Safari Vista Fountain Pen - Demonstrator Clear, Extra-Fine Nib L12EF

I have been using this pend for about a month now. For the price, I don't see a better fountain pen available. The nib truly is extra fine, and I am very pleased with it. Using it with noodler's bulletproof black, and it started the ink flowing within half a centimeter of starting to write something, and ink flow is constant and smooth ever since. Not too much, and, unless you leave it out without the cap on too long, not too little. Even if you let it partially dry out, restoring ink flow is easy and quick. On cheap paper, it can accumulate paper fibers under the nib tip over the course of a few days, but these can be removed when this happens by simply wiping it off. Solution: use decent paper. Smooth writing, easy ink monitoring, feels good in the hand. Originally, I gave it 4 stars because the cap makes it a bit topheavy when you are writing, but I have been so pleased with it that I decided to give it 5 stars after all. I'm using it with the converter. Very happy with it's construction, quality and performance - for the price. It's not the classiest fountain pen I ever saw, but it's definitely also not junk either. It's more of a "get it done" functional day to day useful sort of design. I use it everyday, extensively, and have been enjoying writing by hand again immensely with it. It would make a good gift for someone in school, and for someone who would use it for daily office work or writing research notes with, as I do. Not suitable as a gift meant to impress, be high end, or give to someone you are being formal with or who is a superior at work because of the design. Overall, very nice pen. Get the converter. I like the noodler's black ink.

Whether starting out with the fountain pen type or wanting more choice for how one writes in terms of writing tips, LAMY proves to be quite functional. This clear design variant of their Safari model may not have the same attraction as its black-bodied original, but it writes just the same and teaches you how to properly grip, write with a fountain pen. This purchase had the extra fine tip installed on it with a blue ink cartridge, and after enough testing, I don't think I need the regular Fine tip to know that Extra Fine works for me. I would say the proper grip on the pen body is comfortable enough to eventually disappear into your hand after enough time to where you no longer consciously think about it. Official ink cartridges by the company have only a handful of choices when it comes to color variety, but there is a reusable reservoir cartridge that works with the pen and allows you to use whatever make and color inks you would like with it. I have not gotten to that point yet, but so far, I see the writing experience as better than I could have ever imagined. With a generally low price of entry, I believe the LAMY Safari is the best first step for beginners in absence of any PILOT Varsity pens to test to see if these will suit their style, or the best second step for anyone who wants the option to have a variety of tips for their writing or drawing.

Read a lot of good reviews on this pen and decided to go for it. First off, there's no denying it's cool-looking. There's something both space-age and steam punk about it that really appealed to me. I didn't fool around--I ordered the Z24 converter along with it as I like refilling from bottles. And I ordered a bottle of Noodler's Bulletproof Black, too. So how does it perform? Filling the converter was a snap. Doesn't look like it holds a lot of ink, and time will tell how long I get on a 'tank full.' I wasn't sure I was going to like the grip in this at first; those two slants on top but it didn't take long for it to feel just right. I ordered the EF nib and am glad I did. Several reviewers mentioned that the F nib was like a M, and I already have plenty of those, so it was an easy choice. It writes smooth and started working without much coaxing. You don't need a heavy hand with this pen, but if you do write heavy you'll probably experience the "scratchy factor" that everyone mentions. I wrote on yellow legal pads and the flow was nice, but I have to say that writing on the paper in the Moleskine journal is dreamy--VERY smooth. I did some doodling--cartoons mostly--and I'd say that the drawing capability of this pen isn't quite there; the nib is pretty stiff so you aren't going to get a lot of variety of line. For just fooling around, basic sketching, and doodling it works fine. I know others that draw with this pen all the time. I find my self wanting to write--and write anything--just to play with this pen. I'm hooked! I would say that any of the negative reviews here are the result of user error, inexperience with fountain pens, or perhaps a random lemon. I have not had any issues in two days of using it and not even a single pin-prick size spot of ink anywhere on the pen; all the ink is in the converter right where it's supposed to be, unless summoned forth by my hand. I like this pen a lot. I have a Noodler's pen that came with the Noodler's Heart of Darkness ink that is pretty awesome, but it may lose hand time to the Vista now.

