Ready To Upgrade.

[justj]

I have been using a pilot metropolitan that has seen fair use. I'm going to be signing some important paperwork, and to treat myself, I am looking to upgrade my pen.

 

I have narrowed my field down to 3 pens and looking for suggestions from people that have used them (or just plain old 'other' suggestions)

In order of price

• Lamy Safari
• Platinum 3776
• Lamy 2000

 

My choice originally was the Lamy 2000 -- but I got to write with one and that 'sweet spot' was elusive to me (I suppose practice is all I need).

Next choice was the #3777, I haven't written with it, but it seems to have a good following.

The Lamy Safari also has a good following, and it has the bonus of swappable nibs, something the 1st two do not.

 

Thoughts/suggestions?

 

Thanks for your comments.

[ThomasB]

Hello and welcome from Baton Rouge, Louisiana...Enjoy your time here. Of the three listed I personall prefer the safari for as you described the nib choices and it is a light and well balanced pen

[jar]

Welcome home. Pull up a stump and set a spell.

 

Of the three you mentioned I prefer the Platinum #3776 family on looks, function and versatility.

[PAKMAN]

Hello and Welcome to FPN!! Glad to have you as a member!!

I have all three pens, can't go wrong with any of them. The Lamy's will have slightly wider nibs for the same size as the Platinum.

[carlos.q]

I've had all three pens and couldn't get used to the feedback from the 3776's nib. It felt like I was writing with a pencil. But it's a matter of taste.

[gcconspiracy]

I own a Safari in charcoal, and have used both the 2000 and the 3776... Personally, I dont feel that the price difference is worth it, and I really enjoy the humble Safari, so I just ordered a second one in petrol!

[Olya]

The Safari isn't really an upgrade though. They are in Germany sold and marketed towards school kids, and teachers use them too (likely because they are cheap and if a Safari gets lost it's no big deal). And the design is pretty love or hate, I don't find them very porfessional looking. A Lamy Studio would be a better choice, or a CP1 I think the model is... Uses the same swappable nibs as the Safari, but is professional looking and definitely an upgrade compared to the school pen that is a Safari.

The Safari and the Pelikano, along with the Kakuno and Sailor's Clear Candy line and the Plaisir by Platinum, are all in the same league.

The Prera is a better choice and the brown or slate grey finishes work well in an office setting.

 

Out of the pens you put forth, I like the 3776 Century the best and you can get a very big gold nib for comparatively little money, esp compared to the 2000, which has a small gold nib. The 2000 is a bit more subdued though and doesn't seek any attention.

 

Also one is a piston filler, the other cartridge, so what is more convenient for you?

 

The sweet spot of the 2000 is I think more noticeable in M and upwards, the tipping is still cut the same way as when the pen hit the market first: it is basically a stub, so that is what the sweet spot is all about. If you choose an F, that won't be a bother. If you don't rotate your pen too much and hold it properly, then the sweet spot won't be a bother in M and up either.

[justj]

Thanks for the kind words & suggestions. Definitely some food for thought. It seems there is more of a personal taste to the pens than I had thought; now I see why so many collect pens.

 

I like the more subdued/classic styles, not so much the demonstrators.

As I only have experience with cartridges & the cheap/simple Metropolitan converter, I don't have enough experience to know too much between the different fill systems -- although; the more robust, the better. Nor do I have much experience with other nib styles, so a stub nib would be a new experience.

I do tend to roll my pen back and forth a bit; which I've gotten much better about when using the metropolitan, so I think I could train myself to another type.

 

My writing style tends to be sort of a mix of print & cursive for my own musings., leaning towards cursive when writing for others.

 

Again, thank you.

[northstar]

Hello and welcome to FPN.

[Chrissy]

Hello and welcome to FPN.

[Henricum_Tropen]

Hello and welcome to FPN, from Cape Town, South Africa.

[adatse]

I've had a Lamy 2000, Lamy Safari, and Lamy Aion. I sold all of them: writing with the 2000 nib wasn't scratchy but was like dragging a bag full of laundry across a tiled floor; the Aion was too heavy for me and the nib/feed was dry; and the Safari nib was outright scratchy. Lamy just isn't for me. If you like smoother nibs, I recommend Pilot Custom 74. Sailor and Platinum are also great but have a bit more feedback than Pilot.

Edited August 6, 2018 by letterByOwl

[Wahl]

[mitto]

Greetings and welcome to FPN.

[justj]

Thanks for all the greets. (And suggestions) -- coincidentally, I ended up chatting with a bloke and he had a whole roll of pens with him and let me try a few.

 

He had a LOT of pens (I would guess on the order of 30-40); but based on my price range & newbie-ism, he suggested the Namiki Falcon, which I tried. He had both medium and bold. I really enjoyed the bold but found the lines from the medium varied while writing without much effort.

He also let me write with a pen that was wwwwaaaaay out of my price range. The luxury was lost on me, other than 'artistic' value of the pen itself, I couldn't see much difference in writing smoothness than less expensive pens.

 

It seems that pens are like art brushes, each has a place for a task, on a given medium, etc. And there is no such thing as the "overall perfect pen". I also learned a little more why people collect them -- they are in search of a better pen, or a pen better suited for a specific task (ie: writing, drawing, etc)

 

Anyway -- unless I can find a falcon in fine to try, I'll order the falcon medium. I was really impressed by how nicely it wrote.

 

I am surprised how few pens seem to have replacement nibs available, especially as a newbie who is more likely to damage the nib either from accident or misuse. but, at least it's not a $5,000 pen !!!!

 

I look forward to learning more, and I guess I've taken my first few steps towards an addiction.

[TurboPen]

Hello, and welcome to FPN, enjoy your stay!

 

I have a black Lamy Safari, which I’ve owned for the past two years; it has been a good inexpensive pen for me, with a very smooth medium nib. I can assure you, it won’t be a bad pen added to your collection.

 

And regarding the two pens you mention, Lamy 2000, and the Platinum 3776; I had read several reviews here on FPN, and elsewhere, and hopefully add them to my collection sometime in the future.

[ardene]

Hello and welcome to FPN. Enjoy the company and the tons of information available here!