Lamy 2000 Review: The 1966 Piston Filler, Its Quirks, and How to Buy One Used

The Lamy 2000 is the rare pen you can buy new that was designed in 1966 and is still made in essentially the same form. Gerd A. Müller's design pairs a brushed fibreglass-reinforced body and matching stainless steel fittings with a built-in piston filler and a semi-hooded 14-carat gold nib, and JetPens reports it is still assembled and finished by hand at Lamy's headquarters in Heidelberg, Germany. It weighs 26 g, according to Lamy, and it lists at $279 on Lamy's US store (checked September 2026). This review works from Lamy's own product, nib and repair pages plus three independent references rather than first-hand use: what the pen is, why its nib divides writers, and what to check before buying one second-hand, which matters more than usual because Lamy's repair and nib-exchange rules are strict.

Lamy 2000 at a glance

Specification	Lamy 2000 fountain pen, as published by Lamy
Filling	Built-in piston; bottled ink only
Body	Fibreglass-reinforced polycarbonate (Makrolon), matt brushed
Fittings and clip	Stainless steel, matt brushed; externally sprung solid clip
Nib	14-carat gold, rhodium plated, semi-hooded
Nib grades	EF, F, M, B and BB, plus oblique OM, OB and OBB
Size	13 x 13 x 140 mm
Weight	26 g
Ink capacity	More than 1 ml (JetPens)
Designer and year	Gerd A. Müller, 1966
Price on Lamy's US store	$279 (checked September 2026)

Source: Lamy's LAMY 2000 fountain pen page and nib guide, checked September 2026; ink capacity from JetPens' June 2025 guide. Lamy's product line calls the body material "fibreglass"; JetPens and The Gentleman Stationer name it Makrolon polycarbonate. Lamy's nib guide says the BB and OBB grades are made only for the 2000.

The design, and the ink window it does have

Lamy's product page says Müller was born in 1932, studied at the Werkkunstschule Wiesbaden and worked as a designer at Braun from 1955 to 1960. His brief for Lamy drew on Bauhaus principles, according to JetPens, and the result is a pen whose seams nearly disappear: the brushed body, the steel section and the piston knob sit flush. The Gentleman Stationer notes that Lamy describes the 2000 as the first pen with an even surface of stainless steel and plastic, and that the solid steel clip is engraved "Lamy" on the outside and "Germany" on the inside, a small detail worth checking on a used pen.

The cap is unusual too. Rather than threads or a friction fit, JetPens explains, it snaps onto a pair of small metal tabs above the grip section, which hold it securely while staying almost unnoticeable in the hand.

And yes, there is an ink window. It is a narrow, translucent band where the grip section screws into the barrel, and The Gentleman Stationer describes it as giving only a general indication of how much ink is left. (An earlier version of this review said the 2000 has no ink window. That was wrong, and it has been corrected.)

The hooded 14k nib, and why it divides writers

Goulet Pens' explainer is the clearest account of the nib. It is solid 14-carat gold with a rhodium coating, which is why it looks silver, and Goulet describes it as short and stiff rather than bouncy, though smooth and fairly wet. (JetPens and The Gentleman Stationer both describe a slight springiness, so expect firm rather than rigid.) The unusual part is the grind: instead of a round ball of tipping, Lamy grinds the tip into more of a "blade" shape, most noticeably on extra fine and fine. Held at the angle it wants, it writes well; rotate your hand as you write and you get more feedback and can see skipping or hard starts. The smooth, cylindrical section, unlike the sculpted grips on other Lamy pens, can take some getting used to.

Sizing runs wide. The Gentleman Stationer found the 2000's nibs write on the wide side of their marked size and suggests going down one size, and in its reviewer's view there is no truly extra-fine option without aftermarket work. It also reports knowing a couple of buyers whose pens had nib problems, mainly misaligned tines, while all four of its own wrote fine out of the box. If a nib feels scratchy, our guide to fixing a scratchy nib covers alignment; if you want to know what the gold is actually doing, see steel vs gold nib.

