Lamy Safari. Why Did Nobody Tell Me This Before ?!

[Billingsgate]

Evidently you let one random bad thing (the obtaining of two "bad" Fountain Pens) change the course of your life away from something that you really wanted to do!

1) Either buy your pens new from a reputable dealer (who will honor a warranty) or risk getting them from someone who may not be sell genuine pens or may have abused them and is dumping them on someone else.

2) Not all pens work with all hands, and vice versa. (Did you remain single because because your first date went badly?)

3) Yes, lemons grow.

4) I have Safaris more than 20 years old that are still in use, in great shape, and work just fine.

5) Few Fountain Pens are a "good long-term investment".

6) NEVER refuse a gift from a child or a Grandparent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

7) You let someone "shove" something on you and make you do what you didn't want to do?

I got my Safaris at a reputable dealer, a well-known seller of fine stationery products here in Hong Kong. Fountain pens were not a passion at that point. I'm a professional cartoonist. I use dip pens (Gillot 170 nib). I was tempted to try fountain pens as an alternative that would have a steady ink supply, and which I could carry with me without an ink bottle. I tried Safaris because at the time a number of artists I knew reported using them. When they turned out to be so unacceptable for my purpose, I concluded that fountain pens were not a good match for me.

 

These days I do more writing than drawing, and writing longhand is always a richer experience for me than typing on a computer. I've been using Uniball gel pens for years, and find the flow just right. But one evening when out and about with my wife, we dropped into a fountain pen shop, because it happened to be open late and thought it might be a brief amusement. The salesman heard me describe that I wanted to try a nice writer that could feasibly also be used for drawing with a flexible nib. He handed me a Pilot Falcon to try, and instantly I felt sad that Lamy pens had put me off all fountain pens for so many years.

 

By the way, I recently bought a Diplomat Aero with a gold nib for big bucks (to me), and promptly returned it to Goulet Pens because the 14K EF nib was awful--skipping all over the place regardless of cleaning and ink choice.

 

From now on I will avoid all German pens so as not to spoil my newfound pleasure in fountain pens.

Edited August 5, 2019 by Billingsgate

[Glenn-SC]

From now on I will avoid all German pens so as not to spoil my newfound pleasure in fountain pens.

 

IMHO again, the complete wrong reaction.

To completely avoid the FP from a specific Country because of a bad experience with two (the same) pens from one manufacturer is not the thing to do.

There is an incredible range of designs, materials, manufacturing philosophies and qualities within a single manufacturer let alone between manufacturers.

 

But, your life and your pens, if that is what makes YOU happy, go for it.

Edited August 5, 2019 by Glenn-SC

[Billingsgate]

To completely avoid the FP from a specific Country because of a bad experience with two (the same) pens from one manufacturer is not the thing to do.

As I said in my last post above, if you'd read it thoroughly, I had bad experiences with two Lamys and a top-of-the-line Diplomat Aero. Three pens, two German makers. And the one time I tried a Pelikan, it was nice and smooth, but the "fine" nib looked more to me like what I'd call a broad line, so since I tend toward extra fine lines, it seems Pelikans are not high on my consideration.

 

In any case, I was being somewhat tongue-in-cheek about avoiding all German pens. I love Germany. I've lived there and speak the language fluently. I don't seem to get on well with their fountain pens. But you don't seem to like my responses, so we'll leave it at that.

[thefrost]

Ok, I'm back home, and can compare my Lamy Safari to my other fountain pens. Reading the comments above, I guess I was just lucky and got a very good nib. The nib is almost as smooth as my MB ! I still prefer my vintage pens, which have a bit of flex, but this pen is ideal for travel and business. For this purpose the modern look is a bonus too, as not to come across old fashioned.

[bogiesan]

No, you weren’t lucky. You got a typically excellent Lamy nib. I have , umm, let me count, nine, maybe eight, Lamy Safari. Aion, and AStar pens that all have roughly the same nibs (Aion has a sexy rounded shoulder), mostly EF, a couple of F, two M, and a medium italic. While I prefer the EFs, I have no negative comments to make about any of my nibs.

