Fountain Pen Review: Lamy Safari
Let me cut straight to the chase here: I DESPISE THIS PEN.
After buying my second Pilot Metropolitan, I thought I’d check out the OTHER “budget” pen everyone raves about the Lamy Safari. To be honest, I never much liked the look of the Safari — with its plastic body, wire clip, and vaguely military tactical aesthetic, I thought it looked cheap and utilitarian (and not in a good way). But people seem to love it, and I figured, if it writes well, who cares what it looks like?
It does not write well.
I ordered a broad nib because I had just gotten a bottle of Noodler’s Apache Sunset and I thought a broad nib would show it off well. Of course, to use bottled ink, I needed to order a convertor too, which took a while to arrive after the pen was already here. So, eager to play with my new toy, I loaded up the included blue ink cartridge.
This pen is dry, chalky even. I could never get a clean line flowing with the cartridge. I washed and washed and washed again the nib and feed. I looked at the nib under a magnifying glass to see if the tines were aligned (they are). I drew a thousand figure eights on a brown paper bag in hopes of smoothing the tip. I removed and reseated the nib over and over.
Nothing made this pen write well.
People complain about the section — its triangular cross-section is supposed to help students learn the correct grip on the pen, but for me, that’s the driest way to hold the pen. If I kind of hold it at a right angle to the page, I can get enough ink to flow for a decent line, though it’s still like dragging chalk.
I had hoped it was just the ink, but refilling with Apache Sunset made it even worse. So I tried Diamine Ancient Copper (another ink that comes into its own with a broad nib) — not better. The handwritten review is written with Noodler’s Red Rattler, an ink that’s supposed to have lubricating properties, which I thought might help but… no. It’s dry, it railroads, it feels AWFUL, and it looks ugly.
This is not a pen I plan to use again. I won’t even give the Lamy Safari away, because there’s nobody I dislike that much. And thus ends my foray into the world of Lamy pens.
Typo: “((and not in a good way)”
Fixed! Thanks for the heads up.
Thank you. I’ve been similarly disappointed by this pen and have never understood why so many people rave about it.
When you get a bad nib, they’re bad…yes, chalky. I would ask for a swap with the vendor (I’ve done this in the past), because when you get a good nib, they’re really nice. I have some super smooth ones. Nibs are easily swappable, too…so a good nib can be swapped amongst many of the Lamy models. I’ve had the most issues with the black coated nibs, for some reason, but have always asked for a replacement when one isn’t up to snuff.
Mary: When I first got the pen and had such a miserable experience, I did a lot of research and saw a lot of people with bad nibs. Sure, I could return it or buy a new nib, but my thinking is, I shouldn’t have to. Poor quality control is the hallmark of a brand that doesn’t care about its product or its customers. The burden shouldn’t be on the customer to make Lamy’s signature product worthwhile.