I missed out on grabbing a bottle of this year's coveted Lamy limited edition ink, Petrol, but fortunately Appelboom came to the rescue and sent me a bottle for review - AND to give away to my readers! I won't pretend to understand Lamy's strategy (or lack thereof) behind its recent limited releases, but for whatever reason they didn't make near enough Petrol, and this ink is sold out at nearly all major retailers. Other than blog giveaways, Lamy enthusiasts looking for a bottle of Petrol will probably be limited to whatever they can score on the secondary market.

Lamy probably would have sold a ton of this ink had they manufactured it in greater quantities. Petrol is a very dark teal-black ink, making it suitable for professional use. I certainly would have purchased a bottle, maybe two. Here's to hoping that Lamy will someday expand its standard lineup to include some of the unique colors it's tested out in the past: Dark Lilac, Copper Orange, and Petrol. (Though I'll pass on the Charged Green and its neon brethren.) IMHO, it seems like they're missing a great opportunity to revitalize the ink side of their business.

Lamy Petrol would make a great everyday writer.

I plan on eventually picking up one of the matching Petrol Safari's, though I suspect they will remain in stock for some time, since you can still find some "Dark Lilac" pens from last year if you look hard enough.

Don't Forget "Pacific Blue," the Other "Limited Edition"

The other oddity with respect to this year's Lamy releases is that they initially advertised a "Pacific Blue" ink to accompany their "Pacific Blue" AL-Star, only to admit later that it was simply a repackaged version of standard Lamy Turquoise. Lamy Turquoise is an excellent ink in its own right, but why Lamy would go through the trouble of repackaging and marketing it as a Limited Edition and - at least initially - not voluntarily reveal this fact to retailers and customers is beyond me. (Well, not necessarily beyond me, but I prefer to not think that an established and well-regarded company in this industry would intentionally try to dupe its retailers and customers into purchasing something they may already own.) I've been spending some time with Lamy Turquoise, and it's a vibrant, well-behaved ink with decent shading. It's also a fair substitute for this year's limited edition Montblanc UNICEF Blue, and costs a fraction of the price.

A comparison shot of Lamy Turquoise against the new Montblanc UNICEF Blue. They look very similar, though the Montblanc looks slightly richer and a bit more saturated in person. — A comparison shot of Lamy Turquoise against the new Montblanc UNICEF Blue. They look very similar, though the Montblanc looks slightly richer and a bit more saturated in person.

Where to Buy, and Giveaway Rules

Appelboom stocks the full range of Lamy Ink and other products, and many thanks to them for donating these bottles for testing and a giveaway. I enjoy Lamy inks, even though their standard color lineup tends to be a bit staid. They're widely regarded as "safe" for use in most pens, including vintage. Their black is a favorite of mine, because it has dusty purple/green undertones to it that make it a bit more interesting than your typical black ink. Unfortunately, as I noted above the limited edition Petrol ink is sold out almost everywhere, and retailers currently do not expect Lamy to make additional ink available for sale. However, there's plenty of Turquoise/"Pacific Blue" in stock, as well as the other colors in the Lamy lineup.

Giveaway Rules and Conditions are as follows:

In order to enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this blog post indicating which bottle of ink you want. While you don't need to provide your full name, be sure to leave at least some identifying information. (A first or last name plus an initial is generally sufficient.) Lamy ink retails for approximately $12 per bottle, depending on country and retailer.
The giveaway will end at 11:59pm Central Time on Sunday, June 10, 2017.
At the close of the giveaway, I will assign each entry a number and pick two winners using a random number generator. I will announce the winners on the blog the following Monday or Tuesday and give each winner exactly one week to contact me to provide a shipping address. Information submitted by entrants and/or winners will be used by me solely to ship your item and will not be sold or otherwise provided to Appelboom or any other sponsor. In the event more than one person indicates a preference for the same ink - which I imagine might be the case with the Petrol - the person who reaches out to me first to claim their prize will have first refusal.
You must leave a comment to enter. Limit one entry and one prize per person. Your odds of winning are directly proportionate to how many people enter. This giveaway is open to everyone, non-U.S. residents included, though I will have to use the cheapest shipping option available, which may not include tracking.

Disclaimer: I was sent the products featured in this post free of charge by Appelboom for review purposes. I was not otherwise compensated for this review. This post may contain affiliate links.

