Are There Any Fake Lamy Safaris?

[FayeV]

Do people sell fake Lamy Safaris?
I'm not talking about the Hero/Jinhao clones.
I mean pens that are labeled "Lamy" and sold/advertised as Lamy pens.

 

I have bought a handful of Lamy Safaris, Vistas and Al-Stars within the past 12 months. And none of those pens made me doubt their authenticity.

However my latest purchase has me wondering whether it is fake because some things feel a little "off". Here are some of my observations:

 

1. This pen came in a dark grey box with the slits in it, similar to most of my other purchases. The difference with this one is that the cardboard box is more smooth. All my previous purchases came in a box with slight texture (has very thin lines along the length of the box) you can definitely see and feel.

 

2. This is the first Lamy Safari I've ever received that included a converter. (I had to buy converters separately for all my other Safaris). The converter looks almost like a Lamy converter but feels a little poorer in quality. The Lamy logo is similar enough, however the words "Germany" on the other side is not consistent with any of my other Lamy converters; the engraved print is much smaller. The red color is not the same (slightly darker shade of red).

 

3. The barrel does not screw in smoothly into the nib section when the (fake?) converter is connected. (All my other Lamy Safaris screwed in smoothly) It also makes a noise while screwing. I think it might be rubbing against the 4 plastic pieces (that stick up out of the nib section) that grip the converter?

4. An ink cartridge was included and it is shaped like any other Lamy cartridge except that it has the Lamy logo embossed on it. All of my other Lamy cartridges have Lamy printed in silver/grey on the cartridge.

 

5. The groove in the "X" at the top of the cap is slightly narrower than all my other pens. It is visually identical, but you can notice the difference when you try to insert a quarter into that groove.

 

6. The finish is overall less nice, less smooth, more rough around the edges.

 

7. The "Lamy" logo on the nib is not placed conistently with my other pens, it is slightly closer toward the nib tip. The word "Lamy" is about 2mm from the flat base end of the nib, while it is about 1mm from the flat base end of the nib on all my other pens.

 

8. The little UPC sticker on the pen is unlike any of the stickers that were on my other pens. It doesn't even say the name of the pen on it, while it did on my other pens.

 

9. Some of my Safaris came with a slim fan-folded piece of paper with warranty info. This one came with a different piece of paper with illustrations for refilling ink from piston, cartridge and converter. And the most amusing observation is that it has "founfain pen" printed on the front.

10. The interior depth of the barrel is deeper in this pen compared to all my other Safaris.

 

11. It feels loose when capped, you can easily rotate the cap and barrel. All my other pens are more tightly capped and you feel more resistance when you try to rotate the cap and barrel.

 

12. The little cardboard ring included (the one that is usually included to prevent the cartridge from being pierced) is less robust, more cheaply made.

 

I already own 9 Lamy Safaris. This one is the first one that feels "off" to me. It's not a bad knock off if it is indeed fake and I probably wouldn't know the difference if this were my very first Lamy Safari purchase.

 

I haven't flushed the pen and haven't tried writing with it yet. My 9 yr old chose this pen when we were browsing something else on Amazon, the pen showed up on the Amazon front page as a suggestion. We had been thinking about getting her another fountain pen, one that could be a dedicated pen for Noodler's Blue Ghost, and she said she liked this one when it popped up up on Amazon.

Edited February 20, 2015 by FayeV

[RMN]

Yep, there are reports on fake Safaris from Chinese websites. They can be recognised by shallower inprints and things like that. There must be several topics about them.

Use a search on "fake safari" and you'll probably find several.

 

 

D.ick

[TheRealScubaSteve]

I seem to remember a thread about a fake Lamy being identified by the color of the end cap.

[FayeV]

I added a few more observations now that it is daytime, I'm more awake and can see better. I am more convinced now that this is a fake. I'm really surprised.I know fakes are a common thing on eBay, however I did not expect to find fakes on Amazon. I may have to return this pen. I just recalled that my daughter wanted the black nib, and this one came with a silver colored nib. The product description on Amazon said it came with a black coated steel nib.

