My Personal Ranking of the 2024 Lamy Safaris and AL-Stars

This year, Lamy released not one, but two rounds of special edition Safari and AL-Star pens. Because 2024 marked my first full year as a Lamy retailer carrying all of the special editions (plus now with a dedicated space to have them all easily accessible for comparison), I thought it might be fun to take a look at all of the fountain pens together and discuss my favorites from what seems like an especially busy year for Lamy.

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From left: Pink Cliff, Violet Blackberry, Piña Colada, and Cherry Blossom

Ranking My Favorite 2024 Lamy Safaris

The 2024 Lamy Safari releases kicked off with “Pink Cliff” and “Violet Blackberry” back in February. Featuring dark navy and violet barrels paired with pink and purple grip sections, these two pens marked something of a departure from the recent trend of more traditional releases. While I found the contrast refreshing, I’m sure it wasn’t for everyone. The more recent “Piña Colada” and “Cherry Blossom” hit stores in June, and once again featured two-toned pens but with a completely different look. I’d rank them as follows, in terms of personal preference:

1. Piña Colada. I love yellow pens, feel the color is drastically underutilized across the pen industry, and let it be known that I will buy any Safari with a yellow clip.

2. Pink Cliff. A blue-grey matte barrel offset with an eye-searing pink section? Somehow it works. The matte texture lifts this one over Violet Blackberry for me.

3. Violet Blackberry. Two different shades of purple makes for a great looking Safari, but if given the choice, I’m always going with matte texture over gloss.

4. Cherry Blossom. A really nice looking pink pen, and I definitely dig the red clip, but this shade of cherry blossom pink isn’t really my thing aesthetically. The new “Autumn Pink” AL-Star, on the other hand….

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Four AL-Star fountain pens from left: Fiery, Aquatic, Autumn Pink, and Sage Green.

Ranking My Favorite 2024 Lamy AL-Stars

1. Sage Green. This one’s simply beautiful. I love the transparent green section and the tone of the barrel goes well with the black clip and nib. There’s not much more to say here other than this pen looks really good.

2. Aquatic. Same as above. While the fountain pen is shown here for demonstrative purposes, I’ve been using the .5mm Aquatic AL-Star mechanical pencil, as I’ve tried to explore different formats of popular models that I’d previously only used as fountain pens.

3. Autumn Pink. I have a thing for muted pastel shades, and while the Sage Green is definitely my favorite, Autumn Pink is a somewhat unique take on a color (pink) that’s hard to pull off. I expect both of these particular AL-Star pens to do well.

4. Fiery. What? This is T.G.S. and the red pen with the black clip comes in last place? First of all, it’s really not last place since this was a darn good batch of AL-Stars. For me it comes down to the red being slightly too pink for my personal preference, and the muted pink of “Autumn Pink” being slightly more interesting to look at. But again, these are all great looking pens.

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The two winners, at least for me.

So What Are My Personal 2024 Favorites overall?

If I had to pick two pens from the 2024 releases, I would choose the Piña Colada Safari and the Sage Green AL-Star. I definitely felt a bit of a disconnect between the Pink Cliff/Violet Blackberry and Piña Colada/Cherry Blossom Safari releases - there really wasn’t a consistent theme other than all four pens feature contrasting sections and barrels - but at the end of the day the yellow on the Piña Colada pushed it over the top. Sage Green takes first place out of the AL-Star releases, as I really love this color. (Tom’s Studio uses a similar “Sage” aluminum in both their fountain pens and the Lumos series.) I had a more difficult time choosing, however, as I enjoyed most of this year’s AL-Star colors.

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Takeaways and Where to Buy

Every year I look forward to Lamy’s announcement of their special editions, and while I’m probably on “Team Safari” in terms of which pen shape/model I prefer to use on a regular basis, it’s close, and this time the AL-Star won the design battle. After years of different blue tones and very light neutral colors, Lamy built on the success of Lilac and Petrol and took the AL-Star in a different direction with brighter shades that work well in brushed aluminum. The matching clear sections and black trim look sharp, and I’ll likely choose one of each color to keep in a different format (i.e., a Sage Green fountain pen, Aquatic mechanical pencil, Fiery rollerball, and Autumn Pink ballpoint). Viewing the Fiery and Aquatic releases alongside Sage and Autumn Pink also makes me consider them differently, as I personally think they look better as part of a four-pen set than as a somewhat staid red/blue release.

