I recently acquired a second Lamy Safari through a contest on Instagram from Vanness (see unboxing here: Lamy Safari Neon Lime from Vanness), and I felt it was time to do a review of the pen. Feel free to watch the video as well; for those that prefer reading, continue below.
Lamy Safari Fountain Pen Review
The Lamy Safari has been in production since the 1980’s. Over the years, Lamy has made some changes to the design of the pen. However, if you were to look back to an early 1980’s model, you could surely still see the similarities. The Lamy Safari fountain pen is very utilitarian. When I look at it, I don’t see something beautiful. I see something beautifully simple, that works very well. The pen is utilitarian in both form and function, and it executes these properties excellently.
Lamy Safari Cap
The cap, is very simple, it fastens to the pen via friction, resulting in a positive click. The clip reminds me of a binder clip or bent paper clip, which is strong and results in a firm purchase. Simple, and effective… the Lamy way.
Lamy Safari Nib
The nibs on the Lamy Safari come in two colors, black or silver. EF, F, M, B are all available in black or silver, however 1.1mm, 1.5mm, and 1.9mm italics are only available in silver. One of the coolest things about the Lamy Safari nibs, is that they are very easy to remove and replace. This allows you to essentially buy one Lamy Safari, and a number of nibs to use with it. The nibs can be removed via masking tape. (video coming soon). Currently, I have F, 1.1mm and a 1.5mm on the way… Each of the nibs are very smooth, they do not have an issue with starting, skipping, feeding etc… They are very reliable and quality nibs. They keep up with your writing, and do not hesitate while under stress of very fast writing.
Lamy Safari Grip
As you can see in the above image, the grip has two recessed areas for your index and thumb fingers, these areas provide a very ergonomic and comfortable grip. Not much else to really say about the grip, other than it will provide you enough comfort for long writing, and the design will help prevent fatigue.
Lamy Safari Piston Converter
The Lamy Safari can use either Lamy ink cartridges, or the Lamy Z24 Piston Converter. I prefer the piston converter, so I can use whatever ink floats the proverbial boat. The converter works very well, it is pretty inexpensive, I have seen them from $3.75 – $5.00 and they work great. They have tiny tabs on the side of the converter, which clip into retaining notches on the side for the front portion of the pen.
Lamy Safari Barrel
There is a wide open window on each flat side of the Lamy Safari barrel. This is an opening, which allows you to check the ink level in your cartridge or converter. Yet again –simple and effective; I do like the larger opening, so you can better gauge the ink level.
Lastly, there is an embossed Lamy logo at the bottom end of one of the flat sides of the pen.
Lamy Safari Writing Sample
The Lamy Neon Safari ink is very hard to photograph, I suggest checking out the video to see it a little more clearly. The pens write great. They really do. Simple and efficiently effective, they are smooth, fast starting and really a dream to write with, especially considering their low cost.
Final Thoughts: Lamy Safari Fountain Pen Review
Overall, this is an excellent pen, especially when you take a look at the price point. The Lamy Safari can be purchased pretty much anywhere for between $20-$25 or so. They last forever, and are very fun and easy to write with. If you don’t mind the simple look, these pens will be great for you. I enjoy the fact that Lamy releases fun colors. There are many people out there, who collect each of the colors that are released by Lamy. Personally, I am happy with one or two, then have a few nibs to rotate through. It would be very hard to find much fault with the Safari. I honestly cannot really think of anything I do not like about the pen. If you are looking for a starter, or want to gift a pen to someone to get them hooked, these are perfect. If you are a collector, having one Lamy Safari in your collection is advisable. Two thumbs up for the Lamy Safari.
I hope you enjoyed my Lamy Safari Fountain Pen Review, if so, I would appreciate a thumbs up on the YouTube video. Also, I have added some links as to where you can get the Safari and some of the replacement nibs.
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1LzPuFu
Matt is a Systems Development Director for a multinational franchise. Matt has lived and worked in Hawaii, Chicago, South Florida and currently resides outside of Atlanta. He enjoys his hobbies including Technology, Gadgets/EDC, Fountain Pens, Wetshaving, Clocks, Antiques & Coffee. He even roasts his own coffee weekly.
If you’re running a small business, you know that your online presence is important. However, most small businesses will set up a website and perhaps a blog, and that’s it. While this “me too” approach may get you some traffic, it’s not going to give you an edge on the competition. Why not think about doing something different that sets you apart? Producing videos and putting them online is an excellent way of attracting new customers, especially if your videos are useful and not just a sales pitch. Creating a basic video doesn’t have to be expensive, and putting it on YouTube only takes a few clicks. Here are some ideas about different types of videos you might want to consider.
For the past number of years, we have had a great relationship with Rackspace. They provide email solutions to a large portion of our franchisees. In fact, if you are a new store in one of our brands, odds are – they handle your email. There are exceptions though, for example: anywhere outside of the USA may be serviced by a different provider.
