Lamy Safari Fountain Pen Review

[@frixhax9069]

Being German myself, I always thought of the ubiquitous Lamy Safari as the boring school fountain pen everyone has. Nonetheless, it‘s a German classic so in my twenties I bought one for university. I was really unhappy with the nib since even the medium one felt quite scratchy. Upgrading to the more expensive black steel series medium nib didn‘t change that. However, lately treating it carefully with some 8000 grit paper did the trick and it now writes as smoothly as my Parkers, Twsbis, and Kawecos.

[@HemingwayJones]

I have heard that they are quite popular in German schools.I haven’t had a bad experience with the nibs, but I do prefer the Calligraphy nib even though it doesn’t have any tipping. Thanks for the great comment and all the best.

[@evolvvartstudio]

I have about a dozen and a half Lamy Safaris (they're my favorite fountain pen), and I've needed to tune the nib in about half of them. 12,000 grit micro mesh, a brass flossing sheet, and a 30x/60x loupe are all I use. Sometimes it's as simple as the tines not being aligned upon arrival.

[@3yebeams]

@@evolvvartstudio Really useful thanks

[@rebeccawhite2582]

I got the Savannah and Terra colors last year. My 16 yo son liked the green one a lot, so I gave it to him. I love stubs, so will be getting those 1.1 mm nibs too. They are great, and affordable fountain pens!

[@HemingwayJones]

Hi Becky, thanks for the nice comment. I agree completely and those are some lovely colors you have. All the best.

[@gunsmokeandghouls]

Great pen, I just wish Lamy included the converter.

[@HemingwayJones]

Here here.

[@Pauley_in_GP]

Not everyone has a need for it. And here in the future, it's only six bucks. It's not really a big deal, is it?

[@3yebeams]

I have found the flow to the nibs vary from pen to pen. I bought 2 - one a special edition and one a standard pen. The standard pen doesn’t seem to write as fluently so I’m getting a converter and a better nib. I love them both though and find writing with them calming and sensual. I haven’t used a fountain pen in over 50 years and I’m glad I’ve gone back to them. After 5 years of using a mini keyboard and good software to write a journal it is a joy just to be able to pick up a pen and notebook and write. Nothing to go wrong and if I want a digital backup I just OCR the handwriting.

[@Wolverine3660]

Hello HJ!! Sorry that I am 5 months late to this video. :):) I dont have any Safari pens, since mine was stolen during one of the time I was an inpatient at the hospital. So, I replaced it with 3 lamy Al-Star FPs. One has a medium nib and one with a fine nib, and the third was one a friend gave me, with a 1.1mm nib. They are wonderful pens, and I absolutely love them. Only the fine nibbed pen was damaged by another friend, who had never used a FP before. He is a former Offensive Lineman for the Univ of Michigan, and he used so much pressure onto the page, that he spung the nib. I have a replacement nib coming for Jet Pens, and it is a be in service my the next week. Over all, it is a wonderful, and a hardy pen, even though it is not an expensive pen. I recommend this pen to all my friends who want to try a FP to get into the FP hobby. Thanks, HJ

[@HemingwayJones]

Hello my friend it’s so nice to see you on this old post of mine. I had always hoped my back catalogue me catch on one day and maybe this is a good sign. You can see that my editing and sound have come along way. Nevertheless I’m very proud of this and all of my posts and I am very happy that you have enjoyed them. I am sorry to hear that your one pen got damaged I think this has happened to all of us. In fact, this is why I keep a Rollerball panhandle to lend to people who need a pen. So keep yourself well my friend and will speak very soon.

[@Wolverine3660]

HJ, first i love the fact that you are wearing a English cricket sweater!!!! I have one too, in the colors of Sussex, I think. But, coming to Lamy Al-Star pens, I got the replacement Lamy fine nib from JetPens yesterday, and I have already installed it. And as far as my former Offensive Lineman friend. He is like a brother to me, and so, I let him try pit my pen, except he had never ever used a fountain pen. So he ended up damaging the nib. But, after making fun of him, and enjoying a mugs of coffee made in a french press, he took some instruction and tried out my other Lamy Al-Stars. He replaced the damaged nib, so I gifted him a older Al-Star with a medium nib and a bottle of Quink Roya Blue ink to take home and write with!!! Every one ended with a happy experience!!!!! Have a wonderful day.

[@HemingwayJones]

@@Wolverine3660 Thanks so much and what a great story! That’s what is great about the Lamy pens; they are so modular, so switching out nibs is super easy. All the best, My Friend.

[@geslinam9703]

I started out with a Twsbi and some less pricey Pilot pens when I first got into fountain pens, wasn’t for a few years before someone gave me a Lamy as a Christmas gift….and to my surprise, I loved it.

[@HemingwayJones]

Wonderful! They make excellent pens.

