I read all the reviews regarding this pen and decided to make the purchase. Once I received and began using it, I was amazed at how smooth and comfortable it was to use. It looks great and simple and it serves its purpose. I would recommend buying either a refill cartridge or the converter to use refillable ink since I used it up within a week (of heavy use of course!) Lamy Safari Charcoal Fountain Pen - Charcoal, Medium Nib L17M
I've bought Watermans and a few others. Almost without exception the companies other than Lamy are designing their fountain pens with Victorian or pseudo-Modern/pseudo-contemporary design principles. I think the point that's lost is that these pens are not only far from obsolete, but in some ways the most functional of all the pens. I was introduced to the Safari as a student in Art & Architecture at Virginia tech. An odd thing, I thought. But with the Fountain, you get the most control over the line. For drawing, they are very useful, also for writing. I write a lot in notebooks when I'm not directly writing into the word processor I use fountains. And i'm telling you the physical connection between the pen, the paper & the hand matters. But in any case, though these pens are thought to be a throw-back, inferior technology & the users sappy nostalgics or at best eccentrics, Lamy is not so foolish.
Lamy's fountains are very modern and have been since the 2000 fountain transformed the company. The Safari is one of the best. And in one sense I can't say the 2000 is better. Sure, it's got a gold nib (platinum coated too) and feels better than any pen I've held in my hand, but I don't dare take it out with me, and this is a nice point to bring in the clip. If you lose pens this clip will likely save you. Attach it to the most convenient part of your clothing but not to a book cover; you'll bend it out.
This particular body: the charcoal goes pretty far back. If you want a textured feeling go with the charcoal. All of the others are made with a shinier plastic and are extremely smooth in texture. My first was a charcoal and I recently bought one more.
Nib size: it is pretty well known that Lamy nibs run a bit big, but I wouldn't even rule out the broad nib. That's what I've got in the charcoal now. The ink flows much more smoothly than medium nibbed Safari and is not too broad. People say parker this, parker that. If you're looking for a great design that you'll use all of the time, buy this. And if you're looking for a perfect writing instrument, I'd recommend the Lamy 2000 even over the more expensive models. But there's no accounting for taste.
Note on the broad nibs. The broad nib takes a while to break in. The biggest mistake is to bear down on it because the ink won't flow for a second. You'll prematurely split the nib (something that is only okay after the nib is fully broken in and springy). You'll likely avoid an initial battle with the flow if you buy m nib or finer, but the broad nib flows the freest when flowing.
This is the second Lamy Safari fountain pen (medium nib) I've bought for myself. They are good value for the price, lay down a good line and write relatively smoothly. The one problem I've encountered in both pens is that they leak out of the nib if stored on their side or cap end down, when I use them with the optional converter. I have not had a problem with them as long as I store them cap end up.
At the risk of offending the gun haters, the Lamy Safari is to pens what the Glock 17 is to pistols: it's made in Germany/Austria, it's made of polymer so it's light, and it works very well. Like the Glock it even has a little built in window so you can tell how much ammo or ink you have left.
I'm not really into fountain pens but my wife bought me a gift quality fountain pen for my birthday. I fell in love with the way it writes but it was just too darned heavy for writing. So I bought the Lamy Safari. The medium tip makes my chicken scratch handwriting look less scratchy.
I wanted to start back writing with fountain pens,after doing research on this pen it was the best one for me.I ordered this in medium (nib),based on the quality of paper the pen ink spreads out sometimes more than it suppose to.
I ended up purchasing a fine nib again because a fine writes like medium in ball point pens.i often travel with the two together. - Pens - Pen - Fountain Pens - Lamy'
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