Lamy Safari: Bargain Brilliance Or Ugly Utility

[heymatthew]

Sure they are not for everybody, but what is?

 

Excellent point!

[JonSzanto]

I consider the Sheaffer No-Nonsense a school pen. That's where I always saw them.

 

ETA: OTOH, they weren't directly marketed as such, to my knowledge, the was (apparently) the Lamy Safari line is. They were just very inexpensive pens that worked well, and therefore suited school budgets. I'm sure I got my first in 1970 or 71.

Edited February 2, 2013 by JonSzanto

[HDoug]

Safaris are described on Lamy's German website as "JUNGES SCHREIBEN" meaning kids pen if I'm not mistaken. On the US website they're just under Fountain Pens. Anyway, I'm a big fan. I may get myself into trouble, but my way of looking at it is that it really doesn't take all that much in terms of design or production to make a good fountain pen. The Safari and aluminum AL-Star are as good a writing instrument as there is without regard to price.

 

Or whatever. I like them. When I started writing with fountain pens, one of my first ones was a Vista:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8510/8439308082_9808b3fdbf_z.jpg

 

Then I got a bunch of AL-Stars:

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5064/5748999315_dfb739db4f_z.jpg

 

I haven't been buying pens these last couple of years, but when I saw a charcoal Safari for $22 including shipping, I had to get one (and ground the nib to a stub myself):

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8224/8439332836_e63dba780f_z.jpg

This one has been keeping very faithful jeans pocket duty for the past several months. The non-shiny surface is very serious and "adult" and it doesn't scuff easily.

 

So yes, I'm a big fan.

 

Doug

[Craig Forsyth]

Safaris are described on Lamy's German website as "JUNGES SCHREIBEN" meaning kids pen if I'm not mistaken. On the US website they're just under Fountain Pens. Anyway, I'm a big fan. I may get myself into trouble, but my way of looking at it is that it really doesn't take all that much in terms of design or production to make a good fountain pen. The Safari and aluminum AL-Star are as good a writing instrument as there is without regard to price.

 

Or whatever. I like them. When I started writing with fountain pens, one of my first ones was a Vista:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8510/8439308082_9808b3fdbf_z.jpg

 

Then I got a bunch of AL-Stars:

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5064/5748999315_dfb739db4f_z.jpg

 

I haven't been buying pens these last couple of years, but when I saw a charcoal Safari for $22 including shipping, I had to get one (and ground the nib to a stub myself):

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8224/8439332836_e63dba780f_z.jpg

This one has been keeping very faithful jeans pocket duty for the past several months. The non-shiny surface is very serious and "adult" and it doesn't scuff easily.

 

So yes, I'm a big fan.

 

Doug

 

I've watched with genuine interest as this dicussion has unfolded and there are clearly some rather strong feelings at both ends of the spectrum. I've held my peace until this point as I hadn't seen a post which sufficiently swayed me in one direction or the other...until now. Many thanks, Doug, for shoving me off the fence. I've just placed an order for a Vista with a coverter, which I think looks rather attractive in the above photo.

 

Thank you all so much for your opinions, they have all played a part in my decision, long may the debate continue.

[brunico]

The Safari's not that cheap

 

Depends on the market. I'm guessing you're in the US, where the Safari is about half the price of a Prera. In the UK, it's about a quarter, though our Pilots are more expensive here, and there's only a few pounds' difference between it and some of the other pens suggested. At this price - about what we in the UK pay for two bottles of Diamine - it doesn't need to be the best to be great value.

 

I've just placed an order for a Vista with a coverter

 

Enjoy!

[inkstainedruth]

Safaris certainly have their fans, that's for sure. Every time someone says, "hey, I'm looking for a starter pen" there will be several (often quite a few) responders saying "Get a Safari!"

There is a part of me that admires the the rather sleek look of Safaris -- except for that clip, which looks pretty cheesy, IMO. If I wanted a clip that looked like a big honking paper clip, I'd figure out some way to attach a big honking paper clip to a pen.

That being said, however, I got to try one at a pen club meeting and absolutely loathed the feel of the triangular section. It just didn't feel comfortable to hold, and I doubt that I would change my opinion were I to use one regularly. And frankly, if they really are -- as someone else said -- school pens, well, they're pretty expensive ones, all things considered.

I dunno, maybe they're cheaper to get in Europe (comparatively speaking) than here in the States?

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[pantoupantou]

Thanks guys, this has been really helpful -- I'm looking for an everyday notetaking pen (yay uni!) and I think I might go with a Safari because it also doesn't look too pretentious.

 

This is kinda a stupid question, but what color ink does the pen come with? Because I'm on Amazon, and it says that the green pen has green ink; the black, black; however, it also says that the white pen comes with white ink... which seems a little, uh, weird.

[brunico]

what color ink does the pen come with?

 

 

Usually just one blue cartridge. Lamy makes only the usual run of ink colours, and white definitely isn't one of them.

