Lamy Safari Fountain Pen, Charcoal Medium Nib (L17M)

I have a number of Lamy Safaris because they’ve always been great. If you’re starting out with fountain pens, this is where I’d steer you. The angled grip is meant to teach you form but in a comfortable manner. The plastic body doesn’t make it “feel” cheap like others do. I have a Platinum Plaisir that is a great writer but the plastic body is so light and feels so cheap. Not so with the Safari. The stainless steel nibs provide durability but also a firmness that some people might not like as much, however, the ink flow is always nice and consistent. The smoothness of the write is good for the money. I’ve bought a couple Pilot FPs in the same price point and the Safari was way smoother than they were. That was one thing that kept me getting into higher price point Lamys. They work well and I’ve never had any issues.

Best fountain pen I have ever used, it is well worth the price. I have been using this pen for a few months now, for both writing and drawing, and I LOVE how smoothly it writes. Medium nib is probably my favorite, as I really enjoy how the ink comes out to form clean lines. This pen is comfortable to hold and I can easily use it for hours without problems. I HIGHLY recommend Lamy safari to anyone who's looking to buy a great fountain pen. You don't need to spend huge amounts of money to get yourself a wonderful pen!

It's a good pen. If you like your $2 Lamy knockoff like I did, you'll like this and appreciate it. The materials aren't significantly better, it does write better, it looks better and makes me feel better. I don't think there's $20 worth of materials here and $20 is a lot to spend on a writing instrument.... But the ~pen~ itself is worth $20 to me. It's a great pen to hand someone to try.

This review is about the Lamy Safari with Medium Nib.Before I start I want to mention that in my experience no two same make/model pens write exactly the same.Having said that, the particular pen that I purchased is not only solid 5 stars, but it is also the best pen in my collection of inexpensive fountain pens.I tested all the pens on different kinds of paper using different inks.1. The Lamy Safari was the smoothest writer on both quality Rhodia paper and plain printer copy paper just ahead of the Pilot Kakuno.2. Pilot Kakuno is very comfortable to hold pen with nib almost as smooth as the Safari.3. The Sailor Tuzu is very nice pen, however the Medium nib writes like Fine and it has too much feedback for my liking.4. The Platinum Preppy was as smooth as the Safari, however the nib’s “sweet spot” was so small that during normal writing it would feel scratchy from time to time.5. The Jinhao clone of the Safari performs well on Rhodia but feels the opposite of smooth on any paper that is not top notch.6. The Jinhao 9019’s nib has the same issue as the Preppy. It feels scratchy unless you hold the pen at the exactly correct angle.7. The Pilot Varsity and Zebra Fuente are OK if you need some color that you don’t use very often, like red or green. The Varsity is the only pen I have that could be used as “reverse writer” – meaning you can hold the pen upside down and this results in much thinner line. Good for drawing and writing formulas. These two as disposable pens and this is one of the reasons I rate them lower.8. The Pelikan Twist is in last place because I can’t really use it without holding it in a way that is very uncomfortable. Still not sure if this is bad design or manufacturing defect.I tested the Lamy Safari with Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue ink that works really well for me on different kinds of paper.Currently I am using the Lamy converter, however if I had to buy the converter again ... I wouldn’t. Just use the included cartridge and when it is empty, refill it with syringe with blunt needle from ink bottle. The cartridge holds more ink than the converter.For below sixteen dollars, which is what I paid, this pen is a steal.

All the positive reviews for this pen are not mistaken, it really is that good--I say this after using it for about six months. However, I only gave it four stars because the Medium nib is more like what would normally be considered a Broad and lays down a line that's a little wide for my taste. Go for the fine nib: Lamy Safari Fountain Pen - Charcoal - Fine. That's what I did when I realized how wide the Medium was, and it's more suited to everyday writing, in my opinion.Other than that, though, you really can't beat this pen. As far as looks go, the charcoal body gives the pen a dark matte look that, while not being obnoxiously attention-grabbing, gives it a noticeably elegant look; I've been complemented on the pen by almost everyone who has seen me writing with it. The unique design adds to the appeal, in my opinion.What truly sets this pen apart from others is the incredibly amazing writing experience it gives. Seriously, best pen I've ever written with, and I've written with more expensive fountain pens (though, admittedly, nothing top-of-the-line or anything). The ink flow is always smooth and even and not too wet, the nib is very forgiving and will still write at almost any angle, and the pen is light and comfortable. I had been nervous about the triangular grip since I don't hold pens properly, but even with my bad form the pen is comfortable; in fact, I think my pen-holding is slowly being corrected by the form-encouraging grip.Durability is great for a fountain pen, and despite my dropping and banging it around these past six months, it still looks brand new. This includes taking it with me to college and using it every day taking notes.The provided ink is alright, but I'd buy a bottle of Noodler's ink and refill the cartridge with that. It's extremely simple to do and much more economical; all you need is a syringe or eyedropper, and you can refill the cartridge with any color ink you want without needing to buy a converter.Really, this pen is amazing, you can't get anything better for the money. Just make sure you get the Fine nib, which is broad enough to give your writing body but still thin enough to write small.