Excellent review – very thorough! I whole-heartedly agree with your assessment: the Lamy Safari is a great beginner pen and a great fountain pen, period! I have two Safaris that I use almost daily because they write better than some of my much more expensive pens. I added the converters to both and will probably purchase more Safaris (one of each color isn’t too many – is it?).

@John Johnston – Thanks for the great feedback, I definitely dont think that one of each color is too many. Lamy just came out with an orange version of the pen too, so that can keep you busy if they keep adding colors, although this pen has been a part of their line for a while now.

Two Safaris on my desk right now so that tells you something about my opinion of them. The grip took a little time to adjust to but now I miss it on other pens. The shape of the extra-fine nib even improves my handwriting and for a small investment, you can even purchase extra nibs. The Safari is definitely one of my favorite pens.

Now if they would just release a brown version…

@Inkophile – I agree about the grip, took a little bit of getting used to, but now I really like it. Brown would be cool…they did recently release a brown version of the Lamy Studio, so there might be some hope.

Interesting recommendation. I know a lot of people who swear by the Safari but I’ve never tried one. I owned one Lamy, the name of which escapes me, but it was sold by Levenger, was entirely metal (stainless steel, I think) and the majority of the pen was a stark hexagonal shape with no rounded edges. Only the very bottom grip of the pen was a rounded shape, albeit with rough ridging. Not very comfortable – no amount of “getting used to” could make me enjoy writing with it. Although I wasn’t particularly impressed by that particular design, I’m willing to give the popular Safari a try.

@Cranky – Ill be honest, before I bought my Safari, I didnt find it to be such an exciting or interesting fountain pen, but after having used it for a little bit, it really grew on me. Totally worth a try if you dont mind spending the $30. I just feel like its a great every day use type fountain pen, and you dont have to worry too much about it getting beat up or anything…not that I would abuse it, but its nice not to worry about every tiny little possible dent or scratch.

Im with you on any pens that have any kind of hexagonal shape or rough edges, just the site of them makes my fingers hurt…I could never write with something like that.

I have the Safari Vista XF (the clear demonstrator) in my pen box. I have problems at times with peripheral neuropathy in my rt hand which makes gripping any pen a reader’s challenge (numbness – no grip strength.) BUT – that unique design of the Safari really holds the pen in the right position. I run for this pen when the fingers act up. Plus, even with my large-ish hands, the pen sits corretly in my hand whether or not the cap is posted.

If nothing else, esp given the price, this is a good “special needs” kind of pen for folks who have grippng problems that cause their handwriting to wander. I bet it might help folks improve their penmanship/handwiting given that the pen pretty much holds itself in place for you.

I really don’t mind the “scratchy” sound of the XF nib and it adds to the coolness factor of the pen.

I DO like that it’s one of the few fountain pens with a line fine enough that I can use in a smaller format planner book (like a regular size Franklin Covey planner, or Levenger circa in the Junior size.

@RedPiano1 – Thanks for that extra info, thats something I could have never been able to share with the readers here, and Im sure that you are not the only person out there with a similar issue, so thank you!

i have three lamys: a f-nib vista, ef safari, and ef studio. the safari is scratchy, and also thinner — at least, it seems to me — than the studio, despite the fact that they have the same nib size. is this the case in your experience with them?

i use the lamys mainly for drawing and sketching (i fill them with carbon ink and they’ve held up well the past few months), but the barrels of the vista and safari are more comfortable than the studio, which is very slick-looking but has no finger grooves for grip.

for writing i prefer the pilots: prera, lucina, and penmanship — thin, thin lines and smooth, especially with noodler’s ink. private reserve seems to be rather scratchy with the prera, but i’ve yet to confirm this with another ink besides noodler’s. they’re also great beginner fountain pens, though the prera and lucina are pricier.

thanks for the review. maybe it’s just my own lamy safari that’s wonky… XD

@mabeloos – That is interesting, I dont notice much difference between my Sarari and Studio EF Nibs. I have read people mention that there are consistency issues between different nibs of the same size from both Pelikan and Lamy.

I agree with you on the barrel of the Studio being slick and not quite as easy to hold on to, but I still love my Studio. I am actually contemplating buying the Stainless Steel version of the Studio because it has a black rubbery grip instead of the smooth and sometimes slippery metal grip.

Glad you enjoyed the review, and I appreciate your additional feedback on the Lamys and your ink combinations. There are so many variables out there, so it is good to hear from different people on their experiences.

@OSG: Well, with Levenger sending me coupons twice a week these days (they know a fish when they’ve got one on the hook) I’m definitely interested in using one to grab a Safari. (If you’re reading this, Steve, there you go, OSG made you a sale…)

i am writing with a 14 kt gold broad nib fitted on a yellow safari one of a kind writes very smooth.

