Jump to content

Is My Lamy Safari A Counterfeit Fountain Pen?


fabioschl

Recommended Posts

Hello!

 

I am new on the fountain pen hobby. Recently I purchased from a web store called lulustar.office, on ebay, a Lamy Safari Charcoal, fine nib, for a very good price (USD 14 + shipping).

 

However, when it arrived, the pen came with no box, no cardboard, no cartridges, no instructions manual, just the pen itself with a converter inside of it, packaged in a cheap plastic bag that only fitted the pen at all, nothing else.

 

I was really suspicious that I actually bought a conterfeit Lamy. However, the pen puts down a really fine line, much finer than my Parker Frontier made in India, which is supposed to have a fine nib, but looks more like a medium one. Also the pen produces a minimal feedback, which seem to be normal, considering the opinions from other Lamy Safari’s users. What bothers sometimes me is that the pen seems a litle dry and skips in very fast writing and traces, though.

 

Can I be before a counterfeit Lamy Safari? I took some pictures from it and wanted to create a topic in this forum in the FPN site, in order to collect opinions from more experienced fountain pen users!

 

Thank you all very much in advance! With my best regards!

 

post-150684-0-37569600-1559957767_thumb.jpgpost-150684-0-66862400-1559957774_thumb.jpg

post-150684-0-16094000-1559957795_thumb.jpgpost-150684-0-61681400-1559957819_thumb.jpgpost-150684-0-70446000-1559957831_thumb.jpgpost-150684-0-28672200-1559957842_thumb.jpgpost-150684-0-37365700-1559957853_thumb.jpgpost-150684-0-90347200-1559957862_thumb.jpgpost-150684-0-98665900-1559957872_thumb.jpgpost-150684-0-73301700-1559957882_thumb.jpgpost-150684-0-36935000-1559957893_thumb.jpgpost-150684-0-18834000-1559957904_thumb.jpgpost-150684-0-45803800-1559957921_thumb.jpgpost-150684-0-52238400-1559957937_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 20
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • dennis_f

    4

  • fabioschl

    4

  • A Smug Dill

    2

  • Honeybadgers

    2

a Lamy Safari Charcoal, fine nib, for a very good price (USD 14 + shipping).

_...‹snip›...

What bothers sometimes me is that the pen seems a litle dry and skips in very fast writing and traces, though.

 

Can I be before a counterfeit Lamy Safari?

It could be counterfeit, and that has nothing to do with whether the nib writes dryly and/or is prone to skipping. Or maybe it isn't counterfeit (but I wouldn't bet on that). Most consumers like us cannot tell by looking at photos or even inspecting the item in person.

 

What/why does it matter, and if it's counterfeit, what do you want to do about it?

 

I bought two LAMY Safari pens in 'limited edition' colours on eBay, at similar prices you stated and they arrived in similar condition. They write fine as fountain pens, but when I tried to swap the nibs over onto LAMY pens I already have that I know are the genuine item, they won't fit. That convinced me the pens I got are counterfeit, even though I do not have conclusive proof... but then, so what? Do I feel cheated? Yes. Am I prepared to pay the local RRP for the 'limited edition' LAMY Safari pens (without converters!), much less the jacked-up prices from private sellers because those colours have already been discontinued a while back? No. Would I give up those two functionally OK pens, in colours that I wanted, in order to get a full refund of the uncharacteristically low prices I paid? No. It's a shame I didn't manage to get genuine items, with black-coated steel nibs to boot that can be swapped onto my 'stealth' matte black (genuine) LAMY cp1 pens, at low prices that would barely pay for the genuine 'spare' nibs alone. However, I can't honestly say those possibly counterfeit pens write any less well than a guaranteed-to-be-genuine LAMY Safari.

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you google "counterfeit lamy safari" there are a host of websites and videos that detail how to do a one-to-one comparison of your pen to one that is known to be an authentic Safari. Even if you don't have a known authentic pen, you can compare your details to the images those sites have posted.

 

Check out some of these:

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=counterfeit+lamy+safari&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b

 

check out the Goldspot video.

 

Also, an image search shows a collection of pictures from various websites that detail the differences between a real and a fake. You could try visiting some of these links:

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=counterfeit+lamy+safari&client=firefox-b&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjSiau4gNriAhXRUt8KHSmeCDI4ChD8BQgQKAE&biw=1145&bih=781

 

 

Hope this helps.

D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The price seems too good to be true, in addition to being delivered with a bare bone packaging like TS mention.

