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kb3lom

By kb3lom
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kb3lom NOS (New Old Stock)

kb3lom

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Just getting back into pens again. I write a lot for my job plus I journal. I have a handful of Lamy's but would like to try something else. 

 

What should I be looking at?

 

Many thanks.

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PAKMAN Ancient Artifact

PAKMAN

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Welcome back! So many options, it's hard to point you in the right direction.

PAKMAN

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I am not a number Donor Pen

I am not a number

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Welcome!!

 

I'd echo Pakman's comment, there is an absolute myriad of choices available right now, with a lot of Chinese brands being surprisingly good value for money. Perhaps you could let us know some of your preferences in pens, that would certainly help!

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of nothing at all...

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Penguincollector Donor Pen

Penguincollector

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  Hi, welcome back!  What kind of Lamy pens do you have and what do you like or dislike about them? Are you looking for something modern, something luxurious, vintage, every day carry? Do you prefer steel or gold nibs? Let us know and we can brainstorm with you.

Top 5 (in no particular order) of 25 currently inked pens:

Parker Duofold Centennial IM, RO Rose Gold Antiqua

MontBlanc Bohème Noir F, MB Midnight Blue 

Pelikan M800 needlepoint, Kuretake Shikon

MontBlanc Noblesse M, KWZ Sheen Machine 2

Waterman 52 EF, Herbin Bleu Pervenche

always looking for penguin fountain pens and stationery 

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boilermaker1975 Vintage

boilermaker1975

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Lamy Safaris are a great place to start. It is easy and cheap to change nibs and experiment.

 

Over the last year I have acquired pens from around $30, like Safaris and MP1s on sale, to around $900. I have enjoyed them all. Each is a fun experience.

My top pens

1. Visconti Homo Sapiens Bronze Age

2. Onoto Faraday

3. Onoto Magna Ebonite

4-9. My Pelikans ( three 800s, two 805s, one 809)

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Mark from Yorkshire Collectors Item

Mark from Yorkshire

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large.FPNforwebuse.jpg.3f72f2bf419d2caf5451b08080b2ef25.jpg

Mark from the Latin Marcus follower of mars, the god of war.

 

Yorkshire Born, Yorkshire Bred. 
 

my current favourite author is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

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I am not a number Donor Pen

I am not a number

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1 hour ago, kb3lom said:

Thanks for the replies. What would Lamy have that would be a level up from the Safari? And something with a bigger nib, say a 1.5 or so?

The level up, whilst keeping the same styling, is the Al-Star, basically a Safari with an Aluminium body.

 

As for a 1.5mm nib, it's incredibly easy to swap-out the nib on the Safari and Al-Star. Just get the nib size you want, and change them over. It takes seconds, and there are many tutorials available on YouTube.

 

As I find Lamy a tad on the pricey side for what amounts to a small piece of bent metal with a slit, I get Lamy-compatible nibs from Ali Express. I also use those nibs on some of my Chinese pens, like the Jinhao 80, which has top-end Lamy styling (based on the Lamy 2000 body) with a Safari-style nib. They can be found for around $5-7 and are great value.

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of nothing at all...

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inkstainedruth Ancient Artifact

inkstainedruth

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Yeah -- I was amazed at how easy it is to swap Safari/al-Star/LX nibs between pens (saw a vendor do it for some customer at a pen show a few years ago) -- so did that when I got a Hanzi nib and swapped it into one of my Lamy pens for the nib that was in it (I think an M, and didn't really need another M nibbed Lamy pen...).  

Just roll up a piece of masking tape (sticky side out) and slide the nib horizontally off the feed.  The slide the replacement nib on the same way....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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Penguincollector Donor Pen

Penguincollector

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  I bought Z series gold nibs for my Lamy pens (and Chinese clones) and really enjoy them. They are a very nice upgrade and a completely different experience than the steel Z nibs. It also gives me a chuckle to see a very budget pen like a Jinhao 80 with a nice nib. 

Top 5 (in no particular order) of 25 currently inked pens:

Parker Duofold Centennial IM, RO Rose Gold Antiqua

MontBlanc Bohème Noir F, MB Midnight Blue 

Pelikan M800 needlepoint, Kuretake Shikon

MontBlanc Noblesse M, KWZ Sheen Machine 2

Waterman 52 EF, Herbin Bleu Pervenche

always looking for penguin fountain pens and stationery 

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CatchyNameHere Near Mint

CatchyNameHere

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I have no recommendations, because I'm really in the same boat as you. I've been interested in fountain pens for a few years now, but I kind of settled into what I had on hand and used them. I still browse pens on breaks because of the sheer number of email lists I'm on, but I only started collecting again recently. I'm trying not to miss all of the pen shows this year. I just don't know which one I'm going to make it to. Chicago was closest, but that's over. Oops. 

Anyway, welcome back! 

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CatchyNameHere Near Mint

CatchyNameHere

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On 5/2/2026 at 11:45 AM, inkstainedruth said:

Yeah -- I was amazed at how easy it is to swap Safari/al-Star/LX nibs between pens (saw a vendor do it for some customer at a pen show a few years ago) -- so did that when I got a Hanzi nib and swapped it into one of my Lamy pens for the nib that was in it (I think an M, and didn't really need another M nibbed Lamy pen...).  

Just roll up a piece of masking tape (sticky side out) and slide the nib horizontally off the feed.  The slide the replacement nib on the same way....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

I keep looking at the two Safaris I have and imagining them with opposite grip/finial/nibs. I also like them as is... Conundrum. 

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