Pen Drop! New Harry Potter x Lamy Al-Stars and Ohto CR2 Ceramic Rollerballs

Yesterday the Harry Potter x Lamy AL-Star fountain pens arrived! What stands out in-person that may not necessarily pop in pictures? The clips, for one thing, which have a matte metallic finish, and the engravings are understated for a themed offering. There are four pens, one for each House at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: Gryffindor (Red), Slytherin (Green), Hufflepuff (Yellow/Gold), and Ravenclaw (Blue). Personally, I think the Hufflepuff pen might be one of the best looking AL-Stars Lamy has released in years, with the gold finish, transparent matching section, and the matte gold clip. (Surprisingly, it’s the one I chose for myself, even over the Gryffindor red.) The Harry Potter x Lamy AL-Star Fountain Pens are available in fine and medium nib options and are shipping immediately, priced at $51.30.

Ohto CR02 Ceramic Rollerballs

As you all know, I’ve long sought a fine-tipped rollerball with minimal bleedthrough, which at times has been difficult to the point where I’ve written off the category altogether. In response to my latest post, many of you kind readers suggested that I try Ohto’s ceramic rollerballs, which ship with a somewhat uncommon .5mm refill that almost feels like a gel pen. It’s an excellent option, and I’ve been using the refill not only in these matte-finish Ohto “CR02” pens that recently arrived from Japan, but in my Lamy 2000 Rollerball. These pens are relatively inexpensive at $18 and have a very nice feel in the hand. They’re also on the slimmer side and will make a great planner/pen loop option. Refills are available separately.

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The Ohto CR02 Rollerball comes in four different finishes, including Matte Blue, Matte Black, Wine Red, and Matte Silver.

This week our brick-and-mortar store is open Thursday from 1-6pm, Friday from 1-7pm, and Saturday from 12-7pm. Keep up to date on store hours here, and contact us to shop by appointment if you can’t make it during regular store hours.

Exploring New Formats: Lamy AL-Star Rollerball and Mechanical Pencil

Over the years when evaluating the latest releases from Lamy (and most other brands), my default has been to review the fountain pen and, occasionally, the ballpoint. But what about the rollerball? As I was writing last week's review on the Tom's Studio Lumos fineliner, I was struck by the simplicity of writing with basic black ink, and the focus it allowed in terms of not being distracted by all the various elements that go into writing with a fountain pen. When I decided to do my initial review of the new Lamy AL-Star pens that arrived last week, I pulled one of the Fiery AL-Star Rollerballs and the Aquatic .5mm mechanical pencil - two formats that don't receive a lot of attention.

The Lamy AL-Star Rollerball: Taking a Second Look

We sell a fair number of Lamy AL-Star and Safari rollerball pens, but it's not a format I've personally used very much. It's only fair that I take one for a test drive, right? So far, the experience has been mostly positive, and largely consistent with the writing experience offered by other rollerball pens using a standard medium refill. The pen itself looks nearly identical to the AL-Star fountain pen, with the exception that there is no "cutout" in the barrel to allow you to view the ink level in the cartridge or converter. (This feature would serve no purpose in a rollerball pen, as you can't view the ink level in a metal refill, and it would look pretty ugly to see the silver peeking out, IMHO.) The grip is the same, as is the overall feel and balance of the pen.

Balance in the hand is very similar to the AL-Star fountain pen, posted or unposted.

With respect to the writing experience, it all comes down to whether you enjoy writing with a rollerball pen, which typically write a wetter line than a ballpoint or gel pen. The refills contain very dark pigmented liquid ink, and in a wider tip size, have a tendency to bleed through paper - even good paper such as the Lamy notebook in the photos below, or Tomoe River (!?!). That said, if you want a pen that writes a smooth, bold black/blue line, breaking out a rollerball can be quite satisfying. Yesterday I spent most of the afternoon outlining the main ideas for a legal brief on a legal pad, and while I had some show-through and feathering from the rollerball cartridge on the thinner paper, I would compare the experience to working with a marker on a whiteboard. There was no need for me to write small, as my primary goal was to get the "big ideas" on paper so that I could later organize them into a coherent rough draft. For this, the rollerball was perfect, especially since I didn’t plan to preserve this writing for posterity.

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Pro Tip: I hardly ever purchase rollerball cartridges in bulk. Over the years, I've noticed that they don't age well (across brands), and can become skippy and dry out quickly. For that reason I typically purchase rollerball refills in smaller batches, if not one at a time, as I need them.

Lamy AL-Star Mechanical Pencil: Rotate to Your Heart’s Content

One of the curious decisions Lamy made during this recent product cycle was to release the AL-Star .5mm mechanical pencil in the new "Aquatic" finish. Why do one color but not the other? Regardless, I'm enjoying this new pencil and somewhat disagree with critics of the design, particularly those who dislike the molded grip on the AL-Star and Safari mechanical pencils.

AL-Star and Safari Grip Sections are triangular, meaning that you can rotate them as needed (at least in the non-fountain pen versions).

The major gripe that I hear is that the molded grip supposedly prevents users from rotating the mechanical pencil as you write. Some - but not all - users rotate their pencil in order to prevent flat edges from forming on the lead and to maintain a sharp point. (Uni's Kuru-Toga pencils do this automatically, which is their key selling point.)

