Lamy Safari Test & review- To go directly to the desired topic, simply click on the appropriate link:
Inhalt:
1. Facts
| Lenght: | 5.4 in |
| Girth of the grip surface: | 1.3 in |
| Weight: | 13,5 g |
| Price: | $ 19,94 |
| Scope of delivery: | Ballpoint pen |
2. Scope of Delivery and Packaging
The Lamy Safari ballpoint pen comes in a plain box and with a Lamy M16 refill.
3. Design und Workmanship of the Lamy Safari
The Lamy Safari is available in several colors. The blue I chose is bold and bright. The pen is mostly made of sturdy ABS plastic.
The pen contained slight plastic residues from processing on the grip surface. These quickly rubbed off when I started using the pen, so this is hardly worth mentioning, but the pen could still have been deburred after production.
What bothers me personally, however, are the somewhat unclean cast seams that run lengthwise across the pen. These probably stem from the fact that the pen is cast in two halves and these must be joined together afterwards. Unfortunately, this connection is not nearly perfect. You can only slightly see it in the photos, but can clearly feel it when you run your fingers over the area.
The clip at the top of the pen is made of chrome-plated metal and seems very stable. The click mechanism is under an accordion-like cover made of rubber. The resistance of the click mechanism feels like good quality and is relatively strong, but the refill still clicks out easily.
Also at the top of the pen is the classic Lamy lettering. The grip surface has recesses that support the correct grip of the pen.
I like the simple design with small details.
4. Handling of the Lamy Safari
The Lamy Safari is easy to grip thanks to the slightly ergonomic molds. At 13.5 g, the ballpoint pen also feels good in the hand and high-quality. The recesses indicate how far up the pen is supposed to be held. For the Lamy Safari, this is almost 0.8 in. This means that the movement of the pen must come more from the arm rather than from the fingers, which can feel strange at first, but ultimately leads to a better writing technique.
5. Writing with the Lamy Safari
The tip of the Lamy M16 refill glides smoothly over the paper and the molds in the grip surface support a correct pen grip.
So with the Lamy Safari you can write quite a few pages without getting any cramps in your hand. For long texts, e.g. exams, I would still recommend another pen, e.g. the Uniball Signo 207 premier, because the grip surface of the Lamy Safari is made of hard plastic and therefore does not give way when you grip the pen more firmly during fast or hectic writing. The ergonomics of the Lamy pen is therefore not bad, but it still could be better.
6. Conlusion on the
The Lamy Safari ballpoint pen is a solid pen. Unfortunately, it is not particularly well made. For the price and because it is made by the brand Lamy, I would have expected more. On the “pro-buy” side, it can be stated that the pen is made of hard ABS plastic and has a stable clip, so I would predict a long durability of the pen, if it were not for the accordion-like rubber cover of the click mechanism. This is because experience shows that such a material becomes porous over time, especially due to sunlight, etc. However, the ABS plastic of the pen is relatively scratch-resistant. The M16 refill writes well and the pen also has a slightly ergonomic shape.
Personally, I wouldn’t buy the Lamy Safari ballpoint pen again because the overall package just isn’t right for me, despite the nice design. If you’re looking for a nice pen in a similar price range, I can recommend the pens made by Faber Castell, check out the review here. If you’re looking for a ballpoint pen for under $ 5 with a very good finish and good ergonomics, check out the Schneider Haptify here.
But if you really like the design of the Lamy Safari you can buy it here.