- A Fleeting Ripple
i am bitter: lamy aion
The shutters are all down, only a sliver of sun lights up the room. You watch the dust particles dance in and out of the light. It’s quiet outside, the early morning doesn’t pull many people out. Not yet. In about an hour, the streets will start to bustle with people. People going to work, going to school, going places. But for now, the only thing is to enjoy the peace only early mornings can bring.
Okay, the title of this post is strong, but it sums up my feelings about this pen perfectly. Writing this left a bitter taste in my mouth. I thought about not posting it at all, just forgetting that this pen ever existed. That felt dishonest. I was torn, I didn’t know what to do. This is my first post about a pen that I really did not like, that I cannot find any redeeming qualities in. I wanted to love this pen. I wanted to enjoy using this pen. But my desires didn’t have any effect on the outcome. It is an uncomfortable pen and I am disappointed. I hope to keep sharing about my excitement about fountain pens, but for the sake of honesty, I think I should sometimes share my inability to find the pen for me. I don’t hate the Aion. It just does not answer what I want in a pen.
Even though I love the colour green, I don’t have many green pens. I am now realising that all of those are metal pens except for the Platinum #3776 Century. One of those pens is the Lamy Aion in Dark Green, with an extra fine nib. I am a big fan of Lamy’s classic designs -2000 and Safari- so I thought it would be great to branch out and try their other designs as well. Aion caught my eye with its simple aesthetic. I liked the look of the anodised aluminum body and a single chrome clip. There were mixed reviews of the Aion and the available colours didn’t catch my attention. Until the Dark Green edition. I pre-ordered it and the anxious wait began.
My relationship with this pen was dislike at first write. I liked the looks of it, but when I actually got it in my hand, it was uncomfortable to hold. The pen felt heavy, cumbersome. The section too wide, the barrel too long. After reading some more reviews, I learnt that the pen is 21 grams. A whole gram lighter than the TWSBI ECO. It feels much heavier, the balance is off. I could only write one A5 page before my hand cramped. I do feel smaller, lighter pens, ECO being one of my most used ones. I still cannot believe that Aion is actually lighter than that.
In addition to a big problem of not being able to really write with it, smaller things started to add up too. When the cap is on, it rattles and spins freely. The converter doesn’t have a satisfying click like, the Safari and you never know if the converter is slightly loose or securely in place. The barrel manages to unscrew itself from the section in my pen roll. This happened so many times that I developed a habit to check all of my pens before writing with them to see if any of them had loose barrels. I don’t know whether these mistakes are due to not thinking the design through or unable to execute a well-rounded design and having to cut corners somehow. Or both?
I saved my favourite part about the pen to the last. It’s the nib! I like this new design of the nib. It has an elegant curve. It was surprising to see it on such a bulky, squat pen. Its point tapers nicely to a sharp extra fine line, and a small point suits it very well. Perhaps this little surprise under the cap was the design choice. I cannot possibly know. The line is smooth, but a little on the drier side for my taste. It’s to be expected though, considering it is true to a Western extra fine nib.
The ink I used to write the writing sample is Graf von Faber’s Moss Green. It’s a well behaved true green. Not very cool or warm. It suits the barrel colour well, but it’s not my favourite type of green to use as an ink.
Overall, this pen was a disappointment. I hoped Lamy would make a better writing instrument. Now, the only thing I’m left with is a pen that makes me sad to even see it. I’ll put it to the back of my pen drawer.
Thank you for reading! I’ll link to something cheerful for the music.