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Gliding on the Lamy Safari Fountain Pen

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chette
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I lost an insanely expensive fountain pen months ago, & have been heartbroken ever since. My efforts to find a suitable replacement proved futile, as stores over here seem to think that there are no other brands in the world except for Parker & Cross.

As time went by, desperation started to set in, and I decided to try my luck online. My Google searches led me to various sites on pens, crafts, GTDs, & lifehacks, until I finally narrowed down my choice to a Lamy Safari. It wasn’t too expensive for me to experience cognitive dissonance, & it wasn’t too cheap as to be mistaken for a disposable. Plus, charcoal gray is my favorite color.

I headed on to Pendemonium (I heard Swisher Pens has pretty good deals, too), and placed my order:

  • 1 Lamy Safari Pen, extra fine nib
  • 1 Lamy Safari Pen, fine nib (because I couldn’t decide on a nib)
  • 2 bottles of Noodler’s Ink (as if I will buy anything else)
  • 2 converters

After a few weeks of waiting for my order (from Pendemonium, to a US delivery address, & finally to the Philippines), I was finally able to hold the glorious pens in my hands. They were perfect.

I was warned the Safaris were too light to hold — they weren’t. The combined weight & diameter of the body was just right. It was very comfortable — not at all tiring on the wrist.

I’m also glad I got both nibs. The fine nib is great for taking down hurried notes, and extra fine was awesome for numbers & math formulas.

The Safari in charcoal has a great finish, but not so much the royal blue — I could already see tiny little scratches on them.

In the next few months, I’ll be adding the Studio & the AL Star to my Lamy collection. There are some brands just worth being loyal to.

Comments

12 responses to “Gliding on the Lamy Safari Fountain Pen”

  1. Chris Meisenzahl Avatar
    Chris Meisenzahl

    I have several of them, my favorite brand.

    Chris
    [URL=http://amateureconblog.blogspot.com/]http://amateureconblog.blogspot.com/[/URL]

    Reply
  2. Chris Meisenzahl Avatar
    Chris Meisenzahl

    I\’ve got a Lamy 2000 and Lamy Dialog 2. :grin

    Reply
  3. erik Avatar
    erik

    hello chette. thanks for the forwarded notes for Prinmar ha..?

    thanks a mil.

    Reply
  4. qube Avatar
    qube

    How do I remove the nib of my lamy? I want to replace it but I cannot take it out.

    Reply
  5. chette Avatar
    chette

    Hi qube. I was wondering the same thing. Still don\’t know how to remove my nibs. Or where to get replacement nibs for that matter. Sigh. :sigh

    Reply
  6. Jonathan Aquino Avatar
    Jonathan Aquino

    Cool stuff. I too have a charcoal Lamy Safari, but with a 1.1mm calligraphy nib.

    Where did you learn your handwriting style?

    Reply
  7. Chette Soriano Avatar
    Chette Soriano

    Jonathan: This sounds weird, but my handwriting usually morphs into someone else’s, usually one of my friends. If I am exposed to a particular handwriting, I seem to unconsciously acquire the same style.

    I guess that makes me Peter Petrelli of handwriting 🙂

    Reply
  8. James Avatar
    James

    Replacing a Lamy nib is quite straightforward if you follow this procedure:

    1. clean and dry the pen
    2. take a piece of Sellotape 50-60mm long and stick it across the nib, ie at right-angles to the axis of the pen, with the middle of the piece of tape on top of the nib. Make sure the tape only sticks to the nib, not any other part of the pen.
    3. hold the pen in your left hand with the nib horizontal and facing to the right and the tape hanging down either side.
    4. put your right index finger under the nib and grip the tape around that finger by using your thumb and middle finger.
    5. pull the tape away from the pen, applying gentle downwards pressure to ensure the tape stays stuck to the nib. The tape will grip the nib and slide it off the feed (black plastic part).
    6. slide the replacement nib on by hand, making sure it goes all the way to the end (it will be quite stiff but you shouldn’t use any tool).

    If you are left-handed, just replace “right” with “left” and vice-versa.

    Note: on rare occasions the nib and feed will come out together. Don’t worry of this happens, just continue to remove the nib before replacing the feed in the barrel of the pen. When replacing the feed, look inside the barrel and you will see a little channel formed by 2 ribs. The rib on the underside of the feed slides into this channel.

    Reply
  9. moira Avatar
    moira

    Hi! Since you’re in the Philippines too, I was wondering…I’m looking for ink for my friend’s Lamy pen (as he’s just too busy to do the work himself, lol). He uses a fountain pen type Lamy (not sure which kind though). Where do I find ink for that particular pen? And would you have to buy ink specific to the pen you use? I mean, do they come in cartridges or something? I am obviously not a fountain pen user so please excuse my ignorance. ;p

    Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

    Reply
  10. Ju Avatar
    Ju

    Thanks for this–bookmarked for when I get the replacement nibs.

    Oh, also, http://www.pengallery.com from Malaysia ships Lamys to Manila really quick. 🙂

    Reply
  11. helloise Avatar
    helloise

    thanks for the info on this post – googled “lamy fountain pen manila” and this was one of the first 5 search results. just lost a beloved lamy safari extra fine two days ago and i’m mildly devastated haha. di ako mapakali!

    i want to replace mine asap – i have a cross fountain pen and it just pales in comparison.

    stupid question: i’ve always used cartridges for my pens (bought them in a shop in berlin) but i want to start using ink for a change… how do you go about it?

    Reply
    1. Howard Avatar
      Howard

      i believe you need to get a “converter”.

      Reply

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