Lamy Safari 2013 Neon Yellow Limited Edition Giveaway

Did you see the new Lamy Safari 2013 Neon Yellow Limited Edition? I'm not sure how you could miss it - this sucker is bright! Bright, and very cool if you are a fan of the Safari like me. And, if you are a fan of the Safari, what could be better than a free one!

Here is how you can win this glowstick that doubles as a fountain pen:

1. Leave one comment on this post anytime between now, and Thursday night at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. You are limited to one entry. This contest is limited to US residents only.

2. For this contest, I will pick one winner at random from the comments section of this post. The comments will be numbered in the order they are received, i.e. the first comment is #1, the second #2, and so on. The Random Integer Generator at random.org will be used to pick the number of the winner.

3. The contest winner will be posted on Friday, June 14th. The winner will have one week to email me via the Contact link at the top of the page.

Thanks to JetPens for offering up this great pen and good luck!

Pilot Metropolitan Fountain Pen Review

I'm a little late to the party on the Pilot Metropolitan, but with good reason. I was waiting for MY model to come in - Black Plain Body - and wasn't going to settle for gold or silver or some funky pattern on the barrel. I'm particular!

When I finally did get it I quickly understood what all the hype was about. I noticed two things immediately: The weight of the barrel and the smoothness of the nib. The barrel is made of brass which is something you don't see much with pens in this price range. It gives the Metropolitan a nice heft and the illusion that you are using a much more expensive pen.

The nib, to me, is the real standout. Medium nibs are outside of my normal comfort zone but that doesn't prevent me from knowing quality when I use it. This nib is as good of a steel nib as you will find, regardless of price. It is glassy smooth with nearly no feedback on the page. I loaded my Metropolitan with Aurora Black ink and used a Rhodia 80g DotPad for this review - the ultimate smoothness combination!

While the praise for the Pilot Metropolitan is warranted, it is not without flaws. The biggest one for me is the sharp metal edge on the step-down from the barrel to the grip section. It hits both my thumb and forefinger when writing, making it uncomfortable right out the gate. You can see pretty clearly in this image from JetPens what I am talking about.

The second issue I have isn't as much of a flaw as it is a personal preference: Medium nibs are the only option. Yes, I am aware that you can swap nibs from other Pilot pens into the Metropolitan, but that defeats the purpose of a $15 entry level pen to me. As great as the medium nib is I can't use it all day, every day. I would prefer the choice of an extra fine or a stub nib.

So now the question that many of you are wondering about: Is the Pilot Metropolitan the best entry level fountain pen on the market? No, I'm sticking with the Lamy Safari for the wider range of nib and barrel options. The Pilot Metropolitan is at least in the conversation though, which is more than most under $30 fountain pens can claim.

(JetPens is an advertiser on The Pen Addict and I received this product at no charge.)

Ink Links

-- It’s Here! The June 2013 Blog Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper! (Ed Jelley)

-- Oh, so Retro… 51, that is: Retro 51 Tornado Review (and giveaway) (The Well-Appointed Desk)

-- What's in the 1st Official TRAVELER'S notebook Hong Kong Gathering 2013 (Scription)

-- Pencil Archaeology 2 (Palimpsest)

-- Visual Ode to Sargasso Sea (The Five Cat PENagerie)

-- The Penmen's Journals -- TWSBI (Earnest Ward: Drawn to Life)

-- Lamy Safari/Vista Grip Adjustment (Flounder's MindThots)

-- Forty Centuries of Ink (D.J. McAdam via Reddit)

-- Sailor Clear Candy Fountain Pen (Fountain Pen Quest)

-- Review: InkJournal Classic Notebook - 3 Pack (Gourmet Pens)

-- Three Rules Of Proper Notebook Management: 3-What To Do With Filled Notebooks (First Today, Then Tomorrow)

-- County Comm Titanium Embassy Pen Review (The Clicky Post)

-- Platinum Century #3776 C nib (Double Broad) (inktronics)

-- Sailor 1911 Medium Red/Gold inked with Noodler’s The Violet Vote (JustDaveyB)

-- Detour: The Retro 51 EXT Tornado White Nickel Fountain Pen (From the Pen Cup)

-- Wingflow by Platinum (Crónicas Estilográficas)

-- Post Office Pens (Sunbane)

-- Scout Books Brand Notebooks - Part 1 (Design Concussion)

-- Art Marker Showdown: Copic Sketch VS. Chromatix Markers (Nattosoup)

-- Waterman 44 Red Ripple 1923 (Silent Seeing)

-- Raleigh Pen Show, Day 2 (Inkdependence!)

-- Design.Y leather journal (these beautiful pens)