Pen Review: Lamy Safari
I wanted to kickstart this blog with a review on one of my very first pens--the Lamy Safari in Neon Coral (2014 limited edition). Lamy is a German company which was founded in 1930. Their designs are inspired by the Bauhaus principle: "Form follows function." Lamy produces several fountain pen variants, from Safaris to Al-Stars and Studios.
When I first looked into purchasing a fountain pen, I wanted something that was durable and user friendly. I was initially hesitant about this coral color because it is so bright. But over time, I've found that the bright pink/orange fits in perfectly with Texas summers.
Safaris retail around $30 (according to Goulet Pens) which make them affordable for beginners. I paid a little bit more for mine since it was limited edition.
Design(5/5) : The Safari is made of ABS plastic which is what Legos are made of. The Lamy logo is imprinted at the end of the barrel. Although I wish to never step on Legos at night again, I do appreciate the material. I can toss my Safari into a bag or purse without worrying about scratches or dents!
Unlike traditional fountain pens, Safaris utilize snap caps. This makes it easy to uncap the pen and write when you're in a hurry. The metal clip is sturdy and has no issues holding several pages at a time.
The Lamy Safari is known for its characteristic grip section. The section is designed to be used with a "tripod" pen grip and is great for beginners. I tend to use a death grip (thank you, ballpoint pens) and hold my pens closer to the nib. However, I found the tripod grip to be pleasantly comfortable even during long writing sessions! I tend to use my pens unposted and prefer light pens. The Safari weighs 10 g uncapped (17 g posted) which is perfect if you need to take a lot of notes.
Color (5/5): Safaris come in a wide range of standard and limited edition colors. Initially I was turned off by the color, but I ended up loving the orange-pink color. This makes my day a little bit brighter every time I use it!
Neon Coral compared to highlighter-pink Post-It
Nib (4/5): The Safaris come in EF, F, M, and B steel nibs. It's extremely easy to swap out nibs, which makes it a fan favorite among those who want to find their nib size. I started out with an EF nib, but gravitated towards F and M nibs over the years.
However, a caveat about the sizes--these are German nibs so the lines are wider than Japanese pens. Additionally, I have heard of quality issues in terms of nib sizing--a EF may write as thick as a F, for instance. You can see below that my F and M nibs are similar.
The pen writes smoothly and nicely, though the EF nib was a bit scractchy at times. If you don't have micro-mesh to smooth out the nib, you could try drawing on watercolor paper. I found that this smoothed out the EF nib and made it a "wetter" writer.
Ink Capacity(4/5): Lamy Safaris can use catridges or converters. The cartridges hold 1.56 mL and the converters hold 1.08 mL. This translates to roughly 2-3 pages of writing.
Overall: I would give this pen a 4.5/5. This pen has earned itself a solid place as one of my daily carries. I think this is a great recommendation for those who would like to dip their toes into fountain pen waters, or those who want a reliable, sturdy writer.
Disclaimer: This pen was purchased by me and all opinions/photos are my own. This post was not sponsored.