The AL-Star Grip Section, viewed sideways.

I don't consider that critique entirely on-point for a couple of reasons. First, the molded grip on both the Safari and AL-Star is symmetrical and triangular, so rotating the pencil shouldn't affect your grip too much as long as you are someone who can actually use the AL-Star or Safari. (The molded section just doesn’t work for some people given issues of comfort and how they hold the pen/pencil.) If you rotate the pencil, there will be three different angles at which the grip remains the same. I don't personally use the molded grip to guide finger placement, as Lamy intends, and have no issue resting my fingers on top of the triangular edges, so this has never been a problem for me as someone who does rotate their mechanical pencils as I write.

For my own purposes, I wanted to find out whether the weight of the pen would affect lead breakage in the .5mm size. The AL-Star and Safari mechanical pencils are bigger pencils with a thicker diameter, and the AL-Star is metal. My concerns turned out to be unfounded. The pencil writes nicely, even with the thicker aluminum barrel. Those who sometimes find standard mechanical pencils too thin should definitely check this one out.

The fountain pen barrels in Aquatic and Fiery, for comparison purposes.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

A couple of years ago I reviewed the Lamy Safari ballpoint for the first time and (virtually) kicked myself for not testing one out sooner. The same goes for the rollerball and mechanical pencil versions of the AL-Star. I'm liking both of these and may even take a pass on the fountain pen versions of the new releases as I seek to diversify my personal collection.

The AL-Star ballpoint in Fiery and Aquatic, also for comparison purposes. I like the colored sections that complement the overall tone of the pen.

We currently stock the entire range of the Lamy AL-Star "Fiery" and "Aquatic" pens (and pencil), as well as remaining stock of other special and limited edition AL-Star finishes from recent years. Priced at $28 for the rollerball and $16 for the mechanical pencil, The Lamy AL-Star represents good value and should serve you well over the long-term, despite sitting at what many consider an entry-level price point. We also have all the refills you may need, should you wish to change ink color and tip size from the stock black medium rollerball refill, or swap out the stock HB mechanical pencil lead.

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of Lamy. T.G.S. is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

New Arrivals: Lamy AL-Star "Fiery" and "Aquatic" Special Edition Pens Are Here!

While this year’s Lamy Safari special editions landed last month, members of Team AL-Star were waiting on this next release. Well, the wait is over and the pens are in stock and available to ship immediately! This year’s AL-Star pens come in two different finishes: “Fiery” (a cool metallic red) and “Aquatic” (a cool metallic blue). Lamy has paired each metal finish with a matching translucent grip section - red for the Fiery and blue for the Aquatic - as well as matching cap finials.

The Aquatic finish comes in a .5mm mechanical pencil version, which is what caught my fancy from this batch. I’m keeping one!

Since these pens feature black trim, the fountain pens pair perfectly with the Lamy Cursive nibs, which are now back in stock. Rollerball and ballpoint options are available in both the Fiery and Aquatic finishes, and Lamy has released a .5mm Aquatic mechanical pencil. As noted above, all of these pens, as well as the restocked 2024 Safari releases, are available to ship immediately!

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of Lamy pens, and carries a selection of many different models. T.G.S. is supported entirely by purchases from The T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

Kill Winter With . . . A Copper Orange AL-Star

I didn't think I would like this pen as much as I do.  I'm a fan of Lamy pens, with the 2000 being my favorite.  I like the Safari, and I've owned an AL-Star in the past but didn't take to it, even though it was red (typically my favorite color in pens).  But there's something about this year's limited edition that really struck a chord with me, and I had to have it.  I'm sure it's directly related to the depressing weather we've been having here in the greater Nashville, Tennessee area--it's been either frigid with six inches of ice on the roads, or raining in buckets.  So why not buy an orange pen?  It beats the S.A.D. lamp.    

There's nothing remarkable about the AL-Star as a writer that I haven't already addressed in my review of the Safari.  It's a good pen--slightly larger than the Safari--and you would be hard pressed to find a better option at less than $40, provided you can deal with the shape of the grip section.  Some people think the AL-Star lacks character, but I like metal pens, and the aluminum AL-Star feels great in the hand.  I have also settled on medium as my preferred Lamy Safari/AL-Star nib width.  The extra fine and fine nibs tend to have flow issues, in my experience, and the broader nibs are too wide for my handwriting.  Medium hits the sweet spot.      

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My package from Frank at Fontoplumo.  

I preordered this pen, along with two packages of Lamy's limited edition orange ink cartridges, from Frank at Fontoplumo in the Netherlands.  If you've never ordered from Fontoplumo, add it to your list of pen purchasing options.  Prices are reasonable, and shipping is relatively quick, considering that (unless you are located in Europe) your order will have to be processed through customs.  I purchased this pen and ink with my own funds--it was not provided for review.   

As to the ink, I hope that Lamy adds orange to its array of regular colors, as they did with last year's limited edition "coral" ink.  The orange is a solid option for those of you out there who like an orange ink, but feel that many other orange options on the market are either too "neon-highlighter-esque" or too washed out looking.  Lamy's offering is a middle-of-the-road, darker orange, which exhibits some shading and is fairly resistant to feathering and bleed-through.  I've been using it for a week and would buy a bottle without hesitation, if Lamy decides to go that route.