@peter hernandez – That sounds like a pretty cool looking pen, would love to see a picture if you have one.

I recently bought an AL Star (I don’t understand the spellink there either, unless the AL is because the pen is Aluminum instead of Plastic) because I wanted the particular shade of purple that only comes in that line. Again, went for the F nib. (I’m not sure that Lamy makes an XF for this line: I certainly didn’t need it.)

Wow! Even though it’s the same writing “guts” as the safari, it’s a great pen – very smooth, nice wet nib, and no scratching or skipping (when I’m writing flat on the desk instead of “on the run” in my Circa books.)

This is about four Lamys for me, and I’m noticing that the differences in touch and feel varies by pen. some more scratchy than others, and some less dry/wet. It is a little bit different for each one I have, though nothing so flawed as to say I dislike ANY of the bunch. I’m stil a Safari (and now AL Star) zealot.

@RedPiano1 – i always just assumed that the AL stood for Aluminum. Interesting to know your experiences with differences in the pens, I only own a Safari and Vista, but I do notice slight differences with the two, especially when using the same inks with the two.

Have you ever had trouble with the feed and/or the nib on the Lamy Safari warping while using Noodler’s ink or have you ever heard of anyone having this problem? I’m asking you first of all because I’ve been reading your reviews for a little while now and you seem to have a good knowledge of both pens and inks, and secondly because I was in a store today looking for Noodler’s ink, but when I told the sales associate I was going to put it in a Safari he warned me that some customers have complained about the feed warping. I found this a little odd because on the Noodler’s web site they have an article about how their inks are pH neutral and are safe even for vintage pens. Any information would be helpful.

Thanks.

@eska – Personally I’ve never had any issues. I have used my Safari with multiple different colors and types of Noodlers, including the Bullet proof versions, the regular versions, and even Blue Ghost. I remember before I ever bought any of my fountain pens I read lots on the issue of Noodlers and its impact or lack of impact on fountain pens on FountainPenNetwork.com. It can be a pretty controversial topic, so all I can do is weigh in on my personal experiences that have all been good, so I hope that is helpful.

I just bought a Lamy Safary with extra fine nib based on this review. I was going to get a fountain pen of some kind, and this convinced me. I also got it from Writer’s Bloc and I can attest to their extremely quick turn around time. I got my items (Lamy Safari fountain pen, converter, Lamy blue-black ink and several Clairfontaine notebooks) in less than a week.

I’m left handed and stopped using fountain pens because of the smudging I always got and because they were scratchy on the paper (these were $5 parker fountain pens, btw, so yeah….). Since I learned to write correctly as a left hander, I decided to try out a fountain pen again, and wow… what a difference. The Lamy Safari is smooth, not at all scratchy, and after I started it on a trial basis, just to see how it wrote, I just put my other pens away. Now I use it for everything as much as possible.

Thanks for pointing me toward fountain pens in general (again) and toward this Lamy Safari in particular. My Zebra Sarasa gel pens are nice, but this pen beats them hands down for pleasure in writing.

@Michael – Glad to hear that the review was helpful, and that Writer’s Bloc came through for you. Im always happy to hear of good experiences like that so I know it wasnt just me. Also happy to know that you are back to using fountain pens, and enjoying them so much! Thanks for sharing your experiences.

How does the grip work for lefties?

@Austin – Hopefully someone else can chime in who is a lefty, however Id imagine it works just as well because the shape of it is perfectly symmetrical so it should be an identical experience with either hand.

How would you compare the size of the Lamy nibs to the Preppy nibs? I have two Preppy fountain pens and had already decided to buy a Lamy safari when I found your reviews. I have a Preppy 0.3 and 0.5 and I prefer the 0.3. Which size Lamy would you recommend? Thanks

@Emily – I assume you like a finer tip that leaves a really thin line? What kidn of paper do you think you will mostly be writing on? I can do a quick side by side comparison for you if you have a specific paper in mind. I’ve got my Safari loaded with some Noodler’s Blue Black right now.

I’ll be using it mostly at work where I am usually writing on either a generic lined letter size pad or a pad of lined paper that is similar in weight to 20lb printer paper. I don’t like a nib that leaves a really thin line, but I find the 0.5 Preppy is just a bit too thick and doesn’t write as comfortably as the 0.3.

@Emily – I’m going to update this post with a writing sample for you tomorrow evening.

@Emily – Updated the post with a new writing sample there at the end for you. I hope that helps, but if you need anything else just let me know.

Thanks very much for going to the trouble of posting the comparison writing sample. It’s very helpful and now I know I should get the EF nib. Thanks again!

