Posts filed under Fountain Pens

Lamy Safari Fountain Pen Mint Glaze Review

Lamy's pretty, new pastel colors for 2019 are a big hit with me. So fresh! So airy! I had trouble deciding which one I wanted. I was just leaning toward the inevitable Mint Green, when Brad sent that very pen for me to review. Delight! But how do I review a Lamy Safari? Surely we've reviewed it a dozen times already. I thought maybe I had even reviewed it! So I went back to check, and--nope. It has only been reviewed here once, ELEVEN years ago, by Brad, when he got one as his "first non-disposable fountain pen." He starts his review: "So many readers of this blog are fountain pen fans and have been trying to get me on the bandwagon for the longest time." Hey, good job, crew! I think it worked!

So, what has changed with the Lamy Safari in the last eleven years? Nothing! Or only very subtle things. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. The Safari has been a staple and a classic of the fountain pen world since 1980. They are many people's (including Brad's) first fountain pen and are therefore responsible for a lot of the world's pen addiction. For that alone, they are due reverence, but they're also just a really good pen.

I'll admit upfront that I prefer the AL-star (sorry, Brad), but I don't think they could get this beautiful soft color on an aluminum barrel, and I LOVE this color, so my allegiance may be slipping a bit.

The plastic is durable and sturdy. It doesn't feel cheap, brittle or disposable. It does show some scratches and wear after a long time of use, but it does it in a way that looks loved rather than worn. The self-springing aluminum clip is very well designed. It slides onto paper or fabric easily but holds firmly, and the continuous loop shape means it never snags on anything. The body has a handy ink window so you can see when you're due for a refill.

The cap snaps to close and posts well, though it is also nicely balanced when unposted.

The nib is steel, and quality can be a bit hit or miss with them, but I've never had one that needed much. This one is an extra fine and had a bit of snag-and-drag on left-to-right strokes, but was perfect after 20 seconds of smoothing.

The pen takes proprietary cartridges or a converter. It comes with one cartridge. Lamy cartridges are generous and hold a ton of ink, but I really wish pens would come with converters. The color line for cartridges, even with the added Monteverde for Lamy colors, is pretty limited, so it's worth picking up one of the $5 converters.

Probably the most contested element of the Safari is its grip section. It was designed under the philosophy that there is a correct way to hold a pen and its shape is molded to corral you into that grip. Which of course does not work for everyone, because there are lots of ways to hold a pen and several of them don't work at all with this grip section. And with a molded grip, you don't really know if it's going to be comfortable for you unless you try it, and trying it can be a barrier to entry for many folks who don't live near pen access. Lamy does have a large distribution, so if you're curious about trying one, it's worth inquiring about nearby retailers.

JetPens has their lovely Safaris for $29.60. The color is limited edition, as are the other pretty pastels this season, so be sure to grab one or all of them quickly. And if you're not yet a fountain pen user but think you might like to be, this is a great place to start. Just don't think too hard about where you might be eleven years from now if you jump down this rabbit hole with us.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on June 6, 2019 by Sarah Read and filed under Lamy, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Opus 88 Demonstrator with 1.5mm Stub Nib Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

The Opus 88 Demonstrator is a relative newcomer on the fountain pen stage, but it's also made quite a splash. I'm sure you've seen or heard of the Opus 88 line, and chances are you've seen the Demonstrator, as it's one of the most common models. It's well-known for good reason, and packs quite a punch into the acrylic package.

I got my hands on the 1.5mm stub version of the clear demonstrator, and I couldn't be happier with it. First off, I have to say that I had an incredibly difficult time picking a color. Between the gray, red, orange, and clear demonstrators, it's a nearly impossible choice for some. They all look so great. But, in the end, I went with the classic clear demonstrator since it felt like the most representative of the pen's style and aesthetic.

For this review, I chose KWZ Gummiberry to show off the wonderful 1.5mm stub nib as well as the clear acrylic ink reservoir. The yummy purple ink does a great job of showcasing both the nib and reservoir that I've struggled to put anything else in it so far.

Starting at the first impressions of this pen, it's quite large. At 5.75 inches or 14.6 cm, it's definitely a full-size fountain pen that even makes the Pilot Custom 823 look average. It's no Sailor King of Pen, but it's also a fraction of the price. Aside from the size, one of my favorite features of this pen — especially the demonstrator model — is the mixture of frosted and polished acrylic. This mixture of textures creates such a unique and beautiful aesthetic. The top and bottom finials are incredibly polished and manipulate light as it passes through to the other side. The inside of the cap is frosted, allowing a blurry peek at the nib that rests inside, while the ink reservoir is also polished to show off the color of the ink inside. These subtle touches really add a lot to this pen that I enjoy.

The clip is also a nice bit of contrast to the frosty and bright acrylic features. It's a black-ish matte color that really stands out from the rest of the pen. It's also quite strong and well made. For a pen of this size, that's a must. Just below the bottom of the clip is the only branding you'll find on this pen. An elegant "Opus 88" is stamped on the cap band, and it can be easy to miss if you aren't looking for it.

Moving on to the body, the exterior is completely polished, allowing you to see all the innards clearly. The only parts that appear frosted are the threaded parts, but that's more texture that adds to the overall aesthetic. The grip section is nice and smooth with a clear view of the feed mechanism, and then you get to the nib. This glorious JoWo #6 is the perfect size for this pen. It's a shiny material with a tiny Opus 88 etching above the nib size stamp. The 1.5mm stub is hard to miss on this pen.

