When comparing Lamy Safari vs TWSBI ECO, the Slant community recommends TWSBI ECO for most people. In the question“What are the best fountain pens for beginners under $50?” TWSBI ECO is ranked 1st while Lamy Safari is ranked 3rd. The most important reason people chose TWSBI ECO is:
You can put a huge amount of ink in this pen and write for hours. It is also pretty nifty.
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Pros
Pro Interchangeable nibs
The Safari has interchangeable nibs, with Lamy selling probably the widest range of nibs out of any other company.
Pro Shows how much ink you have left
Has a side-window which shows you how much ink you have left in the cartridge/converter.
Pro Great grip section
The grip section has cutouts which are perfect for people who don't know how to hold a fountain pen properly since fountain pens, unlike ballpoint pens need to be held in a certain angle.
Pro Great clip
The clip is made from Chrome and it's extremely durable. The end is curled up like a paperclip and it's raised up a bit to help with clipping.
Pro Durable
The Lamy Safari has a durable body made of plastic and has a very rugged design.
Pro Piston filler
You can put a huge amount of ink in this pen and write for hours. It is also pretty nifty.
Pro Demonstrator
Beautiful clear bodied pens that you can see the ink flowing around in.
Pro Dissassembly
You can take this pen apart and maintain it. It shouldn't need this basically ever, but it's good just in case.
Cons
Con Cannot use standard international cartridges
Like all other Lamy pens, the Safari cannot use the standard international cartridges or converters but can only use the proprietary Lamy ones.
Con Not great value for money
If the Pilot Metropolitan or TWSBI ECO didn't exist, this would be the obvious beginner's pen. But for twice the price of the Metro, it doesn't feel like you get much. You don't even get an included converter.
Con Scratchy nibs
The nibs used on the Safari tend to be "scratchy" and a bit dry. This means that not a whole lot of ink comes out when writing and it may also skip when writing faster.
Con It is more difficult to clean
Con Piston filler
This filling mechanism isn't as easy to use as a cartridge/converter pen.