Is It Weird That, After "moving On" To Higher End Pens, I Want A Lamy Safari?

[MissCellany]

So to elaborate on the title a bit...

 

I've been using fountain pens for over a year now, and have covered a fair bit of ground in that time! Having used a variety of pens, inks, papers, etc. I have a pretty solid handle on my tastes.

 

In conjunction with this, my pen collection has also evolved and grown. Barring a Twsbi Eco and Moonman M2, all of my pens are in the "next level" price range (between 65 and 175 USD). But even so... *a big part of me wants to buy a Safari again.*

 

It's not for want of a Lamy steel nib, I have a CP1 for that. It's not for having a durable pocket pen, I have several options for that; nor is it because I want a comfortable pen for extended writing sessions, as I have several options for that as well.

 

I have several other pens on my "to acquire" list that I have greater interest in, whose reasons for holding my interest I can easily identify. I used to own an Al-Star, and I enjoyed it, but gave it away to a friend I met while out on tour whose only experience in the fountain pen world was buying a Nib Creaper with a cracked section (she loves the Al-Star, and we write to each other sometimes).

 

I don't want to have a massive pen collection- I'd like to keep things down to (insert air quotes as needed) only 13-14 pens, and would prefer that most of them have very little overlap with each other in terms of functionality, performance, etc. Seeing as though I already have different pens that roughly do what the Safari does, I have a hard time just giving in to the desire to own one.

 

Reading back on this, it sounds like I might be overthinking it a little bit, but then again I have been known to be a bit hard on myself...

 

What are your thoughts on the matter, pen friends? It's not a huge monetary sacrifice for me to just grab one, and I already have a converter. I also have several pen-curious friends that I can just give it to if I decide I don't want it again. But still, I can't help but feel a little silly having such an elementary pen be more forward on my mind than a maki-e number I've been eyeing for months now, or a custom-ground pen I've spent ages scheming up...

[PAKMAN]

Sounds perfectly normal to me! I have a big collection of pens with many higher end pens and still love to take out one of my Safaris and ink it up!

[nishikori]

That's absolutely normal. I also want to try a Lamy Safari, as my starter pen was a Metro. I recently sold my top pen (Platinum 3776), and downgraded to some Jinhao w/ Nemosine nibs, and a PenBBS 308 with a Bock nib.

[dennis_f]

I have several Pelikans, Montblancs, a montegrappa, watermans... you name it ... and my safaris still feel best in my hand. I don't know why that is, but it is what it is. I use my pens everyday in a studio environment, and in meetings. In the studio I tend to use my safaris/al-stars, and in meetings I usually use something nicer... but regardless of where I am, If I have to draw something, 8 times out of 10, I'll put out the safari; it's the pen I find easiest to think with. I don't know why that is. It just fits.

 

I was trying out some new MBs last week, and each time I picked one up, I was comparing it to the ease and balance of the safari.

Sometimes a pen just works for you. If you like what you like, if it's comfortable in your hand and you enjoy using it, why not buy another one. It's a great pen (which is why so many collectors who collect high-end pens also have Lamys in their collection).

 

As an aside: I was in a meeting a few weeks ago in a bank in the heart of Toronto's financial district. Lots of lawyers and finance people present wearing lots of high-end suits. There are all manner of luxury portfolios, and briefcases and bags sitting around the table (but no nice pens, actually). One of the key people in this meeting was in his late 50s. He was wearing a really nice suit and great shoes. He was a partner in the law firm he works for... does really well for himself.

Towards the end of the meeting, he had to sign some documents. He reaches into his breast pocket and he pulls out . . . a bright yellow Lamy Safari. I couldn't help but chuckle to myself.

[TheDutchGuy]

It’s not up to me to say what’s normal or not. Having said that, personally I can totally enjoy cheaper pens and that joy is not diminished by also having more expensive pens around.

[senzen]

My second start with fountain pens was with a couple of Pelikan m600, two Parker Sonnets and a Waterman le Man 100... So mid to high end pens, but I didn't really appreciate them, I had no patience... A few years later I got into it again, but more because of inks, and eventually got seven Lamy Vistas, along with four Muji and other inexpensive pens... It made me appreciate those first pens first, but I still enjoy writing with the Vistas, in particular I appreciate how comfortable and reliable they are, and how specific inks come out with them. With hindsight I would have been just as happy with solid colours.