 

When you post a topic like “I like my Safari, what about you?” you are inviting responses from many complainers who need a place to post their complaints. The rest of us just quietly nod and think to ourselves, yes, nice pens.

[dennis_f]

... And just to follow up on what Bogiesan said: in the last studio I worked in there were at least 30 Safaris and Al-stars floating around. There were at least half as many of that in my class at school, and when I taught at that school later on, many of the students used Safaris. Al-Stars and Safaris seem to be almost ubiquitous in my neck of the woods in my profession (so much so that when I was speaking to a pen dealer in a shop not too long ago, she told me that her husband -- who does the same job as I do -- has avoided the Safari (even though his wife sells them) because he sees so many designers using them that he feels cliche having one in his hand... That is, that was what he used to think up until about 3 months ago when he tried his first one, and had to begrudgingly admit, finally, that he liked it... (this from a man who routinely uses Sailors)).

 

The point to all this is, in all my time using and being around users of Safaris and Al-Stars, I have never once come across a bad nib, or heard a complaint about a bad nib. It's only here on FPN that I have ever heard anyone complain about Lamy quality control. I won't speculate on why that is, but my own experience has always been good, and so so many people I know have only had good experiences with them. Literally dozens of dozens of people. As Bogiesan said, I don't think the people who like them talk about liking them, so the negative reviews might represent an unbalanced view.

[pen2paper]

As I recall the lesser quality look-alike is within 5ish years, so if genuine Safari have materials failure rather than use damage they may be sent in per warranty, parts or pen may be replaced, then you could trade both for instruments that better fit your specific usage.

 

Despite being a satisfied Safari/Logo user, understood your negative view in that my first Parker 51 was a hideous scratchy nib, ink starved, entirely unusable pen. It wasn't until handling a properly tuned P51 that I could see why they remain so popular. Still, Safari/Logo fit my hand more comfortably for daily use. Delta I thought far too-large too-heavy for small hands, but Surprise! In a test drive was so nicely balanced! Perhaps it's best (+more fun) to test drive instruments that fit & suit our use first, then widen out from there???

[Waltz For Zizi]

Just something I wanted to share.

 

I have loved fountain pens ever since elementary school. In the last decades I have been using mostly (vintage) Mont Blancs and Waterman. Expensive pens, which I do not want to take with me on holiday, for fair of losing or breaking them. (trust me, I will).

 

So, I wanted something less expensive to drop carelessly in my backpack and after a bit of research I decided to get a Lamy Safari. Now I'm blown away by the quality of the extra fine nib ! It is really a very decent pen!

 

 

I'll probably get a second one, unless I find a Pilot MR in EF which I want to try out too .

Lamy's are my favourite pens, and I have 1000$montblancs and viscontis. Lamy is life.

[Carrau]

I have three Safaris, one L2K, and an assortment of interchangeable nibs for the Safaris. All have been terrific out of the box, requiring no adjustments or smoothing. None skip, or have ever given me hard starts, including one which has been inked with Noodler’s Blue-Black ink essentially continually for 3 years. They are daily workhorse pens for me that have never let me down. Even if I’m carrying a more expensive pen to write with on a particular day, I always have a Safari in my briefcase as a backup. As a customer, I couldn’t be more satisfied with them from a functional standpoint, especially given their price and range of nib sizes. I haven’t tried writing with many other pens in the Safari/AlStar price range that others hold in high regard, mainly as I have been so satisfied with Lamy’s product.

[jchch1950]

After more than 60 years using FP, in the past few years I have become mainly a Lamy Safari user. It is not easy to find an explanation,maybe t is age or different way to hand write or it can be the increasing feeling that I may loose my pens. It doesn't mean that I don't use other brands.

[Brianm_14]

I am glad to hear someone take such pleasure in a simple, good pen! Bravo!

