Lamy Safari Savannah Green and Terra Red Fountain Pen Giveaway

The silence from #TeamALStar is deafening this year, and for good reason: The 2021 Lamy Safari Special Edition is the best release in years. It’s hard to compete with nostalgia, especially when pulled off this flawlessly.

I bought one of each - Savannah Green and Terra Red - the minute they went up for pre-order at Fontoplumo earlier this year, and I included one of each in that order for you, too. I’m giving away both pens - each with a Fine nib - to two winners of this giveaway. Enter for one, enter for both, state your fealty for #TeamSafari, and have fun. Good luck!

Lamy Safari Savannah Green Fountain Pen, Fine Nib

Lamy Safari Terra Red Fountain Pen, Fine Nib

Lamy Studio Glacier 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!)

I haven't been a big Lamy fan, in the past. I think they're good pens, but they don't beckon to me the way some other brands do. I'm rethinking that after spending a few weeks using this Lamy Studio. The Glacier color is gorgeous, of course, but it also writes wonderfully and feels overall very well made.

The pen body is aluminum, coated with a matte finish in this lovely frosty blue. The accents are super shiny chrome. There is no step between the cap and the barrel, and you can barely even feel the seam where the two meet, it is machined so precisely. The slight taper at each end of the pen creates a look that is somehow futuristic and retro at the same time. The clip may be my favorite feature--it almost looks as if it's twisted, with the end of the clip pinched out into a propeller shape. It's a firm clip, but flexible enough to be useful.

The cap pulls off rather than twisting, and closes with a very satisfying click. A surprising feature is that it also clicks in place to post, held in such a way that it is secure, but doesn't actually touch the metal against the pen's finish, so it won't scratch. That is some thoughtful design.

The grip section is chrome, and it's the only part of the pen that I don't like. It's quite slippery, and follows the tapered design, so your fingers naturally slide down the grip toward the nib after any extended use. I've solved this a little bit by actually keeping a more relaxed grip on the pen. My hands are less likely to slip if I'm not squeezing the grip.

The nib is steel, and it is the same nib used on the Safari and Al Star (which means you can swap it out easily if you want to play with other sizes). I've had mediocre luck with Lamy nibs as far as QC goes, but this one writes very well. The EF is nicely fine with excellent control without feeling too dry. I've been using it with the included blue cartridge, though the pen also came with a proprietary converter. I didn't want to mess up the converter, because I assumed I'd be gifting this pen to a friend or stranger after my review was complete. Because, you know, I'm not a Lamy person. Except maybe I'm a Lamy person and this pen is totally staying in my collection. In fact, I'm now mad at myself for missing some of the past special edition colors.

This one is also quite limited, so if you fancy this icy blue, don't wait too long to grab one. The MSRP is $99, but you can snag one for about $79. It is well worth that. That actually seems low. I'm not complaining, though, because I might need another one.

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

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Lamy Safari Mechanical Pencil Review

For the first time in my life, the famed Lamy Safari design cues have jumped up to bite me.

There are many things that make a Safari noticeable from a mile away. The often bright ABS plastic used for the barrel. The molded grip section that thousands of children have learned proper writing form from. The unique turned-up wire clip that is often imitated, but never duplicated. And that’s just a start.

As much as it pains me, only one of those things works well with the Lamy Safari Mechanical Pencil.

Let’s start with the good: It looks fantastic. Sure, this is traditionally a love/hate design, with not much middle ground on whether you like the style of any Lamy Safari product. And Lamy has never been one to shy away from bright colors either. Yes, you can always choose a more subdued Black or Blue barrel, but I promise your eye was initially drawn to that Bright Yellow, Red, or even White barrel.

In fact, this Pink Body is the sole reason I chose this pencil. It is absolutely, 100% my aesthetic. And as fun as it is, that’s where the fun ends I’m sad to say.

Molded grips don’t belong on a mechanical pencil. I knew that going in, but that still didn’t stop me for some reason. I love it in the Safari fountain pen, rollerball, and ballpoint, so why not in the pencil? Because you rotate pencils in your hand when you write, silly! How else can you keep a sharp point on the graphite? Unfortunately, having a molded grip section works against that rotation, leaving you with an awkward, uncomfortable grip much of the time.

On top of that, the famed Lamy clip bumps into your hand as you rotate, making for a double dose of awkwardness when it lands in the wrong spot. Which it will.

So, what to do with the Lamy Safari Mechanical Pencil? Lamy will never change the Safari design cues that make it a Safari, so we are stuck with the molded grip section as long as they make this pencil. And I’m pretty sure we will never see a Uni Kuru Toga lead rotation mechanism on the inside, which would make this design workable. That means for anyone using this to write in more than sentence chunks at a time I would never recommend it.

If you pick up and put down the pencil a lot, I could maybe see it. Say for math/science work, or for an artist. But then, we run right into the issue of price. This is a $20 pencil, which is fine if it is great. The Lamy Safari Mechanical Pencil is not great, which means I would be well into double-digits on a ranking list before getting to it, if I would at all.

Hire me Lamy.

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

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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!