Lamy Safari Fine Vs. Ef

[cypherzion751]

Hi Everyone,

I want to mix things up a bit and thought that a fountain pen would be a great addition to my day. I wanted something budget friendly but attractive and so I landed on the Lamy Safari. I was about to buy one but two things are holding me back. I go through a lot of elevation/temp changes so I don't know how that will impact the pen and idk which nib to go with. I do write fairly small so I was leaning towards the EF but it seems like it isn't that much different than the fine. I was also planning on getting a converter and was wondering if you had any suggestions for a smooth ink that is smudge proof/resistant and is also budget friendly since this is my first pen. Thank you so much for the help!

Edited November 17, 2014 by cypherzion751

[KBeezie]

If not particular about color especially in a EF and what something that's affordable per ml, waterproof/fadeproof, etc. There's simple noodler's black (I don't know Lamy's ink lineup). About $13 for a bottle of 90ml. There's also Black eel if you want lubrication, and in an EF it's more likely to dry sooner so that it doesn't smudge (ie: in my western medium that's not to wet, on Mead 5-star paper it's dry and not smudging within 5-6 seconds. Just give the bottle a good shake if it's been sitting around for a while so you got it all evenly mixed up).

 

In regards to elevation and air pressure etc. When you fill, squirt a few drops of the ink back out then suck in some air into the full converter, will give you some 'overflow' room into feed if you won't be writing immediately after filling.

 

Lamy's EF is still larger than some other pen's EF so it shouldn't be too Fine, least it wasn't for me.

Where are you located, since what I may find to be budget friendly might not be budget friendly for you if you're not in the United States (for example if you're in Europe, Diamine may be a more affordable alternative, and their registrar inks are permanent, otherwise theirs a fountain pen friendly iron gall that R&K Makes that's blue (Salix) or purple (scabiosa) that runs a little drier but still flows good, doesn't bleed/feather much, and waterproof).

[TheRealScubaSteve]

If you are in the U.S. and are looking for the most affordable ink, Xfountainpens sells re-branded Diamine ink in 50ml bottles (plastic) for $7.99. My Safari is in XF and it would suit small handwriting well. The Goulet Pen Company has a tool on their site called the Nib Nook. You can compare an abundance of pens and their different nib sizes there to see the difference. I'd post a direct link to the photo, but the site is currently down for maintenance.

[ink-syringe]

EF and F are pretty close on Lamy pens. The nibs are physically different but the line they put down is pretty close. I prefer F for a little more ink flow. Lamy's can be a tad dry, so one size up on the nib and a wet easy flowing ink gets me where I want to be. I also like the M nib, which is noticeably smoother but a tad fat for the paper I need to use and for music stuff.

 

What color ink? If it is a work pen and you need black, try Aurora, which is a nice lube-y ink for a Lamy. For blue, I have run Montblanc, Herbin Eclat, Waterman, Visconti all with great success. Did not care for Pelikan in the Lamy. I am sure Pilot Iroshizuko is great too.

 

Enjoy!

[cypherzion751]

Thank you all for the tips! I may have to try both and see where it goes. Just looking for a black ink that will hold up and won't smudge since it is for work. This has given me a direction which is way better than where I was at before I will probably try out a few of these inks to see which one I prefer the most. I can't wait to get started! Have a good day

[Jenifermarie]

I really like my Charcoal Safari EF and Noodlers Black combo, it's a permanent pairing that I keep on my desk at work for when I have to use a work approrpriate colour I don't find the Lamy EF to be overly fine, it's more like a fine in other western brands. I have small writing and I find the Lamy F nib too wide for my liking, I have a couple but don't use them, they're waiting to be swapped for EFs or 1.1s

 

The EF nib doesn't feel too great with drier inks though, I find it has some feedback then and if the ink is too wet on the other extreme it starts to write more like an F nib - I've had this issue with Noodlers Liberty's Elysium and Diamine Damson recently.

[ac12]

I have both the EF and F nibs, and the ink line they put down are different in width.

Having said that, if you have a wet EF and a dry F, the ink line could be the same width, simply due to the ink flow. So you also have to match the ink flow.

And as was mentioned, add to that the variable of a wet or dry ink and the nib can be different or similar.

 

The ink line from my Lamy EF is similar to my old US Parker F, which in turn is finer than the current Parker F on my Parker IM.

 

Personally, I would go with a EF nib and Waterman ink.

[FountainPenCowgirl]

Personally, I have a bunch of EF nibs gathering dust, replaced by F (and some M) nibs. They were too scratchy,and they did nothing for the lovely inks (different brands, characteristics - so not an ink issue) I was trying.

 

Sadly it took me too long to figure that out. I was a FP newbie.

Edited November 20, 2014 by FountainPenCowgirl

[PDW]

Personally, I have a bunch of EF nibs gathering dust, replaced by F (and some M) nibs. They were too scratchy,and they did nothing for the lovely inks (different brands, characteristics - so not an ink issue) I was trying.

 

 

Hhhmmm ...strange, I've been swapping out Lamy Fs for EFs in my al-Stars. I find them broad enough to show me all the good things an ink can do - colour, shading ....

 

I particularity like how Lamy's own blue and black work with that width of nib,

[wallylynn]

Please get samples of the Noodlers Black (or HoD, or X-feather, etc) before you get a full bottle. Depending on how sweaty your hands are, they are *not* smudge proof. You can't do watercolor with them. Yes, the ink bonds to the paper. There is also ink that doesn't touch the paper and remains unbonded, and that remains water soluble.

 

Depending on how wet your pen it (how much ink it writes out) and how absorbant your paper is, the ink can also take longer to dry.

[Bo Bo Olson]

An extra nib costs @$7.00 so buy one of each.

Please read my signature.....many compare Japanese nibs which are miss-marked @ one size, when compared to western.

In that many start with the fine cheap Japanese nibs, their Mark 2 Eyeball is calibrated for Japanese Nibs.

My Mark 1 Eyeball is calibrated western.

[PaperDarts]

I have quite a few Lamy F and EF nibs and as ac12 said, the ink flow makes a big difference - an EF nib with a wet ink can have a wider line than an F nib with a drier ink. I find some variation among the same-sized nibs too.