Pen Review: The Lamy L205BK Ballpoint Pen (Circa 1990)

Alright guys, I got another review. I'll try to get as many reviews out as fast as possible, but being a college student, posts might get delayed at times. Anyway, today I'll be reviewing the Lamy "L205BK." Now, first things first, I have only owned this pen for less than one year and only used it once, but it was made around 1990. The reason I am certain is for a couple of things. First is where it was made - West Germany. According to Wikipedia, the country of West Germany, or Westdeutschland, ruled from 1949 to 1990. Also, my mom got into pens right up to when I was born. She told me that she sold and collected all kinds of pens from Montblanc to Waterman. With that said, this model cannot be newer than 1990.


First impressions: When I first got this pen last year, it was in pristine condition. I don't have the original box or any documentation that probably came with the pen, but it doesn't matter because the pen speaks for itself. I love the stainless steel and matte finish! The jimping on the natural grip position also feels great. It's minimalistic appearance and design really appals to me. It's a Lamy trademark. 


The design: If today were 1990, I would be outstandingly amazed by the ingenious design by this pen. It's compactness, modernism, novel, stylish, and cutting-edge finish would definitely be what everyone would say about this pen. But since it's been 21 years, my opinion is going to change. If I were using this pen for an EDC or EDW, it would probably not meet the expectations that I have. First of all - the pocket clip. I admire the mastermind engineering that the Germans put into developing the ballistic integration and spring assisted clip, but it's not very practical. By my calculations, the area under the pocket clip is 0.56 cm^2. As I do more reviews, we will see that this is actually a relatively small area for a pocket clip (not ideal for jeans). Another thing to note is that the bearing under the pocket clip moves in all directions, (up/down and left/right) this means that if you put it in your pocket, it will slide to the side, and that's definitively not a good thing. By the way, some specifications: in clicked position, the pocket clip rides up at 0.7 cm - not bad. Retracted at 0.9 cm - not bad as well.


Finally, you can probably tell that I haven't talked about the ink at all, but that is because this ink is 21 years old! Believe it or not, all ink has an expiration date, and I'm sure this is expired. It has the same (M16) refill since it was fabricated. Though, when I did try to write with it, the ink did write on paper. Sadly, when I tried it on Southworth and Moleskine paper, it responded very slow. It was hard and not very blue like it says.




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Pros:
1. Vintage German pen
2. Cold steel feels great for field writing
3. Cheap (2011 MSRP $16)


Cons:
1. Very light (6 g)
2. Unpractical pocket clip
3. Expensive refills (2011 MSRP $5.25)