 

On another thread someone asked about a luxurious feeling, it's a particular indulgence for me to see Verde Muschiato flow out of its Vista. Another one is the only pen I would dare use Rouge Hématite with, as it inevitably clogs up everything.

[dennis_f]

My second start with fountain pens was with a couple of Pelikan m600, two Parker Sonnets and a Waterman le Man 100... So mid to high end pens, but I didn't really appreciate them, I had no patience... A few years later I got into it again, but more because of inks, and eventually got seven Lamy Vistas, along with four Muji and other inexpensive pens... It made me appreciate those first pens first, but I still enjoy writing with the Vistas, in particular I appreciate how comfortable and reliable they are, and how specific inks come out with them. With hindsight I would have been just as happy with solid colours.

 

On another thread someone asked about a luxurious feeling, it's a particular indulgence for me to see Verde Muschiato flow out of its Vista. Another one is the only pen I would dare use Rouge Hématite with, as it inevitably clogs up everything.

 

 

SenZen, you raise a good point. I just bought a group of TWSBI Ecos so that I could use them with some brighter inks (because buying 5 Pelikan demonstrators seems a bit over-the-top (and by "a bit" I mean "totally crazy")). Those TWSBIs get more use than most of my other pens lately.

 

MissCellany, I think you're going to find that very few people on FPN are going to talk you out of buying any kind of pen, regardless of price point.

[OMASsimo]

Nothing wrong with it if you really like the Lamy Safari. It was one of my school pens decades ago before it was replaced by another more classy Lamy. It worked very well (as all the other pens around then) but after a while and till now I considered it ultimately ugly. It's just my personal taste and I know that many, including many of my students, like the design. Anyway, after a brief episode with ballpoints I came back to fountain pens at university and never again bought a Lamy. I went through then modern Montblanc, Waterman, and Pelikan, much later discovered OMAS, still one of my favourites, before I discovered the fascinating world of vintage pens. I still have my three school pens in the drawer, a Pelikano, a Safari, and a Lamy I don't know what model it is, but I absolutely have no desire to write with them because I have at least a hundred better pens to choose from. "Better" refers to my very personal criteria only and cannot be generalized. Among my absolute favourites are very expensive pens like an OMAS Paragon Arco as well as dirt cheap vintage pens I bought off ebay for one buck. So, long story short, do as you please, there are no rules. Don't buy a pen you might not like yourself just because everybody and their dog is raving about it. And don't discard a pen you like because others belittle it. Just follow your own taste and feelings and you'll find out what you really want.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I gave away my Safari to hook someone into fountain pens, the CP1 too....both were nails, and I had enough nails. However, I do have a slew of old 400's.......no reason for that, in I have those semi-flex widths in other pens.

I have 3 Geha790's.....different nib widths. and the 790 only comes in gold and black.

 

The good thing about a Safari is the nibs are cheap and easy to replace.

Perhaps you like the triangle shaped grip. Check out a US made P-75....the French made ones don't have a triangle grip. Great balanced pen posted....and for silver light.

 

I have a Lamy Joy staring me in the eye....in my Pelikan pen stand. Well its a 1.5 I use when I practice.....too seldom....italic calligraphy. 1.5 is big enough I can see my errors easy.

No not going to give it away....with the long stem, has nice balance.

Edited July 29, 2019 by Bo Bo Olson

[carlos.q]

The Lamy Safari is a dependable workhorse pen. I have seen a lawyer, a doctor and an architect use them... the last one used the bright yellow model.

[ThomasB]

Sounds perfectly normal to me! I have a big collection of pens with many higher end pens and still love to take out one of my Safaris and ink it up!

Same here...In fact I have one in my carrying case now with the 1.1 nib for signing docs

[inkstainedruth]

I have pens that cost roughly $300 US apiece (a couple of Pelikan M405s). And I love them. But I like variety. Yesterday, I was using my Dark Lilac Safari and also the Ruthenium LX. Today? It's been a TWSBI and a Pilot Decimo and I'm about to pick up the inked up Sheaffer Snorkel.

