For example:
LAMY Safari Fountain Pen is $17.97. (Sold Out)
LAMY AL-Star Fountain Pen - Graphite is $26.97 (Sold Out)
Edit: The above two links are sold out, but there are more colors in stock in the deal link (seems all with M nib).
I got a Lamy pen as a gift. Never heard of them before, but it was surprisingly nice to write with. The clip also tucked away when you click to write to avoid accidents.
This one used to be Tony Stark's favourite: https://www.catch.com.au/product/lamy-lx-fountain-pen-pallad…
Brutal. Got negged for making a dad joke
Good price but be aware that medium nibs are thicker than you'd expect and will bleed through paper. Fine or extra fine is a nicer experience in my opinion.
Yes, minor bleed through on Moleskine paper. The nibs do slide nicely - so a finer nib will help!
Moleskine has one of the worst paper for fountain pens.
I just use paper paper.
Moleskine are the Beats by Dre of the fountain paper world.
Try using Claire Fontaine or Rhodia.
I use Leuchtturm 1917 and they seem fine, no bleed so far with medium nibs.
Thanks mate. I like fine nibs also.
I prefer puffy nibs.
I'm a firm nibs man myself
Can you replace the tip for a fine nib here?
Yes, but then I'd have to spend more on an additional nib.
Thanks OP been looking for a Safari for a while now even though I don't actually write much these days. I find my writing is (a bit) neater with a fountain pen than with a ballpoint.
Will go well with my Moleskin notebook that's been empty for the last year :)
Spending too much time with GL toys, I suspect! Mango FTW!
I write better with a FP. Certainly don't need to press hard like I find that I do with ball-equipped pens.
Hahaha, waiting for the new MT1300 which should hit mid Jan and the new Velica tri-band mesh system later. Will have to write down my feedback and findings for them with my new fountain pen :)
I'll assume that your report with take the form of a photo/scan then? Think of it as an ancient form of 'proof of life'!
Is the Al-Star ocean the only fine tip on sale?
Is there a fine nib ballpoint for sale? I can't find any for this deal.
This compared to the Jinhao?
Lamy nibs for safari are stiff and hit and miss quality wise, any jinhao or wingsung will perform same or better, the body you can find wingsung replica in metal for less than $4 but not same feel as the original Lamy.
just bought the safari aluminium version. Might try Jinhao too since its so damn cheap
Jinhao produces lots of models, you'll have to be more specific. Generally speaking jinhao is better value for money, but if you want a reliable workhorse that doesn't look too flashy then I would go for a lamy. Have had good experiences with the nibs on both.
Great find. Picked up a safari fountain pen and used my store credit. Thanks.
Thanks OP! Just pulled the trigger on the ocean blue fine nib aluminium version after some research. Hopefully the fine nib will serve me better than disposable ballpoint/ gel ink pens
any recommendation on ink?
Haven't used a fountain pen for about 20 years.
Waterman inks are cheap and behave well.
If you want more interesting colours, look up Robert Oster. Aussie made.
Thanks.
First time I heard Robert Oster, went to their site and my eyes almost popped out when I saw the price of their ink.
I can understand paying premium price for premium products, but still, wow…
I would imagine a bottle of eternal youth costing similar.
You probably looked at their limited ink line up which were fairly expensive…
Dymocks in Sydney stocks fair bit of ink (some expensive, some actually not badly priced), Bookbinders Design stocks fair bit of inks… there are bunch of sellers out there.
I think Pulp Addiction was boasting their price on Diamine inks (their inks can be hit or miss imo, but they do offer 100s of inks so eh).
Though Waterman probably would be cheaper than the other options out there. Peters of Kensington I think stocks them, so you probably could order it and collect it in store.
I think Oxford paper works fine with fountain pens, and they were cheaper than Rhodia (when they are not on special). If you are looking for a just simple exercise book, that could be an option.
RO are mid tier priced to be honest. Search for Mont blanc elixer ink, its almost $100 per bottle…
I tend to use japanese inks and these range from $25 to $50 for the store exclusive japanese only bottles.
Its a deep rabbit hole, avoid if you value your wallet
Seconded. I've also had a lot of success with Waterman inks in Lamy. Safaris and Al-Stars.
I like their colours as their traditional with a bit of spice. Ink also works well on normal A4 paper. I use a fine nib though so YMMV.
