The Lamy Safari Is Just As Good As Any Other Pen. There: I've Said It.

[brunico]

I have a half dozen Indian and Chinese pens that not only look better than a Safari but they all write 10x better. That Safari is now bound for my daughter in North Carolina. Worst buy I ever experienced.

 

So you're happy to give your daughter an ugly pen that doesn't write very well and is your worst-ever purchase? Did she give you a half-eaten box of chocolates for your birthday or something?

[mossyk9]

 

Did she give you a half-eaten box of chocolates for your birthday or something?

 

 

Hahahahahahahahaha

 

touche

[rwilsonedn]

 

 

Hahahahahahahahaha

 

touche

Give it to Mikey. He'll eat anything ...

ron

[Nibbly]

 

So you're happy to give your daughter an ugly pen that doesn't write very well and is your worst-ever purchase? Did she give you a half-eaten box of chocolates for your birthday or something?

 

Actually, she loves a real challenge, she saw the pen when she visited this summer. I was complaining about the Safari while she was here and expressed an intrest in trying it long term. More power to her....

Edited September 10, 2013 by Nibbly

[jordanjay29]

I had an Al-Star as my first non-disposable FP. I started with an XF, but that was scratchy and a hard starter, so I switched to a F nib. The line was wider than I was used to, but by the end of it I was happy. Then, about six months ago, I lost it.

 

I haven't replaced it yet, but I do aim to. I really did enjoy the versatility of the Lamy pens, their robustness, and the utilitarian looks. For a $40 pen, it's really a good deal.

[cbaytan]

My Lamy Vista italic 1.1 and 1.5 nibs are so smooth, they write really great, adorable, but on the springiness side they are like nails, no springiness at all, only line variation is I get because they are italics, I have other nibs too except "A" nib but I don't remember how they write.

[RJR]

With a proper converter installed and filled with a sympathetic ink, Lamay Safari seems to have the most bang for the treasure expended in my limited experience. I use both a Safari and a Vista at work daily. Great pens for work on a number of levels: reliable writers, easy to maintain but not so very dear that my heart would break if they disappeared.

 

However at home I much prefer my Parker Vacumatic, Pelican 200m and Sailor 1911. They offer a subjective but discernible increase in pleasure when I’m writing that the utilitarian Safari does not aspire to match. My Safari is a tool and the others are instruments.

 

Hamburger/steak; guitar/violin; cats/dogs; blue/purple... they are all apples and oranges.

 

Perhaps the best pen is the one in your hand when you need to write something.

 

RJR

[Edwaroth]

I agree. I am simply astounded by the prices of some pens.

[HandLikeAFist]

I like my Lamy Safari well enough, F and 1.1. But it writes no where as well as my Montegrappa Reminiscence. The Monte is all-sterling, but subtle, so I don't feel like I am writing with some precious "jewel." Silver is handsome and practical; look at tableware. Lays down a good line.

 

But my all-day carry-around pen is a Kaweco Sport black classic, fine nib, a nib better than the Lamy ones, very close in smoothness to the Montegrappa.

[mikehodgman]

The Lamys I've had write pretty well in the wider categories (medium and above). The fine and extra-fine, however, are just garbage. Plus all the Lamy nibs are pretty inconsistent.

[Mike_Dowling]

I have three Lamy's

 

1. Safari - converter (Lamy brand) leaked, top doesn't stay secure, all around cheap feel but a relatively reliable pen to write with.

2. Al Star - Scratchy F nib, probably responsible for turning me off to F nibs for life, total garbage to be honest, worst pen I've ever used included 10 cent bics.

3. 2000 - hard starter, skips frequently, now a $120 dust collector in my desk drawer, if I make it to a pen show I'll see if I can get it repaired.

 

Needless to say my experiment with Lamy is over

Edited September 11, 2013 by Mike_Dowling

[akustyk]

I have three Lamy's

 

1. Safari - converter (Lamy brand) leaked, top doesn't stay secure, all around cheap feel but a relatively reliable pen to write with.

2. Al Star - Scratchy F nib, probably responsible for turning me off to F nibs for life, total garbage to be honest, worst pen I've ever used included 10 cent bics.

3. 2000 - hard starter, skips frequently, now a $120 dust collector in my desk drawer, if I make it to a pen show I'll see if I can get it repaired.

 

Needless to say my experiment with Lamy is over

 

There's no reason why these pens shouldn't write well - just send them off to Lamy USA for a quick and reliable service. My 2000 was not as wet as I'd like. A couple of weeks later, I had a perfect pen in my hands for less than $10 shipping charge. Easy. All brands of fountain pens can, potentially, come with issues, even the most expensive ones.

[Mike_Dowling]

 

There's no reason why these pens shouldn't write well - just send them off to Lamy USA for a quick and reliable service. My 2000 was not as wet as I'd like. A couple of weeks later, I had a perfect pen in my hands for less than $10 shipping charge. Easy. All brands of fountain pens can, potentially, come with issues, even the most expensive ones.

 

The two $30-$40 pens aren't worth my time to send it for repairs to be honest, the Lamy 2000 skipping and causing such problems just left me disgusted and annoyed, I felt better just tossing it in a drawer and going on with my life. Imagine what a fool someone who pays $120 for a pen that doesn't even write looks like? I mean isn't that the bare minimum of a pen? A 10 cent pen can write no problem but a $120 pen is a (bleep) shoot and we expect problems?

 

I think we give these guys a little too much leeway to be honest, a $120 pen should simply write no questions asked. I won't offer a second chance to any $100+ pen that can't even write as well as a 10 cent pen. Eventually I'll go to a pen show, get it fixed and sell it, but for now I'll just dog it.