Edited February 20, 2015 by FayeV

[arcadeflow]

Please refer to this thread https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/267633-buyer-beware-lamy-safari-on-ebay/

 

 

Yes, Lamy fakes are real. I have bought one. At first, it looked very convincing. But then I noticed a crack where the clip is inserted, and how the nib came with a badly done Lamy branding (it was done twice), and the nib was different, the cut was longer. It started dripping the moment I inked it. And the clip broke the brittle plastic when I forced it a bit. I then proceeded to destroy it, to examine all inside parts. The converter is the easiest to spot, as you noticed. The imprints in the barrel were not easy to spot, despite all the pictures, I don't see the original being very different in this regard.

 

I would recommend that people stop buying Lamy pens from Amazon/eBay and the likes, buy from thrustworthy sellers and stores. If you like eBay, buy from a recognizeable seller, one that has a reputation to keep and actually knows their fountain pens. Some European sites have great prices, I had great experiences with Fontoplumo and TigerPens. There are other places, like Cultpens, The Writing Desk, The Goulet Pen, Jetpens, to name a few. A true Safari is built very precisely, the cap has a tight and short snap action, the cap won't easily rotate (when new, at least).

[bbycrts]

And PLEASE! Be sure to report any eBay or Amazon posts. Counterfeit merchandise hurts the consumer as well as the "real" companies. Ebay has a link somewhere on each page that allows you to report the posting as counterfeit.

[wastelanded]

"founfain pen": always a bad sign.

[gammada]

You should report this to Amazon. I'm thinking this went thru one of the retail associates that list products there.

 

In my case, all of the pens that I have bought on Amazon have been original pens, the only time one them showed without any documentation or a box, I promptly contacted their customer service dept and was given another one free of charge.

 

On eBay I've come to spot limited or discontinued editions selling from Singapore, Malasya and other Asian countries that are just too good to be true in terms of price and availability. I presume these are Chienese fakes, which are often accompanied by poorly written English docs or boxes.

[FayeV]

"founfain pen": always a bad sign.

 

I wish I had taken a picture of the mispelled pamphlet to show you what it looked like. I looked at it and thought that can't be right, Lamy wouldn't allow such a blatant error to ship with their products, would they?

 

 

You should report this to Amazon. I'm thinking this went thru one of the retail associates that list products there.

 

 

One of the reasons I cited, during the return process, was that the pen was a fake. This was my first Amazon return and I was pleasantly surprised at how painless it was. The only hold up was on my end when I had to go print out the return label (I live in the Dark Ages and don't own a printer) and to go pick up some clear packing tape to seal the box before going to the UPS store.

 

This is the first time I've ever run across a problem with any pen related purchase. Previous purchases have all been fine, from well known pen places (Isellpens, Anderson, Jetpens, Goulet, Vanness, Pen Chalet, Pen Boutique) and even those from Amazon (different sellers from this latest purchase) and private individuals.

[Jd16]

Some images of this would be great.

[FayeV]

Unfortunately the pen has been shipped back to Amazon. I didn't think about taking photos of it before packing it up. However I enumerated my observations in a post above.

 

I do have to wonder why anybody would bother to make a fake Lamy Safari. Surely there are other more lucrative choices?

 

Now I'm back to Square One, looking for a new pen for my 9 year old to use (as a dedicated pen) with Blue Ghost.

[arcadeflow]

Unfortunately the pen has been shipped back to Amazon. I didn't think about taking photos of it before packing it up. However I enumerated my observations in a post above.

 

I do have to wonder why anybody would bother to make a fake Lamy Safari. Surely there are other more lucrative choices?

 

Now I'm back to Square One, looking for a new pen for my 9 year old to use (as a dedicated pen) with Blue Ghost.

 

People in rich countries believe a Safari is a cheap pen, but in most of the world, few people can afford one. They are, though, fountain pen best sellers, so, if you master a way to counterfeit one, you will surely sell a lot more of them than fake Montblancs, and maybe that can generate more revenue, or at least something near that range. The counterfeits business usually have the same logic you used, they copy brands like Rolex for example, but a lot of people buy them knowing that they are counterfeits, they want to fool others, they are not being fooled. But a casual fountain pen user might buy a fake Safari unknowingly, because they are not being sold for $3. The chinese can make pens that cost $1 or even less, if they manage to sell a Safari for $22 they might be making quite some money, I don't think there are as many fools buying fake Montblancs for $100 as there are fools buying Safaris and receiving fakes. I hope they don't perfect these fakes, because mine didn't work well and came cracked, if people can use them and notice, I am sure Amazon will become a huge indirect distributor of fake Safaris.

