Lamy Safari vs. Pilot 78g vs Kaweco Sport . duel of the "first pen" options .

I had heard a lot of guys here touting the Lamy Safari as a great "first pen" for guys to start with ... but never had one. Recently, however, I received one in a very kind PIF, so I thought "what a great time to see what all the buzz is about and see how this one compares to other oft-recommended starter pens. So ... without further ado ...

In This Corner, the Lamy Safari ... charcoal model with "M" nib and a converter.
empty weight 18g
inked up weight 19g
usual cost ... Goulet Pens ... $28 + $5 for converter = $33 (plus shipping)

In That Corner, the Pilot 78g ... black model with "F" nib and a converter
empty weight (with converter) 10.5g
inked up weight (eyedroppered) 15g
usual cost ... e-Bay ... $10 (includes converter, cartridges, and worldwide shipping)

And in that other corner over there, the Kaweco Ice Sport ... blue with added clip and "EF" nib
empty weight 13g
eyedroppered weight 16g
usual cost ... Jetpens ... $23.50 + $2.70 (clip) = $26.20 (plus shipping)
(note that EF nibs cost $3 more ... but I use the F/M/B price as most will prefer those nib sizes)

Here are the three pens, with caps on:



And here they are with caps off ...



.... and here they are, "posted" ...





Here's a close-up of the nibs, with a Sailor 1911 (large) with a 'M' naginata nib added for further comparision ...



... and here all four posted pens bask in their respective glory ...



Okay, right off the bat ... yes, the 1911 blows the other pens out of the water in terms of fit/finish, materials, nib performance ... on and on. But this isn't about how you can get a better pen by spending an extra $200. I'm talkin' 'bout the other three, Willis, for beginners and such. Or for guys who have a budget, or who want pens that perform well but that they can lose or break without breaking the bank.

Soo ... on we go ...

First off, I'll consider a functional point of ink use method ... that is, the Kaweco is too small for converters, so it's tiny short cartridges, or eyedropper. The Lamy can't be eyedroppered because of the "ink window" for seeing how full your cart or converter is. The 78g hits the trifecta, being able to be eyedroppered, and using longer carts as well as a converter.

(I like my pens eyedroppered, and have had no problem whatsoever with my several 78g's and Kaweco's performing & not leaking or burping while eyedroppered.)

One other functional point ... only the Safari has a snap-on cap ... the others thread on. Some may prefer the ease of removal of the snap cap, while others may like the extra "pen won't open up in my pocket" security of the screw-on.



Lastly, there's "nib swapping" ... let's say you like your pen, but not the nib size. Or, like many beginners, you want to experiment to see which nib size is right for you.

Safari ... nibs for $13 plus shipping (Goulet) with options from XF up to italics (1.1, 1.5 and 1.9mm). Italics appear to be only in silver, and the others in both silver and black.

Sport ... nib units $10.50 plus shipping (Jetpens) with options from XF up to BB ... an extra $3 for the XF and BB. Jetpens does not have italic nibs but ... they exist. I got a few from Goulet when they were closing out their Kaweco stock, so yes, they exist, they're just hard to find.

78g ... um, just buy a whole new pen ... $10 shipped worldwide from e-Bay. Selection is more limited, as they have F and M ... and a B which is actually an italic. (There is also a BB out there which is harder to find, and more expensive when you do, but it's a broader italic for those looking for really big lines.)

Feel ... I kind of expected more from the Safari, to be honest. I was thinking it'd be a beefier, heftier pen compared to the other two. But like the 78g it feels like it's made of cheap and light plastic (which, to be fair, they are.) In terms of "feeling expensive" or at least substantial, I'd give the edge to the Kaweco. The plastic there seems weightier and more substantial, although the small size of the pen means that this one still is not a "heavy" pen.

The Sport is a pen that you simply MUST post ... unposted, it's like writing with a piece of chalk ... well, that's the size, anyhow ... too small. But posted ... and kudos to Kaweco for making this happen ... it gains a lot of stature and sits nicely in the hand. I find that the 78g can go either way ... perhaps a touch on the small side if unposted, but managable ... and very nice when posted. The Safari ... unposted, it is very nice. (Just a touch shorter than the posted Sport, actually.) Posted, it becomes a bit back-heavy and although not really unwieldy, certainly less than desirable.