The piston, and routine care

The built-in piston fills straight from the bottle, holding more than a milliliter according to JetPens, which is more than most cartridges. Routine flushing is the same as any piston pen; our fountain pen cleaning routine covers it. The pen can be taken further apart: both Goulet Pens and JetPens describe unscrewing the grip section and pushing the nib and feed out of the back of the grip as one unit. JetPens warns there is a thin metal ring at that joint that makes the cap close securely and is easy to lose, and The Gentleman Stationer adds that the pen has several small parts, so deep cleaning should be occasional and done over a clear work surface.

Lamy's nib guide adds one limitation owners of other Lamy pens do not expect: most Lamy nibs are interchangeable across its range, but the Lamy 2000 is the named exception, so you cannot swap in a nib from a Safari or a Studio.

Who should buy one

Buy a Lamy 2000 if you want a quiet, durable daily writer with a piston, a gold nib and a design that has not dated in sixty years, and if you hold your pen at a consistent angle. Try one first, or buy where you can return it, if you rotate the pen as you write or want a very fine line. If you are cross-shopping, the retractable Vanishing Point vs Lamy 2000 comparison covers the other design icon at this level, and our Parker 51 review covers the other famous hooded nib. The fountain pen shortlist ranks current pens by budget, and you can check the current Lamy 2000 price if you are buying new.

Buying it second-hand

A used Lamy 2000 can be a good buy, because the design is essentially unchanged and the materials are hard-wearing. Two Lamy policies shape the decision, though.

Lamy will not exchange a used nib. Lamy's US repair page says a nib can be exchanged only if Lamy can certify it as new, unused, undamaged and unscratched, for a $40 fee plus shipping and insurance. A nib that has been written with will not qualify, so buy the nib grade you actually want. Remember that the 2000 runs wide, so a used medium will likely write wider than you expect.

Check where it was bought. The same page says Lamy's US Repair Center only services orders placed in the United States. Ask the seller where the pen was originally bought if you expect to use Lamy's repair service.

What to inspect before you pay.

1. The nib. Ask for a close photo of the tip from above and the side. Uneven tines suggest the misalignment The Gentleman Stationer mentions, which a nib specialist can often correct.
2. The cap. It should snap firmly onto the two metal tabs and stay put. A loose cap can mean bent tabs or a missing ring at the grip joint, the part JetPens warns is easy to lose.
3. The piston. The knob should turn smoothly through its full travel and draw a full fill. Ask for a short video of it filling with water.
4. The ink window. When the pen is filled, you should be able to see ink through it.
5. The clip. Look for the "Lamy" engraving outside and "Germany" inside, as described by The Gentleman Stationer.
6. The finish. The brushed body and steel hide light scratches well, as JetPens notes, but check for cracks near the section and the piston knob.

How to judge the seller's claims. "Barely used" should mean a clean nib with aligned tines and a smooth piston, shown in photos or video. "Flushed and ready to ink" is worth asking to see, because a 2000 that has been disassembled may be missing the ring at the grip joint. A pen that has had its nib professionally ground should say so, because a custom grind changes the line from what the nib marking says. Once it arrives, flush it with water, then ink it with something well-behaved, such as the inks in the Iroshizuku mini set, on smooth paper like a Rhodia dot pad while you learn the nib's angle.

Shopping second-hand? Find a used Lamy 2000 on eBay — Nib size, piston seal condition and authenticity are the seller's claims — ask for a writing sample. Affiliate link: we may earn a commission from eBay, at no cost to you.

Sources

• Lamy, "LAMY 2000 Fountain Pen" product page (description, materials, nib grades, dimensions, weight, designer and price), lamy.com, checked September 2026.
• Lamy, "LAMY fountain pen nib guide," lamy.com, checked September 2026.
• Lamy, "Repairs" (US Repair Center and nib exchange terms), lamy.com, checked September 2026.
• The Goulet Pen Company, "LAMY 2000 Nibs Explained," November 21, 2022.
• JetPens, "The LAMY 2000: A Comprehensive Guide," June 3, 2025.
• The Gentleman Stationer, "Pen Review: Lamy 2000 (Original Makrolon Version)," April 5, 2017.