on saleLAMY aion Fountain Pen - black

very little plastic, excellent quality workmanship. My only small complaint is that it can be tiring over time when one has to do a lot of writing. My fingers sweat a little, then the pen becomes hard to hold. I fixed this with a cork sleeve held in place with rubber bands, but it would be nice if they designed a pen with some friction etched into the metal. Nevertheless, I keep buying this model of Lamy pen because it is the best overall pen for me.

This is a solid, competitive entry into the market at this price point. The pen is relatively large, very aesthetically on point if you like the Lamy design language, and functional. The capping and threading of the barrel are all solid and secure. For those who worry about it, there is a slight bit of play in the clip and the cap can rotate freely, but that does not inhibit the security of the mechanisms. It uses the highly reliable Lamy feed and nib system. There are but two "weak links" IMO when it comes to this pen. The first is the somewhat imprecise feel of the very hard nib. I like stiff nibs (particularly those of Platinum), but the Aion nibs are very smooth *and* very stiff, with little feedback. This creates a less precise feel to me than the higher feedback of the Platinum nibs, and less cushion than the softer nibs that Lamy offers. Fortunately, you can easily swap out a Lamy steel or gold nib to achieve your desired effect if the Aion shape/style does not suit you. The other weak link, IMO, is the somewhat less secure sensation of the section. The grip isn't fundamentally slick or slippery, but it also doesn't feel as planted as some other pens. Mostly I find this only comes into play after large numbers of pages of writing, where little details in ergonomics come out, but for shorter form writing, the pen holds fine and sits fine in the hand. Overall, this isn't among the absolute greatest of all pens ever, but it's a very good offering, and I think it is one of Lamy's more compelling pens.

Easy to change nibs and the ink flow is very consistent. My only issue with the Lamy Aion is that the cap fits a little loose. This pen has a very modern, simple aesthetic, and the smooth writing experience provides the value expected from a quality writing instrument.

I bought the limited Red version. The pen feels good in the hand and is lighter than I expected. The included nib is pretty good, but I immediately replaced it with a Lamy gold nib and I love the upgrade.

When I took the Lamy Aion out of the box, the clip fell off before I had a chance to unscrew the barrel and insert an ink cartridge. I have not yet inserted an ink cartridge.