[@JarlKin]

Lamy F works well for this leftie! Quickly dry ink isn’t necessary except when using coated papers where ink dries more slowly

[@HemingwayJones]

Good to know. Thanks!

[@rozettemori]

I'm using Lamy Al-star so aluminium version I believe to write in my journal like every day and my hand never gets tited, never hurts and writing expierience is so good, smooth... I can say only good thinks about this pen

[@HemingwayJones]

Wonderful ! Congratulations on a great pen!

[@jorge23483]

Lamy Safari is the G-shock of the fountainpens 😂I like the association!

[@HemingwayJones]

Thank you!

[@Trex100]

Thanks for this very complete review. This pen is a very attractive option.

[@HemingwayJones]

Thank you!

[@andrewscott9610]

I just got my first Lamy Safari. And I love it already.

[@HemingwayJones]

Excellent choice!

[@Seele2015au]

9:56 The Lamy feed is a two-part, two-channel design where the channels are the gaps between these parts. It can be a bit fiddly to take the two pieces apart ,but it is my way to clean a Lamy feed properly, as normal rinsing would just clean the finned ink supply buffer, but not the channel. I know of many cases where a Lamy feed got clogged and stayed clogged after repeated flushing, as the water would just take the path of least resistance, leaving the clogged ink channels intact.

[@jess53nz]

I'm obsessed with the al-stars, trying to not get obsessed with the safaris as well...

[@HemingwayJones]

Good luck with that! They are such fun and great pens. All the best!

[@donschafer3428]

Great video, just picked up my first one… also, was surprised to see a Tarot book on your shelf.

[@HemingwayJones]

Thank you. I am so glad you enjoyed it! There are all sorts of books in my library. Thanks for watching!

[@avgjoeshow4208]

This is one of the next pens I’m looking to get. I really want the mango safari. Just got a Picasso 916 and that’s been my daily driver since I got it. Still new to this world

[@HemingwayJones]

Welcome Joe! The Safari is pretty great. I think that you will enjoy it. Stop by again.

[@avgjoeshow4208]

@@HemingwayJones will do. My wife and I got into fountain pens about a month ago and have about 8 so far between us. Since then my feed has been pretty much filled with FP stuff which is how I found your channel. Safe to same I’m addicted to them. This addiction won’t ruin my life like my last one though lol.

[@HemingwayJones]

@@avgjoeshow4208 This is a very safe addition! Did you see my video about FPs being an obsession’? You may find that fun. Also, if you’re on TikTok, I have tons of content over there. Very nice to meet you and I look forward to chatting. Let me know if I can help with anything.

[@robertcalkjr.8325]

Thanks. I can't wait to get my new Lamy Safari EF in Violet Blackberry into my hands.

[@HemingwayJones]

Congratulations on an excellent pen!

[@jerseyme211]

I just bought the Lamy safari Savanah M nib. I am going to get the converter and additional nibs. As you know I am left handed so stay tuned for my report !

[@HemingwayJones]

I am eagerly awaiting what you think! I love that Savannah Green. Beautiful. Wishing you all the best.

[@zachtemple3313]

I do not have a Lamy, but I do have a couple of TWSBI’s and a Conclin All American. One fine nib and a couple broads. As a leftie, I don’t have a problem with them.

[@HemingwayJones]

That’s good to hear. I am always looking for information from Left Handed Writers. All the best.

[@harolddean8709]

So many people love the Lamy Safari and talk about its solid performance. I want to like it but the style of the Safari does not exactly appeal to me. However, I have a Lamy Studio Series metal pen in a matte blue finish with a really cool propeller clip. Clean lines. It has a stub nib and it writes like a dream. The price was also very affordable around $60.

[@HemingwayJones]

Very very nice!

[@lovekhandelwal9295]

I recently purchased a lamy safari fine nib it's scratchy and not so smooth ink flow is kind of poor too when I'm writing with it I feel like the nib is dry and I also bought the pilot metropolitan medium nib it is very smooth and has nice ink flow I don't know what's wrong with my lamy safari, I have seen many videos on KZbin in which they say lamy is smoother than metropolitan did I get faulty one

[@HemingwayJones]

It sounds as if you may have. They check them before they leave the factory but every once in a while one gets through. Goulet has videos on how to tweak a nib for increased ink flow. You could try that. Also, try cleaning it thoroughly. I have a video on this, and put Kon Peki ink in and see how it is.

[@lovekhandelwal9295]

@@HemingwayJones Thanks will sure try the kon peki ink

[@EricFell]

I've got a few Safaris and I love them. My Savannah is inked with Oxblood - and if you don't mind my asking, why is "Oxblood" a flagged term on TikTok?

[@HemingwayJones]

I honestly don’t know why they pick up on that, but they literally deleted videos and shut down Lives over it. I stopped saying it and there were no more problems. I love the Savannah Safari. Great choice!

