Lamy Safari: A Comprehensive Guide
The Lamy Safari is a minimalist favorite in the world of writing utensils. It is effective, utilitarian, and bold in its unadorned simplicity. Since the eighties, the Lamy Safari line has expanded from fountain pens to include other writing instruments, like rollerballs and mechanical pencils. In this guide, we’ll discuss the unique features of the Lamy Safari product line and show you different refilling methods.
Lamy Safari Features
Lamy guides its product design with the Bauhaus principle, in which form follows function. The Lamy Safari designers applied Bauhaus philosophy to build a kid-friendly fountain pen since many European schools use fountain pens to teach beginning writers. These features include a sturdy ABS plastic body, grooved grip, and convenient brass wire clip. While originally geared towards children, they are great for anyone looking for a durable and ergonomic pen.
ABS Plastic Body
ABS Plastic Body
Though made from plastic, Lamy Safari pens definitely don’t feel fragile. They are made from a shiny, smooth plastic called acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)1. ABS is structurally very sturdy and has superb impact resistance. It’s found in products such as protective housings and packaging materials. You may have also encountered ABS plastic in everyday products such as Legos™ and computer keyboards.
Chiseled Grip
Chiseled Grip
Lamy Safari grips feature recessed grooves that direct writers to pick up their pens ergonomically. The indentations encourage you to place your thumb, index finger, and middle finger in a tripod position so that writing sessions are comfortable. There are slight grip variations between different Lamy Safari pens. The fountain pen has two deep indentations for you to place your thumb and index finger on whereas the rollerball and mechanical pencil have three shallower grooves.
This is because the fountain pen nib needs to be at a specific angle as you write. Tip orientation matters less for rollerballs and mechanical pencils, allowing you to rotate the tip as you please.
Cap with Chrome Clip
Cap with Chrome Clip
Lamy Safaris sport durable caps with sleek brass wire clips. Their clips are larger, wider, and sturdier than average pen clips. They resemble paper clip loops and attach securely to pockets and notebooks. The rollerball and fountain pens have caps that snap on securely and protect the nib from drying out. The pencil doesn’t have a conventional pen cap, but it does have a cap that shields the eraser from getting dirty. Simply uncap the eraser by pushing your thumb upwards.
Lamy Safari Fountain Pens
Lineup
Lamy Safari Fountain Pen Lineup
The Lamy Safari Fountain Pen is an excellent beginner’s fountain pen. The fountain pen line includes White, Red, Yellow, Green, Blue, Shiny Black, and Charcoal Black. All the pens display a shiny gloss with the exception of the Charcoal Black pens, which have a matte finish. The pen comes in 4 different nib sizes—Broad, Medium, Fine, and Extra Fine.
Pen Features
Lamy Safari Fountain Pen Features
At 17 grams, the Lamy Safari Fountain Pen is quite light. When you post the cap on top, the pen feels balanced and easy to control. You don’t need to press too hard on the nib to enjoy the Safari’s smooth ink flow. Most of the nibs feel quite juicy, especially the Broad and Medium sizes. The Fine and Extra Fine nibs create just the slightest amount of drag, but they’re far from being scratchy. To try different nib sizes, simply switch the nib on your Lamy Safari Fountain Pen with any of Lamy’s pen nibs. Another useful feature on the fountain pen is the ink window, which lets you know how much ink you have left in your cartridge or converter.
Note that some Lamy Safari Fountain Pens may come with ink residue on the nib from being dip-tested at the Lamy factory. As with all fountain pens, we recommend cleaning your Lamy Safari before using it.
Ink and Refills
Lamy Safari Fountain Pen Writing Sample
Lamy Safari Fountain Pens come with one unpunctured blue T 10 cartridge. You can purchase additional cartridges for your pen as well. Lamy ink cartridge colors include Black, Blue Black, Pacific Blue, Violet, Turquoise, Green, Red, Neon Lime, and Charged Green. To try bottled inks, you can also use the Lamy Z 24 piston converter to refill your fountain pen. Below, we’ll show you how to install a Lamy ink cartridge.
How to Install a Lamy Ink Cartridge
1. Insert the the cartridge into the pen’s grip section. There’s no need to push the cartridge down completely.
2. Twist the barrel back onto the grip section. Attaching the barrel automatically punctures the ink cartridge.
3. Leave the pen standing up. It may take 1-2 hours until the nib is fully saturated.
| Nib Size | Color |
|---|---|
| Extra Fine |        |
| Fine | |
| Medium | |
| Broad | |
Lamy Safari Rollerball Pens
Lineup
Lamy Safari Rollerball Pen Lineup
If you aren’t ready to commit to a fountain pen, consider the Lamy Safari Rollerball. Rollerballs can seem less exciting than fountain pens, but they are great in that they require less maintenance and write easily on many different surfaces. The Lamy Safari Rollerball has a ball point writing mechanism that uses liquid ink. It is a low maintenance rollerball pen with ink that dries quickly, writes smoothly, and is easy to refill. It comes in Blue, Charcoal Black, Green, Red, Shiny Black, Shiny White, and Yellow.
Pen Features
Lamy Safari Rollerball Pen Features
Externally, the Lamy Safari Rollerball looks quite similar to its fountain pen sibling, though there are a few small differences. For example, it has a line rather than cross finial on its cap. The rollerball does not have an ink viewing window since it has an opaque refill that does not reveal ink level. The grip grooves are much subtler as the tip does not need to be in a specific orientation like a nib needs to be. And last, the Lamy Safari Rollerball is slightly heavier than the Lamy Safari Fountain Pen by two grams because its refill is made of metal.
