Lamy Al-Star vs Safari

[saarshai]

Does the Lamy Al-star have a different type nib? If so, is it better in quality or made of a different material?

In pictures, I've noticed that some models of Al-star have a black nib while others silver. Are they different besides the color?

 

What are the rest of the differences between Safari and Al-star (besides the aluminum casing)?

[Silvermink]

No, same nib, and the only difference between the silver and black nibs is the color. The AL-star's body is a little wider than the Safari's.

[skipwilliams]

They're the same pen except for the nib finish, smoke-translucent section, and the aluminum overlay.

 

The one practical differences are:

 

1) The Al-Star is much more fragile: the Al is easily dented or scratched

 

2) The clip is the same, but the larger Al-Star barrel means it has less capacity to grab thick fabrics.

 

Skip

[Michael S.]

I have two Al-Stars, that I quite enjoy. My wife has a Safari, and it is a bit smaller. Both of my Al-Stars (a gun-metal blue, and an ocean blue) in my "daily rotation"... I have been told that there is no difference in the nibs between the Safari, Al-Star or Studio. The Studio is the most expensive, but the difference is in the body of the pen not the nib.

 

Michael S.

[Silvermink]

I would say the Safari's probably a better bet overall as a workhorse pen (cheaper, too), though I do really love the color of the silverblue AL-star. I've got that and a silvergreen.

[HDoug]

Some AL-Stars come with the silver nib and some with the black. I forget which comes with which. I switched out all my black nibs with the silver ones, but I'm thinking I might switch some back to black. I'm a big fan of the AL-Stars and although some say they are easier to scratch and dent, reasonable treatment will prevent that. I have three (graphite, aluminum, and silverblue) and they are always in rotation.

 

One interesting thing if you have multiple AL-Stars with mulitple nibs/inks, is that the section is the same for all colors (clear plastic). That means you can swap the section/nib/cart or converter from one to another if you want a different look, but a particular nib or ink.

 

http://homepage.mac.com/hdougmatsuoka/images/pen/LamyASB/LamyASB2CappedC.JPG

 

Doug

[Yoda]

There is a lot of good advice given above.

 

The Safari is a tremendous value and very durable. The Al-Star does have more heft to it and also looks a little fancier. The Studio is definitely my favorite of the three. I have a Stainless Studio and it performs better than some of my more expensive pens.

 

Lastly, I find that my silver nibs are a bit smoother than the dark nibs. There is also an FPN member that offers nib customization at a very reasonable cost.

 

Enjoy. It is hard to stop at just 1 Lamy. :roflmho:

[Silvermink]

Hm, I haven't noticed any smoothness difference between the two nib colors. I prefer the look of the black, especially when dealing with inks which may cause nib creep.

[menick]

I think all has been said. Clip is same size but body bigger on al-star (so clip seems smaller).

 

Same nib (called Z50). For safari, some are black, some silver. Same for Al-Star

 

If you have gold nibs from accents or studio, they also fit.

 

I prefer the safari for the more resistant finish, and smaller barrel.

 

nick

[saarshai]

Cool, this have made things very clear.

So basically the nibs are the same, the only difference being the body itself, where each model has its own advantages. (correct me if I'm wrong.)

 

But Lamy Joy must have a different nib, right? Being a calligraphy pen. They are also measured differently (millimeters vs M/F/EF)

I now own two Lamys - a black Safari and a 1.1m Joy. I extremely enjoy the latter, more than any pen I've ever used. Only problem is that its very long.

I tried to switch between the body of the Safari and the Joy and it works (giving me a Joy nib and a Safari body).

Sadly, the Safari I have is black but textured (rough black?) and the joy is smooth, so the connection isn't "seamless" as I would have liked. Still, I can now carry the modified pen with small journals (Moleskine is almost exactly the same length as a Safari), which is cool. Pity the Joy doesn't come in colors.

[Venividivici]

I always figured the only difference was the casing. I had a black Safari, but I'd like to get an Al-Star.

[HDoug]

Cool, this have made things very clear.

But Lamy Joy must have a different nib, right? Being a calligraphy pen. They are also measured differently (millimeters vs M/F/EF)

 

Actually they use the same nib. You can swap the italic nibs (the ones in millimeters) with the ones marked M/F/EF. The nibs also swap with the Lamy Studio fountain pens, and I think a couple other of their fountain pens. The Lamy 2000 uses nibs that are exclusive to the 2000.

 

Doug

 

[skipwilliams]

You can swap the nibs all day long between a Safari, Al-Star, Joy, and Studio, even the gold ones. The Safari steel nibs come in EF, F, M, B, 1.1, 1.5, 1.9mm. All the stubs are silver, the others come in both silver and black anodized versions.

 

To swap the nibs, just pull them off the front of the feed and push a new one on. I use a thick rubber band to grab the nib, which seems to work very nicely and has little danger of damage. Others have used scotch tape.