 

That is why I ask all fountain pen fellows to educate people to buy from good local pen stores or great pen e-tailers that interact with the community, that means they wouldn't hurt their reputation distributing trash pens, and you also make sure to keep the right people with jobs in the pen business.

[OcalaFlGuy]

There are pics of the real deal And fakes in prior threads I think are already mentioned in This thread.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[RMN]

 

People in rich countries believe a Safari is a cheap pen, but in most of the world, few people can afford one. They are, though, fountain pen best sellers, so, if you master a way to counterfeit one, you will surely sell a lot more of them than fake Montblancs, and maybe that can generate more revenue, or at least something near that range. The counterfeits business usually have the same logic you used, they copy brands like Rolex for example, but a lot of people buy them knowing that they are counterfeits, they want to fool others, they are not being fooled. But a casual fountain pen user might buy a fake Safari unknowingly, because they are not being sold for $3. The chinese can make pens that cost $1 or even less, if they manage to sell a Safari for $22 they might be making quite some money, I don't think there are as many fools buying fake Montblancs for $100 as there are fools buying Safaris and receiving fakes. I hope they don't perfect these fakes, because mine didn't work well and came cracked, if people can use them and notice, I am sure Amazon will become a huge indirect distributor of fake Safaris.

 

That is why I ask all fountain pen fellows to educate people to buy from good local pen stores or great pen e-tailers that interact with the community, that means they wouldn't hurt their reputation distributing trash pens, and you also make sure to keep the right people with jobs in the pen business.

 

I think the world of fakes is rather diverse.

 

To make a bad copy of an expensive pen, and sell it like the real deal for the price of a real deal is criminal behaviour. It is bad for the maker of the real deal, it is bad for the buyer. And the faker grins.

 

But when I was a young men, trenchcoats by Burberry's where en Vogue. Alas as a young men I could not pay them. They were extremely expensive and no shops in my town had them. Then I found a copy of that particular tartan they had (which I liked so much), at least it looked like it a lot. I bought the coat, fully knowing it not to be the real thing. And Burberry's did not miss a cent because of this, as I simply never would have been able to buy the real thing. The point for me was not the fact that it looked like a Burberry, but that design.

 

I think with pens in China another thing is happening. As Arcadeflow mentions, a pen like the Safari may be peanuts for some of us, but in large parts of the world it still costs a weeks wages or more. So if someone makes a copy, of decent quality, and sells it locally in China for a fraction of the price a real Safari would cost no one is harmed. Least of all Lamy, as they would not have sold the pen anyway, and this way they still get some exposure.

The harm comes when people then start buying them cheaply in China and selling them much more expensive and as the real thing in the Western world, or even buying them cheaply and selling them cheaply as fakes here, as then Lamy would be harmed. And as you can't prevent the exportation of items like this these days, making a fake Lamy (Waterman/Parker/whatever) is a bad thing.

As long as Jinhao keeps at making lookalikes under their own name at least everybody knows it's a lookalike and nobody is fooled. Still, when these get exported to the western world Lamy will lose some money.

 

Making a copy of these pens is not a big deal technically, they are a simple design, any plastics factory that can do injection moulding can make them in principle, and probably at very little cost. And the nibs aren't that big a technology feature as well.

 

All this is going to change fast the coming years.

In a few years time we will be 3D-printing our own pens to our own (or others) designs and specifications. The first 3D printed pens are already for sale (Pjotr).

 

 

D.ick

[in the flow]

Helpful observations, thanks. I haven't bought pens off Amazon or eBay, only through forum members and reputable stores. It's a good reminder for me nonetheless.

[LeRoiSoleil]

I'm now thinking my first Safari, which I bought a few months ago, might be one of those fakes. Mine has the same anomalies listed in the original post. I noticed when I got my second Safari the box was different and the overall quality was far better. I just chalked it up to varying quality of different production runs. I still have the instruction sheet with "founfain pen." I didn't notice that until I looked at it after finding this thread. I can post photos if there is any interest.