Once you get these three inked up, as you see above, they are not that far apart in terms of weight. The Safari is out in front, then the Sport, and the 78g in the rear, but not by much. (The Sport coming in second rather than third backs up my thoughts about the substantial nature of the plastic there.) It's more interesting, though, when you consider the weight of each inked up, but unposted (no cap):
Safari ... 11g
78g ... 10g
Sport ... 8g

Very close.

The one quirk in the "feel" department, I must say, is the finger grips near the tip of the Safari. If you put your fingers there anyhow, then you'll love them. If you don't ... you won't. Seems a bit "whack on the knuckles from the teacher's ruler for not having the correct finger positioning" if you ask me ... I'm fine with a round pen that let's me put my fingers where I want them.

Appearance ... certainly a YMMV kind of thing.

The 78g is more of a 'classic' look for those wanting something restrained and traditional. There are only four colours: black, red, green, and "blue" which is actually a greenish teal, that you might mistake for green unless you see the green pen next to it.

The Safari is "big" and looks it ... there's no missing a Safari in someone's shirt pocket (unless he keeps his jacket on and you can't see it, of course.) The nib is shaped differently as well, with a modern sort of shape that is more angular than the others, which are more classically shaped (with curves toward the tip.) Lots and lots of colours here, and a choice of black or "silver" nibs (although the italics are just silver.) If you want "rainbow of pens' Safari takes the lead.

The Sport is modern in appearance too, but ... "cute" as well. The 'classic' nib can perhaps keep this one from being "too" modern. Here, too, the clip is removable. This is a bonus if you don't want the clip, but in my experience the clip isn't as good as those on the other pens. It can slide up and down the cap ... and even slide off ... and it is very stiff with little or no 'give' so it's harder to use the clip on any but the thinnest pocket sidings (shirts are okay, but suit pockets can pose a problem, and forget about leather.) There are several different colours, including higher-viz orange and yellow, and you can choose from solid colours or demonstrators, and the demonstrators come in "sport" or "ice sport" ... the "ice" part being a white-metal nib rather than "gold" colour.

The nibs ... ah, the bottom line. Who cares what a pen looks like or feels like, if it can't write?

Here, I give the nod to the 78g ... even a Japanese F wrote better and smoother than a German M ... hey, Lamy, that's gotta hurt! The Kaweco wrote better than the Safari, and closer to the 78g ... close enough that I have several Kawecos already based on that performance. (It's tough comparing nibs of such different sizes, but of course I only had the one Safari, and had no choice in the nib size for it, so there you go.)

The Safari I found to be on the toothy, scratchy side. But the ink still flowed well enough, so it's not a "bad" pen or a pen I'd discourage people from buying outright ... but ... it's just that there are better nibs in the same price range.

Japanese vs. German nibs ...

The 78g, being Japanese, has thinner nibs than the other two, which are German. The F on the 78g is about the same as an XF on the other two, and I imagine that the M on the 78g is about a German F. So yes, if you don't like thin nibs, I'd say the 78g is one you should get a M rather than an F ... and one problem for Pilot is that after the M, there's nothing bigger other than italics, which is quite a jump. You can't get a "German M" sized nib on a 78g.

Those with fine/small handwriting will be best served with a fine nib ... the smaller your handwriting, the thinner you want that line of ink to be. Big handwriting can take broader nibs ... or fine nibs, it doesn't matter.






... ultimately, of course, it's up to the individual purchaser to consider all the factors and find the pen that best suits his particular needs. For me, the 78g is the pick of the bunch, and the Sport not far behind. But I place a lot of weight on eyedropping and nib smoothness, while others may have different preferences. (If I were looking for a "durable" pen that can survive knocks and bumps and being stuck in pants pockets and other rough & tumble stuff, the Sport would leap to the foreground. If I had big, beefy mitts for hands, the extra size of the posted Safari would make it more attractive.)

Thanks for the great post, Doc! As you said, all of this really comes down to personal preference. I do agree that the Kaweco Sports have great smooth nibs, and now that I do eyedropper fill them, I have a new found respect for them. But, for me, the 78G with a fine nib was like writing with a needle. With taking price out of the equation, I would take a Lamy Safari with a fine nib any day over a 78G with a fine nib. And I find a Safari much more comfortable for longer writing sessions than a Kaweco Sport. I am going to have to pick up the other nib sizes in the 78G so I can try them out. I am not trying to challenge you on this, or say you are wrong, because this is all subjective, everyone just needs to find what works for them!

