This is a rather grander pen than the more modern Safari,
but is it still not as good a pen as Lamy makes, or made-- it is not a
modern pen. It is, apparently, a popular or perhaps even school
edition of their more elevated 27, which was itself a response by Lamy
to the Parker 51. I frankly don't
see where the money has been saved, as it's a well-made, sturdy and
nicely-trimmed pen. I suppose if I had a 27 to compare
side-by-side I'd see the difference.
There's a lot of mysterious markings on this pen, that if one knew
where to look would probably tell all. On the barrel, below the
"LAMY 99" imprint is label readins O.S. It's a factory mark, not
a monogram, but that's all I can say about it. The blind cap is
marked "99e OM", which I would in the normal course be inclined
to think meant "oblique medium", following some known indication
practices from this maker referring to point size... but there's no
sign of the oblique shape to the point.
While it's got the sort of
attention to tolerances that you'd expect from just about anything made
in Germany, I can't unreservedly recommend this pen. It's very,
very dry, to the point of starvation, and I can't seen to get it to act
otherwise. Like other hooded and semi-hooded pens, there's a
potential for slippery handling, although with the screw-on cap, there
are at least the threads for texture.
Specifications: Medium 14K gold point (marked "585"). Piston filler. 13.6cm long capped, 15.8cm posted.
Condition: A
little bit of brassing on the clip-ring, but not on the face of the
clip or the band. A light posting scar on the barrel, just above
the blind cap. Otherwise as good as new.
Repairs:
Dismounted and reshaped the oddly-compressed piston-seal-- it was
losing its vacuum at a couple of points in its travel and dropping the
ink taken up to that point. Now lubricated and drawing properly,
its remaining failing is an unwillingness to release the ink. Update: I pulled the point and opened it up a little, and it's now pleasingly damp.
Location: My collection.
For sale?: I'm
not done playing with it yet,and I don't have a lot of piston fillers.
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