[@davidanderson3425]

I was impressed by your current journal which, by now, must be full. The leather bound volume looks wonderful. As to the pen, I found your appraisal of the Lamy Safari very interesting and comprehensive. I don't own one, mainly because I dislike the appearance of the pen. If LEGO made a fountain pen it would probably look like the Lamy Safari. If there were a prize for an ugly pen I'm sure Lamy would win. I know we all have different taste when it comes to design and maybe, if I were younger, I would enjoy the Safari more.

[@HemingwayJones]

Hello David and thanks for the kind words. I have a bit of a traditional aesthetic so I didn’t like the look of it so much either at first. It grew on me though and I have approached it as the Casio of pens, but Lego is another great comparison. It also has a lot of 80s charm, which is near my heart. I am glad that you liked the journals and reviews. I just posted a Short here on finishing the journal and starting a new one. All the best.

[@davidparrishproductions5082]

The Safari is so iconic. Perhaps the Volkswagen Beetle of pens… if they still made the Beetle!

[@HemingwayJones]

I love this description.

[@bonnierodriguez8422]

Just got my Lamy during a trip to Italy, does it have to be cleaned after every use? Do you store cap up or cap down?

[@HemingwayJones]

Congratulations on a great pen and a great memory! You only need to clean it when you change inks to a different color or if it has been a while or if you feel the performance is off. You can store it anyway you like, except upside down, really. Best of luck with a great pen!

[@phantomfall3642]

I recently watched your tiktok on how you filled up your journal. How long have you been journaling?

[@HemingwayJones]

I’ve been doing it for over 20 years. It’s interesting reflecting back. Thanks.

[@gmoore48]

The Goldspot webstore still lists Safari Mango ink as being available for purchase.

[@HemingwayJones]

Thanks Greg! I need to get on that!

[@DrDankoff]

Said it before, will say again. Here's what you need to know about the Lamy safari IF you are looking for a heavy use pen. If this is for an actual "work pen" that will see heavy use (am ER doc), the cap will stop functioning after a while. I have 20 of these, in parts. After some period, short enough that I end up with 20 dead ones in 4-5 years, all caps fall off/let go/don't hold on. ALL of them. Lamy's "fix" for this known issue if you contact them, with a picture of a whole basket of dead Safaris: buy a new cap at almost the price of a pen. 1. They were all REAL Lamys. 2. I know how to use fountain pens, have a fair collection that I do not use for work. 3. I recapped appropriately, certainly never once capped at an angle to catch the nib, or capped so hard as to bend the tines of crack a cap. After this lesson in frustration, I bought 3 Faber-Castell Hexos. A year of the same heavy use on mostly 2 of the 3, so much more frequent than the Safaris, and all three still work with caps that fit and hold. The Lamy safari is a GREAT starter fountain pen. It is NOT a work pen, certainly not if it will be taken out and decapped/recapped 100+ times a day.

[@HemingwayJones]

That’s valuable feedback and an excellent point. There are many different environments that qualify as work and this is a valuable asterisks. Thanks very much for the great comment.

[@johnnyjet3.1412]

Get multiple colors and swap the caps for even MORE variety! - There was an award winning movie about a Lefty "The Kings Speech". he was a stutterer because he was a REPRESSED lefty - I bet the movie didn't mention it.

[@HemingwayJones]

Great tip! Thanks!

[@davidparrishproductions5082]

G Shock. Much better analogy. Nice.

[@anne-sp9cl]

Lamy is made of the same ABS plastic as Legos.

[@HemingwayJones]

Yup. Don’t step on one!

[@johntaylor8817]

Hi. This is a pen that I have wanted to love, it just annoyes the heck out of me.🤗 Cheers

[@HemingwayJones]

That can happen. I have a few like this. All the best.

[@oletoft4573]

You loose any credibity when you buy a plastic pen and critice it for being plastic. Lamy have made it so simple: Plastic is called 'Safari' and metal-line: AL-star ..... Short for 'aluminum'. I have 20... and just got a new AL-star today 😝😁 I never use converter for any of Them. ...They are the Worlds best pen with cartidge. - Pop and go. And at least in Germany you can buy other that works with the pen... Manu supermarkeds sell 'Online' 5 for 1,70 euro.

[@HemingwayJones]

It’s not a criticism, it’s a fact. I make these videos for those who have never held one or used one before. It is a fact of using it that is important to be conveyed. There are other pens made of plastic that feel less so. However, I love this pen. To me, it’s like a G Shock; the pen you could run over with a Jeep and still use. I like it even better since I switched the nib to their “calligraphy” nib, which is quite nice. Also, like a G Shock, it feels a bit toy-like. I still recommend it enthusiastically. All the best.