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We have all of the Lamy Safaris and AL-Star’s in stock at our shop, along with curated selections from Lamy’s regular lineup. I was also pleased to see that Lamy decided to release a mechanical pencil in both the Sage Green and Autumn Pink this time around. You can check them out online or in person, as our physical store will be open this weekend!

The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges from the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

A Mid-Summer Update from T.G.S.: Lots of Changes on the Horizon, Including a Brick-and-Mortar Shopping Option Plus Pen Shows!

Those of you who are Patreon members or who subscribe to the shop newsletter may already be aware of some of these announcements, but I figured it was time to update the general readership since we are now very close to our move date! For the past year, I’ve been searching for a physical location for T.G.S., and given rising commercial real estate costs in the greater Nashville, Tennessee area, it hasn’t been easy to find suitable space that’s also reasonably priced. As it turns out, we have a lease on a location, and will be taking possession towards the end of July.

This is an extremely exciting new development for us (me and my family, who collectively run T.G.S.), and will allow us to expand both the T.G.S. Curated Shop as well as the range of pen-related content we can provide through our various media channels. Currently, I don’t have dedicated studio space for photography and video, which necessarily limits the quantity and quality of content that I can produce. The educational and informational content we offer here at T.G.S. will remain a core part of what we do, and a big part of this move is about expanding what we can offer the pen community in that regard.

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I’ve been attending multiple retail trade shows over the past couple of years preparing to expand the various lines of stationery we can offer, as well as partnering with manufacturers and brands on additional exclusive collaborations.

Will There Be an In-Person Shopping Option in Nashville? Yes! But Not Immediately.

As soon as we are able to move over our warehouse and office/fulfillment operations, we will offer in-person order pickup from a fixed location in the Nashville area. Once we take possession, I will post the address and pickup instructions here on the site, but I can go ahead and let my local customers know that the new location is near Berry Hill and central to most of the greater Nashville Metropolitan area. In the coming months - hopefully prior to the holidays - we plan to have a small retail area set up within our space that will allow people to come and shop our various product lines in person. Store hours will be forthcoming.

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D.C. Pen Show Details: Come See T.G.S. In Person!

Due to the impending move, which is currently scheduled to take place the week before the D.C. Pen Show, we will not have time to assemble a full table’s worth of inventory for either the D.C. or San Francisco Pen Shows in August. That said, we will be in attendance, teaming up with our friends at Vanness Pens to help staff the new Vanness Pen Lounge in D.C.! The Pen Lounge will be located in the downstairs conference area below the main ballroom (which at past shows had been used as the “maker’s area” before last year’s hotel remodel. Stay tuned for further details as we get closer to the main event, but this space will feature an area for attendees to socialize, ask questions from a rotating cast of volunteers, and attend mini-classes and workshops throughout the weekend.

In addition to helping staff the Lounge, I will be hosting a workshop on notebook systems, and will have a small selection of samples from brands including Roterfaden, Lochby, Traveler’s Company, Midori, Laconic, and more. While I can’t commit to bringing items for in-person purchase, since our ability to restock inventory may be limited by the move, I will try to have a small selection of T.G.S. products available for purchase at the Vanness tables. Please let me know if there is something you specifically want to see and I will try to make it happen!

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

Great Pen Stores: A Quick Trip to Anderson Pens Chicago and Atlas Stationers

I’m traveling on a short family trip to Chicago this weekend, and I did want to report back that, yes, I made time for a pen-related excursion to two excellent stationery stores, Anderson Pens Chicago and Atlas Stationers. Anderson Pens Chicago is the Chicago outpost of Appleton, Wisconsin-based Anderson Pens, run by longtime friends and pen enthusiasts Lisa and Brian Anderson. Pre-pandemic, I had been planning a trip to both the Chicago and Appleton stores, but the world changed and the Chicago location was forced to close due to their location in the Palmer House Hilton (which was also closed). I was happy to learn that the Chicago store is now reopened and Lisa was in for the day so I was able to stop by and visit for an hour or so! Anderson Pens carries the full line of Sailor pens and Sailor Ink Studio Inks (which I stocked up on), as well as a wide array of other brands.

