The Lamy Ideos is a fountain pen that was announced on June 24, 2020 by Lamy. The pen is a combination of the Lamy Studio and CP1, but with a distinctive teardrop shape.
The Ideos was initially slated to launch in October 2020 but this date was delayed to November 2021. The Ideos was designed by Eoos, the same design team that came up with the Lamy Econ ballpoint.
The exterior of the Ideos seems to borrow heavily from the Bauhaus styling of the Lamy CP1, a longstanding design icon. Lamy doesn’t yet have much to say about the Ideos except that it “interprets the proven Lamy design principles in an innovative way,” which seems to be another way of saying that existing Lamy ideas have been repurposed and re-spun to create this pen.
The Ideos is a capped fountain pen, unlike the upcoming Dialog CC, which is capless and uses a retractable design.
The body of the Ideos is a teardrop shape that combines a circle on the bottom with a rounded corner on the top for a unique grip.
The Ideos is also sold as a ballpoint pen, but was not released in a mechanical pencil or rollerball.
New Body Joint Design
In an interesting design change, the lower and upper parts of the Ideos don’t screw together. Rather the two pieces are joined using a 1/3 turn friction fit, where the lower portion has a key that is slotted into a channel in the upper and then its turned. The lower then locks into the upper in a tight, precise fit that feels great.
We’ll see how the new joint design holds up over the years. There is a chance that it will wear prematurely unlike a standard screw-on design, though presumably Lamy has tested the design for tens of thousands of open-close cycles already.
Ideos Review
Having owned the Ideos for over a month now and used it extensively, I can say that the pen leaves a very good impression. It’s handsome, distinctively styled, and well made, which are all dependable characteristics when buying a modern Lamy pen.
The Ideos is larger than it seems and is considerably bigger than the CP1, Logo, or any of the Lamy pens that share its profile. The pen is closer in line with the size of the Studio and it has coloring and a use of chrome elements — particularly the grip section — that is quite similar to some color ways of the Studio fountain pen.
The Ideos is very comfortable when writing uncapped, but it’s absurdly long (over 18 cm) when posted, so this won’t be a viable writing style for most people. The teardrop shape, which feels almost triangular when you are holding it, is quite comfortable and will be appreciated by anyone who enjoys other pens shaped like this, most notably the Lamy Safari.
The Lamy nib used on the Ideos is the same that was made for the Aion a few years ago. Known as the Z53 nib, it’s less angular than the company’s standard steel nibs, but it write the same. The differences are almost purely aesthetic.
Overall the Ideos is one of the better Lamy pens to come out in years. It looks classy, it’s made extremely well, and it does its job with no complaints.
Lamy Ideos Fountain Pen Information
| Street Price | Check Price |
| Manufacturer | Lamy |
| Pen Type | Fountain Pen | Cartridge/Converter |
| Rating | |
| Barrel Color | Silver |
| Barrel Material | Metal |
| Body Diameter (mm) | 13.0 |
| Grip Color | Silver |
| Grip Material | Metal |
| Grip Diameter (mm) | 10.3 |
| Country of Origin | Germany |
| MSRP | $111.95 |
| Still Sold | Yes |
| Release Year | 2020 |
| Similar To | |
| Refills | |
| Capped? Retractable? | Capped - Snap On |
| Clip? | Metal - Spring-loaded |
| Length Capped / Retracted (cm) | 14.5 |
| Length Posted (cm) | 18.6 |
| Length Uncapped (cm) | 13.0 |
| Weight (g) | 29.0 |
| Refillable | Yes |
| Ink Color Shipped | Blue |
| Nib Material | Stainless Steel |
| Nib Color | Silver |
| Nib Sizes | Fine, Medium, Broad |