If it is a counterfeit, gotta give props to how similar it is to the original one though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The price is alarming, yes... And that it includes a converter more-so. I don't think the Al-Star comes with a converter these days -- I know the Joy doesn't, and that's basically a Safari with italic/stub nib and a taper replacing the flattened cylinder barrel.

 

Perhaps the pen was previously used, and not new stock. Or they mostly throw the boxes away stuffing the pens in a plastic bag to reduce storage space (I just looked, they list a Safari with box and one cartridge for $19)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

looks original...why the question...

Hello,

Well... because of the low price to be original, and the missing packing and manual that I think should come with the pen... thank you!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It could be counterfeit, and that has nothing to do with whether the nib writes dryly and/or is prone to skipping. Or maybe it isn't counterfeit (but I wouldn't bet on that). Most consumers like us cannot tell by looking at photos or even inspecting the item in person.

 

What/why does it matter, and if it's counterfeit, what do you want to do about it?

 

I bought two LAMY Safari pens in 'limited edition' colours on eBay, at similar prices you stated and they arrived in similar condition. They write fine as fountain pens, but when I tried to swap the nibs over onto LAMY pens I already have that I know are the genuine item, they won't fit. That convinced me the pens I got are counterfeit, even though I do not have conclusive proof... but then, so what? Do I feel cheated? Yes. Am I prepared to pay the local RRP for the 'limited edition' LAMY Safari pens (without converters!), much less the jacked-up prices from private sellers because those colours have already been discontinued a while back? No. Would I give up those two functionally OK pens, in colours that I wanted, in order to get a full refund of the uncharacteristically low prices I paid? No. It's a shame I didn't manage to get genuine items, with black-coated steel nibs to boot that can be swapped onto my 'stealth' matte black (genuine) LAMY cp1 pens, at low prices that would barely pay for the genuine 'spare' nibs alone. However, I can't honestly say those possibly counterfeit pens write any less well than a guaranteed-to-be-genuine LAMY Safari.

Hello, my friend, thank you for the reply!

Yes, I agree that there is not much to do in practical terms knowing this information, but, it was a curiosity that I really wish to quench...

Totally agree that, independent to be genuine or counterfeit, if the pen serves well on its purpose, it is what really matters.

Best regards!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you google "counterfeit lamy safari" there are a host of websites and videos that detail how to do a one-to-one comparison of your pen to one that is known to be an authentic Safari. Even if you don't have a known authentic pen, you can compare your details to the images those sites have posted.

 

Check out some of these:

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=counterfeit+lamy+safari&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b

 

check out the Goldspot video.

 

Also, an image search shows a collection of pictures from various websites that detail the differences between a real and a fake. You could try visiting some of these links:

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=counterfeit+lamy+safari&client=firefox-b&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjSiau4gNriAhXRUt8KHSmeCDI4ChD8BQgQKAE&biw=1145&bih=781

 

 

Hope this helps.

D

Hi my friend, I have already searched some of these sites before. Judging by the appearance, it seems real, but I really cannot tell... Thank you!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi my friend, I have already searched some of these sites before. Judging by the appearance, it seems real, but I really cannot tell... Thank you!

 

 

You could attempt this heat test I found on FPGeeks.com:

 

https://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/10263-Fake-Lamy-Safaris-on-eBay

 

(seriously, DON'T try the heat test!).

 

What's interesting about that thread is that all the external markings were identical to a real Safari. It was the nib and the convertor/cartridge fit that gave away that the pen was a fake.

 

Given that your pen looks fairly identical to most Safaris, and given that the external markings are all correct, and given that no one can spot any real give-aways suggesting that it is a fake, the only remaining way to identify the pen as a fake would be to visibly inspect details that you have not shown in your current photographs and compare these to a known "real" Safari. Namely, the feed -- which I'm going to assume looks correct -- and the cartridge convertor connection.

 

Do you have access to any authentic Lamy cartridges? If you haven't bought any yet, you should do so and see if they fit. Presumably, if they do, and if the external markings look correct, you probably have a real pen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

... Also: this thread has a very detailed comparison of fake and real internal Safari details.

 

http://www.deskoflori.com/blog/2015/4/16/my-experience-with-a-counterfeit-lamy-safari

 

You could compare some of your internal details (which you haven't shown in your photos), to the photos on that site (but if you attempt to remove the convertor ring, as the person did in the final photo on that post, be very very careful. As per her instructions, if you pull too hard on your convertor, you'll break it. It should not be removable. So a gentle little pull should reveal whether yours is a fake or not).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks OEM.

 

But the price is cheap...

 

BUT in all honesty, I haven't been impressed by the way real Lamy Safaris write, (if that says anything.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

no, it's not a counterfeit.

