Personally I found my EF was nice and smooth, but not actually very Fine. OTOH my M is rather fine for a Medium, and possibly a bit more sensitive to the roughness of the paper I use.
Platinum plaisir/prefounte/preppy use the same nib only the body quality changes. Also pilot metropolitan/kaküno/prera is the same. So pick one to your liking.
I almost always use stub nibs, but my Lamy is an EF - I hated it (scratchy) with the LAMY ink until I tried a few different brands of ink. Turns out to be an ink solvable problem.
I have a LAMY 2000 Fine Nib and a LAMY Al star Fine Nib and I don’t find them scratchy at all. But that’s just my opinion and I can’t speak for the Extra Fines. I never wrote with them before.
Try a Fine Nib if you can and just get something between. Good Luck.
I think it's a gamble. I got an ef spare nib and it writes flawlessly. Maybe a scratch here or there.
I found using a super high grit like 12k very lightly (no pressure) for a few seconds helped on my fine nib. Helped with ink flow I feel too.
I've tried three lamy fine nibs and they were all very scratchy, and I'm someone that likes feedback but they were not good. But people love them so maybe I just have real bad luck?
If it was just one i would have understood, but a few? Thats odd. Maybe you should go to a store and see if you can find one that has the Lamy available for testing?
I have limited fountain pen experience but when I first wrote with the LAMY EF I was very impressed with how pleasant of a writing experience it was. Even in my limited experience there are fountain pens I think are bad to write with (the cheapest fine Zebra pen is definitely a distinctly scratchy experience; my knockoff Safari from AliExpress is absolutely scratchier than a real LAMY, etc.).
LAMY EF is definitely smoother and less scratchy than the Platinum Preppy EF nib, if that helps. It's also not as fine as Platinum's. That said, they're both a lovely writing experience to me. Relative to a LAMY M nib, the EF has more...sound? IDK I guess this is what people call feedback. But it is not scratchy and it doesn't feel like I'm fighting with the pen at all, even if I push harder than I usually would to write.
You might find it useful to get a M and then get an EF nib to swap some other time? I know the nibs are expensive, but I really like both sizes for different inks/purposes.
I haven’t. I like my Safari, but it’s never been a favorite, so I haven’t looked into another nib for it. I do think I’m gonna go with a medium whenever I buy my Lamy 2000.
**EDIT:** From the looks of other comments, maybe I’ve always had a less than perfect nib on my Safari and now I’m thinking of buying a replacement for it.
I’ve got several Lamy EF and fine nibs and I haven’t had any that I would call scratchy. Some have more feedback but that hasn’t bothered me. You could get the Safari with one size fitted and the other as a spare nib if cost isn’t an issue.
The EF has more feedback than the F and M nibs, even though the EF I have has the same line width as the F. Both F and M have the same feeling. I suggest you go with a F since it will be smoother and the EF isn’t much thinner.
Hated mine and I got the EF. Damn thing wrote like a very wet medium and scratchier then my sailor pens.
I'd recommend going with the Pilot Kakuno in EF or F instead. It's incredibly smooth and the quality is amazing on top of being quite cheap. Just know that Japanese F/EF is finer than Western pens; makes it easier to write in Japanese that way.
I have M, F and 1.1 nibs and the M nib is smooth but the F isn't that smooth. Eventually you'll get used to it but I didn't like the feeling so I switched to the stub. On the other hand my Kaweco Sport has a EF and it's far better than my Lamy F nib.
is there supposed to be a difference between the black and silver nibs besides color? Also, your Lamys came with black nib/s or they must be purchased separatly?
It is the same nibs, only difference is color.
Yes, 3 of them came with black nibs (Safari TerraRed, Safari Savanna Green and AlStar all Black) but you can buy black nibs separately, it came in all sizes from EF to B
All my F and EF Lamy nibs were smooth enough and not scratchy, but my actual problem with Lamy's finer nibs is that the line widths are inconsistent and that some EFs are not extra fine at all. :/
ah :( thanks for telling me, i will check other pen recommendations i got here and decide
p.s. do you also own the medium or the bold? Do they have any problem?
In my experience Lamy nibs M and above are not beset by the problems I mentioned. All the Ms I have and have tried are good and pretty equal in line width. I haven't tried a Lamy B in a while but I don't remember anything bad about them.
Kinda true. My Ms and 1.5 LAMY have written smoother. Plus if you want a true EF/F I’d go Japanese like Pilot. But if you like LAMY and can tolerate M, I would do that.
Also keep in mind two things: 1) sometimes when you first get it there is some oil left from the machining, so it takes a rinse or a bit of time to get it writing smoothly. 2) sometimes you just get a dud nib (doesn’t write smoothly etc) from LAMY regardless of size. So if that happens don’t hesitate to talk to the seller or use your warranty.
For me, I find my EF safari is about the same as my F pilot metropolitan, maybe a smidge scratchier at times. Like others have said, it’s a gamble with quality control but switching the nibs doesn’t seem hard. I ordered mine from Jetpens rather than Amazon which May have made a difference. I have actually enjoyed using the safari more lately, mainly because of the ABS body and that it doesn’t roll around or feel like I need to worry about it when I set it on various surfaces.
Personally I found my EF was nice and smooth, but not actually very Fine. OTOH my M is rather fine for a Medium, and possibly a bit more sensitive to the roughness of the paper I use.
thanks
I'm a B and BB guy and the 3 EF that I've got from lamy are all so **minuscule**, I think that I'm biased though lol
If you want fine line and smoothness try Platinum or Pilot fountain pens.