I’ve just bought my Lamy Safari EF nib. A blue one! It is my first fountain pen and I am loving it. But I am not sure if I am doing something wrong because the blue ink that comes with it seems to be so light compare to other reviews that I saw in the internet. What do you think about it?

@Emily – No problem, glad it was a help!

@Ana Claudia – Congrats! I’ve never used one of the ink cartridges that comes with the Lamy pens, Ill see if I can find one and give it a test and post the results here.

These are my first two fountain pens as an adult Lamy AL-Star FP and a Lamy Safari MP. These fountain pens both write smoothly across the page. The grip is good for everyday use. I do not have to worry about the pen sliding out of my fingers, either. However, I am a bit dissatisfied with the fine point not being very fine. The medium point is almost the same width as the fine point. The Lamy fine point appears to be a medium in comparison to other fountain pens. In the future, I will experiment with Lamy’s extra fine point and I hope it writes just as smooth as the FP and MP pens.

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@Alc – I think you will notice that Lamy fountain pens do tend to have a bit wider of a nib even for F or EF sizes. I’ve found that I am usually happier with my Pelikan M215 with a F nib when I want something that writes with a nice fine line.

I got a Lamy Safari for Christmas. I’m using it with a converter and Noodler’s Ottoman Rose (at the moment). I have 5 other fountain pens: a cheap $12 stationery store model (writes best, go figure), a Rotring, a Levenger, a clear one I forget who made it, and a basic-looking Pelikan. They all start out well, sometimes for a full thing of ink, but eventually the feed gets inconsistent. Flushing doesn’t help. My Safari wrote well when I first got it and filled it with Noodler’s. 65 journal pages later, it suddenly got skippy. I got on the internet, learned that I should have rinsed it with a little soapy water when it was new. I did this and my pen was awesome again. Several days later, the inconsistency is back. This seems to eventually happen with all my pens. I’m not a hard presser, but I do hold my pens funny; I’ve never gripped a writing implement properly, but I do manage to get fountain pens to write correctly a lot of the time.

Sorry for the long post, but should I just give up on fountain pens? Nothing seems to work for me long-term (except that cheap $12 pen, but the cap won’t stay on that one).

Loving my Lamy Safari – bought it in white with chrome nib, it’s beautiful. I also bought the Joy which is also a beauty. Seems to be the same pen, just with an elongated body. This is a beautiful streamlined look, especially with out the cap.

@Brooke – I wonder if it has anything to do with the paper you are writing on? If the paper quality is bad, maybe it is getting some paper fiber caught up in the nib? Maybe try on some different paper, something like the Rhodia 90g Web Notebook.

@Victoria O. – Awesome, Im so glad to hear you are enjoying them. I have yet to try the Joy, but I think you are correct.

You wrote this review a couple of years ago, but I just came across it when I was reading (again) about Lamy pens. I love my Al-Star. I have bought a couple of more expensive pens since, but my Lamy is my favorite for writing for any length of time because of the great section. Every ink I’ve tried in it so far has flowed smoothly in it, too. I got my pen with a medium nib, but think I’ll get a fine one. A medium for them is a little broader than other pen makers. I’ve heard it’s a German thing.

Today I went to the Mall and asked a little about the Lamy pens – they told me I can basically buy any body and fit any nib, so I’ll be going with a 1.1 italic and testing it out in the various bodies. The most extreme is a very long paintbrush style (similar to a Rotring Artpen I picked up in England about 15 years ago which has since disappeared).

I was surprised, after having tested a Sheaffer and finally buying an Osmiroid calligraphy set many years back, at how civilised this Lamy nib is – it didn’t ‘bite’ and it didn’t compensate with a fat polished chisel – leaving the ‘thins’ too thick….

The thins were razor sharp, and the texture is far superior to the pens I was testing 15 years back (and much easier to use, if not superior in final quality) to dip pens.

I’ll definitely take a sheet of cheap copier paper when I return to test it – as that’s mostly the kind of paper I scribble on.

Today I went to the Mall and asked a little about the Lamy pens – they told me I can basically buy any body and fit any nib, so I’ll be going with a 1.1 italic and testing it out in the various bodies. The most extreme is a very long paintbrush style (similar to a Rotring Artpen I picked up in England about 15 years ago which has since disappeared).

I was surprised, after having tested a Sheaffer and finally buying an Osmiroid calligraphy set many years back, at how civilised this Lamy nib is – it didn’t ‘bite’ and it didn’t compensate with a fat polished chisel – leaving the ‘thins’ too thick….

The thins were razor sharp, and the texture is far superior to the pens I was testing 15 years back (and much easier to use, if not superior in final quality) to dip pens.

I’ll definitely take a sheet of cheap copier paper when I return to test it – as that’s mostly the kind of paper I scribble on.