Double-Review Comeback Extravaganza! The Lamy Safari 2013 Neon Yellow Limited Edition and Waterman Tender Purple Ink

[transcript of the handwritten text at the bottom]

side-by-side with the Vista

like a diamond glistening in the sunlight (or fluorescent bulb)

why the tilt?

Clever design!

Bleed and show-through can be seen here...

...but in my journal they're all but nonexistent!

Here's another shot from the journal

300 sheets of high quality paper for under $10.

 Here's the text of the handwritten part for your reading pleasure:


My quick review of the Lamy Safari 2013 LE
[Made in Germany]

Today, I live dangerously by daring to write n unlined paper. Life on the edge!
What can I say about the Safari that hasn't already been said? It's a classic of Lamy's Bauhaus-inspired "function defines form" ideal, a relatively inexpensive knockabout pen which finds itself in the hands of students and adults alike.
I personally have three pens based on this design" a clear-bodied Vista, this Safari, and a coffee-brown aluminum Al-Star.
As for this pen in particular, I absolutely love the color, and the dichotomy of having such a calming color of ink in such a raucously bright and garish pen.
Performance notes will follow. -->

Lamy Safari LE 2013 (cont'd)
--> The nib.
-Well, let's start with the most important part of the pen (in my humble opinion). This fine nib, on this paper (relatively heavyweight printer paper) the nib is a bit scratchy. I know feedback and I know scratch, and I'm sorry to say that right out of the box the nib has a bit of both most of the time. A bit of smoothing, probably, could fix that, or perhaps a thicker ink [dryer ink].
--> The feed: Quick writing: [This is the Lamy Safari in Neon Yellow 2013 LE Quick writing test] No skips or any such problems!
Flow is good.
-->Body: It's got the traditional tripod grip section, and so some may hate it while others won't mind. Myself, I'm a traditional right-hander, so it's OK for me.
-Color: Well, I love it; loud and attention-grabbing, and has a nice gloss to it as well. :)
-Overall: An AWESOME PEN, get it while it lasts if you love the color! 4.5/5 (nib -.5)

Waterman Tender Purple quick review
Made in France
-This ink, in short, will be heartily recommended by myself, and, I feel, anyone who uses it. It dries to a deep, saturated color even in my fine nib pen, so in a broader pen I imagine it'd be even more vibrant.
-Flow is great--I have experienced no hard starts or skipping in this pen so far.
-On this paper, show-through is a bit pronounced, but there is hardly any noticeable bleed. [edit: there is a bit of bleed] Feathering is not an issue in my journal, a Miquelrius, although it is mild on this paper.
-Misc.: No smell--neutral. dry time: quick.
-No nib creep at all.
-relatively waterproof, but not so much that I would advocate drowning your notes.

Overall: 4.5/5 Recommend! Vikram Shah 5/17/13

Lamy Vista fountain pen review

It’s been a cool two years or so since I bought this pen from a shop in Wiesbaden, Hessen, Germany—and honestly, it’s my favorite pen.

                Period.

                Everything from the totally-transparent , industrial modern styling to the smooth nib and comfortable writing makes this pen the top one, for me. It’s been a faithful companion for this time, even spending some time in a friend’s car while I wondered where my pen had fallen out of my pocket! Believe me, I was distraught until I saw it sitting in the cupholder a couple months later.

                The ergonomics may not suit everyone’s writing style, given that the pen’s molded triangle grip forces you to to hold the pen in the (correct) grip every time. Not a problem for me, as this was one of my first true fountain pens.

                What makes this one even more special for me is that I got it while I was on a scholarship-sponsored 3-week trip to Germany—it holds memories of that fantastic time I had there with it!

                Originally I used the Lamy carts I bought at the time I got the pen, but then my Dad gave me one of his Lamy converters, so I used his blue Parker Quink in it for the longest time. About a month ago, I had the chance to get some different ink, so I opted for this not-too-basic black Noodler’s Bulletproof Black. It flows really well, is really truly deep black, and waterproof—all qualities that the previous ink didn’t really have. I’m in heaven—and on my second fill of this awesome ink in this great pen.

                In any case, the fact that I’m rambling on about the man virtues of this pen (whoops—missed the fact that the nibs are totally user-interchangeable) tells you that it’s awesome.  If you’re in the market for a fountain pen, even if you already have a Safari, try some new ink in this awesome fountain pen, the clear, always-ready Vista by Lamy!

                [Another thing I forgot to add in the handwritten review is that you can always see how much ink is left in the converter, making it much more practical for everyday use; you know how much you can write before it runs out of juice!]

detail of the Lamy branding, minimal.

great pocket clip--actually useful!

posted.

detail of the nib. nib creep is due to the ink, noodler's bulletproof black