Difference between Fine and Medium

[Kestrelco]

I have just recently become interested in fountain pens, and in searching for a relatively inexpensive, but well-thought of pen, I came across the Lamy Safari. After some reading in which is appeared most ppl seem to write with a Fine or even Extra Fine nib, I ordered the Lamy Safari in Red with a Fine nib.

 

What a neat little pen! I love the feel of it, I love the look of it, and I like the way it writes on all the paper I've used it on so far.

 

So. My problem?

 

I've used .5 pencils, ultra fine point Pilot felts and the new Sharpies in extra-fine or fine... and all of them seem to have a wider line than this Lamy Fine nib. I like sharp and clear text, but I also like a bit of, well, for a lack of any proper term there may be - body. Substance.

 

That's when I found out I can't just get another nib for this pen - I have to buy another pen, or spend a fortune for a pen I can change the nib on - a step I am in no way ready for.

The other problem is that I'm currently living in the sticks - nearest place to try a pen is almost 5hrs away. I don't want to buy another one since I may find the medium nib too large...

 

Could someone post a pic showing the size line of a Lamy Medium nib right next to a Lamy fine nib line so that I can see the difference?

 

thanks in advance!

[jleeper]

Who told you you can't replace the nib on your Safari? Many online retailers sell the nibs; isellpens.com and Swishers are only two of many possible vendors.

 

And don't forget, ink and paper play a part in the width of the line you leave on paper, too. What ink are you using right now? Better paper usully makes a thinner line, but often you don't have that much choice of what paper you use.

Edited March 31, 2010 by jleeper

[gillyohan]

Also, not all Safari fine nibs are the same, etc. You may buy a medium that writes like a broad or like an EF. They are pretty inconsistent.

[Kestrelco]

jleeper - I confess I assumed I tried to turn it - like it was screwed on or something, and it didn't want to move, but I didn't want to push it too hard either in case I messed it up. At the moment, I'm using the ink that came with the pen - but I have a bottle of Noodlers Heart of Darkness coming (and one of their brown inks - Beaver - coming too) and a converter.

 

The paper so far has been post-it note paper, a Mead spiral notebook, and a Fiorentina paper in a journal I have. Nothing all that stunning, and the pen does well on all of them. Looking to give some Clairfountaine paper a whirl soon, or some G. Lalo Verge de France. (I've been a stationery junkie most my life.. the fountain pens are new lol)

 

gillyohan - I've read on the forums here that ppl think there's a quality control issue with Lamy Safari. Also seems to be a real love/hate division on the subject of Safari's in general But I'd done a ton of reading in a lot of places (only found FPN after I got the pen) and the consensus was more positive than negative. It also fit my price-point as a total noob. It sounded like it wasn't all that flash, might have a few bugs, but all in all - got the job done. Since I wasn't sure if I'd like using a fp, I was willing to go that far to give it a shot. If the interest sticks with me I'll, if history is any guide, surely be moving along to other more exotic creatures soon enough.

[jleeper]

Nibs on the Safari don't screw out, the metal nib kinda slips out of the feed, at least that what I've come to understand, I've not changed one yet.

 

Here's a thread on changing a Safari nib: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/14201-changing-a-lamy-safari-nib/page__hl__change%20lamy%20nib

 

I would not expect the Lamy ink in a cartridge to feather or spread much, but again, no direct experience.

[txinsk]

Honestly, I am surprised that you find the Lamy line too fine, usually I find my safari to hog the page with line thickness.

 

That said stop twisting your nib! It pulls off not a twist. Here are the instructions as well as a page to order another nib. I have ordered Lamy nibs from them before. The instructions are good as well.

 

Rick

[gillyohan]

Don't get me wrong. I really like safaris. They are good pens for the money. I only have one left now because my mother just took one. She was visiting to help out after we had our second child so we owe her big time. Anyway, I was just saying that there is a consistency issue in their nibs, so buying a wider nib without dip testing first may get you a nib that does not really write any wider than your narrower nib size.

 

And changing nibs is super easy. Just slap some scotch tape across the top side of the nib and slide off the feed.

[Thornton]

I love my Safaris, my Al-Star, and my Vista, but the nibs are inconsistent. I bought a five pack of fine nibs from jetpens.com (no affiliation) and each one wrote differently. It's something you have to play around with, but I'm sure you can find something that suits your needs. Like others have said, ink and paper have a large bearing on how the pen will write. A Noodler's ink will generally give you a wider line whereas Diamine or J. Herbin will make the pen write a little finer. Good luck!

[Kestrelco]

Well - I became impatient and ordered another Lamy Safari with a medium nib - I found an orange one on another site It's a wonderful orange.. I'd wanted orange to begin with, but that wasn't an option. I think the orange one is 2009.. ANYWAY... I ordered another pen lol. Oh well, I have a feeling the new-found obsession is going to stick so it's all ok. Ordered some converters too, 2 bottles of ink, 4 sets of different paper, a new journal and I'm already looking at more expensive pens. I could be doomed... and while I know some don't like Lamy, I'm having a very nice time with my Safari If it turns out other pens write better than this one I'll be very pleased with my new obsession indeed! Thank you all for your help

[Brian_Cooney]

If you want to try a vintage pen at some point, you might look at finding an Esterbrook. You can get one for under $20 on eBay. If it leaks, you can replace the ink bladder for $2 (for the bladder) and $5 for a bottle of cement, and $5 for a tool that you can fix hundreds of pens with.

 

Best of all, you can find NOS nibs for them.

[Juicyjones]

Go to the store and write with 5 Fs and 5 Ms. The labels don't seem to have anything to do with the line widths...

