Lamy 2-Pen FP Set - Pink Al-Star 2018 Special Edition + Black Safari ~AU$66.50 (US$47.24) Delivered @ Massdrop

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Chazzozz on 06/01/2019 - 10:06 massdrop.com (660 clicks)
Last edited 06/01/2019 - 13:45 by 1 other user

This is a great deal for fountain pen lovers. The Pink Special Edition Al-Star alone is $69.95 at most places in Australia, but in this drop you also get a Safari which has an RRP of $49.95, and that's even before shipping.

For those who don't know Lamy, the Al-Star has a light and durable aluminium barrel, with Lamy's signature 3-side nib section which makes it quite comfortable to hold in almost any grip. The Safari is the same shape and size but is an all plastic barrel. Both pens have stainless steel nibs, the Safari with a fine (in the cool-looking black S/S finish, although the pic displays medium) and the Al-Star in a choice of medium or fine. They come complete with one blue ink cartridge and a converter for use with bottled ink (Warning: shameless plug ahead -> I highly recommend the locally-made Robert Oster range of inks).

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  dreamerman on 06/01/2019 - 10:16

  +1

  Great pens. I have the transparent one (see through) bought many years ago.

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  EyyBanane on 06/01/2019 - 11:05

  +1

  Great pen. I got my black one from this deal for $20 though I have not seen that price any other time.

  Some reviews on Robert Oster here and here.

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  diamondd on 06/01/2019 - 11:19

  do we have a confirmation on the nib that comes with the Safari? You've said Medium and that's what we see in the pictures, but they've also said "Note: At checkout, choose a fine or medium nib for the pink Al-Star. The black Safari will come standard with a fine nib." on the description.

  I really hope it is fine… and recommend that over medium to anyone thinking of purchasing.

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    Chazzozz on 06/01/2019 - 13:04

    Good question. The text definitely says F but the photo has an M. I’m inclined to say the text is the definitive description, I’ll update the post.

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    jjcf on 07/01/2019 - 10:55

    Lamy F is still pretty wide tbh.

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  lostincanberra on 06/01/2019 - 13:07

  Thoroughly recommend these pens. Particularly good if you've got kids (say 10yo+) who are interested in having a go - the grip makes it easy to hold the pen at the correct angle.

  I use these with a medium point - and a Pilot Vanishing Point for when I really have to use a fine nib. The Lamy pens come in at $33 each while the Pilot will be lucky to leave you with change from $200!

  FWIW, I like the Lamy with a medium point. Slides just so smoothly… Great for university lecture note taking.

  A converter is a real bonus. I don't know Robert Oster inks (they do look nice and rich) but I use Noodler inks from the USA. I only use cartridges for 'on-the-road' outages.

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  roofyapple on 06/01/2019 - 16:00

  Its a great pen if the nib that comes with it isn't scratchy. I own 3 and 2 came with scratchy nibs. Anyone had the same issue with these pens?

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    Chazzozz on 06/01/2019 - 19:27

    Sadly that's not uncommon with S/S nibs, simply because it's such a hard material. You'll find with increased use it should start to smooth out, the difficult part is determining how much is enough use. A good method is to employ the 'brown paper bag trick'. Fill your converter with ink or fit a new cartridge and grab a handful of brown paper bags, the same type people used to carry their lunch in (grocery stores still sell them near the foil and wraps). Start drawing figure 8s at the top of a bag and work your way down to the bottom 'til it's completely covered, then flip it over and do the other side. Keep repeating with more bags until you feel the nib starting to feel smoother. The aim is two-fold:

    1. The rough paper of the bag works to shape the nib slightly so it glides across the surface easier.

    2. You'll naturally (and probably unconsciously) adjust your grip to find the optimum angle for the nib.

    Don't be discouraged if it takes a while. I broke in a Waterman Hemisphere and it took at least three bags, but now the nib is quite good.

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    FIVEDOLLAR on 06/01/2019 - 22:29

    Same issue here, I have two of them.
    The nib is literally chopping up my paper when i'm writing.

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  cashless on 07/01/2019 - 09:49

  Drop has ended 7 days early