Lamy Safari Fountain Pen – Charcoal – Fine

Before I write anything else I have to mention that the ink provided in the ink cartridge in this fountain pen does smudge/smear/run across a paper surface when exposed to liquid/water. It spreads across the wet part of the surface creating a bluish spot/water mark. Whatever had been written becomes difficult to read. I recommend avoiding using this ink when writing on/signing a check or other important document because it may be rejected if it becomes wet for any reason. Use an ink that is labeled as being waterproof and test it on a small piece of paper(step 1: Write something. step 2: Wet under faucet for a short time.) before using the ink.Now about the Lamy Safari pen itself. I bought it because I wanted to get away from using “disposable” pens that I feel are wasteful. I first used a Fountain pen about 20 years ago, when I was in school. After that I used only Ball Point pens and their variants. I became accustomed to Ball Point pens, but recently I have become uneasy about the amount of resources that I am wasting throwing away “disposable” pens. Because of this I decided to give Fountain pens another try.I bought the Lamy Safari pen with a Lamy Pen Ink bottle and the Lamy Z24 converter. I should have waited before buying the ink. The ink I assume is the same type that is used in the ink cartridge that was provided with the pen. I described the problem with the ink above. I chose the Lamy brand because of the good reviews.I put this pen to the test in an office environment in the workplace, this pen is not sitting on a desk at home. I am still using the original ink cartridge.I quickly noticed how much more time I need to prepare the pen to write vs. a Ball Point with its single push mechanism. The Lamy pen in storage is capped, to avoid ink leaks or accidentally writing on something. The cap has to be removed and placed somewhere(most of the time on the opposite end of the pen). Then I have to turn/flip the pen nib into a comfortable writing position where the metal “top” end is visible. With many modern Ball Point pens you just have to press down on a “button” on the pen and the writing tip/nib/point is exposed and is ready to write.The pen is not always ready to go, I frequently have to press down the nib on paper before I start writing, otherwise all it does is scratch the (standard office) paper. Once the ink starts flowing it writes relatively smoothly but the ink has a tendency to stop mid-way while writing a word forcing me to stop and go back to re-write the word(s). This is annoying.The Blue Lamy ink also seems to change color. At one point it writes dark, at another point it writes with a lighter shade, sometimes it looks like black ink. I am not exactly sure what causes this change in color as it can be light and dark in the same sentence written at the same time. I have already purchased a bottle of Noodler’s Polar Blue ink which I intend to test as soon as the Lamy ink runs out in the cartridge. Hopefully it performs better.One thing I like about the Lamy Safari Fountain pen is the “ink level” window on the side which should tell me when the pen will soon run out of ink.The pen’s price of $20+ is a little too high in my opinion. Considering the materials used and quality I think these pens should be in the $10-15 price range. Modern Ball Point pens have rubberized grips, while this Lamy Safari pen only has a triangular shaped plastic grip.Overall I would give the Lamy Safari Fountain pen(with Fine nib) 3.5 stars, because I think it could be better(especially the ink). I am considering buying one again(potentially as a gift, but I would immediately replace the ink cartridge with the converter), but I also want to try cheaper Fountain pens from Parker and Pelikan.Update 2/1/2013I tried this Lamy Safari pen with Noodler’s Eternal Polar Blue Ink and this pen writes better with that ink than it did with the Lamy Ink cartridge. And the Noodler’s Ink is waterproof, which again the Lamy Ink is not. This has expanded the usefulness of this pen.

I’ve owned numerous Lamy Safaris over the last thirty years and have a nuanced respect for the brand. Lamy makes my all-time favorite fountain pen, the Lamy 2000. The Lamy pedigree is sophisticated quality. And, for the most part, the Safari fulfills this heritage.There really isn’t much which differentiates the writing experience between cheaper Lamy pens. The Safari writes like an Al-Star, which writes like a Vista, which writes like a Logo, which writes like an LX. Nibs and feeds are all the same. Nibs differ only in width.I’m fairly sure there is no difference at all, save materials used for barrels and caps and available colors, between the Safari, Al-Star, Vista and LX. All have the Safari shape, a wire pocket clip, identical nibs and ink windows. The Safari is made of plastic, while the Al-Star and LX are made of aluminum, with the Al-Star anodized in a variety of cool colors combined with chrome clips and the LX in some funkier colors (rose gold) with ma

This is my second Lamy fountain pen. The first is a medium nib, and this one is a fine nib. There’s some difference between them, but I wish this fine one would make sharper lines.The Lamy ones are the smoothest to write of the pens I have. They have a buttery feel while writing. The ink comes fast even after long periods of time without using the pen.In my opinion, it could be a little heavier, but that’s a personal preference. They are good and inexpensive fountain pens, great for beginners, and great if you don’t want to worry about losing or ruining a high-level pen.

This is my favorite pen and the only one that I have written with since it arrived! Its fun to use the fountain pen and every sign shows its an authentic lamy! The box is correct, it came with the cardboard ring and blue ink on it like an authentic lamy!

The nib is wonderful, it’s balanced well, and I love writing with it.