[sam.doran]

I, too, have been doing this exact same thing! I just got into Fountain Pens by buying two Lamy AL-Stars from Writer's Bloc (no affiliation). They are the same design as the Safari and Vista, I just liked the aluminum look a little better. I am using J. Herbin ink on Clairefontaine paper (Brian from Goulet Pens is a very good fried of mine; he's the one who got me hooked!).

 

Up until entering into the FP world, I was always very particular about what pens I used. I only used Pilot G2 05 and mechanical pencils with 0.5mm lead. I like the very fine stroke and I have very small handwriting. I was torn as to whether or not I should get the M, F, or EF; I ended up getting F nibs. Initially, I was super pleased! I still very much prefer a FP to a normal pen. The only thing I do not like about the F nib is that it writes very translucent and watery. I like the stroke size, but I don't like how unsaturated it looks. So, I decided to order a medium nib and give it a go!I will say that the medium nib definitely provides the ink saturation I want; but I'm still trying to get used to the rather broad stork. It reminds me of the G2 07 or 0.7mm lead that always felt too big for my handwriting.

My dream pen would have the stoke size of the F nib with the saturation of the M nib. Since I'm still VERY new the world (or obsession?) of fountain pens, I still have lots more to try. I'm going to get some Pelicanos from Goulet Pens when he starts carrying them in the very near future. I had the opportunity to write with one briefly while I was hanging out with him a few weeks ago, and I think the Pelicano with the medium nib might be what I'm looking for, based on my brief writing with it. That is sad and exciting at the same time because I am really enjoying my Lamy and I really do think the look is pretty cool (though the clip is very out of place and could use some refinement).

Here are some writing samples written on the small Rhodia Webnotebook:

Various Samples - This has a variety of samples. A rare glimpse at the first time I ever wrote with a fountain pen! And also, the brief moment when I got my wife to try the Pelicano medium and she expressed her loathing for my new found passion.

Medium Writing - Two pages of writing with the Lamy medium nib, J. Herbin Éclat de Saphir ink.

Fine and medium - This is a comparison you had asked for: two lines, one with a fine and one with a medium Lamy nib.I hope this helps! It seems like you and I are entering the world of fountain pens in much the same way at about the same time. It is a very small world.

Edited April 6, 2010 by sam.doran

[Sandy1]

If you want to try a vintage pen at some point, you might look at finding an Esterbrook. You can get one for under $20 on eBay. If it leaks, you can replace the ink bladder for $2 (for the bladder) and $5 for a bottle of cement, and $5 for a tool that you can fix hundreds of pens with.

 

Best of all, you can find NOS nibs for them.

+1 on the Esties!

 

Their Fine and Extra-Fine nibs are excellent: the relative flexibility can be varied according to the nib type too. eg. Posting vs. Script.

The difference in width (XF, F, M, is distinct: they do not have skinny Fines or plump Fines: they are Fine.

One thing I've really noticed and come to appreciate with the Fine Estie nibs, is that they are a bit 'damp', they are ready to start the line where the nib touches the paper - no 'lag time' waiting for the ink.

 

Not slag the Safari, I have 3, including the Notorius Pink Safari, but inconsistent width of that darn 'F' nib seems to be their Achilles Heel.

 

OBTW, can anyone chime-in on the Safari EF nib?

 

Bye,

S1

[Sandy1]

Hi,

You might want to talk to the folks at Pendemonium

They grind Safari nibs, so you may well get exactly what you want from them, which in the end can cost you less and get what you want in shorter time, with less frustration than the 'this might work' approach. (I wish I took my own advice more often.)

Bye,

S1

[Kestrelco]

hey there, Sam! Ty for the reply! I couldn't see the samples though - I don't have permission to view them

Got the M pen and the converters I ordered - the inks aren't here yet though, so haven't been able to try it out. The anticipation is killing me! Yeah, I could just change the nib since someone mentioned how, but being the scardey-cat neophyte I am, I'm holding off mucking with my pens. Whichever one I like writing with most - I'll use the other as the experiemental pen. LOL. Saw a post on FPN with a note written in Waterman Blue-Black, and loved the color... but have to wait fo the ink I've already bought to come first! I can see the future... half a closet of pen/ink/paper products...

 

ty for the tips. Sandy! I will give them a look - I've already picked up an interest in italic nibs.. oh my

[sam.doran]

Sorry about not being able to see the images! I fixed that this morning, so you should be able to see them now.

 

Changing the nib on the Safari is really easy. I prefer the cap method as opposed to the tape method, but to each their own.

 

Inks are definitely my favorite aspect of fountain pens. I currently have four colors, but I plan to get more in the near future. It's very addictive! I bought a J. Herbin glass pen because it makes it really easy to quickly switch between inks. Plus writing with glass is just a really cool thing to do!

 

If you like italic nibs, look at the Pelican Script pens (Writer's Bloc has them currently, Goulet Pens will be carrying them soon) They are VERY fun to write with. There is a sample in the images I posted earlier of writing with one using J. Herbin Bleu Nuit with the 1.0 and Cacoa de Brazil with the 1.5. Very fun pens indeed!

[Feanor]

Go to the store and write with 5 Fs and 5 Ms. The labels don't seem to have anything to do with the line widths...

 

The labels are means. Lamys just have a (much) larger standard deviation than most pens.

[sam.doran]

I should have done this earlier (I'm still getting the hang of posting on FPN).

 

 

Various pens, nib sizes, and inks:

 

 

 

A few pages written in the small Rhodia Webnotebook using a medium Lamy nib.

 

 

 

Lamy fine and medium nibs compared.