Is It Only Me Who Doesn't See The Appeal In A Lamy Safari?

[Blazing]

 

LOL! Well there you go. The issue is your pen has been damaged.

That's not the problem. I've had problems BEFORE that, and the only damage has been from the OUTSIDE.

[Blazing]

Sounds to me with 'scratchy' you either have a nib whose tines are uneven, and if you have a loupe of 10-12 or 15 X that you do need to see if the tines or aligned.....

 

or in that you are a one fountain pen user that you are holding it like a ball point pen before the big knuckle of your index finger.. That is a common problem for new fountain pen users.

 

Put the pen behind the index knuckle, at 45 degrees, at the start of the web of your thumb at 40 degrees or in the pit of the web of your thumb at 35 degrees.

 

So it does the same thing with a cartridge???????

In converters are often trouble makers...that you have "seen" that problem in other Safari's has nothing to say about the shape of the converters. Could be the other or others also have 'bad' converters.

There are many threads about bad converters.

And tricks to get them to work.

 

I have mostly piston pens so don't have many converters, and the two I have work fine, even the one in my Safari. Whoops...no wonder I don't have a problem...I have a cartridge in it.

I'm holding my pen like this to get in the triangular grip but with the middle finger on one of the tri grip parts and holding with a bit less pressure:

http://0.tqn.com/d/drawsketch/1/0/2/2/tripodgrip_up.jpg

[Blazing]

Was it like this from when it was new or has it only started doing it recently?

 

When was the last time you flushed the pen and gave the nib section a good soak in some water?

Have you noticed a lack of ink flow at all, or is it constant?

Have you removed the Converter and reseated it (made made sure the little clips are correctly seated) to make sure there is no issue there?

How long have you had the pen?

How much pressure do you use when writing?

 

Honestly, it's too hard to tell what is wrong with the details you have given. I have 5 Lamy Safari's/AL Stars all up, and all with a M nib, and all are super smooth and lay down nice wet lines. No issues with the converters (and I use converters in all 4) or anything, and they are used very extensively. It is possible you got a dud nib or your feed is clogged, but can't tell from what you have said.

It's not just recent, it's been pretty much since I got the pen.

 

I soaked it about a month ago and the ink flow has a lack at times. The converter is in it's correct place, in those mini clips which you push the converter down in. The pen has been had for about 3-4 months.

 

I really don't use much pressure with the pen.

[Nonsensical]

The pen that got me into collecting - yes I admit that I now collect FPs, was the Lamy Vista. I managed to resist the urge to buy any more after that, since I began to get hooked on vintage and Japanese pens.

 

Since I've come to China for a one year exchange, my Safari collection has grown by 7. They're very reasonably priced here, and I realized that the first EF nib that I received was not EF at all. I now have several real EF nibs, as well as the italic ones. They're all great, and I don't have to baby them either.

 

The tripod grip section works perfectly well for me - thumb and forefinger on the indentations and middle finger down the bottom.

 

Lamy BB tends to be a drier ink, and you might want to try flushing the pen with some dish washing soap and water to improve the ink flow. It sounds like the ink is getting stuck at the bottom of the converter, and flushing the pen may also help a bit with that.

[CharlieTurtle]

That's not the problem. I've had problems BEFORE that, and the only damage has been from the OUTSIDE.

 

Damage from the outside is still damage. Your tines could be bent, the converter could have been shaken out of place, etc.

[JulesSilvan]

I've never had a problem with any of my Safaris, all wrote smoothly from the get go although my Charcoal EF is a dry writer compared to the others. I thought the molded grip would bother me as I'm a right-hander who doesn't write with a tripod grip (I hold pens between my index and middle fingers) but I find it quite comfortable.

 

If any of my classmates back in college had tried to take my pens without permission they would've ended up with a nib in the eye, thankfully everyone respected each others' property enough not to do that. Keep your pens glued to your hand.

[Cognaticrotty]

i personally do not see the draw towards them..

[msolok]

ok, if it's been the same since you bought the pen the nib may well have an issue. Contact the retailor for a resolution.

 

However if the pen started out ok and then went like this, it's damage to the pen causing an issue. This could have been from the way the others treated the pen, or from the pen being written with with too much force on the nib (causing the nib to slits to become misaliegned), or from a gummed up feed causing low ink flow (and making the nib scratchy). In these cases, Lamy is pretty good with cusomter service and it is worth contacting them about it.

[LionofdiSouth]

Low cost, many barrel colors and easily acquired. They are a good starter pen, I have a couple, one is kind of scratchy but it doesn't give me any other troubles. Sorry for the issues you are having, I'm sure the many great people on here can help.

 

SAME HERE

[proton007]

To the OP:

 

Your title says something else, your description says something entirely different.

 

The issues you describe can happen with any pen, if it happened with yours doesn't mean the pen in general isn't good.

 

I have an Al-Star and a Safari, both have been smooth like any other fountain pen I've used. No issues whatsoever.

[CharlieTurtle]

To the OP:

 

Your title says something else, your description says something entirely different.

