When HN users recommended it
2 HN users recommended this between 2017 and 2022, in 2 comments.
20072026
Each tall tick is one HN user's first recommendation. A short tick is the same user again. Click a tick to jump to the comment.
Lamy Safari Fountain Pen Charcoal
Amazon's catalog no longer lists this product (checked 2026-11-02). The name comes from the link HN users posted.
Lamy Safari [1] is generally considered a good "starter" pen. I love them and they aren't too expensive. It is big enough that it is hard to lose, so if you keep it for like a year or two+, it'll end up being cheaper than ballpoints.
You might want to look at different nibs though, to find the right amount of fineness you want.
[1] https://smile.amazon.com/Lamy-Safari-Fountain-Pen-Charcoal/d...
> Surprising to see that this article has snubbed Chinese FP manufacturers.
Two likely reasons:
1. They don't sell them at Jetpens.
2 (more likely): A lot of Chinese designs are copies of fairly expensive pens. Those manufacturers have asked online retailers[1] not to promote them. Although I doubt the Chinese manufacturers are breaking any laws (patents, etc), it's seen by many as poor class to mass copy and sell cheap. A lot of these online retailers rely on the goodwill of the more expensive brands, so they accommodate them.
As an example, compare the Lamy Safari with the Jinhao 599 or the Wingsung 6359 or the Hero 359:
https://www.amazon.com/Lamy-Safari-Fountain-Pen-Charcoal/dp/...
https://www.amazon.com/Jinhao-Fountain-Diversity-Transparent...
https://www.amazon.com/FidgetGear-Coffee-Metal-Fountain-0-38...
https://www.amazon.com/Singularity-design-fountain-purple-co...
[1] I know they did with Goulet Pens.