I see no reason for loving expensive pens more or less than inexpensive ones. If they fit your hand, have a good nib, and are filled with ink that you like and which works well with them? Hey, whatever. Remember -- I'm the one that has something like a dozen or so Parker Vectors at this point.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

ETA: Ironically, the woman I was geeking about pens with yesterday, the calligrapher from Portland, does NOT like how Lamy nibs write....

Edited July 30, 2019 by inkstainedruth

[Honeybadgers]

I've got several thousand dollar pens but I still use a $12 chinese delike alpha with a $10 vintage gold nib every single day.

 

Pens are a lot like wine. What you like is how it feels, not what it costs. That said, there are a few inexpensive pens that I'd personally love to see made to a higher degree of precision (If kaweco made the brass sport with that extra centimeter in the barrel and rounded tail, I'd buy the kaweco for $60, and I'd love the Jinhao 992 if it cost five times as much but was made of plastic that didn't crack) but I've got 3 pens in my 7 pen case that cost less than $30 right now. And a TWSBI 580, a conklin empire, 3776, and lamy 2000. Price usually has no bearing to me beyond how worried I'd be about losing/replacing it. I don't clip my visconti divina metro to my shirt because I'd likely never be able to replace it.

 

I personally hate the lamy safari. I have two (petrol and the ultra rare pokemon pikachu edition) because I like the way they look, but I doubt I'll ever ink the pikachu one, and I used the petrol one once.

Edited July 30, 2019 by Honeybadgers

[Dont_Flexme]

While I enjoy my more expensive pens, my Lamy Safari seems to always have a cartridge in it (one of the only pens I regularly use a cartridge for). So I don't think it's strange at all.

[MissCellany]

Y'all,

 

Thank you so much for the brilliant insight and conversation! Really appreciate having the perspective of others weigh in on even a small facet of this lovely hobby we all share.

 

I'm probably going to grab a red Safari with a B nib. Most of my nibs run a bit on the finer side (just my normal preference), and I'd like something dedicated to showing off shimmering inks with. A big, red Safari with a big ol' nib would do that perfectly!

[Honeybadgers]

Lamy M-B-stub nibs are much better than their EF and F options.

 

If you want an EF or F, buy one of the knockoff lamy nibs on ebay that costs a dollar. I guarantee they're better quality than Lamy's in house EF/F nibs.

 

Also, if you want to keep that higher end vibe, you can buy a gold nib that fits the Z50 for about $80. So you can get a really nice 14k nib in EF. F, M, B, and OM for a safari if you really wanted.

[Intensity]

A fair amount of the time price of a fountain pen does not correlate to its performance on paper or in hand. I have very expensive and very cheap , and in between pens that I like equally in use. Wanting new pens is part of the hobbylots of temptations around with seeing all the great variety and becoming interested in other nibs or filling systems, or colors, or shapes... Currently I want a TWSBI Precision Gun Metal with 1.1mm nib. I certainly dont need one, but if I happen upon one at a good price, I might get it. Safari/Al-Stars: downsized my collection to 2 of those. But have thought once or twice about getting one of the new Pastel Safaris.

[Runnin_Ute]

Sn Al Star was my first pen back in 1998. I still have it in fact. Total pen count is around three dozen. From a Jinhao 599 Safari knockoff to a Pelikan M400 White Tortoise. In fact, I bought the latter last fall and it is my most expensive pen.

 

Then in March the Al Star Pacific came available at Goulet. Always appealed to me but for some reason it was I have to have it. So I bought it. It does get used slightly more than that original Al Star, but not a lot more. I keep three M200'S, the M400 and a 140 inked almost constantly. A Platinum 3776 Century Borgogne too. Right now both Parker 51's (demi Vac and a Special), 2 TWSBI 580 and Eco plus that Jinhao 599 I mentioned.....

[casualmerlinconstant]

Same as everyone else. Have many very expensive pens, I always seem to come back to my bright yellow safari.

 

I think a lot of it comes down to it writes decently well and is so rugged I can treat it like a bic. Useful for when I'm running to meetings and taking notes and I don't have to worry about/discracted with being careful with my pens.

 

Nib is so hard I never have to worry about misaligning them either.

[Mangrove Jack]

Nothing wrong at all. Strangely, I prefer the feel, balance, ergonomics and writing of my cheaper pens (Lamy Safari, Cross Solo, Pelikan M200) than my more expensive pens.

In fact what's always inked and ready for use are my cheaper pens.