Lamy Safari: A Naive Perspective

[nchauhan890]

I cannot claim to be a fountain pen expert in any way whatsoever, however the perspective through which I see things is one of fairness (I hope!). I've had this LAMY Safari (Charcoal colour, fine/extra fine nib - I'll explain shortly) for about 6 months now and use it daily at school. It's inked up with Diamine Onyx Black: the only bottle of ink I currently own. This review should, hopefully, provide my personal opinion about the pen as well as an 'umbrella' overview of it. Let's dive in...

 

 

First Impressions

 

 

When I opened the grey box in which it arrived to me, I was, to be perfectly honest with you, a tad underwhelmed. The pen's body didn't seem dark enough against what I was hoping for. However, over time I've got used to it and now I love it - especially the non-glossy finish which I shall talk more about later. Aside from that, I was generally happy with the purchase at this point. The pen came with a small cardboard ring around the thread and a default LAMY Blue cartridge inside - the ring stops the cartridge from puncturing. I decided not to ruin what seems like a fairly well-manufactured cartridge, so I've kept it all this time unused.

 

 

Aesthetics

 

 

I really like the look of the pen. It's made of rugged ABS plastic which has survived a few drops and bangs in my day-to-day battering of it and the matte black, or 'charcoal', finish makes it highly elegant and safe against sweaty fingerprints. The clip I do not use, for I keep this pen with all my other pens, but it is super sturdy and springy enough that it will leave a small dent in your paper if for whatever reason you decide to use it as a paperclip. Despite many people disliking it, I find that it gives the pen its unique character and it's not oversized at all in my opinion. A minor problem I've noticed is that small particles can gather where the end of the clip curves into the pen's cap. Now, the barrel of the pen contains an ink window and an engraving of 'LAMY' on it. Out of my own compulsion, I always have the side of the barrel with the engraving pointing upwards when writing, but that's just me. The ink window I must say could be a useful feature, but the ink I use takes 30 seconds for it to completely clear off the side of the converter inside so I really don't use it all that much since it appears black 98% of the time.

 

Weight + Dimentions

 

I'm not really interested in what the pen weighs; the information is widely available. However, what I think is important is how it feels to me personally, since I'm the one using it. Regarding this, the pen is a 'good' weight: it isn't too light that I have no control over it and it isn't too heavy that my hand becomes fatigued after using it. I prefer to write with the pen posted on the top. Some people seem to say that the pen is rather top heavy, but I must disagree since I find that the pen is perfectly balanced when posted and a tad too light for me unposted. As for the size of the pen, it's fairly large but not too wide as to make it feel like writing with a wax crayon.

 

 

Writing experience

 

 

The grip section features 2 nice indents to it which are designed to correctly position your hand when writing in a 'tripod' grip fashion. When I first purchased the pen, I'd been used to a different grip which caused some hand cramps after long periods of writing - even with any pen. It was a bad habit. After having trained myself to write properly with my brilliant LAMY, I can now proclaim my handwriting position is correct and cramp-free. Although my handwriting's style has changed, I have the freedom of using both grips now for different pens.

 

 

The nib which came with the pen was a fine. It wrote fairly well, though the line produced was rather thick. The ink flowed well and there were rarely any problems in terms of skips or (extremely) hard starts. On the other hand, I noticed a tiny bit scratchiness on the paper I used at school, but that didn't bother me too much. Having said that, I acquired an extra fine nib a few weeks ago and expected it to be even scratchier, but to my complete surprise, it was smoother as well as thinner. This is now my daily used nib and for some reason it seems to want to write a tad wetter sometimes. As with LAMY nibs, they are made of steel and offer no flexibility. I don't have any intention of trying to flex a nib like this in fear of splitting it and I don't advise anyone else to either. I love the black-coloured nibs on the Safaris - they make the pen consistent in colour and with black ink it's almost silly to make an intimation of using any other colour! On the picture, there are a few spots of ink here and there: I can't be sure if this is from my wreckless usage of the pen or not, but I can say that it doesn't get much worse than a few blobs around the tines with daily use.

 

Refilling

 

The Safari can be used with proprietary LAMY cartridges which upon first look seem like they hold lots of ink or with a LAMY converter. I use the converter with a bottle of Diamine Onyx Black which provides a cool combination. When using a converter, there are multiple ways of filling it: either by submerging the nib in ink and sucking it up; by removing the converter and putting it into the ink; or by removing the converter and syringe filling it. 2 of the methods require you to twist the top of the converter, which is a little stiff but not impossible.

 

 

I use a pipette to refill the converter directly. With a crude piece of engineering, I came up with this small contraption to get the end of the pipete to fit into the converter's opening. It comprises of a hollow pin used in a football pump hot glued onto the pipette. It works really well and I don't experience any mess when refilling at all - I just need to wash out the pipette and wipe the top of the converter a little. In terms of ink capacity, my converter lasts me 2 to 3 days, so I refill 3 times a week every 2 days on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. After 2 days usage, I usually have a quarter to 1 sixth of the ink remaining which isn't sufficient for another day. Note that this is with a (extra) fine nib, so broader nibs may use twice as much ink.