[mixedfeelings]

I absolutely received a counterfeit Lamy Safari today - it features all of the hallmarks listed above (untested, rough, wrong "dot" placement on the nib" and shipped with a cartridge of black "lamy" ink, just thrown in the box not in the barrel. I went on a bit of a lamy purchasing tear and have 2 more safaris and 5-pack of converters coming my way from amazon, and based on this experience I am worried that they are all fakes.

 

Thanks for the information - reputable sellers from now on!

Edited March 9, 2015 by mixedfeelings

[LeRoiSoleil]

I also bought a 5 pack of converters from a different seller on Amazon. It was a great deal, so after I discovered my Safari was counterfeit I figured the great deal I got on the converters had to indicate they were fakes as well. However, they show all the correct hallmarks of being genuine; the red part is the correct color of red, "GERMANY" is the correct size, and there is a tiny number on one of the pips that lock it into place. The one that came with the fake has a slightly darker, duller red plastic knob, "GERMANY" is tiny and weak, and no number on the pip. The mechanism is also a bit loose compared to the genuine ones, although it works fine. Of course, the real Safari does not come packaged with a converter from the factory, so that in itself is another indication of a fake.

Edited March 9, 2015 by LeRoiSoleil

[Sailor Kenshin]

Unfortunately the pen has been shipped back to Amazon. I didn't think about taking photos of it before packing it up. However I enumerated my observations in a post above.

 

I do have to wonder why anybody would bother to make a fake Lamy Safari. Surely there are other more lucrative choices?

 

Now I'm back to Square One, looking for a new pen for my 9 year old to use (as a dedicated pen) with Blue Ghost.

We'd love to help you find one.

 

Budget? Color preferences?

 

I think for a child, a metal pen will be too cold and heavy. There's always the Pelikano and Pelikano Junior. These, however, will need a Pelikan converter. Isellpens may still have the Hero 359, which is very decent quality for the price. They come with converters, too.

[FayeV]

We'd love to help you find one.

 

Budget? Color preferences?

 

I think for a child, a metal pen will be too cold and heavy. There's always the Pelikano and Pelikano Junior. These, however, will need a Pelikan converter. Isellpens may still have the Hero 359, which is very decent quality for the price. They come with converters, too.

 

 

I'm looking for a cheap pen since this would be an occasional-use pen dedicated to Noodler's Blue Ghost. I want a brand new pen & converter so no other ink will contaminate the bottle of Blue Ghost.

 

I started looking at the Pilot Kakuno with its cute smiley face on the nib. Although my daughter said she liked the charcoal Safari with its black nib, I'm sure I can't go wrong choosing a pen that comes in pink or purple. I was also toying around with the idea of getting another Pelikano Jr in purple or turquoise. Maybe Pelikan is the way to go, they never have a hard time starting up even after sitting around. (BTW I think it was you who made me reconsider my Pel M2xx Italic nib. I ended up picking up a 2nd one with Italic nib and both write so smoothly, love them both although one writes wetter than the other).

 

She is currently carrying 3 fountain pens to school: Pelikano Jr (filled with R&K Morinda), Safari (in Neon Coral which she chose from Goulet, filled with R&K Verdigris), and my Pilot Metro (which had been out of rotation, but she loves the violet leopard color and she hasn't yet complained to me about how heavy it is, filled with R&K Cassia). Her classmates (also in the 9 to 10 year old range) have expressed interest or curiosity over her pens. I've been thinking of picking up an assortment of Platinum Preppy or Pilot Varsity pens for her to take to school to let her classmates play with. I can't decide which one. Seems like it is six of one, half dozen of the other. I've been reading old posts and am intrigued by the 3 different methods to refill the disposable Pilot Varsity pens. I want to try them out, just because. But I feel the Platinum Preppies might be the slightly better choice since a converter is available for it, and there are 2 nib sizes to choose from.

 

I came across another pen that looked interesting, it had a tapered shape, came only in clear or black, and could be converted to an eyedropper. What was it called? I think it was Pilot. Penmanship? It only came in an EF nib, and I was unsure about how Noodler's Blue Ghost would look coming out of an EF nib. So I nixed that idea.