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Lamy Safari Review
by Ed Svoboda {PDF=create pdf file of the content item^plugin:content.6} author awarded score: 86/100
Ed reviews the ever popular and utilitarian Lamy Safari and Lamy Safari Al-star.
The Lamy company was founded in Heidelberg Germany in 1929 by Josef Lamy who previously was a representative for the United States based Parker company. He acquired the Orthos company and proceeded to produce German made Duofold like button fillers. After World War II, Lamy produced some of the first molded synthetic plastic pens under the Artus brand. These pens have a reputation for being surprisingly good writers in spite of their low price. In the 1950's, Lamy began to sell pens under their own name. These pens were well made and functional but not renowned for their exciting designs. The Lamy 27n had many design elements inspired by the Pelikan's of the same time frame and the Lamy Ratio 47 seems very similar to the Montblanc 22's and 32's of that era. The Ratio 46 again seems very inspired by the Pelikan's. These pens were available in either a Piston filler (ala Pelikan) or a cartridge system. The design philosophy had a dramatic shift at Lamy starting in the 1960's with the introduction of the now classic Lamy 2000. From that point on the designs from Lamy have been very modernistic in nature.
The Lamy Safari line is an ergonomic pen that comes in a variety of colors and two different materials. A host of colors have been available since the line was introduced in 1980 in durable ABS plastic including Yellow, White, Clear, Red, Blue, and Black (the Joy has distinctive red accents). The Al-Star line comes in what appears to be a brushed aluminum material and is available in multiple tints. The clips are made from brass and are coated most of the time in black with the notable exception of the aforementioned Joy. A variety of nibs are available for the Safari from extra fine to broad as well as a rounded medium nib and a left handed nib. Some of these nibs may require a special order. I have been able to find mostly medium nibs in my favorite pen stores but have a Lamy Joy with a 1.1 mm italic nib and an Al-Star with a fine nib. The nibs are a black chromium-plated steel which does not flex. Each pen comes in a plastic container and includes a cartridge and a converter.
These pens are marketed as “Student” pens and are stylish and functional. They are also built to last. The more upscale Al-Star line has what might be an even more robust body material but is otherwise identical to the Safari. For those who are interested in Calligraphy there is the Lamy Joy with a selection of Italic nibs. All of these pens can be found at most pen stores or online sources for between $20 and $30 depending on if you opt for the utilitarian basic ABS Safari or the more upscale Safari Al-Star or Joy.
Really this review is a based on a cross section of Safari's since I happen to personally own four of these pens. I am, if nothing else, a fan of “daily user” pens. As a result of having owned some of the Lamy's discussed here for up to seven years I feel I can adequately and objectively speak to not only the perceived qualities of these pens, but the real world qualities as well. Two of my pens have medium nibs including the clear Vista and the Yellow, my Al-star has a fine nib, and finally my Joy has the 1.1 mm italic nib as I mentioned above.
