Very Heretical Question About Lamy Safari

[Anne-Sophie]

In advance...sorry if I hurt feelings here...but...

 

About 2 weeks ago when I was pen hunting I saw the Lamy Safari for the nth time to decide whether I should purchase it. There was a white,grey red etc. Examined them from every angle - tried to get excited.

One thing about me is that the prospect of buying a FP greatly excites me...tried as much as I could - but I just couldn't get my self to buy the LS...it just couldn't get me going...heart racing...guess its Mojo wasn't working on me...

I didn't even get the guy to ink it for a quick trial.

And this was after having examined the LS many,many times before - each time hoping to buy it !

Not sure why but I think because I feel it simply lacks a personality...a definite character...

 

I'd better run before the shotguns are trained on me !

 

I bought the whole FP M, BP, RB and MP set of blue Safaris, I love them.

 

I tried to be interested in other colors, when I went to a stationery shop to get supplies fairly frequently I spent half an hour each time looking at a light gray and a dark gray Safari FP but I couldn't bring myself to buy them, the spark I felt for the Blue Safari wasn't there.

 

I still needed a gray pen. Besides the light blue smurf, the pink Safari and blue, pink strawberry and purple All Star, the color do not "speak" to me.

 

 

However, I bought multiple Vistas FP as on the go pens, I will probably add the Vista BP, MP and RB.

 

The grip is really comfortable for me and it is easier to do many things on the go with a roller ball, ball point or mechanical pencil.

 

Besides, Lamy refills are really durable.

[tru]

Let's see:

 

1. It seems immune to being lost - and given that I lose pens with alarming regularity, that's a big plus

2. It's the first pen I ever tried with an extra-fine nib so I have nothing to compare it to(i.e. ignorance is bliss)

3. The angled ergonomic grip is great for when I'm writing my morning pages

4. The clip is one of the few that doesn't catch on the mesh pockets on the inside of my bag

5. It allowed me to inexpensively share my fp passion with my step-son. Major bonding occurred!

 

I am pretty exclusively a buyer of inexpensive pens - indeed, my Lamy is the most expensive pen I've ever purchased. Though, since joining this forum just yesterday, I sense that's about to change.

Edited June 4, 2010 by tru

[steersbylitning]

Cheap, reliable, lightweight.

 

Those are the things about them I like. That said, I only have one, but I do like it.

 

Debbie

[notebookeresq]

Wow, that's what I call a successful thread!

Thank you everybody for your answers, lots of interesting experiences out there!

Just one thing: I wouldn't call a Safari a "Bauhaus" pen. Other Lamys are much more "bauhaus"... the safari is to some extent not very comfortable: the grip section is annoying, and when you post it, the cap becomes cumbersome. As far as my experience is concerned, the clip is olso anti-functional: it bends the paper because of its strange form...

However, I agree it's a good cheapie, it simply doesn't create me any enthusiasm.

I've bought a Lamy Nexx yesterday, and it's much better than the safari! (and that's a "Bauhaus" pen, with a more comfortable grip section and a strange but functional clip ! Unfortunately, there aren't many colours of that pen!

 

Wow, never even HEARD of the Nexx before! From the pictures of those available on eBay, it looks like it might take the same nib as the Safari. Does anyone know if the nibs are interchangeable between the Safari and the Nexx?

[Peter Pommes]

The Safari is the AK 47 of pens.

[Fuddlestack]

What I like about mine:

 

1. Cheap, readily available.

2. I quite like the design. It's a bit of a throwback, but not all 60s stuff was ghastly. The graphite and older yellow ones are really quite snazzy.

3(clincher): Cheap, easily interchangeable nibs. You can experiment with different nibs as easily as with a dip pen. You can try seven or eight different widths as they come from the factory, or play about with stubbing, grinding etc. at relatively low cost. The only drawback is that there isn't a lot of leeway between the tip of the nib and the end of the feed, so that the broadest factory italics are just about as wide as any stub you could do yourself. But if you want to move on to more expensive things you could use them to get your hand in. Of course, a hand used to steel nibs might be a bit heavy for gold, but with care that shouldn't be a problem.

Edited August 15, 2010 by Fuddlestack

[raigne]

I was never interested in owning a Safari or an Al-star until Lamy released the purple/black Al-star last year. I was overcome with pen lust at that point, since they come so highly recommended. Not my favorite pen, but still gets used often and I do not regret the purchase. I'd even be upset if I lost it. Incidentally, I have also never been interested in owning a VP, but when they released the Raden I wanted one. That one's a little too expensive for pen lust alone to make me buy one, however.

[skrutt]

I like it, I have bought two for myself and one for my mum, as I know she likes a good pen.

 

But as lots of people are saying, they are fairly cheap, they have lots of colors (I want one of each to be honest), it wouldnt be the whole world if lost/broken but I would be sad.

 

And I also like the grip. Especially since I tend to hold a pen wrong. So writing with the Safari is quite a pleasure, as my hand dont cramp after a while (which may happens with other BP-pens at least).

