for purchasing the Lx. Those colors don’t appear in the rest of the product lineup, and the clip anodizing is more of a standout feature compared to the Palladium and Ruthenium models. If the latter two interest you, I would consider the Al-Star in Black or Graphite Grey and save some money. If you just want to experience the nib, like the EF in my review, you can drop down to the Safari and not miss a beat.
On it’s own merits, the Lamy Lx is a good pen. If the Al-Star didn’t exist, I would dare to say it is fairly priced. But the Al-Star does exist, so you will need to weigh the pros and cons between the two when making your buying decision.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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