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Very Heretical Question About Lamy Safari


OMASmaniac

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Best reason to have a Lamy. When your buddy grabs the pen off your desk and "borrows" it to write a quick note and holds the pen with the nib facing the wrong way, then just presses down harder because he thinks it's a ballpoint, you'll be happy he's using the safari and not the 2000 or another more expensive pen. Ask me how I know this. :rolleyes:

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Well, I bought one (a silver Al-Star) because there were so many positive comments on this site about them and I have to say something about it really left me cold. I lent it to Mrs. L and she felt the same. It's not a bad pen, I mean, it wrote well and was OK in the hand but to me, it just lacked a certain something that a fountain pen should have. It's lost in the house somewhere and I'm not actively looking for it.........

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What's the "right" way to hold a pen, if the triangular grip is wrong?

 

I suppose it could be right for some, but my fingers don't all reach the pen at exactly 120 degrees to each other. And even if someone's fingers do that, having the nib aligned exactly in the middle of two of them may not result in a level contact with the paper.

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  • 2 months later...

I like the Safari a lot, including of course the Al-Star and the Vista. As others mentioned here, they are very functional. Love the way they write, and never had a problem with one of them.

 

There was a time though when I didn't care for them. I had been using fountain pens for a while when I saw the first Safari at an online retailer. I didn't care at all for its look. The industrial feel to it wasn't very appealing. At the time I liked more feminine and delicate pens.

 

Then, sometime after that, and only after reading various good reviews and comments about these pens here at FPN, I decided to buy one. Just out of curiosity, and just because they were really cheap (18 US dollars). After using it for a short while I fell in love with it. The grip felt very comfortable and I enjoyed writing with it. The rest is history. Now I am the proud owner of a full collection of Safari and Al-Star pens in all the available colors, and some of the colors that have become rare, like the lime green.

 

This doesn't mean that the experience of others have to be the same. It is a question of taste, not only in the looks department but also in the way the pen writes, and in things such as the clip, and the grip (I love the Safari grip while I've seen others complain about it). All in all, the Safari is for me a very functional pen that does what I expect it to do, and I have learned to love its looks too. So for me it was not a case of love at first sight but the kind of love that develops out of having an excellent relationship. :)

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I like the grip and aesthetics, though those are personal. (Actually, I prefer the Lamy aesthetics over almost all other fountain pens, and in particular I find the Safari/Al-Star clip to be highly pleasing and useful.)

 

Otherwise, though, it's a combination of:

  • great warranty
  • $5 replacement nibs so I can try them all
  • cheap
  • ginormous ink cartidges, for them as who use them
  • available everywhere

 

I wouldn't wish them on everyone, but if the aesthetics suit there's very little else to complain about for a pen at this level.

 

PS: Also to file under "tastes vary", but I quite adore this colour: http://www.melpens.com/Product_Images/000002082.gif

Edited by amb
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...$5 replacement nibs so I can try them all

 

Where can you get a replacement nib for $5? I've only seen them (many different places) for $11.

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I won't go to great lengths comparing the Safari to other pens because I have only used 4 pens, but what drew me to the Safari was the fact that I could try it out, it came with a converter so I could use cartridges or bottle ink and it was reasonably priced. I was new to FPs so I didn't want to take a chance on the chinese pens and the Pelikano doesn't take bottled ink. I like the style and bright colour but I also understand that it maybe off putting. I guess you get it or you don't...

In Ottawa? Check out The Ottawa Pen Posse

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Somewhere here on FPN one of the members posted a pic of the original

Safari--it was Army Green and came in a cardboard box with the same color

stenciling the name(original with the box,it's also worth a few shekels too.) .

It's a utilitarian pen that writes whenever necessary. It's not a finesse pen;it

just lays down the ink as needed. Some like it;some hate it. It's an on-the-go

pen that works.

 

I also happen to like the fact that it comes in lime green............................:vbg:

 

 

John

Irony is not lost on INFJ's--in fact,they revel in it.

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...$5 replacement nibs so I can try them all

 

Where can you get a replacement nib for $5? I've only seen them (many different places) for $11.