 

 

But since I only have written with the Safari, I cant compere to any other FP's at the moment (give me a week or so, and I will have two other pens to compare with )

[tonybelding]

The safari is a cheap pen, ok, and yes, it writes rather well (but not particularly thrillingly), but I have tried dozens of cheap-pens-with-steel-nibs-and-modern-design in my life, and I simply can't understand why the safari is so special...

 

It's special because it's the cheapest fountain pen that is widely available, works decently and comes with a (minimal) box, instructions, warranty, etc. But not a converter, you have to buy those separately. Also they come in cheerful colors, and they have interchangeable nibs. That's it. That's the secret of their success.

 

 

I can understand that it's a good cheap pen to start with, but... why people who have amazing collections and have been buying luxury and excellent pens keep buying Safaris?

 

Beats me. Even if I wanted a cheap knock-around pen, I'd be more likely to go for a Parker 21, or a Parker 45, or a Sheaffer No-Nonsense, or an Esterbrook J. . . . Oh, wait! None of those pens are in production anymore.

 

I'm not a big Safari fan, but it does seem to fill a niche.

[jniforat]

i am not a fan of safaris and i also think they're souless...but da*n they are reliable, cheap, and make me wonder why i buy more expensive pens.

[khymeera]

I like it mainly because it was cheap and also my first fountain pen. I recommend it to beginners who don't feel like spending a lot on a FP and can't be bothered with buying online. Right now I carry it as a backup pen or to test new inks etc.

[Namo]

There are some things I don't like about this pen - the grip, the stiffness of the nib - but you have to keep in mind it is designed to be a school pen for beginners. Other than that, I still think that the standard nib is the best of this category (and the 14k is a real wonder!) if you like them stiff. Lamy achieved something big there: you can have a top of the line nib for a very decent price.

 

PS: One could think of the Safari line as the Swatch of the FPs.

Edited August 15, 2010 by Namo

[Juan in Andalucia]

The Lamy Safari is to fountain pens what a Lomo LC-A is to photography.

 

I own nearly 30 (some are multiples), and I've recently discovered how nice are the 1.1 nibs, so I have 10 1.1 nibbed Safaris/Alstar which I rotate and fill with Montblanc blueblack.

 

Oh, and I love the grip and clip of the Safari, more so in summer when I wear polo tshirts and I have to clip my pens to my cargo shorts.

 

Sometimes I think I could do anything with a Lamy, a Lomo and a Moley.

 

Juan

[EMM]

They're affordable and stand out well.

[churl]

I think the Parker Vector was a better knock-around pen. The Safari is a decent product marketed well. You can get a similar writing experience from a Pelikano or any number of other student pens. And much like the Pelikano, I cannot stand the Safari grip.

[Garageboy]

I like the Pelikano and the Safari over all the other pens in that price range. The Pilot 78g is a nice cheap alternative too. On the other hand, the price of a Lamy Safari is approaching the price of a Pilot Prera

[Bo Bo Olson]

I don't know if I answered before...I have no Safari, they were after my time...even the 2000 happened after I gave up fountain pens. I was in Germany it when it came out in my junior year. German pens made no impression on me then.

Coming back and living in Germany since '71 I saw them afterwards, but they never apealed to me, and they at least look like a fountain pen, a bit too slicked up and modern for my taste. Second, the dollar had fallen, and they were expensive; too expensive to loose. I never liked that modern spade nib; on any pen.

 

The Safari, looks too Buck Rogers for me.

They were not my style and for that money I could get an older broken down pen for that money.

I think as a school pen, it is a good one, so folks grew up with it.

 

I do have a couple of Artis pens and a Lamy Persona.

The 2000 is still very much a hold on too, pen, I seldom see one used on German Ebay. I looked a couple of times, no luck; all they had was new ones.

 

I have a Joy Calligraphy pen, 1.5...but that is more a desk pen.

[FearNot]

They are what they are - great work horse pens.

 

But, what I really like is when I get into a meeting with a bunch of snoots who take out their $600+ MBs and I can pull my Al Star out and snap off the cap while they're carefully unscrewing theirs. But what really makes my day is when one of them says that they're out of ink and I can pull out one of my spares and just TOSS it across the table.

[mstone]

The safari is the best pen for clipping in the pocket of a pair of cargo shorts. That clip is perfect for heavy material, and it's not too blingy when you're dressed down.

[2Hearts]

I have a Safari in Pink, and I just love it. It wasn't my first pen either. And it isn't the pen alone that is so appealing, but the cerise colour. None of my pens, no matter the price are treated differently, and it gets as carefully used as my prized Parker 51. I'm so careful with it, that it lives wrapped up in my pen box to prevent scuffs. I can't explain why I like it but I was thrilled to find it under the Xmas tree last year. The F nib is smooth and a good everyday writing pen. I tend to favour stiff stainless steel nibs, which helps.

Edited August 17, 2010 by 2Hearts