Noodler's bullet proof for any legal documents. Otherwise I really enjoy Iroshizuku inks. My mainstay is kon peki.
I second the recommendation for Waterman as a basic day to day ink. If you're more adventurous then my favourite brands are Noodler's, diamine, sailor, and Robert oster. Ink may seem expensive but a bottle lasts for ages.
Please be aware that fp ink is typically not water proof, if that's a deal breaker to you then you'll need to search for water resistant inks.
The other Aussie ink company is Van Dieman's - much cheaper than Oster.
The people saying "Waterman" are right if you're just looking for day to day colours. For the biggest range of colours, Diamine is very good quality for a reasonable price.
NB you can't use Waterman or Diamine cartridges, you'll need a converter to use any of these, as Lamy pens take a proprietary cartridge.
I use Diamine inks, they are pretty good value.
Dang!! Thanks OP!! Just had to add another LAMY fountain pen to the collection with those prices, just picked up a LX in Ruthenium to join an Ocean Blue AL-Star, three Safaris and a LX in Palladium.
Anyone got a good link for reasonable price replacing?
Just refill the cartridge with bottled ink using a syringe. Or purchase a suitable converter for a few dollars.
Just when you think you've moved past your fountain pen addiction…
I can relate to this so bad :(
My version is "this is the last new pen/ink/case" for the year.
Ended up buying an LX and a Jinhao 911 (based on a recommendation by KnifeEnthusiastBoi)… I too can relate. :)
LAMY is a solid pen, used it once and loved it. Very good price 👌👌
Safari pens are quite decent, however my new favourite is the jinhao 911.
I find the tip on the jinhao 911 even smoother (and finer) than the lamy and the feed is not as unreliable as the other jinhao pen that I have (x750 I think it was?)
At $4-$6 a pen it's really worth a shot ~$4 from ali
Thanks for the recommendation. I was looking for something interesting to try out. Picked one of the "Bobby nib" versions off ebay.
No worries.
The ozbargainer in me can't bear to imagine losing a pen valued at $20+, knowing how forgetful and careless I can be.
So finding the 911 and trying it out was a bit of a godsend. I ended up buying a few of them.
Won't hurt as much if I misplace one or two..
Mate, I got it a few days ago. I love it. It writes so smooth and looks classy af.
Price match at Officeworks for another 5% off, next day click and collect, and easier returns if any change of mind.
Can we get UNIDAYS discounts for this?
Also Catch Gift card 6% off with Suncorp rewards.
See links here: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/592743
Yep this could be better approach than Officeworks price match for orders over ~$75. If low order value better to go Officeworks with free click and collect (or delivery of larger orders).
Don't you guys get pens from your office for FREE?
Mmm… Yes. But these FP are what separate us from mere mortals.
Fountain pens? FTW!
My AL-star arrived in a plastic bag, no packaging whatsoever. How can I tell if it is authentic or not? All the videos on YouTube show it comes in a small cardboard box.
Yes - I'm a LAMY user and the plastic body seems really cheap, even the painted metallic pens seem to be a lower grade, either these are fakes or a lower spec to what is traditionally sold in AU.
sane here. plastic packaging for ocean blue fine tip Al Star. I am going to check its authenticity now.
for some reason mines also came with $10 catch credit and $100 naked wines voucher.
EDIT: followed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbiNaCFPWp8 All signs seem to point that it's authentic.
Al Star arrived today! Not a fan of the colour (ocean blue) but it's a fine [pun intended] fountain pen indeed.
I ordered a few AL-stars and they all arrived in a just a plastic bag…Was expecting it to be with the Lamy box not sure if these are real now given the steep discount and Lamy is probably the most faked pens out there.
Got two AL-stars via Officeworks price match. One came without a case (I.e just the pen) and one came with cheapish plastic case. I don’t think it coming as a stand-alone product is a definite indication of the pen being a fake. Very keen to hear if anyone can get it verified.
Mine (blue AL-star fine nib) came with a plastic bag. However checking details using youtube makes me believe it's authentic. Oh well, I like to believe anyways.
also seem to scratch/ dent very easily. Guess it's part of the fun anyways in developing a patina.
the AL-star is known to scratch/dent easily. i got a price match at Officeworks for the Safari and it's much more sturdy despite being less flashy and pretty without a metal body.
Snap! Just inked up an AL-Star for the first time in several years. Don't know why I stopped. So much nicer to write with a well designed fountain pen - and LAMY are right up there!