 

I swap the nibs around all the time between my 2 dozen pens. Very easy.

 

Skip

 

 

But Lamy Joy must have a different nib, right? Being a calligraphy pen. They are also measured differently (millimeters vs M/F/EF)

I now own two Lamys - a black Safari and a 1.1m Joy. I extremely enjoy the latter, more than any pen I've ever used. Only problem is that its very long.

I tried to switch between the body of the Safari and the Joy and it works (giving me a Joy nib and a Safari body).

Sadly, the Safari I have is black but textured (rough black?) and the joy is smooth, so the connection isn't "seamless" as I would have liked. Still, I can now carry the modified pen with small journals (Moleskine is almost exactly the same length as a Safari), which is cool. Pity the Joy doesn't come in colors.

 

[Silvermink]

It took me about half an hour to get the nib off one of my AL-stars. I eventually resorted to heating it and I managed to both burn myself (note to self: when heated, metal stays hot for a while) and melt the feed slightly. The nib no longer sits on it quite as firmly as I'd like.

 

Still seems to write fine, though. I may have to look into picking up a new section for it one of these days.

[HesNot]

I just replace my lost graphite Safari with a silverblue Al-Star and I have to admit that at least initially I'm much more favorable to the Al-Star - it feels a bit lighter and yet still more substantial and refined (as it should be given the increased price point). It also writes a good deal better - I struggled a bit with my Safari to ever get it writing quite right ... changed nibs, flushed, etc... it was always a dry writer regardless of ink (although I never tried Tanzanite since I don't own it).

 

The point about writing, however, is not really a fair comparison as I suspect that it just a pen variation rather than a model variation between the Al-Star and the Safari. What it does show me is that these can be great writers but there does appear to be some variation in production (which is, again, somewhat normal, I've just been lucky up until the Safari!)

[Silvermink]

It also writes a good deal better - I struggled a bit with my Safari to ever get it writing quite right ... changed nibs, flushed, etc... it was always a dry writer regardless of ink (although I never tried Tanzanite since I don't own it).

 

I think I need to get some new Tanzanite - the Tanzanite carts I have have been really terrible (poor flow) in the couple of pens I've tried them in, and since everyone recommends it as a high-flow ink I'm starting to suspect I got a bad batch.

Edited January 8, 2009 by Silvermink

[I am not a number]

I've just dug this information out from something I posted about a year ago, it may be of some use to the OP...

 

Weights and measures...(and photos)

 

For what it's worth I find the chrome grip on the studio too slippy and prefer the matte grip section as shown in the pictures below. You are probably aware that the nibs on the Safari, Al-Star and the Studio are all interchangeable and available in a very comprehensive selection of widths and styles. The Palladium is very similar to the standard Silver Studio but has a gold nib. If you want, I will also post details of that pen...

 

Lamy Safari

Length Capped = 13.9 cm

Length Uncapped = 12.9 cm

Length Posted = 16.6 cm

Weight Capped = 17.5 g

Weight Uncapped = 10.2 g

Mid-section diameter = 11.6 mm

 

Lamy Al-Star

Length Capped = 13.9 cm

Length Uncapped = 13.0 cm

Length Posted = 16.9 cm

Weight Capped = 22.3 g

Weight Uncapped = 12.8 g

Mid-section diameter = 11.2 mm

 

Lamy Studio

Length Capped = 14.0 cm

Length Uncapped = 13.0 cm

Length Posted = 16.0 cm

Weight Capped = 27.3 g

Weight Uncapped = 17.8 g

Mid-section diameter = 11.0 mm

 

Lamy 2000

Length Capped = 13.7 cm

Length Uncapped = 12.4 cm

Length Posted = 15.0 cm

Weight Capped = 22.3 g

Weight Uncapped = 13.4 g

Mid-section diameter = 10.4 mm

 

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o254/photoboris/LamyLine-uppostedFPN.jpg

 

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o254/photoboris/LamyLine-upcappedFPN.jpg

 

Yes, I know, I need to get out more...

[Silvermink]

I need to buy two Studios so I can have a pearl white LE with a matte section.

[thomasrhee]

Both the Al-Star and Safari are pretty much identical pens aside from the materials it's made of and a very slight difference in size and weight. The nibs are identical and whether it's black or steel, it is just a color difference. Of the two, I prefer the Safari. Because it's made of ABS plastic, IMO, it's more durable than the aluminum of the Al-Star. It's also cheaper by about $5-10. It's cheap enough to buy 3 or 4 of them, in different nib sizes even, and keep them inked up with different inks.

 

Also, there is the Lamy Vista which is just a demonstrator version of the Safari.

[irondome]

I have both and I prefer the Al Star over the safari because the aluminium just feels more premium.