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Both Anderson Pens Chicago and Atlas Stationers feature a massive selection of fountain pen ink. Shown here is Atlas Stationers’ “ink aisle.”

Atlas Stationers is another longtime, family-owned Chicago stationery retailer (est. 1939!) that’s only recently become more involved in the fountain pen scene, including attending pen shows. I ducked in on Friday afternoon shortly before closing, so unfortunately I didn’t have a lot of time to look around, but I did manage to pick up some new inks from the Laban “Greek Mythology” line, as well as a sample set of the Ferris Wheel Press “Bookshoppe” Collection Ink Charger Set.

Next time you’re in Chicago - and certainly if you live in the area - you owe it to yourself to visit both of these stores. I’ll be making follow-up visits in the future, when I’ll have a chance to do more thorough photography and I don’t have the time constraints of a family trip. I love to support independent stationery retailers, and I have a section on the website where I archive past reviews and recaps of in-person visits to retailers.

This post does not contain paid advertisements or affiliate links. The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from The T.G.S. Curated Shop and the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

Thanks to Everyone Who Made It To Pelikan Hubs Nashville 2018!

Yesterday, at 6:30 p.m. in various locations around the world, Pelikan enthusiasts around the world met for the fifth year in a row to share their love for fountain pens, and the Pelikan brand in particular. The Nashville hub met at the excellent Stout’s Burgers & Beers in Brentwood, where we had the back room reserved and were joined by Lisa Vanness from Vanness Pens, who drove over from Little Rock for the event! Follow the hashtags #pelikanhubs and #pelikanhubs2018 on social media (including my Instagram @gentlemanstationer) for additional pics from the Nashville hub and other events around the world.

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All Pelikan Hubs attendees receive a bottle of the Pelikan Edelstein “Ink of the Year,” which this year is Olivine, a very nice dark green that I’m looking forward to using.

Don’t forget, as part of a special Pelikan Hubs weekend “bonus,” Vanness Pens is staying in the Nashville area for a meet-and-greet on Saturday from 1-4 p.m. at the Homewood Suites, 5107 Peter Taylor Park Drive, Brentwood, TN 37027. There’s a huge common area in the hotel and Vanness will have plenty of pens, inks, and paper to test, so if you’re in the Nashville area please stop by!

Finally, steps have been taken to formalize a Nashville-area pen club using Meetup.com. Sign up here to receive notifications of upcoming gatherings and events.

Great Pen Stores: Visit to New Orleans and Papier Plume (2018 Update).

Whenever I'm in New Orleans, I make time to walk down Royal Street in the French Quarter and visit Papier Plume, one of my favorite pen shops. On this trip, the store was quite busy, though everyone was kind enough to take some time to talk and make me feel welcome! They even sent me home with some samples of upcoming inks (which I had to promise not to reveal until I get the all-clear later this spring). Stay tuned!  

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One thing I love about Papier Plume, in addition to their excellent house-made inks, is that they stock many European pen brands that are difficult to find anywhere else in the United States, including Cleo Skribent, Faivet, and Faggionato. More on the Faggionato pens to come, since I picked up this gorgeous Petrarque fountain pen in Translucent Blue Tortoise Cellulose Acetate. 

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Faggionato fountain pens from France. The four pens on the right are made from cellulose acetate, a celluloid variant. I purchased the Translucent Blue Tortoise pen on the right.

Many thanks to Renso and everyone in the store for their hospitality, and I look forward to seeing the Papier Plume team at pen shows this year. If you're at the Arkansas Pen Show this weekend, visit their table, and l hear that they'll be attending the Atlanta and Chicago pen shows as well!

You can check out my haul from last year's visit to Papier Plume here.   

Disclaimer: Any pens featured in this post were purchased with my own funds, for my own use.