The Beautiful Lamy 2000 Blue Bauhaus Limited Edition, And Why You Are Lucky Not to Have One

Friends, Americans, pen fans, lend me your ears. I come to show the Lamy 2000 Blue Bauhaus.

Lamy made 1,919 numbered Blue Bauhaus pen sets, as a tribute to the Bauhaus School’s founding 100 years ago, in 1919, in Weimer, Germany. The Lamy 2000 Blue Bauhaus set comes in a large box containing a notebook and the blue Makrolon pen, with each pen numbered on the clip. A blue and black pattern decorates the box, the notebook and a little pamphlet — in the same colors as the original 2000 and this new blue one.

The dark blue is perfect for me, but some might find it darker than they like — at least in normal, indoor light, in places like where I live, where we haven’t seen the sun for a week.

Here’s a color comparison: from top to bottom, Blue Safari, Blue Bauhaus 2000, regular 2000, Charcoal Safari, Black Safari, White Safari.

The Lamy 2000 Blue set was expensive in the US, at $499. That was higher than in some other markets (possibly every other market). But then, any humble Safari buyer could tell you that Lamy sells most of its pens at higher prices in the US. Not that Lamy is alone: so do Pelikan and Sailor.

More than that, there weren’t many of the Blauhaus sent to US retailers. I heard that the US distributor received fewer than 100 of the 1,919 sets, and while I’m not sure I believe the US allotment was quite that tiny, there sure weren’t many bouncing around.

Even if we didn’t get that many, it sort of makes sense. Lamy’s website says they sell in more than 80 countries; they have more than 15,000 retailers worldwide; and they operate more than 200 Lamy-owned Lamy boutiques. With those numbers, 1,919 sets isn’t very many to spread around. But some US buyers were left empty-handed. As the world’s biggest, and possibly only, Lamy fan, I sympathize.

Unfortunately, it’s a numbered, limited edition. It is what it is.

I bought mine because I love Lamy; and I like the Lamy 2000; and I love blue. And I bought it quickly, because I knew it was a fast-selling and very limited. I heard about it from a friend, and immediately got on the phone to buy it. While my pen dealer was taking my credit card information, he mentioned that Lamy was only selling it with an extra-fine nib. Well, hmm, not my choice, but what can you do?

I’m probably well-suited to getting this kind of buy-now, think-later, product, because my formative purchasing experiences were rock concert tickets. I’m also well-suited to paying too much for pens, because I pay for all my pens, and I think they all cost too much. Even Safaris in the US. But, because the Blauhaus was so expensive, I admit I had some second thoughts while I was waiting for it to arrive.

The Blauhaus is made of polycarbonate Makrolon, like the regular 2000, just in blue instead of gray-black. I do love the dark navy blue. But it’s not all that different than the regular one, at least indoors. Oh, also, the blue bit on the little cap end above the clip looks slightly different than the blue on the rest of the pen; and that might drive some people nuts.

The clip is shiny, which technically sets it apart from the brushed clip of the regular 2000. But it’s not that noticeable to me, either.

The blue notebook that’s included is really nice. But I don’t use notebooks much, and if I use this special one, doesn’t that wreck the set?

To me, the set’s real downside is that Lamy issued it only with an extra-fine nib. Now, I love an extra-fine nib, generally, but I don’t really love, love the 2000 extra-fine. (I used to own one.)

Of course, some dealers will swap out the extra-fine — or you can do so. But then it’s not the official collector’s set, is it? What I’m saying is, the extra-fine nib is a drawback for a lot of people.

So if you missed the Blauhaus, or find it too expensive, what can you do? So much!

You could buy a regular 2000 for around $170 with any nib option you like. Really, this is the best deal. You can use that every day and not worry that it’s a collectible.

Or you could buy the heavy brushed stainless steel Lamy 2000 instead for a little over $300 — it helps to be a weightlifter for that one, I must say. But some people love it, and it’s less common.

Then you can add your own Lamy notebook, if you like. Those really do seem nice.

The other thing is, well, it’s a guess, but I suspect Lamy may eventually release blue and other color 2000s in non-numbered, non-limited versions, for a lot less. On the one hand, the purist in me hates the idea of the 2000 turning into a multicolored crayon box. (That’s my beloved Safari’s role.) On the other hand, I do want a 2000 in red (that isn’t that one RED they did).

Anyway, all this means: people who are mad at Lamy, do not be mad. You did fine; it’s no big deal, this pen. Now stop reading here.

Hi, everyone else. So I mentioned I had second thoughts about paying that high price for the Blauhaus. And then I did point out some not-great things about it. But in the end, I’m glad I got the Blauhaus.

Am I bummed by the extra-fine nib? Well, a little. Will I even use it, though? I mean, probably not. It’s so cool-looking, do I need to use it? No. Who uses all these pens?

But the price. Wasn’t the Blauhaus expensive? Well, yes, but … for a limited edition, in a new color, that would have taken development time, and was made in small numbers? What about when compared to paying more than $300 for the unlimited stainless steel 2000?

To me, spending $500 for an attractive, normal weight, blue Makrolon 2000 that’s one of only 1,919 made…. Well, looked at that way, isn’t it kind of … a good deal? Even when it’s cheaper outside the US.

What I end up wanting to say to Lamy is: Thanks. This is great, and Lamy is awesome.