Lamy Nexx

I recently picked up a Lamy Nexx while traveling through the Netherlands. The Nexx seems to a a substitute for those who do not like the Safari. It costs about the same and has, perhaps, a slightly younger vibe to it. Two things led me to buy it. First, it had a bright orange cap, the official color of the Netherlands, so I thought it would be a nice memory. Second, it features a left handed nib and, being a lefty, I'm a sucker for such things.

The pen has the usual solid Lamy construction. The body of the pen features brushed aluminum. It looks like the same material as the Al Star. While it looks lovely now, the Al Star was definitely prone to scratches and marks. We'll see how the Nexx does in that department. Stay tuned here for updates.

There is a thick ABS plastic liner beneath its aluminum outer skin. The section is made from solid plastic, but there it has more of a rubbery feel, like there is a bit of cushioning. Overall, it is much improved over the Safari. The cap is made from thick, bendable plastic. It has the peculiar feature. that the clip extends above the top of the cap and has an open ring. I presume this is so you could attach the pen to a lanyard of some sort and carry it around that way. All of these parts seem pretty close to unbreakable. 

 

The pen also has various self-preservation features to prevent it from rolling off of surfaces. The clip on the cap sticks out far enough that the cap will not roll. The body of the pen is triangular, so it too will not roll. Finally, the cap seems very securely attached to the body though it does not require excessive force to uncap the pen. I rather doubt that the cap and pen will part company unintentionally. 

All of this is to say that the pen is amazingly functional. Lamy has clearly put a lot of thought into all the little things that can go wrong with owning a pen and using it hard on a daily basis. This pen is designed to withstand those rigors. Indeed, this may be the most thoughtfully designed pens that Lamy has produced.

One big issue many people have with the Safari is that it is "style challenged." It's not clear to me that the Nexx answers the call in that regard. The triangular brushed aluminum body is definitely a step up from the Safari, but I'm not sure the oversized plastic cap is going to be a crowd pleaser. If you appreciate design strongly influenced by the form follows function philosophy, the Nexx will be your cup of tea, but I suspect for many it will be too utilitarian. 

The nib is identical to the Safari. My left-handed nib is annotated as LH. It works flawlessly, writing between a fine and a medium. It's smooth and perfect. There is no line variation, but a bit of shading is possible with the correct inks. No hesitation, skipping, hard-starting, etc. Just a good, solid nib. I'm not sure what makes it left-handed. According to the person in the store where i bought it, pen manufacturers routinely sharpen one side of each nib asymmetrically where the side depends on handedness. Supposedly, lefty nibs are sharpened on the opposite side. First, I have no idea what good sharpening a nib might do. Second, I've never heard of such a practice, so it might be pure BS. Is any of this true? 

Taken as a whole, I'm very happy with my Nexx. I like the utilitarian aesthetic and I definitely appreciate all of the user oriented touches of the pen. The left-handed nib works extremely well for me and produces a line that is just the right width, MF. I prefer it to my Safaris though this could have more to do with its newness than anything else. A key question is whether the Nexx has solved the marking and scratch prone nature of the aluminum surface of the Al Star with this foray. If so, the pen will, in my eyes, be superior in every way to a Safari. We'll simply have to wait and see. 

If you're in the market for a cheap, dependable pen that has many thoughtful design features, the Nexx is definitely something to check out. 

Recommendation: Buy