As I was doing a bit of desk reorganization last week, I realized I had a pretty good stash of products I’ve yet to give away. The Lamy Safari Aquamarine Rollerball - part of the 2020 Candy series - was a prime candidate for this week. It encompasses everything I love about the Safari lineup, but with more rollerball. I have one to give away, so read the rules below and get to entering!
Posts filed under Lamy
LAMY Safari Candy Series Aquamarine Fountain Pen Review
(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)
Nothing says summer like a bright new series of special editions from Lamy! The Candy Series has been well received, with Violet, Mango, and Aquamarine bringing a bit of much-needed sunshine to the pen world. I'm not really sure why it's called the Candy Series, with colors named after rocks, flowers, and fruit, but it's definitely sweet.
The model I have is the Aquamarine, with an extra-fine steel nib. It has all the standard Safari traits: The u-shaped clip, ink window so you can see your ink level, the love-it-or-hate-it molded grip, and the easy-to-use cartridge/converter fill system. On this edition, the clip has been color-coated to match the body color, which looks fantastic. It also has a matte finish and slightly textured body, similar to the Dark Lilac edition.
The steel nib writes very well. It's firm, but smooth, with just the right amount of feedback. It's not wet or dry, but it puts down just the right amount of ink. The extra fine nib on mine is definitely thicker than my usual preference with EF nibs--a little broader, even, than a TWSBI or Pelikan EF nib--but it writes so nicely that I don't mind at all. I just think of it as more of a medium-fine.
I don't have a lot of Safaris. I've never actually bought one for myself, because they're not my style, aesthetically. But there's no denying their popularity, and their ability to lure in new pen aficionados. While I usually recommend the Pilot Metro or TWSBI for new pen users, the LAMY is what I see most of my friends go for when the time comes to pick out their first pen. There's just something exciting about them, and I think it may often be the great color options. I think these three new colors are sure to attract lots of happy pen users.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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Lamy Tipo Turmaline Special Edition Review
(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)
The Lamy Tipo has been around for quite a while and is well known as an affordable and unique rollerball pen that uses Lamy's own M66 refill. Even better, the Tipo also accepts any Pilot G2 size refill, opening up the customization options quite a bit. What's new this year, though, is the custom color for 2020: Turmaline.
The blue-green aluminum body looks fantastic on this limited edition Tipo. It's meant to mimic the semi-precious tourmaline gemstone. This is a little confusing to me since tourmaline is known to occur in many colors, but this blue-green is beautiful nonetheless.
If you've ever used a Tipo before, this pen is no different. To cover the basics, the rollerball pen is encased with an aluminum body and plastic grip section. The grip section is textured with soft rings that make the pen easy to hold. The clip also functions as the nock on this pen, which is a unique and fun design. As a perk of the clip/nock design, it automatically retracts the refill if you open the clip to secure it onto something else, like a pocket or bag. This prevents you from accidentally stowing the pen with the rollerball refill extended, which would probably result in some sort of unwanted ink blobs on your clothes or bag. It's a really nifty system for extending/retracting the refill, but it's also really satisfying to play with.
One thing to keep in mind when using this clip mechanism is that you have to push straight down ("straight down" meaning from the back of the pen down toward the tip, as opposed to pushing the clip perpendicularly toward the body of the pen) on the clip in order for it to extend properly. If you put too much force on the back of the clip in the perpendicular direction, the clip doesn't slot into the little hole that keeps the refill extended. It's not a big deal because you quickly learn after a few tries and it becomes muscle memory after that. I'm more than happy to deal with this little caveat if it means I can't accidentally clip the pen to something while the refill is extended!
Writing with the pen is really comfortable thanks to the grip and the overall light weight of the pen. On top of that, the Lamy M66 refill is incredibly smooth and dark, making the pen a great writing tool. The medium tip is a bit wet for my tastes, but it's exactly what I expect for a rollerball of this size. I have had some issues with the line being a little thin in some cases, but it's not a big problem. I definitely prefer the Schmidt P8126 as my rollerball refill of choice, but that won't fit in this particular pen.
And that's okay, because this pen allows a multitude of different refill options. Basically, anything that follows the Pilot G2 size refill will fit in this pen. That opens you up to literally hundreds of different colors, tip sizes, and brands if you don't prefer the included Lamy rollerball refill.
The Lamy Tipo is a fantastic rollerball pen that also makes a great gift. It's affordable enough to buy as an impulse, but nice enough to carry with you or use at the office for taking notes and making signatures. The limited edition Turmaline version is a gorgeous pen, so if it's something you want to pick up, make sure you do soon before they're gone!
(Brad purchased this pen from Stilo & Stile at full retail.)
Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.
Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!
