Atelier Winsonli

Many thanks to my girlfriend for giving me this Lamy Safari pencil to compliment with my fountain pen. Decided to write a short review on both pens.

The Lamy Safari fountain pen is the most recommended entry level pen, selling for HKD 220 (~USD28). I’ve began my quest for the right fountain pen when I got my first Moleskine. I’ve googled for a few reviews and they all agreed that the Lamy Safari does not bleed nor feather on Moleskine paper.

The reports are indeed correct, no bleeding or feathering with Lamy ink cartridges. I’ve tried writing on Moleskines, Rhodias and even MUJI notebooks, all with good results.

However there is one thing I don’t like about the ink. It does not look as solid as my rollerball pens. I guess another brand of ink would have more solid blacks. Lamy also sells a converter which allows bottled inks to be used.

The converter did not come with any instructions. I’ve asked a sales representative and she taught me how to use it. Would post the instructions later.

I haven’t tried other fountain pens, but the Lamy Safari serves its purpose very well. It’s relatively cheap so you won’t worry about scratching it. The ABS construction is durable and won’t scratch as much as the aluminum variant, Al Star.

Whether you like the large clip is a matter of taste. I personally like. Considering the Safari is a design of the 1980s, it looks quite good.

The fountain pen is a reasonably priced pen, but is the pencil? Retailing for HKD150 (~USD19), the Lamy Safari is not just an overpriced pencil with good looks.

The grip is triangular shaped making it comfortable to hold. The large clip is functional. The weight is just about right. The pencil just feels different from ordinary pencils. It is smoother to write with. But don’t expect too much from the attached eraser.

When you think of the pencil as a German engineered pencil which is functional and matches its fountain pen counter part, it is not as expensive as you think.

Lamy Safari products are available in a lot of places in Hong Kong. Your local stationary store might carry a few. Also, Logon, Prints (Times Square and Harbor City) and Apita are selling it. The last time I checked, only the Harbor City Prints and Apita have extra fine nibs. The other retailers usually carry nibs ranged from fine to broad. Apita is doing a back to school promotion and there’ll be 10% off Lamy products.

It’s about time to stock up stationary. I’ve been using the Rhodia notepads and love the paper. Now CitySuper carried Rhodia Black notepads and they look wonderful.

Hayashi sent me some Moleskine notebooks and they are great. Minimal and functional. However my Parker Vector roller ball pen feathers and bleeds a lot on Moleskine paper. After a bit of research I got this Lamy Safari, voted by the Stylus Magazine as the 2007 best pen under USD100.

Industrial design. Form following function. The pen takes proprietary ink cartridges, available in every color found on a rainbow. A converter is available so you can use your own ink. I got the fine nib and light blue ink.

Haven’t used a fountain pen before so I don’t know how this one is performing. As a fountain pen novice, I find this one a pleasure to write with. Fountain pens have the wet feel just as roller balls, but they do not bleed or feather as much.

I’ve read that the Lamy nibs are a size bigger than that of other makes, with fine being what actually is medium and medium being what is broad. The fine nib I have writes lines of the width as ordinary ball pens on inkjet A4 paper. If you are writing on a Moleskine, I would recommend an extra fine nib. Not because they feather, but because Moleskines have narrow lines.

I got the Safari in hope of it not to bleed on Moleskine paper. I used Lamy ink cartridges and it does not bleed or feather at all.

The colored tags are from MUJI, they compliment so well with the black.

The Parker Vector roller ball is made of stainless steel and coated with matte black epoxy and is discontinued. Now Parker only makes these pen in plastic or stainless steel with a black plastic end. I’ve tried searching on eBay and other sites and this version is no where to be found. Theres a few at my local stationary store if you need it.