Pelikano vs Lamy Safari

[Garageboy]

What advantages does one have over another/why is the Lamy that much more popular/taken more serious?

 

[nkk]

Pelikano is cheaper plasstic, and less weighty, if I recall. I never owned one, but have tried one. Also, I think that Pelikano has a more limited choice of nib widths (although with Lamy's width problems, their nibs are a grab bag anyway). Size is also a major difference. I do not know if any of that is an advantage (persomal preference determines that), but those are the differencts that come to mind instantly.

 

Safari/Al-star (same thing in aluminum) model is taken more seriosuly becuase it is not brightly coloree plastic, and is meant for a beginner or for the financially disinclined towards $100 pens. Or as everyday beaters. The Pelikano still has that student pen look to it.

 

-Nkk

[limesally]

Pelikano is cheaper plasstic, and less weighty, if I recall. I never owned one, but have tried one. Also, I think that Pelikano has a more limited choice of nib widths (although with Lamy's width problems, their nibs are a grab bag anyway). Size is also a major difference. I do not know if any of that is an advantage (persomal preference determines that), but those are the differencts that come to mind instantly.

 

Safari/Al-star (same thing in aluminum) model is taken more seriosuly becuase it is not brightly coloree plastic, and is meant for a beginner or for the financially disinclined towards $100 pens. Or as everyday beaters. The Pelikano still has that student pen look to it.

 

-Nkk

 

All of the above. I love the Pelikano but it just doesn't have the range of nib widths that the Safari does, or the ability to easily change them yourself. I've also managed to crack a Pelikano section, and can't quite imagine doing it to a Safari.

 

Both great starter pens, though.

[Goodwhiskers]

Me three with nkk's comments. I've had both pens and liked writing with both. I prefer the slightly drier action of the Safari (only because of bad paper). I hate to admit caring about appearances and "fitting in," but the Safari's looks do seem to fit into both schools and workplaces. Furthermore, the Safari's cap seal prevents slow evaporation better than the Pelikano's does.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Personally, I like the Peli better, but that's partly because the grip suits me to a t, and because I like the translucent barrel----AND the price.

[theallblue]

I owned both, Safari was a lot smoother (and more expensive).

 

 

[FrankB]

My reply is probably redundant. The Pelikano and Pelikano Junior are both school pens. The Lamy Safari is a step above in materials, nib widths and performance. All of them are good pens. The Safari is a bit more sophisticated, or at least that is my take.

[MJSchuelke]

There are a couple of Pelikan pens with essentially the same nibs and feed, but a somewhat more mature look -- the piston-filling Go!, the Level 65, the Style and the Future. The latter two are currently in production; the Go and the Level have been discontinued, but NOS is readily available on (German) eBay for less than €10.

 

Personally, I still prefer the Lamys, especially the shaped section, and the larger barrel and more serious look of the Al-Star, but I've also been quite happy with the Level (a very robust backpack-pen) an the Go.

 

 

[Sallent]

You can't be serious? Who would compare a school pen designed for 5th graders (the Pelikano) against an entry level pen designed for adults (the Lamy)

 

It's not a fair comparison!

 

 

Why don't you compare the Lami Safari against a Pelikan M200? It's a better comparison and the M200 would win hands down.

 

[kavanagh]

I have owned both pens ( Al-Star and Pelikano ) and eventually got rid of the Pelikano as the quality of the body just felt that bit cheaper and less durable than the Al-Star. But more impotantly, the nib on the Al-Star performed better in regards to smoothness and always producing a wet line. IMHO, if both pens were distributed amongst college students equally, at the end of the term I would put money on the Al-Star coming out on top because of it's durability and writing performance...

[Sallent]

That's the problem though, the Pelikano was not designed for college students, it was designed for elementary school students!

 

Comparing the Safari to the Pelikano is like comparing a toy remote control car against a real car.

 

Instead of handing the Pelikano and the Safari to college students, why don't you hand them a Pelikan that was designed as an entry level pen for adults, the M200!

[JayLo]

Ahh... Duff Pen Restoration.... I think I've dealt with them

Nice 'toon Kavanagh

Edited December 30, 2008 by JayLo

[skipwilliams]

The Lamy is better constructed. To me, the main practical difference is the robust metal clip on the Safari. The Pelikano's plastic clip is much more fragile and won't last as long. The Safari also comes in more colors and is a little more refined from a stylistic standpoint.