 

I've been using fp all of my life, mainly Parkers, Watermans and Sheaffers (and nothing too expensive, usually gifts from grandparents or picked up in drugstores) up until 8 or 9 years ago. Since then, the resurgence of interest in fp has been lovely to experience, as I am trying such a wide range of pens now. (I still love my Parkers, but now it will have to be an English Slimfold, or "51"!). Esties, including some inkwell "Dip-Less", litter the house.

 

Lamy Safaris occupy a special place in the experience. They were the first pens I tentatively tried after several Pilot Metros (when my oldest Parker cracked), and all four of them have been winners. Four good Safaris! So, should I be playing the lottery?

 

I don't think so.

 

I have this selection of Lamy Safaris, plus some extra nibs -also very nice to a one- and I have a Lamy Nexx as well as several of the more expensive Lamy pens. The only one which left me underwhelmed was the Lamy 2000. It needs to be sold. (I think it gets too many points for design. The writing experience, to me, is not up there with my Sailors, Pilots, Platinum 3776s, or Pelikans, all which cost less, sometimes much less; moreover, the 2K just can't begin to match the smoothness or handling of a cheaper German Cleo Skribent I recently acquired -no match there at all!)

 

But the Safaris are very dependable, enjoyable everyday pens which I can afford to carry everywhere because I can afford to lose them and still come home that night (just kidding). Again, either I should play the lottery or Lamy Safaris are generally good pens. Oh -are all the nibs equally nice? Of course not. I have my favorites. But I judge all of the nibs to be of at least satisfactory quality. Maybe I have been lucky there. I have not, however, always found other brands to be so consistent satisfactory. I think it has to do, in part, with Lamy trying each Safari before sending it off. I like finding that trace of ink in my new Safari.

 

So enjoy your good pen. Buy other good pens. But enjoy each one.

[One-eyed-Jack]

There are many good pens in the Lamy lineup besides the Safari. I'm particularly fond of the Lamy Studio pens

which have a more professional appearance. Nothing wrong with the Safari although I prefer the AL version. Lamy

makes their own nibs which gives them more control over the "feel" and feedback you get when using their products.

[sansenri]

I'm one of the very few people who dislikes the Lamy Safari.

I have tried one and it's a very nice writing pen, the nibs are very good quality, the writing experience is sound.

I just dislike the look of it and the shape of the section under my fingers.

So I do not own one, nor plan to, but recognize its value.

[thefrost]

Glad I'm not the only one using all kind of brands, and still really liking the Lamy Safaris. I'm agree that the shape of the top section is not always ideal.

 

So what would be the logical step up. Same EF nib, but a bit heavier and normal shape ?

[sentience]

LAMY Studio would be the logical step up from the Safari with the same nib.

[bogiesan]

So what would be the logical step up. Same EF nib, but a bit heavier and normal shape ?

Define normal. But I’d suggest the Aion. The nib is slightly different but directly interchangeable with Safari and AlStar and a bit less expensive than some of the other metal or composite units from Lamy.

[thefrost]

I meant normal as in completely round. I'll look at those other models, but I might end up with some more safaris..

 

One in the office, one at home, one in the bag, what more excuses can I invent...

[Aysedasi]

I've had (and still have) several Safari's and Vistas and have tried several different nibs. Never had a duff one. Simple workhorse pens that do the job. The obliques and stubs I especially like.

[Amory]

Maybe it is reasonable to by nibs, not pens. It is cheaper and more sustainable. It is also a way not to become a collector.

Nib collector perhaps ?

[austollie]

Nib collector perhaps ?

I'm afraid I'm becoming a collector of Lamy nibs, after having bought a beautiful F gold nib for my Safaris. The gold nib is wonderfully smooth and it helps that all Lamy nibs (other then the L2k) are interchangeable. I suspect that the smoothness of the gold nib has less to do with the metal, than it has to do with the improved quality control procedures that Lamy uses for its gold nibs. It does seem somewhat odd to spend three times as much on a nib as the Safari cost in the first place, but hey, it works for me.