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What Makes The Lamy Safari So Popular?


The Blue Knight

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An Al Star was my first fp over a decade ago. A few years ago I had to replace the section/nib unit - as easy as unscrewing the barrel. (it broke on the threads in my bag) I have both fine and 1.1 mm nibs for it. I liked the fact it was aluminum - has taken on a very nice patina....

Brad

"Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind" - Rudyard Kipling
"None of us can have as many virtues as the fountain-pen, or half its cussedness; but we can try." - Mark Twain

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I'm not too keen on the safari's grip however when I saw the neon yellow/green 2013 version i had to buy it! As for me it is the most appalling color there has been in recent years and obviously i could be waiting up to 5 years+ till another color I liked came along.

Well, I certainly agree that the 2013 neon yellow is appalling... :P

(Bitter because i was hoping for purple)

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To sum up the other posts,

 

1) Durable

2) Distinctive appearance

3) Many available colors

4) Swappable nibs

I would also add

5) Good marketing - Lamy is available virtually anywhere you can find fountain pens

 

There are, however, good alternatives in the Safari price range, e.g the Faber Castell Basic.

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I only have one...olirs are nice, durable...but my 1.1 nib is scratchy. I need to try the Brown paper bag trick, if that doesn't work I may try smoothing it... My experience seems to be the minority with respect to the nibs however...

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Price, utility, durability and the snappy design ...a world winner. In Australia the pen sells at approx $A50.00 without a CC. In California they can be purchased with the lower $US for around $US25. A lot more would be sold in Australia if our merchants believed in fair trading, and that goes for most good imported into our country. They are a very good student pen and very popular with professionals.

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I brought one a week ago, nice pen but it's not that much better than other pens in the same price range e.g. parker frontier and platignum studio.

 

I barely remember the Parker Frontier. Are those still in production? What is a Platignum Studio?

 

The Lamy Safari is one of the least expensive pens that comes with a box, instructions and warranty and is from a major "name brand" pen maker. It's widely available worldwide, and replacement nibs are also widely available, inexpensive and easy-to-swap.

 

That's it. That's the whole secret of its success. It's not a brilliant, amazing pen. It's really just inexpensive, serviceable, and has been available widely enough and long enough for everyone to be familiar with it.

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The Safari is very well positioned for the novice and student markets. Lamy has arranged display space in all the right retail locations. They have a distinctive shape--which turns out not to be a very good shape for a fountain pen, but novices wouldn't know that yet. They have bright colors that would appeal to young customers, and they offer the colors in a series, which activates the hunter-gatherer instincts in many people.

Lamy spends their money on appearance and distribution--things that would impact first-time buyers--rather than on quality, which most novice users would overlook.Then they price the pens so that sitting next to Pelikans and MBs they would look entry-level, despite being quite over-priced in today's global market. And they emphasized durability--another plus for entry-level users who are going to treat the pen as if it were a disposable ballpoint.

I loathe the pens--the sample I have refutes most of the kind things people have said about them--but I admire Lamy's understanding of their market.

ron

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A few things make it popular. It's easy to get (can get it almo

st anywhere), cheap, choice of colours, very durable, nice nibs that are easily replaceable, come with a great warranty backed by a fantatsic company.

 

Also perfect for people just starting with FP due to it's grip (which means the nib always faces the correct direction).

What you said. For me, it's the colors, especially the LE colors, and the wide range of easily-changed nibbage. :)

My latest ebook.   And not just for Halloween!
 

My other pen is a Montblanc.

 

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I barely remember the Parker Frontier. Are those still in production? What is a Platignum Studio?

 

The Lamy Safari is one of the least expensive pens that comes with a box, instructions and warranty and is from a major "name brand" pen maker. It's widely available worldwide, and replacement nibs are also widely available, inexpensive and easy-to-swap.

 

That's it. That's the whole secret of its success. It's not a brilliant, amazing pen. It's really just inexpensive, serviceable, and has been available widely enough and long enough for everyone to be familiar with it.

 

Platignum Studio is an entry-level pen produced by Platignum (not to be confused with Platinum). It is made in England. I don't see a variety of nib sizes off the bat (they only offer medium on jetpens).

Tes rires retroussés comme à son bord la rose,


Effacent mon dépit de ta métamorphose;


Tu t'éveilles, alors le rêve est oublié.



-Jean Cocteau, from Plaint-Chant, 1923

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When the old Shaeffer cartridge pens were getting hard to find before they were completely discontinued, the Safari was about the only affordable everyday pen that was generally available in the US. And I found them more satisfactory than Osmiroids which were available at art supply stores.

 

As well as I remember, the other competitors mentioned above were not available in the US at the time I needed a new brand of everyday pen.

 

That's how I started using them and I'm sure other people had the same experience.

 

Once you get to relying on a particular model, you tend to stick with it - or at least I do.

 

As others have mentioned, it survives bouncing around in the bottom of my business bag for decades and still writes well - (by my preferred taste, I realize others might have a different definition of writes well) and still looks reasonably good, a few light scratches, no cracks.

 

After I discovered its durability compared to later and more expensive acquisitions, I started buying more in other colors because I need multiple colors of ink and don't want to travel with something I'm afraid to lose. Regular color Safaris are easily replaceable if necessary.