 

The Lamy Safari offers more nib selection, whereas the Pelikano comes only in M, AFAIK. There is NO difference in nib quality. With such cheap pens, any difference in nib smoothness will primarily be to inter-pen variability, not general manufacturing quality.

 

Practically? There's no difference, both are entry-level, injection moulded plastic pens. The Pelikano is styled as a school pen, the Lamy Safari as a utilitarian, broad age-range targeted pen.

 

Skip

 

 

 

What advantages does one have over another/why is the Lamy that much more popular/taken more serious?

[Garageboy]

So who are the Pelikano Jrs and Futures designed for? (personally, I hate the Future, sure it comes in cool colors, the cap mechanism sucks and the rubber gets real funky with use)

[MJSchuelke]

You can't be serious? Who would compare a school pen designed for 5th graders (the Pelikano) against an entry level pen designed for adults (the Lamy)

 

What makes you think the Safari wasn't designed for students? Here in Germany (and, I'm pretty certain, in several other European countries as well), schools are by far the most important market for fountain pens, at least in terms of the number of pens sold, and the Safari is one of the typical student pens. Lamy certainly aimed at the student market when they designed the Safari, and I'd be pretty confident in guessing that most Safaris actually end up in a student's hand.

 

Lamy's masterstroke was to design a pen that doesn't look out of place in any age group, from 5th grader to 12th grader to university students and working adults; and that has been essentially unchanged for 25 years.

Pelikan, OTOH, tries to target each age group individually with different designs: The Pelikano for the 5th graders, Style and Future for 8th graders, etc. I don't know how successful they are with that strategy, but looking at the number of short-lived pens for teenagers that Pelikan has tried over the years (Go, Level, Nature Pen, Culture Pen, Pen Collection, and I'm probably forgetting some), I have my doubts.

 

Why don't you compare the Lami Safari against a Pelikan M200? It's a better comparison and the M200 would win hands down.

 

That's comparing a €15 pen to a €60 pen. And I'm not quite sure about the result.

[EventHorizon]

I have this older Pelikano and must say that it will write at about any angle in a smooth manner. Since this is a school pen for beginners (as noted by the "A" on the nib) I would expect as much. I do love my LAMY's but they will not do this.

Edited December 30, 2008 by EventHorizon

[RevAaron]

You can't be serious? Who would compare a school pen designed for 5th graders (the Pelikano) against an entry level pen designed for adults (the Lamy)

 

It's not a fair comparison!

 

Why don't you compare the Lami Safari against a Pelikan M200? It's a better comparison and the M200 would win hands down.

 

If that's the case, then M200 vs Safari is still apples and oranges- the M200 is a $70 pen, the Safari is a $20 pen. The Pelikano is a $15-20 pen, the Junior is a $10 pen.

 

I am not a fan of the Pelikano because of looks alone, frankly. But I do like the Pelikano Junior. I would take the Safari over either because I've had less problems with the wider mouth carts than I've had with international carts and because of the nib options.

 

Aaron

[Possum Hill]

You can't be serious? Who would compare a school pen designed for 5th graders (the Pelikano) against an entry level pen designed for adults (the Lamy)

 

It's not a fair comparison!

 

 

Why don't you compare the Lami Safari against a Pelikan M200? It's a better comparison and the M200 would win hands down.

I would and did compare the Pelikano and the Safari. I need a pen I can carry all the time and can afford to lose or damage. The Pelikano writes a little too wide, but the Safari clip doesn't retain the pen in my pocket well enough. It tends to catch on things and ride up out of my pocket.

 

I settled on a Reform 1745 from JJBlanche for general use, but I'm quite happy to carry a Safari or Pelikano when I can.

[wiglaf]

Love my Pelikano Jr- only down side for me is its chronic state of cliplessness.

Definitely not for the faint of heart.

Have a few Lamys as well from Safaris to 2000- like them as well- and I have never had an issue with Lamy nib sizes: they are all approximately .50% wider than they advertise.

[limesally]

FWIW, I use the Pelikano without hesitation at university. Even as a TA

 

The only limitation for me is the wide nib - even the F nib is a bit on the wide side. But smooth, both of them, and completely reliable.