 

You will need Lamy's own cartridges - other brands won't fit, though I think Monteverde makes some cartridges for Lamy - or the Lamy Z24 converter for your choice of several hundred different bottled inks... You can sometimes buy the pen with the converter at a slight discount.

[Gris Nuage]

Thanks guys, this has been really helpful -- I'm looking for an everyday notetaking pen (yay uni!) and I think I might go with a Safari because it also doesn't look too pretentious.

 

This is kinda a stupid question, but what color ink does the pen come with? Because I'm on Amazon, and it says that the green pen has green ink; the black, black; however, it also says that the white pen comes with white ink... which seems a little, uh, weird.

 

If you do use the converter, and it'll open up a whole world of ink for you, remember to flush out the pen first as Lamy test their nibs with blue ink.

Edited February 3, 2013 by Gris Nuage

[pantoupantou]

Thank you for your help, brunico and gris nuage!

 

I think I'm going with either a Safari or a Vista (they're pretty much the same thing, right?) from isellpens because it says that it comes with a converter... yay fun colors!

 

For nibs, I usually like pens that produce fine lines, so do you think the extra fine will be okay? I've read a few reviews and what some of them say is that the extra fine tends to write a little bit more like a fine. How comparable are these all to say, a 0.5 mechanical pencil?

[Gris Nuage]

Pantoupantou

 

One of the great things about the Safari/Vista is the easy to change, and easy to find, nib. So if you don't like one, you can move to another without breaking the bank, or the pen. I can't comment on EF nibs as I haven't used one in a long time, but I've found their broad and italic nibs are ideal for writing everyday. HDoug's pictures more than prove it.

Edited February 3, 2013 by Gris Nuage

[goodpens]

I have two and will likely buy a 3rd soon. I wish I had gone straight to the Safari, instead of wasting money on other similarly-priced but inferior pens. In fact, I helped convince someone to buy her first one at an art supply store today.

 

Get one. You'll enjoy it.

[heymatthew]

Thank you for your help, brunico and gris nuage!

 

I think I'm going with either a Safari or a Vista (they're pretty much the same thing, right?) from isellpens because it says that it comes with a converter... yay fun colors!

 

For nibs, I usually like pens that produce fine lines, so do you think the extra fine will be okay? I've read a few reviews and what some of them say is that the extra fine tends to write a little bit more like a fine. How comparable are these all to say, a 0.5 mechanical pencil?

 

Not sure if this will help you or not, but here's a few line width examples for you to look at. A couple of pens and a couple of pencils. I don't have a 0.5 here at the moment, but if you need to see a 0.5 compared to the Lamy EF, I can do that at some point over the next few days.

 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8048/8439062599_e1bd4cf31e_h.jpg

 

Hope this is helpful. The pencil kind of washed out, but I think you still get the idea.

[JVera]

Anyone had their safari with loose caps? Had 2 safaris lost their snap in about a year. My alstar has had no problems (except scratching that is fairly common).

[jacksterp]

Thank you for your help, brunico and gris nuage!

 

I think I'm going with either a Safari or a Vista (they're pretty much the same thing, right?) from isellpens because it says that it comes with a converter... yay fun colors!

 

For nibs, I usually like pens that produce fine lines, so do you think the extra fine will be okay? I've read a few reviews and what some of them say is that the extra fine tends to write a little bit more like a fine. How comparable are these all to say, a 0.5 mechanical pencil?

 

If you like fine, definitely go with the EXTRA-fine nib. Lamy nibs write about one size wider than you would expect. So a fine writes more like a medium.

[chiaroscuro]

I understand the appeal but I wouldn't use one; I generally like modern, utilitarian designs, but the Safari is too toy-like for me (it makes me think of legos and jungle gyms, which were awesome as a kid). Besides that --again, for me-- it's way too big and I can't get used to triangular barrels or grip sections (anything that forces a specific grip).

[Safari_Camo]

Craig Forsyth , what colour did you use in the Lamy Vista?, Like that hue.

[vibin247]

I've only used a Safari for a couple of weeks, and I must say, it's a great pen for the price. The design isn't for everybody, but when it comes to a focus on utility and durability, Lamy has got it down. I vote for Bargain Brilliance

[EKE]

I'm a fan of the design. I think it's kind of brilliant in its simple utilitarian shape. It's quite a nice convergence of form and function - very Bauhaus indeed. Nothing missing, nothng superfluous. Kind of perfect if you ask me.

 

I personally love the grip section. It suits my schoolboy tripod grip perfectly.

 

I gotta get me one of those charcoal babies.

[fourseamer]

I think a little of both, and in so doing, the Safari's design satisfies its objectives. It's a good school pen that's durable, writes well, adaptable, and relatively inexpensive. Furthermore, it's not a blingy desk or pocket ornament. The satisfaction from a Safari is in its use. No, I'm not a big fan of the tripod grip either, but again, it's there to reinforce good habits.