Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Lamy Scala


The Lamy Scala is the kind of pen that might not immediately grab your attention. It's a very subtle, sleek, minimalist pen, so minimal that it might not seem like much at first, but believe me, this pen has a lot worth going for! 

It's quite brilliant how Lamy managed to make a pen that's both flashy (think: a LOT of chrome plated parts!) and sleek at the same time. We all know by now that I'm a huge fan of Lamy pens, mostly because of the cold, industrial, Bauhaus designs. And so is the case with this one, the design was kept extremely minimal, with clean, straight lines and almost no visible branding (except for the brand name on the side of the clip). But at the same time, the materials they used (matte black and chrome plated metal) give it a striking, unique appearance!


The Scala is quite a big pen, it's a bit longer than an Al-star when capped, and about the same size when uncapped, the Scala is considerably thinner though. The bigger size probably means that most people won't need to post it to be used comfortable. Which is a good thing because I'm guessing the matte finish would scratch quite easily when you'd post it! 

Even though the grip section is chrome-plated and looks quite slippery, I didn't find it uncomfortable at all. There's a small step from barrel to section, but I hardly noticed it while writing.

Like most other Lamy pens, the Scala is a rock-solid pen, with a pleasantly solid weight and feel and an impeccable build quality. The cap is a snap-on type, opening and closing feels very solid and provides a satisfying 'snap'.


Okay, the design might not be everybody's cup of tea. I must admit it took me some time to get used to its design. But the longer I owned it, the more it grew on me, to a point where I now think this might be one of the prettiest pens that Lamy currently offers.


The business part of the pen -the nib- is a factory 1.1 stub I bought separately, which was probably the best way to spend 5 Euros! It's insanely good! The 1.5 stub I already own isn't nearly as good as this one! The flow is spot on, a bit on the wet side, so it has nice shading and it never skips. It's surprisingly smooth, though with the feedback you'd get from most other Lamy nibs. The line width is ideal for calligraphy, but it also perfectly lends itself for general writing. It gives some personality to your writing, and it's a lot of fun to write with!


The price is quite comparable to most other mid-range Lamy pens, at around 80 Euros/ 110-125 Dollars. 

The Lamy Scala is a very difficult pen to write a review about. I had a really hard time trying to describe what it looks like, or why I like the design so much. I can't think of any negative aspects, especially when it's paired with this specific nib! But even then, trying it out for yourself is still the only way to really find out if this pen is something for you or not! 

2 comments:

  1. Whoa, I've never even heard of the Scala before. Gorgeous photos. I love the Bauhaus-y minimalism of Lamy's mid- to upper-range pens, but this has got to be the prettiest of them all. You say it's pretty big and hefty, but how does it feel in the hand? It looks slim....

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    1. It's a very pretty pen indeed! The dimensions of the pen are quite average (not thick nor thin) , although it is a bit longer than most pens (which is probably why it appears slimmer in my pictures!) it's a perfect fit for my average-sized hands!

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