@ambrdrgn.bsky.social
If you like the Safari but prefer a metal pen Lamy makes a metal Safari, the Lamy AL-Star, for about $10 more. Same formed grip and ink window but the body and cap are metal. I have to say I love my Safaris more though - so many more colors and it's really hard to break a pen made of Lego plastic!
June 5, 2025 at 8:45 AM
If you like the Safari but prefer a metal pen Lamy makes a metal Safari, the Lamy AL-Star, for about $10 more. Same formed grip and ink window but the body and cap are metal. I have to say I love my Safaris more though - so many more colors and it's really hard to break a pen made of Lego plastic!
If you don't mind a dip pen I know I've seen uranium glass dip pens, usually as custom orders. I think Steam Punk Glass was the name of one maker? No idea about vintage ones, though.
April 15, 2025 at 5:23 AM
If you don't mind a dip pen I know I've seen uranium glass dip pens, usually as custom orders. I think Steam Punk Glass was the name of one maker? No idea about vintage ones, though.
Legibility when writing quickly usually isn't a problem for me except with my widest nibs. If you just want to test out fountain pens you could try a Platinum Preppy with a fine nib. They're about $5 and come in a few different ink colors if you want to write in something other than blue or black.
March 22, 2025 at 11:13 PM
Legibility when writing quickly usually isn't a problem for me except with my widest nibs. If you just want to test out fountain pens you could try a Platinum Preppy with a fine nib. They're about $5 and come in a few different ink colors if you want to write in something other than blue or black.
I love Midori MD notebooks. Affordable, comes in a range of sizes and sheet styles, has a simple and clean aesthetic, and has great paper for my fountain pens. [https://www.jetpens.com/Midori-MD-Notebooks/ct/2353]
Midori MD Notebooks | JetPensNext
Midori MD notebooks combine exceptionally high-quality materials with a tastefully minimalist design aesthetic.
www.jetpens.com
March 22, 2025 at 10:08 AM
I love Midori MD notebooks. Affordable, comes in a range of sizes and sheet styles, has a simple and clean aesthetic, and has great paper for my fountain pens. [https://www.jetpens.com/Midori-MD-Notebooks/ct/2353]
Preras are such great little pens. I've got a few of them too, and I'm almost sure I'm going to get a couple more when then new colors come out and make their way over. (www.pilot.co.jp/press_releas...)
万年筆『プレラ』新色 発売 | プレスリリース | PILOT
持ち運びに便利なショートサイズの万年筆『プレラ』の新色を発売します。 「万年筆と過ごす丁寧な時間。」をテーマに、「クラシカルな喫茶店に置かれたヴィンテージインテリア」をイメージしたカラー４色を採用しま...
www.pilot.co.jp
March 8, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Preras are such great little pens. I've got a few of them too, and I'm almost sure I'm going to get a couple more when then new colors come out and make their way over. (www.pilot.co.jp/press_releas...)
It's a certain aesthetic but Rubato Pens (www.rubatopen.com) makes pocket fountain pens with G nibs and an "upper reservoir" to help with railroading. They're cartridge or eyedropper fill (3 ml) and while I've never used the G nib version I can say the fountain pens are excellent.
R U B A T O ⌀ S T U D I O
Rubato {pen, calligraphy, pressed flowers} Studio is a house of pocket fountain pens of pressed flowers.
www.rubatopen.com
March 1, 2025 at 3:41 AM
It's a certain aesthetic but Rubato Pens (www.rubatopen.com) makes pocket fountain pens with G nibs and an "upper reservoir" to help with railroading. They're cartridge or eyedropper fill (3 ml) and while I've never used the G nib version I can say the fountain pens are excellent.
Midori MD is my favorite since I like paper with a little texture. I tried Rhodia and it was too smooth - I felt like my pens were skating away from me.
February 25, 2025 at 12:14 PM
Midori MD is my favorite since I like paper with a little texture. I tried Rhodia and it was too smooth - I felt like my pens were skating away from me.
Oh, I love the layered, beehive-shaped ones! Much better than my solution of corralling sample vials with a shot glass.
February 23, 2025 at 4:55 AM
Oh, I love the layered, beehive-shaped ones! Much better than my solution of corralling sample vials with a shot glass.
Always and forever my Kaweco Brass Sport with a stub nib - I have other pens I use on rotation but that one is always inked and in my pocket. I've used it so much that you can see the silhouette of my grip polished into the patina.
February 21, 2025 at 12:30 AM
Always and forever my Kaweco Brass Sport with a stub nib - I have other pens I use on rotation but that one is always inked and in my pocket. I've used it so much that you can see the silhouette of my grip polished into the patina.
They might be on the way to fixing it? Mitsubishi Pencil - maker of the various uni/uni-ball pens - bought Lamy and are coming out with a M17 ballpoint refill that uses uni-ball Jetstream ink so I can't imagine that the M63 won't get a similar upgrade at some point.
February 20, 2025 at 10:05 AM
They might be on the way to fixing it? Mitsubishi Pencil - maker of the various uni/uni-ball pens - bought Lamy and are coming out with a M17 ballpoint refill that uses uni-ball Jetstream ink so I can't imagine that the M63 won't get a similar upgrade at some point.
The bottles are extremely annoying and mine didn't seal well at all. It was a gift and the ink is ok so I decanted what was left into an old Pilot bottle and still use it but if a /capped bottle/ falls over and still leaves a puddle of ink it's definitely going on my no-buy list.
February 19, 2025 at 9:55 AM
The bottles are extremely annoying and mine didn't seal well at all. It was a gift and the ink is ok so I decanted what was left into an old Pilot bottle and still use it but if a /capped bottle/ falls over and still leaves a puddle of ink it's definitely going on my no-buy list.
And if it's the triangle grip that floats your boat there's pens with that type of grip like the TWSBI Eco-T and the Lamy Safari.
February 18, 2025 at 6:23 AM
And if it's the triangle grip that floats your boat there's pens with that type of grip like the TWSBI Eco-T and the Lamy Safari.
Since you mentioned Lamy have you tried the Sailor Tuzu? It's a Sailor starter pen that has a triangular grip like a Safari that keeps your grip stable but it also has a nib that you can rotate for different writing styles. That might help the nib positioning issue.
February 2, 2025 at 3:32 AM
Since you mentioned Lamy have you tried the Sailor Tuzu? It's a Sailor starter pen that has a triangular grip like a Safari that keeps your grip stable but it also has a nib that you can rotate for different writing styles. That might help the nib positioning issue.
If you're not beholden to the idea of a standard nib holder you can use a 5.6mm clutch pencil to hold the nib. I got the idea from [The Gentleman Stationer](www.gentlemanstationer.com/blog/2023/4/...) but I used a Koh-I-Noor ($8.75 on JetPens) because I already had one. Haven't had a problem yet.
Why Clutch Pencils Are So Versatile: The Kaweco Sketch Up Clutch Pencil — The Gentleman Stationer
While I’ve previously written about clutch pencils / leadholders like the Caran d’Ache Fixpencil - which is geared toward standard writing and originally designed as a wartime replacement for the stan...
www.gentlemanstationer.com
January 20, 2025 at 11:45 PM
If you're not beholden to the idea of a standard nib holder you can use a 5.6mm clutch pencil to hold the nib. I got the idea from [The Gentleman Stationer](www.gentlemanstationer.com/blog/2023/4/...) but I used a Koh-I-Noor ($8.75 on JetPens) because I already had one. Haven't had a problem yet.