As a current university student who takes quite a lot of notes, I find this is a great pen--for the most part. Durability (5/5): Very durable and great for carrying around in your pocket, clipped to your jeans, floating through your bag/backpack/purse,etc., with a very strong clip. It is rather difficult to scratch up and dropping/jostling has no effect on the actual function of the pen. Ink flow (3/5): Though, initially, the ink flow was great, after refilling the cartridge with new ink, I've noticed that when I first begin writing it stays rather scratchy for a good five to ten minutes, and if I stop writing for even a few seconds, the ink flow completely dies out and I need to scratch on the edge of my page for at least 20 seconds to get it to start flowing again. I know it is not the ink--as I've tried several different types of inks of differing quality (up through some very high quality Cross and Parker inks)--and thus I can only conclude that it must be the pen. While something may be wrong with the pen, I use it daily--unless it gives me too much trouble--and I don't want to pay the cost of sending it back to Lamy or take the time to walk to a UPS and pay to get it sent back to Amazon to fix the issue. Hopefully, with the new converter I bought this issue might clear up (maybe there are air bubbles or somehow the ink is not getting into the mechanism properly?) but if it does not, I will likely send it back to Amazon. Appearance(5/5): Though this is not overly important to me, it is still nice to have a decent looking pen--and this pen is much better looking in person than this picture shows. It is a nice pale blue-ish clear, and the chrome looks very sleek and gives it an almost elegant look. I especially like that it's so easy to read how much ink is left inside, so you know to fill it up when it gets low. Overall, I'd give it a 3.5/5, though I do think I'd push it up to a 5/5 if the ink problems would just clear up.

This pen comes in at a great price point for a fountain pen. I have a very expensive Waterman that is certainly much nicer in weight, look, and feel, but it is a little too delicate to take out of the office. I have tried the Cross low price point pen that is sold at a major office retailer. It comes in at around $40-$50 and does not compare in any way to this Lamy which is half the price. That other pen is oddly weighted, has a horrible converter, takes difficult to find cartridges and writes poorly. The Lamy is a little lightweight if you are used to a high quality fountain pen but it is not unbalanced like the previously mentioned Cross. The Lamy writes smoothly. The Extra Fine nib on the Lamy really is very extra fine. You have to hold it on the paper with the correct pressure like all fountain pens; but because it is extra fine, if you don't have the angle correct, there can be skipping. However, after using the pen for a few days, you will see how you need to hold it. The cap is secure. I purchased the Lamy Z24 converter which works like a charm. I've tried several different types of ink with this pen. Noodlers is the favorite. Had no leaks and no problems. I purchased both the Lamy Safari Blue Ex-Fine (L14EF) and Lami Safari Vista Extra-Fine (L12EF) and used the converter Lamy Safari Z24 on both. I am writing this review just as I order another one of these pens. Several people in my household use fountain pens. We all have "nice" pens that are the favorites, but there is no better low cost fountain pen on the market than this Lamy. It is perfect for lugging around in your pen case to school or mobile work sites.

I have to agree with other reviewers who find the Lamy Vista (or Safari - they have the same nib and feed)to be one of the most reliable, smooth, crisp, fine pens out there. Additionally, the Lamy uses an ABS plastic that is very durable - stays shinny even if thrown in with other pens. What I really love about these pens (I have four) is that they are so incredibly smooth on most any paper - from low-end Staples/Walmart notebooks/paper to Moleskin/Clairefontaine or Rhodia. What I find frustrating is the nib - there is significant variation in the nib production such that an extra-fine can be anything from that to a fine or medium. The good news is that the nibs are readily replaceable and available - so I buy additional extra-fine nibs (since I like a fine line) just to find the really good ones (extra nibs cost about $10). If you are considering between a Vista vs a Lamy 2000 - I suggest you save your money and get the Safari - the 2000 is a piston filler meaning it holds more ink and is easier to fill but its not as consistent with its writing as the Vista in my experience. I like fountain pens but don't like having to fuss with them when I'm writing and I find the Lamy pens to me most reliable and trouble free.

I’m new to using fountain pens and been seeing this brand recommended frequently, so decided to give it a try and so glad I did. Great pen and easy to fill. I like the way it fits in my hand. Always writes from the jump. No skipping.

This pen is plastic. It's comfortable to hold and the nib has great flow. I use a converter and noodler's ink with it. It's super top heavy when posted, so I never write while it's posted, which is kind of a pain. (What are you supposed to do with the cap?!) I'm going to buy another one, I do like it quite a bit.