Fountain Pen Review: Laban 325 Lagoon

It is the peak of summer in my part of the world, and it's sunny, hot, and dry. Without COVID-19, we would have all trooped to the beaches and enjoyed so much fun in the sun. But the pandemic is still raging on, and while most of us are confined to our homes, we can only dream of the cool, salty breeze on a barefoot stroll on the beach. In my time at home, my fountain pens have become a source of immense joy, and when the Laban Pen Company launched a new addition to their 325 Collection this May, my summer is complete. Lagoon, the newest 325 fountain pen, is the perfect reminder of the sea for fountain pen users with the ivory cap resembling a sandy beach, and the aqua turquoise barrel taking after the sea.

It seems like it was only yesterday when Laban Pen Company launched the 325 Wisteria Purple, which was followed by the 325 Snow a few months later. Now, we have a beautiful aqua turquoise 325 fountain pen, and it's a lovely addition to the classic Laban fountain pen series.

Inside the Laban box: Lagoon fountain pen including converter, warranty booklet, Laban bookmark, and Lagoon sticker.

The Laban 325 Lagoon is inspired by the eye of the sea and presented to those who "yearn for freedom." The turquoise pen should remind us of a leisurely dreamy island trip, represents tranquility, and reflects endless imagination.

Aside from the turquoise Lagoon, Laban's 325 Collection offers other beautiful finishes with the signature ivory acrylic and gold trims: Snow (white), Wisteria (purple), Black Cambridge, Burgundy Cambridge, Flame (red), Ocean (blue), Sun (orange), and Forest (green). All of the 325 finishes are also available as rollerball pens.

Laban 325 Lagoon, a new turquoise addition to the 325 series.

The Lagoon is a beautiful fountain pen. The pen barrel is adorned with a soothing turquoise acrylic. The combination of turquoise, ivory resin, and gold trims is classy, elegant, and refreshing. 

The 325 Lagoon fountain pen has the following measurements:

• Length, capped: 5.8 in | 14.8 cm
• Length, uncapped: 5.3 in | 13.5 cm
• Length, cap posted: 6.8 in | 17.3 cm
• Diameter, barrel: 0.63 in | 1.6 cm
• Diameter, section: 0.41 in | 1.04 cm
• Weight, capped: 34 g | 1.2 oz

The Lagoon is a heavy pen especially with the cap on. It's heavier than a Mont Blanc 149 (32 g), Tibaldi N°60 (28 g), or a Lamy 2000 (18 g). It can be used for writing with the cap posted, but it will be top-heavy, affecting one's writing comfort. Usually, posting makes pens uncomfortably long and top-heavy. Thankfully, the Lagoon can be used comfortably without the need to post the cap.

The Lagoon can be filled with ink using cartridges or converters. A Laban converter is included in each pen purchase.

The Laban 325's cap bears all the branding for this pen. The gold-plated clip is firm, sturdy, and holds the pen securely in place. There are two slim gold bands above the clip, and a gold Laban medallion adorns the finial. Laban's logo is etched on the wide gold cap band. There's a lot of gold in this pen's cap, but that's fine with me, I actually love it!

The lovely ivory cap of Laban's 325 series bears most of this pen's branding.

Laban's logo is etched on the wide cap band.

The gold Laban medallion adorns the cap's finial.

The Laban 325 Lagoon has a threaded metal section and a metal insert in the barrel, which add to its durability and stability.

Laban offers the Lagoon with a size 6 nib made from gold-plated stainless steel manufactured by Jowo in Germany. The nib widths available are the following: EF, F, M, B, 1.5 stub, 14K flex EF, and 14K flex F. The markings on the nib include "3952," Laban, "Germany" (place of nib manufacture), and "M" (nid width).

The meaning of "3952" on this pen's nib baffled me. Laban doesn't provide anything about it on their website, and I know it couldn't be the series name. Then I remembered that Platinum's use of 3776  refers to the elevation of Mount Fuji. So I did some research and looked for mountains in Taiwan that could have an elevation of 3,952 meters. I found it! 3952 comes from the elevation of Mount Yushan, the highest mountain in Taiwan, and the highest point in the western Pacific region outside of the Kamchatka Peninsula.

The No. 6 Medium nib on the Lagoon wrote smoothly out of the box.

The 325 Wisteria is a standard full-length fountain pen, and it is longer and heavier than a Leonardo Momento Zero, Lamy Safari, TWSBI ECO, and Kaweco Sport, but it's a well-balanced pen that is comfortable to use without the need to post the cap.

With the cap on, the 325 Lagoon is longer than a Lamy Safari or TWSBI ECO.

Uncapped, it has the same length as the Leonardo Momento Zero and Lamy Safari, and a bit shorter than a TWSBI ECO.

To test how this beautiful turquoise fountain pen writes, I filled it with Laban's Greek Mythology fountain pen ink Poseidon green, a perfect matching ink color. The pen's medium nib wrote well out of the box and I did not experience any hard starts. The nib wrote smoothly and the pen is well balanced and comfortable to use. The Laban 325 Lagoon is such an enjoyable pen. It's elegant, classy, and one that can be used for long periods of writing without experiencing any discomfort.

This pen and ink combination is so cool! And as I'm into writing song lyrics lately, I chose this hit classic from the Beach Boys to test write a full page in my Traveler's Notebook. The Lagoon wrote well and I did not experience any hard starts, drying, or skips.

I am very happy with the Laban 325 Lagoon fountain pen, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to explore and know this excellent brand from Taiwan. It's a beautiful pen and well-built for long-term use. Laban is dedicated to crafting excellent pens using only the best materials. Get one for your collection!

Rants of the Archer thanks the Laban Pen Company for providing the 325 Lagoon for review purposes. The 325 Lagoon fountain pen is available for purchase at Laban.com where it retails for around US$140 (EF to 1.5 stub) to US$280 (14K Flex EF and 14K Flex F). Aside from the 325 Collection, Laban also offers the following collections: Abalone, Antique, Antique'II, Canyon, Flora, Galileo, Mento, Mother of Pearl, Pocket Pen, Rosa, Skeleton, Solar, and Taroko. Laban offers their pens using different materials including aluminum, brass, abalone, mother of pearl, resin, and silver.

To learn more about Laban, where to buy their pens, and for other details on purchasing their pens, visit their website at https://www.laban.com/ or follow them on social media:

• Facebook (https://zh-tw.facebook.com/LabanPen)
• Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/labanpen)
• YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1pN51UTW4EZTTUxVmVNR1Q)