Great review of those three pens. I like the Sport best of the three, but that's just my preference. Mine is an excellent writer. As you mentioned, it won't work well for folks with large hands. Lamy nibs just don't do it for me, and I never liked the looks of the Safari.

I think the Ohto F-Spirit and Sailor HighAce should probably get more press. I haven't tried them, but I bet they would be excellent beginner pens.

-Andy

Well done, Doc4! I think you covered all the bases very well and included a lot of valuable data (it's now in the review sticky).

I'm with you on the 78G, mine work flawlessly. A traditional look, not flashy, and just a great pen regardless of the low price. A similar pen available when I started buying modern pens was the Reform, which I still like --same style and price range. The nibs of my Kaweco are better than the Pilot but I find the little guys harder to use. The Safari, although I own several, I have a hard time taking seriously.

I played with both a kaweco and a safari... both belonging to Sam when he first enabled helped me out.. though the sport wrote great I didn't like the size, and the safari had a cool italic that made my writing look really cool but I couldn't get a good feel from the way the grips were made I prefer a round grip to the angled ones... sounds like the 78g would have been a great place to start.. specially at Chinese pen price. Could have saved myself some hassle on those guys

Thanks for the great review! I have all three and I wouldn't want to be without any of them.

Can you guess my favorite?

Nice review, Doc! I've got an identical Kaweco Ice Sport to the one you reviewed (except with a Medium nib) and love it as a "throw it in your jeans pocket, every-day pen." Mine is also eyedroppered and it holds ton of ink for such a small pen.

It looks like I'm going to have to try out a Pilot 78G pen one of these days. If nothing else, it should be a great giveaway pen for someone who's interested in fountain pens but isn't ready to drop a lot of cash on a high-end pen.

Great review- thanks Ian.

An outstanding review and assessment. Well done!

Reckoner said:

Can you guess my favorite?

Click to expand...

That's a lot of Safaris/Al-stars/Vista!

Doc,

Did you use an o-ring and silicone grease when you converted your pilot 78g to an eyedropper fill?

Great review Doc4. I've never had a Lamy, so could never really comment in any of the "What pen for a beginner" threads, so this is great. I have an AL version of the Kaweco, so can't eyedropper it, but it goes in my pocket on jeans days. (Note to self: Do the Nemo cart hack.) The 78g writes flawlessly every time. I have a B nib, though I need to try an M and F one of these days. Eyedroppered, I almost get tired of the color before it's empty.

Thanks, all.

Mendel said:

Doc,

Did you use an o-ring and silicone grease when you converted your pilot 78g to an eyedropper fill?

Click to expand...

Just silicone grease (for both the 78g and the Kaweco.)

strop said:

I have an AL version of the Kaweco, so can't eyedropper it ...

Click to expand...

Good point ... you can't eyedropper metal pens ... the ink reacts with the metal and bad things happen. I can't eyedropper my 1911 because there is metal in the nib section of the pen body, including where that half threads onto the back end. (The nib is okay, though, in case you were wondering. I think it has to do with how little ink is in contact there, and how quickly it passes by, or some such thing.)

Dave258 said:

Thanks for the great post, Doc! As you said, all of this really comes down to personal preference. I do agree that the Kaweco Sports have great smooth nibs, and now that I do eyedropper fill them, I have a new found respect for them. But, for me, the 78G with a fine nib was like writing with a needle. With taking price out of the equation, I would take a Lamy Safari with a fine nib any day over a 78G with a fine nib. And I find a Safari much more comfortable for longer writing sessions than a Kaweco Sport. I am going to have to pick up the other nib sizes in the 78G so I can try them out. I am not trying to challenge you on this, or say you are wrong, because this is all subjective, everyone just needs to find what works for them!

Click to expand...

Actually, that's a good point and thank you for reminding me about that.

The 78g, being Japanese, has thinner nibs than the other two, which are German. The F on the 78g is about the same as an XF on the other two, and I imagine that the M on the 78g is about a German F. So yes, if you don't like thin nibs, I'd say the 78g is one you should get a M rather than an F ... and one problem for Pilot is that after the M, there's nothing bigger other than italics, which is quite a jump. You can't get a "German M" sized nib on a 78g.

Those with fine/small handwriting will be best served with a fine nib ... the smaller your handwriting, the thinner you want that line of ink to be. Big handwriting can take broader nibs ... or fine nibs, it doesn't matter.

Very nice review!