The medium-sized tip comes with a pre-installed ink refill and writes fairly smoothly. When you first use the pen, it may skip slightly. Prime it by making a few scratch lines with it. The pen will remain relatively skip-free afterward. The rollerball ink also dries faster than Safari’s fountain pen ink, so it is quite suitable for fast writing in the classroom or workplace.
Ink and Refills
Lamy Safari Rollerball Pen Writing Sample
Lamy Safari Rollerballs come with black M 63 ink. The M 63 ink refills include black, blue, green, and red.
How to Replace Rollerrball Refills
1. Begin by removing the grip from the pen barrel.
2. Place the refill inside the grip of the pen.
3. Twist the grip back on the pen barrel.
| Tip Size | Color |
|---|---|
| Medium | |
Lamy Safari Mechanical Pencils
Lineup
Lamy Safari Mechanical Pencil Lineup
The Lamy Safari Mechanical Pencil is an efficient and comfortable pencil that is great for art studios, offices, and classrooms. It includes 0.5 mm HB lead and comes in White, Blue, Red, Yellow, Charcoal Black, and Shiny Black barrels.
Pencil Features
Lamy Safari Mechanical Pencil Features
The pencil feels very pleasant to write with, as the body is lightweight and has a thick, comfortable grip with subtle grooves to guide your fingers. The pencil lead is relatively smooth and lays down dark lines. The pencil sports a sliding lead sleeve. When you write, all but the very tip of the lead is always protected. The mechanical pencil eraser is small but erases cleanly. It has a protective cap and includes a cleaning needle beneath the eraser holder that clears and breaks up lead jams. To use the cleaning needle, push the eraser button down as though you are about to advance the lead. Put the rod in the tip to clear the jam.
Refills
Lamy Safari Mechanical Pencil Writing Sample
The Lamy Safari Mechanical Pencil takes Lamy LM 41 0.5 mm HB lead refills, which come in packs with 12 lead pieces. Some people find that this lead produces more feedback than some leads. If you find that this is the case, consider other 0.5 mm leads.
The Lamy Safari Mechanical Pencil uses the Lamy LZ 18 eraser refill. Mechanical pencil erasers are fairly small, so having a separate eraser could be helpful if you erase frequently or need to erase large sections.
How to Install Lead into Lamy Safari Mechanical Pencil
1. Remove the eraser refill under the eraser cap completely.
2. Insert one stick of lead into the pencil barrel.
3. Put the eraser refill back on. Click to advance the lead.
| Tip Size | Color |
|---|---|
| 0.5 mm | |
Lamy Safari Special Edition Products
Limited Edition Colors
Each year, Lamy releases a limited edition color for the Safari line. The unique colors are popular among both color enthusiasts and Lamy Safari lovers. You can view past colors in the table below.
| Color | Extra Fine | Fine | Medium | Ink | Car- tridges |
Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Lime Green – 2008 |
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 Orange – 2009 |
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 Pink – 2010 |
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 Aquamarine – 2011 |
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 Apple Green – 2012 |
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 Neon Yellow – 2013 |
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 Neon Coral – 2014 |
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 Neon Lime – 2015 |
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 Dark Lilac – 2016 |
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 Petrol – 2017 |
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Lamy Safari Fountain Pen Gift Sets
If you want to purchase a gift for your favorite fountain pen lover or you yourself want to sample different Lamy Safari inks, consider the sets below. They come in luxurious packages that make for convenient storage and are easy to slip into a gift bag.
Lamy Safari Fountain Pen Limited Edition Colors Gift Set
Lamy Safari Limited Edition Colors Gift Set
The Lamy Safari Fountain Pen Limited Edition Colors Gift Set is great for those who want to try out different ink colors. It includes 1 Safari Fountain Pen, a Z 24 converter, and 8 ink cartridges: 1 Black, 2 Blue, 1 Blue Black, 1 Green, 1 Red, 1 Turquoise, and 1 Violet. One of the Blue cartridges comes inside the pen barrel.
Lamy Safari Fountain Pen Gift Set
Lamy Safari Fountain Pen Gift Set
The Lamy Safari Fountain Pen Gift Set has everything you need to decide whether you like cartridges or converters better. A great introductory kit for fountain pen novices, it includes 1 Safari Fountain Pen, 1 Z 24 converter, 1 50 ml bottle of ink, 1 pack of 5 ink cartridges, and 1 Blue ink cartridge.
Final Thoughts
Lamy Safari writing instruments are beloved for their effective and unembellished design. If you’re seeking a comfortable pen that will last, the Lamy Safari is a strong contender. Do you have a favorite Lamy Safari? Let us know in the comments below!
| Product | Tip Size | Barrel Colors |
|---|---|---|
| Fountain Pen | Extra Fine, Fine, Medium, Broad | White, Red, Yellow, Green, Blue, Charcoal Black, Shiny Black |
| Rollerball Pen | Medium | White, Red, Yellow, Green, Blue, Charcoal Black, Shiny Black |
| Mechanical Pencil | 0.5 mm | White, Red, Yellow, Blue, Charcoal Black, Shiny Black |
Sources
- 1 ABS Plastic.
SOURCE:https://www.jetpens.com/blog/lamy-safari-a-comprehensive-guide/pt/176