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

[soum]

As far as the quality of the Lamy Safari pens are concerned, I was a tad bit disappointed after I got my first Safari a few years ago. It was scratchy, skipped, and was pretty much unusable. It was a disappointment especially considering the fact that they aren't exactly cheap in India.

 

Then I discovered FPN and gradually learned maintenance tips and tricks. I have a bunch of Safari and Al Star pens now and all of them are beautiful writers. Some of them came that way, others had to be coaxed to behave. If yours wasn't great out of the box, you may need to persevere with it. You would be glad with the results.

 

The other part is about pen handling. Robust as they are, they still need care that is reasonable for writing instruments.

[Runnin_Ute]

I have had my Al Star for 10+ years now. It may have had a medium on it when I first got it. I didn't know the first thing about fountain pens, other than I saw it in a Levenger catalog and liked it - thought the fact it was aluminum was cool - and it was budget friendly. (mine is the aluminum finish) I am still using the original convertor. (just checked - push to click) I had to replace the section a couple of years or so ago - it broke on the threads inside the barrel. So I got a fine nib. At times it seemed scratchy, but then one day I flushed it real good and no more scratchiness. (it had been months) That and holding it less like a ballpoint. Right now I have a 1.1 mm italic on it. May end up staying on it permanently. I would consider getting another - or a Safari or Vista...

 

My least favorite design element? The ink windows. I never use them.

[Justindo]

Inspired by this thread, I decided to revisit my Lamy Safari tonight and ink it up for some home inventory. I remain thoroughly disappointed by both the pen's looks and feel. In my opinion, it's a terribly ugly, cheap looking and feeling, my hand detests the triangular grip, and the fine nib is the worst one I own, as it skips fairly often and has no personality. Yes, I realize I'm spoiled by my other modern pens that I use every day (Duofolds, Paragons, Souverans, and Optimas), but I just can't warm to this Safari. Maybe I'll try to give the thing away, but no one seems to want it because it's so ugly!

 

The Safari is my least favorite pen I have. It's the cheapest pen I own, yet somehow seems the most overpriced. I bought a clear plastic one for an artist friend a few years ago, thinking I'd introduce her to fountain pens and she'd appreciate the Safari's modern looks. She never took to it and so now I have it back. I foolishly paid retail plus tax for it at my local pen store and when it was given back to me I purchased a convertor for it. All said, I've got about $40 into the thing, which is a lot considering its looks and performance. I've purchased a couple gorgeous Levenger True Writers recently for about the same price and have been thrilled with their looks and performance for the price. I just don't think the Lamy measures up for the price.