LAMY Safari Review
Happy New Year! I hope you have been enjoying the holidays. As is typical, the new year has brought forth an urge to write, and here I am. I've been snowed in for the past few days so I have had some time to compile a few reviews and take some pictures. I have been wanting to make a post about one of my favorite pens, the LAMY Safari, since I got my first one a few years ago. This Christmas, I got another, as well as an AL-Star, so I figured now would be a good time to do this. I will probably release a review of the AL-Star alongside this one, so be on the lookout for that!
The LAMY Safari frequently tops lists of the best "beginner" fountain pens, and not for nothing. I am a big fan of German engineering, and this is one of the best examples. I tried to pin down when I got my first Safari, but I couldn't find a picture. I am pretty sure it was a gift, but regardless I have been using the white one for at least two years. It has held up to countless drops, scrapes, and just being tossed in a bag. I think the main reasons they are "beginner friendly" are that these pens are inexpensive, durable, and don't require an absurd amount of maintenance. I clean mine every two refills.
The pens are made from "high-gloss ASA Plastic" according to their website. It is indeed glossy, which makes taking pictures of them very difficult. That aside, I like the finish. It's smooth but not so much so that they become slippery. The grip section has LAMY's signature shape, which is designed to encourage proper grip. I personally do not use a pinch grip, but it is still comfortable to hold. They come in tons of different colors and special editions. The ones I have are "Blue with Red Clip" (limited edition), "White with Red Clip" (limited edition), and "Green." There are certainly colors for everyone. Additionally, they have some versions that are matte rather than gloss. I will update this if I ever pick one up.
Along with the ergonomic grip, the Safari also features an ink window to monitor how much ink is left. That's what the circle in the body is supposed to be. I find that it can be a bit difficult to tell the ink level from this, but it is nice to have. The clip is sturdy as well. The Safari uses LAMY T 10 cartridges, as well as LAMY Z 28 converters. I only have one converter, and it is in my AL-Star. I like to match my ink to the color of the pen, so I have a blue refill in the blue one, a red refill in the white one, and black in the green one. Haven't gotten around to ordering neon green ink yet.
In addition to the multitude of colors, LAMY Safaris are available with several different nib grades. As seen above, I only have the fine and medium nibs. The options are: Broad, Medium Fine, Extra Fine, and Left Hand. I really like the medium. It glides straight over the paper and doesn't gob ink down. The LAMY refills are also excellent. You can get 5 refills for $4.50 on their website. That's a great deal in my book.
All in all, the Safari is a fantastic pen. I think this quote from the LAMY website sums it up better than I can:
"15 grams, 14 centimetres. One should not allow oneself to be deceived by this slight apparition: The LAMY safari is any thing but a lightweight. In fact, it is the bestselling writing instrument in the world in its category. It’s been over 40 years, the LAMY safari is a timelessly modern pen for the young and the young at heart and is in a class of its own. It created a stir during its market launch at the beginning of the eighties with its avant-garde design and its prominent, spring-loaded clip. It also features extraordinary robustness. Additional writing systems and continuously new product colours have made the LAMY safari a global success and a modern design classic that has established itself as a much sought-after lifestyle product in many countries around the world."
The LAMY Safari is available for $37 USD on LAMY's website, but you can typically find it cheaper on places like JetPens and Amazon. Be on the lookout for my AL-Star review, likely dropping right after this one. As always, thanks for reading, and stay sharp!
