I have two, and love them. I use 3x5 cards a lot so having them is a joy to me. Obviously, you should try before you buy if you get the chance. Lammy's extra fine nibs are not as scratchy as one might think (at least to me), but there is an obvious difference between their extra fine and medium.

As far as the line thickness, it's about the same as a Sheaffer fine nib (at least mine, other folks' may differ).

I have an italic point on mine. I'd love an XF !
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"I think the surest sign that there is intelligent life out there in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us." (Calvin and Hobbes/Bill Waterson)

I have a black Studio and a blue Al-Star both in extra fine. I love both and they are definately my favorite two pens (at the moment). Neither are scratchy and lay a nice fine line on (most) everything from cheap note cards to good quality laser paper to Levenger note paper. Like you, I prefer a fine line when I am writing.

TW

Hi, I have both a Lamy F (on an Al-Star) and a EF (on a Safari) and both are excellent. The EF is of course a tad finer... but still not quite there for my tastes. But I have found the ideal (for my tastes) planner/hipster PDA fountain pen: the Reform 1745. Reform is a now-defunct German pen maker, which specialized in knock-off Pelikans (also German). The 1745 is a basic school pen, nothing fancy, but very well made. You can find lots of reviews of these pens around. You can currently pick one up on eBay (NOS) for about $17.50 including shipping. They are piston-fill, which means you get to use bottled ink. If you're not familiar with a piston fill, it's the same mechanics as most converters for cartridge pens. It's basically fool-proof, and holds a lot more ink than a cartridge or a converter. It's also easier to clean.

The line on the 1745 can vary a bit, from a spider-thin scrawl up to the width of the Lamy fine nib. You vary the line with pressure--in other words, there's a bit of flex to the nib.

It's also a pretty tiny pen. Just a bit wider than a Parker Vector, but the same rough dimensions. I usually clip mine to my hipster PDA. It's a screw cap, so it's pocket-friendly.

Google up some reviews. For ~$17 it's not a big investment, and it's a rockin good pen.

A Platinum Preppy is a cheap way to get an extra fine nib. $3-4 at Jetpen and other sources. Cheaper than buying just a Lamy nib. (Lamy Safari/Al Star/Vista nibs are easy to change if you want something different) The Platinum Preppy nibs are listed as fine, but Japanese nibs tend to run finer than their American counterparts. Japanese nibs tend to be pretty smooth too, even when they're extra fine.

On the other hand, I've found European nibs to run a bit wider than ours with the same designation. That was my experience with Pelikan and Lamy nibs. Their fine was almost like a medium to me.

A vintage Parker 51 with a fine or extra fine nib would be great! :-)

I prefer medium, so I haven't bought too many extra fines. But, the Japanese pens I have with fine nibs have almost always resulted in smooth extra-fine lines.

Walter

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"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once." Albert Einstein and Buckaroo Banzai