As we all know from my first post, I’ve been in love with fountain pens since the 1980s.  Somehow, though, the entire Lamy line had eluded me.  Crazy, right?

Earlier this year, my deep love for fountain pens, ink, and paper was reignited. I blame Goulet Pens and their zillion ink samples. (Thank you, Brian and Rachel!)

I also started peeking in at Fountain Pen Network from time to time. Lamy this, Safari that. So prevalent were the posts about the Lamy Safari and its astounding incredible wonderfulness – how was I to resist?

Now, Jeff swears I bought this for him. I remember no such conversation. He even says it was delivered to him wrapped – with a bow! He so crazy. (Later, he admitted that he knows that all pens in the house belong to me – he’s just allowed to borrow them from time to time.)

This pen is the charcoal color. I chose a black medium nib.  I have it on good authority that the black steel nibs write the same as the traditional steel nibs.

The pen is hard plastic. The grippy section is triangular. Some people have issue with the shape – I think it depends on how you hold the instrument and your writing style. For me, it’s fine. Not ultra-comfy, but it’s definitely not uncomfortable. (Did you know I’m left-handed?)

I love the ink-a-boo (I just made that up) window. Let’s you see how much ink you have left – and, if you’re forgetful, what color is in your pen.

The Lamy Safari can take (proprietary) cartridges or use the (proprietary) converter for unlimited inking options. (Be brave, go converter.)

I found it to be one of the easiest pens to clean. Bonus points for that.