 

I can tell because the converter has the lugs. The knockoffs don't.

 

That said, I will say that the EF nibs in the knockoffs is honestly better than the authentic ones. Which is sad. I buy knockoffs just to take the nibs and use them instead of my lamy nibs.

Selling a boatload of restored, fairly rare, vintage Japanese gold nib pens, click here to see (more added as I finish restoring them)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

no, it's not a counterfeit.

 

I can tell because the converter has the lugs. The knockoffs don't.

 

That said, I will say that the EF nibs in the knockoffs is honestly better than the authentic ones. Which is sad. I buy knockoffs just to take the nibs and use them instead of my lamy nibs.

 

 

Good catch on the lugs! You have far better eyes than me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

...

What/why does it matter, and if it's counterfeit, what do you want to do about it?

...

I'm not the OP, but for me the worry would be the safety of the materials used. Lead paint is cheaper. It's annoying to dispose of things with hazardous materials, since if you put it in with the regular trash to the landfill, lead gets into the animal population and eventually back to human beings. Total pain in the neck, and you're unlikely to get the little piece of paper warning you about heavy metals when buying some black market knockoff. It's annoying enough when you do get the piece of paper.

 

It's better to avoid it altogether. Tragedy of the Commons, or something adjacent to it, means the problem will still exist, but at least your conscience is clear. I don't personally care that much about the intellectual property part of it, but it's also a factor.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not the OP, but for me the worry would be the safety of the materials used. Lead paint is cheaper. It's annoying to dispose of things with hazardous materials,

 

The O.P. bought a pen at a price that is significantly lower than LAMY's 'official' pricing, and received a pen that is in working order but may be a counterfeit product. My question was what he/she wants to do about. Avoiding receiving a counterfeit product is out of the question at that point, irrespective of whether environmental concerns are on the buyer's mind; he/she obviously did not set out to buy something known to be counterfeit as a trade-off for a lower price (and neither did I, with my two 'limited edition' coloured LAMY Safari pens).

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The paint on the rim of the cap (6th pic) seems to have worn off. QC/Lighting/Used pen?

You could try swapping nibs with another Lamy pen, if possible.

no, it's not a counterfeit.

I can tell because the converter has the lugs. The knockoffs don't.

+1

Engineer :

Someone who does precision guesswork based on unreliable data provided by those of questionable knowledge.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

look genuine to me , I also saw the lug on the converter which convince me that this is likely and most surely a Lamy ; stated so, these days Lamy QC are not that great either, both my Dark Lilac and Petrol LE Safari feel cheap in my hand when I compared to my old early 90's production and I can feel it ; they both end up shelf queen now

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Looks OK but as others have said, it is hard to tell, except for the converter. BTW Safaris, Vistas and AL-stars never come with a manual, at least not in Europe.

Edited by hbdk

People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them - Dave Berry

 

Min danske webshop med notesbøger, fyldepenne og blæk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not the OP, but for me the worry would be the safety of the materials used. Lead paint is cheaper. It's annoying to dispose of things with hazardous materials, since if you put it in with the regular trash to the landfill, lead gets into the animal population and eventually back to human beings. Total pain in the neck, and you're unlikely to get the little piece of paper warning you about heavy metals when buying some black market knockoff. It's annoying enough when you do get the piece of paper.

 

It's better to avoid it altogether. Tragedy of the Commons, or something adjacent to it, means the problem will still exist, but at least your conscience is clear. I don't personally care that much about the intellectual property part of it, but it's also a factor.

 

Lead white paint is cheaper, but it's also a very different beast from what's used to paint pens. Leaded paint doesn't spray very well, and it dips very thick. Both are not ideal for making pens.

 

Also, lead is not even the slightest bit toxic when handled with intact skin. Lead is toxic when it is inhaled or ingested. Kids eating paint chips or inhaling lead dust from old paint removal or lead in the water getting into your GI tract are where your exposures happen. Divers handle blocks of raw lead on their dive weight belts every single day. So maybe chewing a on a pen painted with lead paint would be bad, but the likelihood of seeing lead paint on a pen is, for me, astronomically low. Also, you'd have to chew on that pen pretty aggressively for YEARS to even see a measurable increase in blood serum lead levels, and you'd probably have to literally completely eat three or four of the lead painted pens to ever see the mildest of symptoms of lead poisoning.

 

You are almost certainly not going to see lead paint on a pen.

Edited by Honeybadgers

Selling a boatload of restored, fairly rare, vintage Japanese gold nib pens, click here to see (more added as I finish restoring them)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33494
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26624
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...