 

I wrote a bit more originally but deleted it as I really didn't want to sound like an advertisement for TWD. Note that I am at least nothing more than a very satisfied customer. So:

 

The Writing Desk (aka thewritingdesk.co.uk) lists them for £4; when you subtract VAT (down to £3.40 each) and then convert to USD at today's rate it comes out to $5.44 each. (Which, granted, is more than $5, but hopefully at least usefully less than $11?) Their shipping charge outside of the UK is flat-rate £2.20 (or, at the moment, $3.52) for little stuff, or they'll ship them for free if you're buying a pen or ink.

 

The economics of international trade are odd; TWD sells some stuff at seemingly shocking low prices, and others at very high prices, but in any case their postage costs are a wonder.

Edited by amb
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I don't think they're special, and I don't love them. I do have several because they are consistent, dependable, good enough to be worth the money, but not expensive enough to create a tragedy if they are lost, broken, or otherwise put out of commission. The colors are fun too.

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I've tried a couple, but never owned one.

 

They are, for me, a utilitarian instrument for writing and nothing else. Kind of ugly, pretty rugged and do the job. If I wanted that, I could stick with a Bic.

 

I ask more of the pens I use every day - as I wade through the quotidien ordure and tedium of my job, the pen I use should offer a bright moment of sudden pleasure every time I look at it or put nib to paper. The Lamy doesn't do that for me. If I were to climb a mountain or jumping out of a plane and had to sign something with a FP when I got to the top (or bottom, as the case may be), the Lamy might be just the thing.

Bill Spohn

Vancouver BC

"Music is the wine that fills the cup of silence"

 

Robert Fripp

https://www.rhodoworld.com/fountain-pens.html

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Well, the Safari is quite a good starter pen. And everyone starts somewhere,

some (fortunately) higher up with perhaps a Visconti Homo Sapiens, and

what's left to the others? The Safari! Lovely pen, just needs small adjustments.

:cloud9:

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I have tried very hard to like the Safari. I have bought one twice over the years, only to sell it or give it away. I like the look of it OK, not to mention the many color options, but the grip just doesn't agree with me. I can understand why others like it, though.

Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.

 

Lisa in Raleigh, NC

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I must say, its easier for me to drop my orange lamy safari than.. say my waterman 52...

 

its easier to clip it to my pocket than my waterman 52...

 

its easier to carry around than any other pen(one other...)/(mostly)pencil I own.

 

the clip is amazing. every pen should have a clip as function-able. seriously.

 

I cant say it writes super good (using the ef, was using the 1.5), but whats the comparison or competition? its just a functional tool.. somewhat like when you score a brand-less screwdriver that works better than a Snap-on. I have one of those too.. I just use it every single time over snap-on.

 

or say driving a corolla over a Mercedes when you have both...

 

the corolla goes from point a to b just as well as the Mercedes, with less luxury... power... performance... but it works right? :)

 

sometimes the tools of the trade is very appreciated.

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I have a pink one in my collection but I haven't ever used it. I bought it because of the colour and the so-called limited edition.........

But I may give it to a beautiful girl as a nice birthday present some of these days to win affections :eureka:

Yet in th' gauze screens and on th' jade pillow I up stay

Feeling at mid-night th' chilly loneliness and pain

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I just bought another one... :puddle:

 

http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/1485/p1010649.jpg

 

Waiting for the arrival next month...

 

Have one green camo, white and now this one.

 

Wonder why there's no Lamy section in the forum :(

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In Mexico there are very few stores that carry fountain pens and Lamy is on every one at at a very accessible price compared with other brands. It also conveys the quality of Germany manufacturing, good styling and a wide availability of cartridges.

 

Regarding the pen itself, the Safari line is nice looking, comfortable to use and very reliable. I suppose that a Lamy Safari was the first fountain pen for the vast majority of fp users in Mexico.

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My experience with the Safari is that it is more of a practical choice:

 

- good quality for the money

- choice of nibs which I can change if I wish

- cartridge or converter

- slip on cap

- pocket clip shape accomodates thick material if needed

- durable

- mainstream manufacturer so parts/service are available

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