 

The issues you describe can happen with any pen, if it happened with yours doesn't mean the pen in general isn't good.

 

I have an Al-Star and a Safari, both have been smooth like any other fountain pen I've used. No issues whatsoever.

 

Well said. Not meaning to be nasty or anything but if you can't take care of the poor pen then use a pencil or something.

[chad.trent]

The Safari seems to be a very polarizing pen. People seem to either love it or hate it. I personally love it, but I've seen many people that hate it. Same with a Parker 51. I absolutely despise those pens, but countles others love them.

 

Guess that's why there are so many different pens out there.

[LameJane]

I have experienced none of the problems you mention with either my Safari or my Al-Star using various nibs.

 

About the pen itself, it is unfortunately (or fortunately?) so perfect for me that I have yet to find one that is more comfortable to write with.

[rwilsonedn]

To answer the question in the title first, yes, a lot of people have issues with the Safari. It is a very expensive pen for what it is, qualtiy-control is generally poor, and the materials and design of the section offend some people. Safaris are frequently purchased by new users, and they are also frequently mentioned in posts by new fountain-pen users asking why their pen won't write well. My peronal view (not a universal truth) is that Safaris are not good starter pens because they present so many problems that would be puzzling to a new user.

Which brings me to your specific questions. The nib is probably scratchy because the tines are misaligned. They frequently come that way from the factory, but it is easy to correct, and there are detailed threads here on FPN about fixing it. (See the pinned thread, Five Bad Things That Happen With New Pens.) Similarly, the poor starting is probably an alignment problem, or possibly baby-bottom. The drying could be either the nib and feed drying out, a problem to which Safaris are rather susceptible, or it could be that ink is getting trapped in the top of the converter by surface tension, in which case tapping the pen sharply (but not enough to spray ink all over) should solve the problem. The frothing is most likely because you are inadvertently letting part of the nib lift out of the ink as you fill the pen, and thereby drawing air in. It's easy and natural to do that, so you have to watch for it. Make sure that at least part of the section is in the ink the whole time you are filling. Also, the problem could be that the Lamy converter, which is a weird bayonet-lock afair not like any other converter, is not seating properly. If I remember correctly it is not a press-to-insert, it is a press-and-turn.

Anyhow, all these should be fixable problems, so you can with a little determination turn the Safari into a decent writer. Or you can simply buy a nicer pen for less money elsewhere.

ron

[Garageboy]

My love for them is waning...

They're inexpensive and feel great in the hand and the design is gorgeous, but the nibs...

Out of the dozen I've used and played with over the years, they're just dry and scratchy. Nicest one I've written with was the display Al Star at Art Brown

Please Lamy, improve the QC a tad?

[Namo]

The Safari is a pen I rediscover again and again. At first, the grip was a problem, but since I changed this grip, the pen is just amazing! Right size, right diameter, the possibility to change for a gold, softer nib if you like it. If the pen was a little heavier, it would be near perfection IMHO.

[inkstainedruth]

They're really comfortable to write with. Not much to look at but mine writes well and is very convenient.

I tried one awhile back that someone had at a pen club meeting and personally, I didn't find it at all comfortable. It may work great for some people but that triangular section would drive me bonkers. And I honestly don't care for how they look -- I'm sure that clip is very functional, but makes me think of a giant paperclip.

I do like some of the colors I've seen (that LE one that was the colors of the flag of, IIRC, Norway was particularly attractive), but not enough to offset the issues I had with the section.

I keep thinking a Safaris would have made an excellent prop in an episode of _The Prisoner_ (the original series, not that weird remake) -- they've got that 1960s "futuristic" look to them. Maybe that's why I don't like them -- somehow the style seems dated, the same way Parker Vacumatics look completely Art Deco in style to me, and therefore (weirdly) more "old-fashioned" than older-style pens such as some of the vintage hard rubber pens I've seen. And no (in case you're asking) I don't particularly care for what they look like either.... Whereas the 51s *don't* look dated.

But that's the beauty of this hobby -- there's something for everyone.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[PAKMAN]

Dang, all this Safari talk made me ink up my Coffee color Lamy Al-Star with Private Reserve Chocolat ink to use for class notes tonight!!

[pokermon]

Safaris don't interest me since I can find something similar for a few bucks. I can see that it is a great gateway pen for many, just not for me. I did give one as a gift, and the received loves it. Different strokes for different folks I guess.

-Tommy

[Inkysloth]

I have, now, two Vistas, one Safari (in fluorescent yellow) and one Al-Star - so I can have an extra fine, fine, medium, and broad all inked and ready to go. I'm planning on buying one more (probably an Al-Star in black) so I can have a 1.5mm nib. Then that will be enough, until next year's LE colour!

 

I love them - clearly, or I wouldn't have bought another after the first! I'm using three with converters, and haven't had any problems with flow or drying up after laying unused for a couple of days. One medium had a slightly scratchy nib. I checked the tines were aligned, gave it a buff with a nail buffer, and now it's spot on.

 

I can see that they wouldn't suit everyone, but as a sturdily built, affordable pen, I think they're great.