The Lamy Safari is one of the all-time great fountain pens. It’s a classic and a must-own. It’s one of the best fountain pens under $20 and the best starter fountain pens, no matter who you ask.
The Safari is Lamy’s entry-level fountain pen. It’s made of ABS plastic which ships either in a matte or gloss finish, depending on what color you buy. All the pens have a metal loop-style clip, though the color of the clip will vary. The Safari and the Vista are the same pen, except the Lamy Vista is the clear plastic demonstrator model.
The pen only ships with Lamy’s modular Z50 steel nib, though it may come in silver or black, depending on the color as well. This nib will fit almost all Lamy pens except for the Lamy 2000 fountain pen. The nib is sold in EF, F, M, and B and then a number of specialty/calligraphy options.
The Safari is a cartridge converter fountain pen that accepts only Lamy’s proprietary converters or the T10 giant cartridge.
Lamy Safari Review
The Lamy Safari is a classic, and for very good reason. This pen is one of the few entry-level fountain pens that will likely never leave your collection and is one that you’ll continue to pick up no matter how many pens you get. Some people take this so far as putting Lamy’s $100 Z57 gold nib on this pen!
The one point of argument with the Safari will be if you like the grip or not. It is a rounded off, tapered triangle that is rather “opinionated” about where you hold the pen. This isn’t for everyone, but it is enjoyed by most people. The grip tends to be even more comfortable in the matte models — like the charcoal — where it’s a bit more grippy than the gloss finish.
Lamy’s steel nibs are the heart of this pen. The nibs aren’t anything exotic or exciting, they are just great everyday nibs. From the Extra Fine up to the Broad that can be used every day on almost all paper types and they are simply a workhorse product. Lamy believes in them so much you can buy a $150 Lamy Scala fountain pen with the same exact nib you’d find on a $20 Safari or Vista.
This is not a pen to overthink. It’s excellent and if you like fountain pens you should probably own one or two.
Lamy Safari Candy
Lamy’s Safari “Candy” is the special edition for 2020. The new colors that were announced in March 2020 are Aquamarine, Mango, and Dark Violet. These are limited editions colors that will be sold in all versions of the Safari for a limited time in early to mid-2020. For example some of the special edition pastel colors from 2019 are still available for sale through retailers.
These are similar to existing colors and some previous special editions, but they have a fully matte finish and a matching color clip, where most older models used chromed clips. All colors are new and unique to this year.
Of the three only Mango will be getting a matching fountain pen ink color.
Lamy Safari Fountain Pen Information
| Street Price | Check Price |
| Manufacturer | Lamy |
| Pen Type | Fountain Pen | Cartridge/Converter |
| Rating | |
| Barrel Color | Black, White, Pink, Red, Yellow, Dark Gray, Blue, Light Green, Gloss Black, Pastel Green |
| Barrel Material | Plastic |
| Body Diameter (mm) | 12.4 |
| Grip Color | Black, White, Pink, Red, Yellow, Dark Gray, Blue, Light Green, Gloss Black, Pastel Green |
| Grip Material | Plastic |
| Grip Diameter (mm) | 11.8 |
| Country of Origin | Germany |
| MSRP | $25 |
| Still Sold | Yes |
| Similar To | |
| Refills | |
| Capped? Retractable? | Capped - Snap On |
| Clip? | Metal |
| Length Capped / Retracted (cm) | 13.9 |
| Length Posted (cm) | 16.5 |
| Length Uncapped (cm) | 12.9 |
| Weight (g) | 15.0 |
| Refillable | Yes |
| Ink Color Shipped | Blue |
| Nib Material | Steel |
| Nib Color | Silver |
| Nib Sizes | Extra Fine, Fine, Medium, Broad, Lefthanded |