 

Cost

 

I got hold of my Safari for about £17 (slightly more in US dollars) and a converter separately for £4.50. At first I thought the converter was a little overpriced, but considering that it a tremendous part of the pen, its being a quarter of the pen's price isn't so much to lose sleep over especially since it'll last forever (so will the pen!). As a novice in fountain pens, this is great value for a starter pen that's suitable for beginners like me and experts alike. So, you could pick one up to try it out, decide you don't like it and pass it on to an aficionado and please them with a wonderful gift.

 

Conclusion

 

To conclude, I shall quickly summarise each section of this review. So, with a solid, ergonomic body, this pen is a great pleasure to write with, performing well on lower quality paper (obviously ink-dependent). It's so easy to refill in bunch of different ways and all of this comes at an excellent price point. I certainly recommend it to anyone who doesn't own one yet - regardless of whether you have a collection already or are just getting starting.

 

 

Cheers for reading, feedback appreciated also as well as any questions

[pajaro]

I have an identical Lamy Safari Charcoal with EF nib. I agree with the review, except that I fill the pen with the converter, putting the nib in the ink, because I feel it is better to move ink through the nib and feed when filling. Keeps dried ink moving down the road a piece. When not filling with the nib and feed in the ink with a C/C pen, I frequently use a rubber ear syringe to flush the pen.

 

This is a great pen, with a modern style. Interesting review, a pleasure to read.

[them700project]

I started out with a bunch of these and have not used them in a couple years. Just yesterday I filled one for my brother to see if he would like writing with a fountain pen and he didn't. So it came back to me and I had forgotten how well they write for what they are. Great pens. Having 30 or so i can say a 2 wrote poorly to start but as i had spare nibs I just quickly swapped them out.

[OCArt]

A very nicely written review of a very popular pen. Good work!

[Mongoosey]

It's a great pen if it works for you.

[Amory]

Great review, thank you for taking time to post it. The Safari is a brilliant reliable pen - a true writers tool. I hope your Safari gives you as much pleasure as I have gotten from my Safari.

Amory

[nchauhan890]

Thanks. Yes, its such a pleasurable writing experience. In fact... Im getting a Vista in a few weeks for my birthday! Cant wait for it!

[nchauhan890]

I have an identical Lamy Safari Charcoal with EF nib. I agree with the review, except that I fill the pen with the converter, putting the nib in the ink, because I feel it is better to move ink through the nib and feed when filling. Keeps dried ink moving down the road a piece.

 

I agree with the fact that it will help move drying up ink along, but I just have this preconception that it wastes a lot of ink. I tried it once and found that the nib had lots left on it even after wiping it. And plus I wouldnt want to risk my body getting stained in some form. Edited October 12, 2018 by nchauhan890

[Newjelan]

Excellent review. I love my Safaris (& my Vista).

[A Smug Dill]

Thank you for the thorough review you have nicely put together.

I have only one genuine^† Lamy Safari, in the same colour as yours, but I haven't used it for quite a while now. I agree that Lamy's F nibs tend to lay down intolerably thick lines, so I've had to replace the nibs on any Lamy pen I unwisely ordered with a nib width other than EF. I don't mind the ergonomics or feel of the Safari that much, but I prefer the CP1 (one of my 'everyday carry' pens strapped to a hardcover journal) and even the Logo (of which I have four in my household, all sitting uninked at the moment); they all use the same type of nib as the Safari, but the heavier overall weight and – being much thinner than the Safari – the density and weight distribution of those pens give me what I think is a more enjoyable writing experience. Have you tried any of those?

^† I ordered two other Lamy Safari in limited edition colours on eBay, but discovered to my dismay afterwards that they are knock-offs. The nibs and feeds on those pens, for example, are not exactly the same size as on the genuine product.

[Tom Kellie]

~ nchauhan890:

 

Thank you for the review with photos.

I have the same pen with an F nib.

It was one of the first pens I purchased after decades of not using fountain pens.

A reliable, discreet pen which is a joy to use.

Your review was a pleasure to read.

Tom K.

[jchch1950]

The review reminds me about the Safari pens and why after so many years they continue to be a look after writing instruments.

[49erfantom]

I had a Lamy Safari once, the Petrol with an ef nib. No doubt they are well built pens, very good nibs. But as many people can attest, the triangular grip is not for everyone...I was one of those that just didn't like the grip. My wife loves them, and so we swapped pens, she now has my Lamy petrol and a Sheaffer Taranis with a medium nib, and I have her Sheaffer Taranis with a fine nib. I know, I got hosed on the deal but I wanted the fine nib and she just wouldn't do the trade unless I sweetened the pot. What can I say, she's a pirate

[AL01]

I like your review.

 

Most people either sing their praises or give the Safari the "Royal Treatment".

 

Your review, on the other hand, is a fair assessment of the pen.

 

Personally, I have always wanted to love the Safari.

 

But maybe I'll get an Al-Star?

 

Who knows?

[inkstainedruth]

I didn't think I could get used to the triangular grip either -- until someone sent me a metal-bodied Jinhao 599 a few years ago. And I was going "Okay, this is actually not too bad, for being a cheap knockoff...." And then when Lamy came out with the Dark Lilac a couple of years ago, well, it was all over.... Because, purple.... I've since added a Ruthenium LX (when Lamy's old US distributor had their closeout earlier this year and the LX ended up being cheaper than a Safari... ).

Didn't think I liked the color of this year's al-Star LE (Vibrant Pink) -- but the color is sort of growing on me (possibly because there's a display of them for sale at my local B&N, which has better lighting than the ballrooms at the pen show where I first saw them).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth