I just going to say it... I personally hate the look of the Lamy Safari and All TWSBIs.

[collectorofmanythings]

4 hours ago, Prettypenny said:

We are learning about pens and we are also learning about 'taste'!

As you say nm4, "Beauty is no quality in things themselves. It exists merely in the mind that contemplates them". David Hume, 'Of the Standard of Taste'

I can not comment on matters of personal 'Taste'.

Interesting. Thank you for your response!

[tmurfet]

For myself I'm only interested in minimalist designs, especially those that conform to the Bauhaus philosophy that form follows function with a minimum of further embellishment. More importantly, that the design is robust, blends in attractive aesthetic qualities; primary colors are welcome, and is producible in a cost efficient way, at a price that the average jo can afford. There are few pens that meet all those requirements. There is also the personal aspect of whether the pen appeals. My matt silver Rotring Esprit has been for more than 25 years the only FP I owned -- I still pick it up and play with it in my hands, then look for something to write with it 😋. Some examples I like: LAMY cp1, Rotring Esprit, Namisu Naos. I don't like the paperclip design on the LAMY pens that have it, or the barrel and grip contours -- too fussy for me.

[Nurmister]

There's no beauty in the design, sure, but it's completely unobstructed which was incredibly appealing to me as a first-time FP user. There was no flourishing disguising its functionality or complex filling mechanisms, and it was a great starting point as a reliable, comfortable pen to further develop my tastes.

 

I remember purchasing a charcoal Safari in 2012 for 30-something dollars (a huge amount I thought!), and carrying it home very gently in my hands, horizontally. Why horizontally? Because I thought that fountain pens leak if they are carried vertically or were shaken. Silly me didn't realize fountain pens were sold empty.  Haha.

 

Pens of the Safari/Twisbi kind don't do anything for me anymore, but they make fountain pens accessible and seem less "old-fashioned", which is good since they get more people in the hobby.

[David_Anderson]

I am not a fan of the shape or looks of the Safari/Al Star/Vista series. Perhaps it's because the colours and chunky design have an almost childish quality. I prefer pens with a more traditional or classic appearance. On the other hand I do admire TWSBI pens whether you are talking about the simple Eco or the gorgeous new Draco.

[Nurmister]

2 minutes ago, David_Anderson said:

I am not a fan of the shape or looks of the Safari/Al Star/Vista series. Perhaps it's because the colours and chunky design have an almost childish quality. I prefer pens with a more traditional or classic appearance. On the other hand I do admire TWSBI pens whether you are talking about the simple Eco or the gorgeous new Draco.

Twisbi really is coming into its own with the Draco -- the ink window embedded into the section reminds me of those on old American pens from the 30s, it's a very charming design.

[collectorofmanythings]

31 minutes ago, tmurfet said:

For myself I'm only interested in minimalist designs, especially those that conform to the Bauhaus philosophy that form follows function with a minimum of further embellishment. More importantly, that the design is robust, blends in attractive aesthetic qualities; primary colors are welcome, and is producible in a cost efficient way, at a price that the average jo can afford. There are few pens that meet all those requirements. There is also the personal aspect of whether the pen appeals. My matt silver Rotring Esprit has been for more than 25 years the only FP I owned -- I still pick it up and play with it in my hands, then look for something to write with it 😋. Some examples I like: LAMY cp1, Rotring Esprit, Namisu Naos. I don't like the paperclip design on the LAMY pens that have it, or the barrel and grip contours -- too fussy for me.

I agree; the clip and battle and grip indentations I find ugly. Thank you for your response!

[Turquoise88]

I don’t like the look/design of either the TWSBI or the LAMY Safari/Al-Star.  I have had both pens, though,  and they are fantastic writers.  So, from my perspective, the appeal is the sound construction, good ink flow, and consistent writing experience.  However — I wound up passing both of mine along to other people who could appreciate the design as well as the performance because I simply didn’t like the way they looked. I have other fountain pens that provide a pleasing overall experience for me, so there was no point keeping them just because they wrote well. 

[collectorofmanythings]

22 minutes ago, Nurmister said:

There's no beauty in the design, sure, but it's completely unobstructed which was incredibly appealing to me as a first-time FP user. There was no flourishing disguising its functionality or complex filling mechanisms, and it was a great starting point as a reliable, comfortable pen to further develop my tastes.

 

I remember purchasing a charcoal Safari in 2012 for 30-something dollars (a huge amount I thought!), and carrying it home very gently in my hands, horizontally. Why horizontally? Because I thought that fountain pens leak if they are carried vertically or were shaken. Silly me didn't realize fountain pens were sold empty.  Haha.

 

Pens of the Safari/Twisbi kind don't do anything for me anymore, but they make fountain pens accessible and seem less "old-fashioned", which is good since they get more people in the hobby.

Very interesting response, but I could say this: The Metro comes with an equally great nib, and a converter. It is also cheaper than the Safari. But to each their own. Thank you for your response!

[collectorofmanythings]

23 minutes ago, David_Anderson said:

I am not a fan of the shape or looks of the Safari/Al Star/Vista series. Perhaps it's because the colours and chunky design have an almost childish quality. I prefer pens with a more traditional or classic appearance. On the other hand I do admire TWSBI pens whether you are talking about the simple Eco or the gorgeous new Draco.

I agree; they look childish. I am definitely a lot younger than a lot of people on this forum, but even to me this looks too childish. I am not a big fan of the eco but to me the draco is gorgeous and I understand how useful the go is.

[collectorofmanythings]

3 minutes ago, Turquoise88 said:

I don’t like the look/design of either the TWSBI or the LAMY Safari/Al-Star.  I have had both pens, though,  and they are fantastic writers.  So, from my perspective, the appeal is the sound construction, good ink flow, and consistent writing experience.  However — I wound up passing both of mine along to other people who could appreciate the design as well as the performance because I simply didn’t like the way they looked. I have other fountain pens that provide a pleasing overall experience for me, so there was no point keeping them just because they wrote well. 

Yes; no matter how much I try I just can’t seem to get myself to like the design. Thank you for your response!

[Sailor Kenshin]

20 hours ago, collectorofmanythings said:

Can anyone explain to me why they like the designs so I can appreciate it more? I don’t mean to be rude or criticize people for what they like, I am just curious why you like the look of these pens. Just please reply! I really want to know what the appeal is. Thank you for your help!

 

W. Major

 

The Safari/Al-Stars are reliable, tough, sturdy, priced well, and have easily swapped nibs....plus, they come in so many colors that it's possible to go wild with them.

[collectorofmanythings]

1 minute ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

 

The Safari/Al-Stars are reliable, tough, sturdy, priced well, and have easily swapped nibs....plus, they come in so many colors that it's possible to go wild with them.

That’s fair. Thank you for your response! 

[catbert]

'Hate' seems strong for a pen of any kind.

 

There is a chiselled spareness to matte Safaris that I enjoy. Shiny ones and AL-Stars don't have it.

I like that they are robust, reliable and accessible. I wish they came with converters but that's my only criticism.

 

My TWSBI Go is fun. If they make an Eco-T (prefer the triangular cap to the hexagonal one) in a colour I like, I'll probably get it.

 

 

 

[Bo Bo Olson]

Well, the Safari never turned me on....And in 1966, when I first saw a Lamy 2000....so what it didn't look like a Snorkel or a P-51 and was rough......What sort of Idiot wants a rough fountain pen?????????????

 

Still haven't got one, every time, when the moon is blue, and I look for a used Lamy 2000, on German Ebay.....nothing but new.....everyone keeps Gramps old 2000.

 

Do have a lamy Persona 1990; missing the little bump on the retractable spring clip to keep it from rolling off the desk.

Click picture and it's regular size....picture stolen in Brownies don't take great pictures.

Those are the 1991 and later ones, in it has that bump on the clip, that my 1990 one lacks.

The brand new Persona was the second choice back in 1990, of a great designer....and it has a great nib....if it wasn't so expensive I'd buy one. Just short of semi-flex.........don't buy the black coated nibs...all from everyone flake and soon.

[sansenri]

I dislike the Safari and avoid all TWSBI.

The reason  is mostly practical.

I'm not too attracted by the look of the Safari, my idea of a fountain pen is certainly more classic, but in particular I dislike the shape of the section, I find it uncomfortable.

I have tried the Safari and admit it's a good pen for the cost, the nibs are particularly good. Still not enough to convince me to buy one (I do own a 2k though).

I don't particularly dislike the TWSBI. I'm not highly attracted by demonstrators, but the looks of TWSBIs are pretty neat . I've tried one, however, (I think it was a 580) and the threads are terribly sharp and fall exactly onto the side of my middle finger, as I hold pens fairly high up. I could not stand holding it more than a few minutes without feeling pain. Have avoided trying other TWSBIs.

[Ste_S]

8 hours ago, collectorofmanythings said:

Very interesting response, but I could say this: The Metro comes with an equally great nib, and a converter. It is also cheaper than the Safari. But to each their own. Thank you for your response!

 

It depends where you live, the Metropolitan (or the Prera) isn't sold in the UK for example. As for nibs, Lamy offer EF through to a 1.5 Italic for their steel nib pens, where Pilot have a more limited range.

 

I think Lamy are great; they sell an iconic pen for not much money, that actually works well. Love my Neon Lime limited edition Safari which alternates between F,M,B and 1.1 nibs; whilst my wife is up to three Safari's and a Nexx

[collectorofmanythings]

5 hours ago, catbert said:

'Hate' seems strong for a pen of any kind.

 

There is a chiselled spareness to matte Safaris that I enjoy. Shiny ones and AL-Stars don't have it.

I like that they are robust, reliable and accessible. I wish they came with converters but that's my only criticism.

 

My TWSBI Go is fun. If they make an Eco-T (prefer the triangular cap to the hexagonal one) in a colour I like, I'll probably get it.

 

 

 

I know hate is a strong word, but I really, really don’t like the design. But I wanted to know other peoples opinions. I am a student so although I don’t like the design, I might get a TWSBI GO. Thank you for your recommendation and response!

[sgphototn]

I have nothing against the Safari though it's not a pen I like though it is low priced, but too many TWSBIs have cracking and breaking issues for me to trust it.

[collectorofmanythings]

3 hours ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

Well, the Safari never turned me on....And in 1966, when I first saw a Lamy 2000....so what it didn't look like a Snorkel or a P-51 and was rough......What sort of Idiot wants a rough fountain pen?????????????

 

Still haven't got one, every time, when the moon is blue, and I look for a used Lamy 2000, on German Ebay.....nothing but new.....everyone keeps Gramps old 2000.

 

Do have a lamy Persona 1990; missing the little bump on the retractable spring clip to keep it from rolling off the desk.

Click picture and it's regular size....picture stolen in Brownies don't take great pictures.

Those are the 1991 and later ones, in it has that bump on the clip, that my 1990 one lacks.

The brand new Persona was the second choice back in 1990, of a great designer....and it has a great nib....if it wasn't so expensive I'd buy one. Just short of semi-flex.........don't buy the black coated nibs...all from everyone flake and soon.

I don’t like the look of black coated nibs anyway. I am not a big fan of the 2000, not just for the textured body but also for the hooded nib. Thank you for your response!

[collectorofmanythings]

2 hours ago, sansenri said:

I dislike the Safari and avoid all TWSBI.

The reason  is mostly practical.

I'm not too attracted by the look of the Safari, my idea of a fountain pen is certainly more classic, but in particular I dislike the shape of the section, I find it uncomfortable.

I have tried the Safari and admit it's a good pen for the cost, the nibs are particularly good. Still not enough to convince me to buy one (I do own a 2k though).

I don't particularly dislike the TWSBI. I'm not highly attracted by demonstrators, but the looks of TWSBIs are pretty neat . I've tried one, however, (I think it was a 580) and the threads are terribly sharp and fall exactly onto the side of my middle finger, as I hold pens fairly high up. I could not stand holding it more than a few minutes without feeling pain. Have avoided trying other TWSBIs.

Very interesting response! Maybe you would like the Go then since it has a snap cap. But I agree; the pronounced grip really bothers me. The only one that I even somewhat like the look of in terms of triangular grips is that of the Magnum. Thank you for your response!