Lamy remains one of my favorite all-around stationery brands, particularly for those of us who both use our pens on a daily basis, and appreciate the ability to dabble in the special and limited edition fun from time to time. While Lamy's implementation of its limited edition strategy has been hit and miss over the years, they regularly release some exceptional pens, and the 2020 Safari special editions are no exception.
I love Safari’s with coated clips, especially those that match the pen barrel.
For the second year in a row, Lamy chose to release not one, but three, special edition Safaris. Building on last year's "Pastels,” the company chose "Candy" as this year's theme, and released three pens in shades of purple ("Violet"), turquoise ("Aquamarine"), and yellow ("Mango"). Mango is my favorite, probably because the yellow-orange hue is completely different from anything Lamy has released in the past. While I love the standard yellow Safari, the matte texture and matching clip lend the Mango a warmth the yellow fountain pen lacks.
The three “Candy” Safaris on the left; the three 2019 “Pastel” editions on the right.
What will be curious to see going forward is whether Lamy continues the three-pen releases. Amid growing economic uncertainty for much of the world, will we see companies scale back the number of special and limited editions pens, and maybe even discontinue certain slower-selling items from their standard lines? Lamy tends to make fairly large runs of Safaris, and it's not unusual to see last year's special edition pens on sale a year (or more) later. For example, the 2019 "Pastel" special editions continue to be available for purchase. In the case of Lamy, however, I wouldn't be surprised if things stayed status quo (or if sales even increased) since the company's lower price point pens might actually see an uptick in demand as pen enthusiasts look for less costly ways to indulge in their hobby.
This time around I purchased the matching ballpoints for two of the pens:
The standard Lamy Safari in yellow, on the left, and in Mango (with matching ballpoint) on the right.
Takeaways and Where to Buy
This is a great Lamy Safari release. As a proud member of #teamsafari (as opposed to #teamalstar), I immediately sprung for all three pens to add to my collection of recent special editions. In my opinion, the Mango pen in particular has the potential to be one of the better Safari's Lamy has made.
A combination of high demand and Covid-19 related shipping issues delayed the initial launch of the Candy Safaris, but most Lamy retailers now have them available for purchase. I purchased the pens featured in this review from site sponsor Pen Chalet, which currently has all three fountain pens available, in addition to the rollerball and ballpoint versions. The fountain pen is priced at just under $30, the rollerball $20, and the ballpoint $16. I'm something of a latecomer to the Safari ballpoint, and plan on reviewing that pen separately soon. If you’re interested in picking up one of the Pastel fountain pens, Pen Chalet is currently offering a free converter with purchase.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. I am a participant in the Pen Chalet affiliate program, which allows me to earn store credit that I can use to acquire items for review on the blog, like the pens featured here.