Lamy Safari Fountain Pen, Charcoal Medium Nib (L17M)

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!

My first experience with the Lamy Safari fountain pen was two or three years ago when I bought this same pen, but with a fine nib. I really did not like it and got rid of it not long after purchase. The fine nib was difficult to write with and it just did not work well for my uses.A couple of weeks ago I picked up the medium nib. I needed a new pen and the Lamy just have stellar reviews. I have to say that I am now in love with this pen. Amazon shipped via USPS, which I hate, and the package came smashed, bruised, and broken. BUT, the pen itself was in perfect condition and had somehow survived the onslaught. I also picked up some extra ink cartridges. I've not tried non-Lamy cartridges in this pen yet.The pen writes very well for it's price point and has become my everyday writer. The medium nib is perfect for me and it glides easily across the pages of my notebooks. The cutouts where your fingers hold the pen are comfortable. The pen writes fine without the cap attached, but I find that it is more comfortable when the cap is on. The pen housing is sleek, clean, and modern looking. I like that there is a small cut out on the main body where I can view the remaining ink level. The clip works well and is okay. I haven't clipped it to too much as of yet.Overall, I am exceptionally pleased with this pen and would highly recommend it to others. Though, I would say that I think the medium nib is the way to go.

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.

I haven't had a fountain pen in years, so jumped at the chance to get this one. I am SO glad I did.Very easy to write with, and leaves a very good line on the paper. It is engineered to be easy to hold - and it is. Very comfortable, and easy to write for a while. The window allows you to see how much ink is in the pen, which I think is brilliant. I haven't used it enough yet to know how easy that is to see, but I'm sure it will be fine since you can see straight thru.The clip is both great, and kind of bad. It holds the pen very securely and I am quite confident this thing will never fall out of a pocket unless it's my fault. At the same time it can be a bit difficult to get it to clip to that pocket due to how strong the clip is. Since I'd rather have strong than easy, I like it.All in all I really like the lightness and quality I feel from this pen. I tend to be a bit of a pen snob, and am not always the easiest to satisfy - but this one does the trick.