I'm also new to FPs in general, which might explain this question. I just purchased a Lamy Safari after reading a lot of good comments about its general reliability, etc. I haven't written much with it - but I've tested it on a few different papers. I'm left-handed, a slight over-writer, and I'm finding that I really don't like this pen. But before I offer it up for trade, I thought I'd ask people if I need to give it more time to "adapt" to me. It feels rough, skips a lot (when I'm in the "push" part of any stroke), and to get a fairly consistent line, I have to turn the pen so the nib is at about a 45 degree angle - which puts the barrel ridges in an odd place. I'm a complete newbie when it comes to breaking in a pen. Will it write better for me with time, or is this just not a match made in heaven?
MM

I'm not sure if I can offer any advice as I am not a leftie so I'm not sure how that writing style affects performance of the pen. That having been said I recently caught the Safari bug too. I noticed that one of the nibs (I have two) was a little out of line (tines not even). A little pressure with the fingernail fixed that. I also noticed that the pen was pretty dry writing, particularly on quick down strokes. I pushed up on the tines a bit, away from the feed, to see if it would help increase the flow. One needs to be extra super careful when doing this so one doesn't go too far. I can't tell by looking that the gap increased but the flow is better and the pen writes smoother. Mine is an XF. I think flow helped with any scratchiness (plus making sure the tines were in order). Maybe a leftie will jump in with some better advice.

You should give the LH nib a try. The point has a shallower tip than a standard point which should help left-handers on the push strokes. Nibs are very cheap to buy (less than the price of most inks) so it's a good idea to give one a try.

HTH,

Martin

If you have to rotate the pen to make it write acceptably, the tines are probably misaligned.

Regards
Hans-Peter

As a leftie, I can say that I do tend to notice the way other left-haders write. Those who are over-writers have many more problems than the underwriters because on a push stroke the nib wants to plough into the paper; only big broad nibs resist the tendency and fine nibs with acute edges are worst, trying to harpoon the page.

I taught myself to write with the paper rotated anything from 45 to 90 degrees clockwise and simply write downhill - left to right and top to bottom. The big advantage is that all (or almost all) penstrokes are now pulls and not pushes so the nib never tries to dig in point first.

It is not that difficult to do and avoids smudges too; might be worth a go.

(Of course, it may be that you do have a faulty pen as well.)

Chris

I am not a lefty. I do have sympathy for y'all, though. I have a service connected disability in my good right hand, and I have some appreciation of what it is like to find pens that accommodate one's writing style. I would suggest that if there is a left-handed nib available, to try it. Note how it differs from the standard nib that came with your pen, then look for those characteristics in future pen purchases. You might also require some nib customizations as you acquire more pens.

This is all very helpful! After a couple of you suggested tine misalignment I looked at the nib under my "bug lens." It's not obvious to me, but it may be to someone with a more sensitive eye. So maybe I'll try a different (wider) nib, first, before declaring irreconcilable differences. "Harpooning" the page (I've called it "etching!") is exactly what I do with a fine nib if I don't write with a super-light touch.

I've thought about teaching myself to write at a different angle, and am so impressed with those of you who manage this: perhaps I'll add that to my "exercise" regime!

Thanks, all -
MM

If you don't have a similar problem with other fountain pens, there's likely something wrong with the nib - see if you can return it for a replacement. As for the barrel ridges, they're in quite the wrong place for me - I have to work my way around them and tend to end up holding the pen on the tops of the ridges rather than in them (I'm a left-handed under-writer).

Simon

I'm a left over-writer and the Safari ridges are definitely uncomfortable for the way I hold a fountain pen.

I can't quite tell from the post but are you letting the ridges of the barrel dictate how you hold the pen?

No - they just end up in an awkward location when I turn the pen in order to get the nib at an angle that writes better for me. (Wait, maybe that answer is 'yes,' then - in that I don't like having the ridges poking into my fingers?)

The Safari has been educational in this regard: I won't buy more pens with ridges!