Category Archives: FOUNTAIN PENS

PEN REVIEW: Lamy Safari Charcoal with Black Nib

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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.

But we all know the big question. How did it write?
Like. OMG. That’s how it wrote.
I love this pen. The Lamy Safari is one smooth operator. (Maybe too smooth if you like a little traction.) And I think it makes my handwriting look nice without even trying.  (Click images to make them bigger.)
Obviously, some of this is the ink and paper combination (Pilot Iroshizuku Syo-ro and Clairefontaine Triomphe), but look at that shading!  Can you even stand it? In-freakin-sane.

I made these lemon pots de creme using the lemons from the tree in our backyard. 
So. Yeah. I’m loving the Lamy Safari.  Costs around $30. Mine came with a cartridge I won’t use. The converter was around five bucks.
In fact, I loved it so much that I now have several of them – stay tuned! (Yikes!)

PEN REVIEW: Montegrappa Micra Red

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My sweet, beautiful Montegrappa Micra. Marbly resin with sterling silver accents, this pen is stunning. I really dig the patina that has developed over the years.  I bought it new at a pen show (when? I cannot remember), used it regularly for a bit, and then placed it in a drawer with other pens.

Why would this pen sit so long unused? (Love the dog fur in my pictures?)

The pen measures around 4.5″(or around 5.75″ when posted).
The cap is a screw-to-post style. (Loooove this feature.)

Even after years of sitting, the red is just as vibrant. The swirls in the resin are just a bit opalescent.

Having sat for so long, I didn’t remember the model name of this pen. I had to research a bit and couldn’t help but read some of what I found at Fountain Pen Network.

After writing with it for a bit, I think I may have discovered why it sat for so long. It’s just not as comfortable as other expensive pens. The silver grip isn’t – grippy. It’s awkward, even. While the shape of the pen is faceted, the grip is smooth (though slightly concave) and feels – hard. I found myself with a total death grip and tired hand.

And the writing. I’m sure this is a matter of ink incompatibility (or a cleanliness issue).

Skipping . . .

And hard starting . . . 
As always, click to make any image bigger.


So I changed paper . . . 
My bottom line?  Well, I’m not ready to say just yet. I don’t remember the pen being this uncomfortable, or the skipping and hard starting. 
I’m going to give it a good cleaning, change the ink, and try again.  Will keep you posted.

VISITING with an Old Friend – Waterman Expert Fountain Pen

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Waterman Expert Fountain Pen
Waterman Expert Fountain Pen (c.1988)

There she is – my very first fountain pen.

The dentist I worked for at the time took our only other employee and me shopping for Christmas prezzies. He pushed thick envelopes filled with crisp bills into our hands and said the only condition was that we had to get something 100% for ourselves, “something you wouldn’t normally buy.” Lisa and I each knew exactly what we wanted and set off in opposite directions. She ran off to the Coach handbags and I, on the other hand, wandered over to men’s accessories in search of a fountain pen.

Months before, the doctor had received a check for some personal transaction. I immediately honed in on the handwriting. “How did he do that? Look at that – can you see it??” I had no idea what to call it, but I knew I needed to figure it out.  “It’s probably a fountain pen.”

A who? A what? I was clueless. A fountain pen! That’s what I wanted needed.

Choosing my first fountain pen was a breeeeze. I knew nothing.

“Would you like a medium nib?” Sure!
“Does that feel balanced in your hand?”  Uh huh.
“Do you like the grip? Is it to heavy?” I love it! I’ll take it!
“Do you need some cartridges to go with it?” Yes!

I got the pen home, tossed the box, the paperwork, and whatever that weird twisty thing was over my shoulder and into the trash. I have a fountain pen! How do I make it go?

A whole bunch of years, and inks, and pens later, and I find myself returning to my old friend: the Waterman Expert.

I snapped a few quick pictures, hastily scribbled some notes, and finally it was time to ink her up for the first time in at least eight years. I chose one of my current favorite inks – Noodler’s Lexington Gray and (seriously) when I put pen to paper, it gave me goosies (as J Lo would say).

Balanced. Comfortable grip. Not too heavy, not too light. An oh-so-satisfying click when the cap was posted. This was going to be great. I was practically giddy.

Then I started to worry that I’d remembered this old pen with a little too much fondness. That perhaps now that I’ve experienced other wonderful writing instruments that this one wouldn’t quite measure up. I had nothing to worry about.

Waterman Expert Fountain Pen
A bit of shading.
A generous medium nib, so smooth over the Rhodia paper. Wonderful shading (that thing I’d seen, but didn’t have the words to describe all of those years ago). No skipping or false starts (maybe one).  Just. Beautiful.

Enough of my gushing – let me show you what I’m talking about. (If I’ve done all of this right, you should be able to click on the pictures to see them larger and see more detail. If that doesn’t work, you will have learned that I’m not perfect, yo.)

Waterman Expert on Rhodia Pad
Rich burgundy color.
Waterman Expert Two-Toned Nib - some pitting
Some pitting on the two-toned gold nib. See the separation between the tines? That is some goodness right there, folks.

You notice that I didn’t call it an Expert in my writing? That’s because I had to do some sleuthing to figure it out.
This has been fun – remembering and writing about how I first fell in love with fountain pens. Do you remember your first love? I’d love to hear all about it.