 

Then the limited editions came along - I don't travel with them - not replaceable easily, only with the regular colors.

 

But I like the LE gray, pink, and turquoise. I bought the Neon, but am still unsure about it. I skipped the greens because it is my least favorite color and I rarely buy anything green.

 

That combination of factors is enough to keep it a steady seller, at least in the US.

 

I do have pens of a lot of other brands and enjoy writing with most of them, but the Safaris have their niche in my life because they meet certain practical needs.

 

People from other countries have posted reasons why it sells well in their country and worldwide.

Edited by queenofpens
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it has an appeal to children and is has personality. I have a Lamy CP 1 black in my computer bag and it never refuses to work and never leaks.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
www.bermond.be

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My charcoal EF is one of my favourite pens. Can't understand why they only make one model in textured plastic.

 

I second that! I have switched to the Lamy Nexx as I find the soft grip more comfortable for long writing sessions. I do a lot of writing outdoors and don't have to be extra careful with the Nexx.

I flush/clean all my cartridges and refill them with the bottled inks, but count on the Lamy b/b carts the most.

I believe the best thing about the majority of the Lamy line is the inexpensive nibs and such a wide variety of them. I am a Lamy Studio fanatic and the nibs work on them too. I bought several new broad nibs from a seller that also grinds nibs and have a wide variety of sizes in italic.

I find it hard to understand how anyone had a problem with the nibs, scratchy and such. I have at least 30 of them and all write great. I will say that I did try the black ones and found that they are not as smooth.

Ken McDaniel

<")}}}>><(

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It's like the really cheap mug you just keep using because it's big and won't break, even if you drop it.

That's a great way to describe it! Me, I have something of a love-hate relationship with the things. I inherited two, found one, and bought another, and I like how they write and the big silly clip that will hang on for dear life on everything from notebooks to shirt necklines, or heck even hair (try it as a barrette!). But there's something so grimly puritanical about the all-function-screw-form design that it makes my esthete, Romantic soul cringe sometimes.

 

So the cheap mug analogy is absolutely dead-on :)

I'm not affiliated with ANY of the brands/retailers/shops/ebay sellers/whatever I mention or recommend. If that ever changes, I will let you know :)

 

Looking for a cheap Pilot VP/Capless - willing to put up with lots of cosmetic damage.

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I brought one a week ago, nice pen but it's not that much better than other pens in the same price range e.g. parker frontier and platignum studio.

 

True enough, but Parker no longer sells the Frontier. The Parker 45 was better than the Safari, and was in production from 1960 until about 2007. For about $20, get a P45 from EBay. Every part can be swapped out, so get two.

 

(I had the Platignum Studio once...the grip is better than the Safari's finger-twister, but the Safari has a better nib)

Washington Nationals 2019: the fight for .500; "stay in the fight"; WON the fight

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The Lamy Safari is great for drawing & sketching. I throw my LS, sketchbook, a few watercolor pencils and a waterbrush in my bag and I'm ready to go. I use the Safari with extra-fine nib for drawing. Here are some pages from my sketchbook, all done with the LS pen.

 

Drawings

 

 

Alice

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The Lamy Safari is great for drawing & sketching. I throw my LS, sketchbook, a few watercolor pencils and a waterbrush in my bag and I'm ready to go. I use the Safari with extra-fine nib for drawing. Here are some pages from my sketchbook, all done with the LS pen.

 

Drawings

 

 

Alice

 

Wow nice drwaings!

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I dunno. The Lamy Safari is not speaking to me. It might be the paper clip disguised as a pen clip. It might be the overall look and design of the pen that reminds me of some pen I bought in a drug store or supermarket. But whatever it is, it ain't speaking to me.

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  • 3 years later...

I don't know why they're so popular. I tried to like them but I couldn't. Clunky, scratchy, ugly, dry. Same thing with two Safaris, one Joy, and 3 nibs, in all combinations. Recently sold it all in a lot.

 

Herb

 

+10

 

I had one Safari in yellow that i ended up selling. Iconic design it may be but it is just too flashy and an immature design IMHO. The nib was so-so, the cap was loose and wouldn't stay securely capped. It body scratched easily and because it is made of plastic, it can crack easily. To me the durability is questionable. I believe the main reasons for it's popularity is the marketing, easy availability, reasonable value for most people ($30 is still double that of a Pilot MR, which is an excellent pen) and the nostalgia attached to it as many have used the Safari when they were in school.

 

I can see how it will appeal to a younger audience but that's about it. I personally would not recommend the Safari to an adult. If they want to just test a fountain pen, a preppy is cheaper than anything out there. If they want to buy a starter pen, it could be the Pilot MR or Nemosine and then gradually move up to some Levenger True Writers, Pelikan etc. Just my point of view.

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I've never seen a cracked Safari except my own. And it's not broken. Just two cracks at the cap after more than 30 years of use... that's okish.

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What makes a Safari so popular?

 

The Safari, in my opinion is one of the best values in Fountain Pens....

Good choices in nibs, nibs are inexpensive to purchase, and are easily swapped and interchangeable with most other Lamy Fountain Pens...several cartridge color choices, and converters for the ink color of your choice.

I have lots of Fountain pens, and I always have one in my rotation....including the first one that I purchased...a long time ago.

Bill P.

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