Moving down the body to the end of the pen, you encounter the blind. There's plenty of polished material here to grip while untwisting the blind to allow the ink to flow freely into the feed section. There's a bit of squeaking as you tighten and loosen the material, but it starts to dissipate after several dozen iterations. Again, the highly polished material is fun to look at and watch how the light interacts with it. In some light, it just looks like a vial of ink sitting on your desk. Which leads us to...

The filling system and ink reservoir. Oh my. This pen holds so much ink. I haven't measured, but I'm sure I can easily fit 5ml of ink in this pen. The Demonstrator comes with a glass eyedropper for filling, but I used a syringe I had lying around. To fill the pen, simply unscrew the section from the body to expose the reservoir, inject the ink (either by eyedropper or another method), replace the section, unscrew the blind a few turns, and wait for the ink to soak through the feed. It's such a simple system, and it works so well. I love piston fillers, but they require extra attention and focus when filling all the way. With this advanced eyedropper system, just add the ink and replace the section. Easy!

Once you've inked the pen up, it's time to start writing. Even though this pen isn't a piston filler, it is similar in the case that you have to unscrew the blind a few turns in order for the ink to flow into the feed. This is a great feature for sealing off the ink reservoir from the feed when transporting it or traveling through pressure changes. The motion of unscrewing the blind and screwing it back down when you're done using the pen quickly becomes muscle memory. But, as long as you remember to operate the filling mechanism correctly, you're sure to have a fantastic writing experience.

The 1.5mm stub steel nib on my unit is smooth with just the right amount of feedback on the edges. I like this because it tells my fingers if I'm rotating too far in either direction before the line edges start to suffer or skip. It's incredibly wide on down strokes, but you can also get an exceptionally thin line on the cross strokes. Add those together and you get beautiful line variation when writing. There's no flex to speak of, but you don't need it. This is a perfect nib for showcasing various inks, and it does a flawless job at that. I've not had any issues with skipping, stuttering, hard starts, or ink flow. This is a fairly wet nib, but not so much that it globs up on slower strokes. The feel is very smooth, and the lines are still crisp even when writing quickly. In all, I'm incredibly impressed by this nib, especially at the price point.

When looking at this pen as a whole, I have to consider the overall quality and value. In terms of quality, I only have this pen and the Fantasia I've used prior, but I'm still very impressed by how well-made these pens are straight out of the box. Neither needed any nib modifications or tuning, and the acrylic work is flawless. These pens are made very well, and I've been very happy with them both. Given the grade of quality, the materials used, and the color options, I'm also very happy with the price. At $120 across the board, it's a great value. It's certainly more than your average beginner fountain pen, but it offers some unique features that are difficult to find in this price range. For one, the ink capacity and filling mechanism. It's hard to find something of this quality at this price point. And while the nib isn't gold, the quality of materials and manufacturing certainly justify the price. Since it uses a standard #6 nib, you could easily swap in a favorite from your collection.

In the end, the most difficult choice is picking a color and nib. All of the colors look great, and I might have to pick up another (or two) over time with different nib options. I'm using the Demonstrator in this review, but you can also pick from Gray, Orange, and Red as well as F, M, B, and 1.5mm italic nibs.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on June 5, 2019 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Opus, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Kaweco Frosted Sport Fountain Pen Review

The Kaweco Sport breaks the mold of what a pocket fountain pen should be. I'm a big fan of this product, and as a fan, I'm spoiled. So spoiled, that I almost take the Kaweco Sport for granted.

This is a great pen for me. I like small, pocketable, portable pens, and the bonus of it being a fountain pen is fantastic. It's lightweight, making it vanish into my pocket when I carry it, and durable, as it bangs up against other pocket accessories and keeps on trucking.

For as small as it is, the Kaweco Sport is a full-sized writer. The cap is designed to cover the majority of the pen barrel for a compact closure, but when writing, it adds length to the barrel when posted for a more comfortable experience. The standard section diameter helps with that too. This is not a skinny pocket pen.

My most recent pickup is the Frosted Sport in Light Blueberry, although it was a tough choice. Just look at all of the bright colors for 2019! Kaweco did a bang-up job with this series of Sport pens for sure. Anytime they bring bright colors to the table AND silver trim you can bet I'll pick one up - like the Sport Sunrise I bought from Fontoplumo last year.

I almost exclusively order steel EF nibs for my Kaweco pens, and this one was no different. It was fantastic right out of the box and continues to be. Nibs have always been a question mark around the brand, but they seem to have corrected most of the QC issues that have plagued them in the past. (Myke and I discuss this on the most recent Pen Addict Podcast.) It is firm, smooth, and leaves a clean, consistent line.

In a stroke of pure luck, I found the perfect ink match for this pen right out the gate. I bought a big batch of short international ink cartridges to play around with recently, and in there was this Waterman Radiant Pink. Any time I can get a cotton candy or 3-D look from my pen and ink combinations I am going to do it. This one turned out wonderfully.

For all of the praise I heap on the Kaweco Sport, it is not a pen I recommend very often. It rarely lands on any beginner pen list because it doesn't fit the traditional mold of pens like the Pilot Metropolitan or Lamy Safari. For a pocket pen, the plastic barrels are too light for some, and the metal barrels may not be at a price point consumers are comfortable with. But if this pen hits on the specifics you require, you won't find anything better. Heck, you may not find anything at all, which means that Kaweco is doing something right with this product.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)