[BT-7274]

Had a rough time with my first Lamy pen, the Logo as well. Scratchy, wide-writing EF nib, and a leaky converter at first. It works like a charm now, yes, but I prefer my Targa over it in every way possible. Frankly, the Targa was the only pen that has been trouble-free for me, barring the expected failure of the vintage converter. Perfect flow, smooth writing, excellent fit and finish, and a sturdy feel.

[N2theBreach]

I'm surprised that no one brought up the Pilot Metro. It seems a lot of folks think it's also a good starter pen. I'd compare them, but I only have one-half of the pair--the Safari.

[Tom Aquinas]

 

The two $30-$40 pens aren't worth my time to send it for repairs to be honest, the Lamy 2000 skipping and causing such problems just left me disgusted and annoyed, I felt better just tossing it in a drawer and going on with my life. Imagine what a fool someone who pays $120 for a pen that doesn't even write looks like? I mean isn't that the bare minimum of a pen? A 10 cent pen can write no problem but a $120 pen is a (bleep) shoot and we expect problems?

 

I think we give these guys a little too much leeway to be honest, a $120 pen should simply write no questions asked. I won't offer a second chance to any $100+ pen that can't even write as well as a 10 cent pen. Eventually I'll go to a pen show, get it fixed and sell it, but for now I'll just dog it.

Sorry to here about your sad experience but , my L2k experience is the opposite. I've bought 3 L2ks and all are top pens , as good as my P51s. I've also given two as presents. I would not consign mine to the bin ever, they are a top pen and worthwhile as starter pens.

[wastelanded]

I have three of the beasts: a silver/blue ALstar M, a white Safari OB, and a charcoal Safari B. The first two I enjoy using very much, the OB is a wonderful nib. I'm the odd man out in that I can't stand the charcoal, to me it feels awful *and* skinnier. And the B nib is a dud, despite being smoothed almost into stubbishness.

 

The ALstar is my daily writer at work, and I've grown to love it. I find the grip more comfortable for my arthritic fingers than anything else I've tried so far, and the nib is smooth and wet. Plus I can pick it up, uncap it and start writing without checking to see if the nib is oriented properly. Would I replace it if lost? Probably not, as the next one wouldn't be the same I'm sure.

 

I am a big fan of these pens. But there is no getting away from the fact that:

 

-it is not the most handsome pen in the world (mind you it *is* a school pen, and a German one at that)

-the nibs are very inconsistent (but a replacement for 3 Euro can't be beat anywhere)

-the nibs are such nails that you could use them for cabinetmaking

 

I've only had the one duff nib out of a total of five.

 

The SafariStar is a design that one either loves or hates. Of course I would love a 50s 146, but I have champagne taste and beer money. It doesn't make me want to compose poetry at the sight of it, but it's far from the Ugliest Pen in the World. And, I love the section.

 

Right, I'm off to snap up a black ALstar, now that I'm in the mood. Or maybe THIS? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lamy-Safari-old-color-Olive-Savanna-Green-Oilvgrun-as-fountain-pen-/151115538140?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item232f301edc

 

No bids yet

 

ETA: Yes, the Z24 converter is rubbish. A box of cartridges cost less, and the business end of the cartridge has that reinforcement so it keeps its shape for many re-fills. I throw them when they get too stained, not because they start leaking.

Edited September 11, 2013 by wastelanded

[migo984]

Sorry to add, annoyingly, perhaps, to my own belaboured post, But shouldn't writing be ordinary? It's ordinary for most people, with their biros and pencils (and I love pencils myself).

 

Shouldn't we be able to really, really love writing with a fountain pen that doesn't cost the earth, on paper that one can buy in any shop?

 

Writing with an object that is effectively a jewel seems wrong to me.

 

That's why I want a pen and a pad and an ink that I don't have to THINK ABOUT.

 

However - and I mean this - there's absolutely nothing wrong with collecting or using pens that are gorgeous. That are wonderful to hold and behold.

 

But all I've ever really wanted is to write with a fountain pen on paper. And not really worry about it.

 

That's all I really meant.

 

 

IMHO there's nothing better than scribbling & doodling on bog-standard economy paper, with my Platinum Cool (£20) loaded with a cheapo generic ink cartridge. Fountain pens are the world's best doodling instruments & cheap pens & paper somehow free my imagination and just let me enjoy the process of writing. I feel much more constrained by my expensive notebooks & pens.

 

Also what is judged as an acceptable price to some can be completely prohibitive to others. I think more needs be done to promote FPs as accessible to all and to rid them of the blight of exclusivity.

 

Marie

[proton007]

I haven't found anything wrong with the Safari or the AlStar, or the Pilot Metropolitan.

 

Perfectly capable writers IMO.

 

In some ways I can see how they might feel better because the 20x difference in price of an expensive pen doesn't necessarily translate to a 20x improvement in the nib feel and performance.

Edited September 11, 2013 by proton007

[larsbj]

 

The Lamy Safari is the best pen in the world if you are OK with the toy-like styling and the odd grip doesn't bother you and you are OK with C/C filling and you happen to get a converter that fits right and doesn't leak and you happen get a good nib and you don't mind that it only accepts Lamy cartridges...

 

I agree. I really hate the section on the safari, but I do like the nibs. I currently use a broad, and swithch it one in a while with a fine. I also have a 1.1stub, which i dislike and dont use. So I wasted 10 bucks. Yuck. But with a couple of youngsters in the house, I can affort to have the safari laying around and be used/abused by everyone in the family. I certainly will not let anyone not devoted to FPs use my Nakaya, Danis or even the Pelis to mention a few.

 

But it's certainly one of the best bang for the bucks I can think of. Obviously.