Lamy's Safari line is a go-to recommendation for a "first fountain pen." Many people, like me, come to Safaris later, after they have been using (much more expensive) fountain pens for a while, only to realize that the Safari is a flat-out good pen, irrespective of its price range. If you don't have one in your rotation, you should reconsider, provided the design works for you.

Design and Build

Like the Lamy 2000 (perhaps my favorite fountain pen of all time), the Safari sports an iconic design. Also like the Lamy 2000, the Safari has remained largely unchanged since its debut in 1980. The pen is relatively rugged, made of injection-molded plastic, and will hold up to pretty robust pocket carry and daily use. It's earned a reputation as a good daily user; a "knockabout" fountain pen for those who are hesitant to tote their more expensive pens around town with them. The Safari also comes in numerous colors, including matte charcoal (pictured), shiny black, red, blue, white, and yellow, along with various "limited edition" colors that change annually. This year's L.E. Safari is neon coral; last year's was neon yellow.

Profile shot of the Safari. You can see how the sides of the triangular section are flat, forming a ridge along the top.

The Safari sports a characteristic triangular grip section, which is either loved or hated by users. Frankly speaking, your opinion of the grip section will either make or break this pen for you. I don't mind, because I apparently grip my pen in a manner that is "Lamy-compatible," but I know several people who simply can't use this pen because the section hurts their fingers. At the $30 price point, the Safari is not going to break the bank if the purchase doesn't work out, but this may be a "try-before-you-buy" purchase if you have never held a Safari or an Al-Star (the slightly larger, more expensive aluminum version of the Safari). Fortunately, Safaris are relatively easy to find. For example, in my area, a local luggage store that carries a very limited pen selection stocks Safaris.

How I hold the pen, which is fairly comfortable.  Yes, the nib on the Charcoal Safari is black! — How I hold the pen, which is fairly comfortable. Yes, the nib on the Charcoal Safari is black!

Finally, the Safari is a cartridge/converter pen. The pen comes with a single cartridge of Lamy blue ink, but a converter must be purchased separately for a few dollars more.

Nibs

The Safari uses Lamy's interchangeable nibs that also fit other Lamy pens, including the Al-Star, the Vista (basically, a clear Safari demonstrator), and the Studio. All Safaris come with stainless steel nibs, but if you're inspired to trick out this pen I imagine that the gold nibs featured on some of the more expensive Studio models would also fit the Safari.

There's no need to spend that extra money, however, because for the most part, Lamy's Steel nibs are perfectly satisfactory. I've had the best luck with the medium nibs, which write a traditional "western medium" line. The fine and extra-fine nibs can be scratchy, and sometimes I can barely tell a difference between them. If you are interested in trying italic nibs, Lamy offers 1.1 and 1.5 mm options, and they are very good for the price point.

Takeaways

So is a Safari right for you? If you are considering one, here are the main questions to ask yourself:

Is the triangular grip section going to bother you? If you think that it might, and "grip guides" on pens and pencils haven't worked for you in the past, I would try to find a Safari to test out before you place an order.
Do you mind having a "funky looking" pen? With it's grip section and oversized cap and clip, the Safari is "unique" looking, to say the least. You will get questions about this pen, and people will want to use it.
Are you worried you will be tempted to buy more than one? Here's what I find to be the main issue--because Safaris (and AL-Stars as well) are not very expensive, the siren song of the "limited edition" becomes very hard to resist. This year's limited edition AL-Star in Copper Orange is already on its way to me.

But once these issue are resolved, get a Safari. It's a great pen. It's also one that I have owned once before, sold to finance another purchase, and immediately regretted letting go. I'm glad this one's back in my pen case.

Ink Used in this Review

Lamy's iconic ink bottle with the blotter paper holder in the base.

The ink that I used to review this pen was Lamy black. Lamy black gets very little "press" on the pen blog circuit, probably because it's one of the most utilitarian inks out there. It does, however, flow extremely well and shades to some degree. While many people don't find shading desirable in a black ink, Lamy black has some additional character, meaning that it has some deeper green/purple undertones. I've also enjoyed the bottle, which comes with a roll of blotter paper that you tear off and use to wipe the nib after you fill the pen. The ink has worked well on most paper that I've used over the past week, and especially in my Baron Fig notebook that has become my daily companion.

This pen and bottle of ink was provided to me for review purposes at no charge by Ron at PenChalet. PenChalet carries a wide variety of Lamy prducts, including the 2000, the Safari, the AL Star, and others. Their prices are always extremely competitive, and they stand behind the quality of what they sell.