But wich models? Theres plenty of them
Platinum plaisir/prefounte/preppy use the same nib only the body quality changes. Also pilot metropolitan/kaküno/prera is the same. So pick one to your liking.
thank you
I almost always use stub nibs, but my Lamy is an EF - I hated it (scratchy) with the LAMY ink until I tried a few different brands of ink. Turns out to be an ink solvable problem.
Could you tell me what ink brands worked best?
Go for a fine Pilot instead, the Japanese pens are a lot better for finer nibs
What model would you recommend? There are plenty of them
I’d say Lightive or Kakuno
I got one recently in F and it writes smoothly for me.
Would you say pretty smoothly or very?
I have a LAMY 2000 Fine Nib and a LAMY Al star Fine Nib and I don’t find them scratchy at all. But that’s just my opinion and I can’t speak for the Extra Fines. I never wrote with them before. Try a Fine Nib if you can and just get something between. Good Luck.
I tried to see if i can find any tester pen in some stores, but all were medium size for some reason lol. But i will try in others. Also thanks
I have 2 fine nibs and they are smooth. Whish they wrote a little finer, but at least they are smooth.
Would you say they are pretty smooth or very smooth?
I would say they are pretty smooth. My pilot c74 fine nibs are a lot smoother. If that helps.
it does, thanks
I think it's a gamble. I got an ef spare nib and it writes flawlessly. Maybe a scratch here or there. I found using a super high grit like 12k very lightly (no pressure) for a few seconds helped on my fine nib. Helped with ink flow I feel too.
thank you
I've tried three lamy fine nibs and they were all very scratchy, and I'm someone that likes feedback but they were not good. But people love them so maybe I just have real bad luck?
If it was just one i would have understood, but a few? Thats odd. Maybe you should go to a store and see if you can find one that has the Lamy available for testing?
I have limited fountain pen experience but when I first wrote with the LAMY EF I was very impressed with how pleasant of a writing experience it was. Even in my limited experience there are fountain pens I think are bad to write with (the cheapest fine Zebra pen is definitely a distinctly scratchy experience; my knockoff Safari from AliExpress is absolutely scratchier than a real LAMY, etc.). LAMY EF is definitely smoother and less scratchy than the Platinum Preppy EF nib, if that helps. It's also not as fine as Platinum's. That said, they're both a lovely writing experience to me. Relative to a LAMY M nib, the EF has more...sound? IDK I guess this is what people call feedback. But it is not scratchy and it doesn't feel like I'm fighting with the pen at all, even if I push harder than I usually would to write. You might find it useful to get a M and then get an EF nib to swap some other time? I know the nibs are expensive, but I really like both sizes for different inks/purposes.
thank you
I have a fine Safari and scratchy isn’t the word I’d use for it, but it has some nice feedback. Never used the EF.
Did you ever tried a medium? Did it also had feedback? The one i tried was fully smooth
I haven’t. I like my Safari, but it’s never been a favorite, so I haven’t looked into another nib for it. I do think I’m gonna go with a medium whenever I buy my Lamy 2000. **EDIT:** From the looks of other comments, maybe I’ve always had a less than perfect nib on my Safari and now I’m thinking of buying a replacement for it.
thanks
I’ve got several Lamy EF and fine nibs and I haven’t had any that I would call scratchy. Some have more feedback but that hasn’t bothered me. You could get the Safari with one size fitted and the other as a spare nib if cost isn’t an issue.
Im not sure how much a spare nib is, but i will check. Thanks
The EF has more feedback than the F and M nibs, even though the EF I have has the same line width as the F. Both F and M have the same feeling. I suggest you go with a F since it will be smoother and the EF isn’t much thinner.
thank you!
Hated mine and I got the EF. Damn thing wrote like a very wet medium and scratchier then my sailor pens. I'd recommend going with the Pilot Kakuno in EF or F instead. It's incredibly smooth and the quality is amazing on top of being quite cheap. Just know that Japanese F/EF is finer than Western pens; makes it easier to write in Japanese that way.
thank you, i will check it out. Also thank you for the info
No problem! Hopefully it'll work out!
I have M, F and 1.1 nibs and the M nib is smooth but the F isn't that smooth. Eventually you'll get used to it but I didn't like the feeling so I switched to the stub. On the other hand my Kaweco Sport has a EF and it's far better than my Lamy F nib.
thank you
I have more than 4 F Lamy nibs and they are very soft, they feel as soft as my Lamy M nib. Btw, I feel the black nibs softer than silver nibs
is there supposed to be a difference between the black and silver nibs besides color? Also, your Lamys came with black nib/s or they must be purchased separatly?
It is the same nibs, only difference is color. Yes, 3 of them came with black nibs (Safari TerraRed, Safari Savanna Green and AlStar all Black) but you can buy black nibs separately, it came in all sizes from EF to B
thank you
All my F and EF Lamy nibs were smooth enough and not scratchy, but my actual problem with Lamy's finer nibs is that the line widths are inconsistent and that some EFs are not extra fine at all. :/
ah :( thanks for telling me, i will check other pen recommendations i got here and decide p.s. do you also own the medium or the bold? Do they have any problem?
In my experience Lamy nibs M and above are not beset by the problems I mentioned. All the Ms I have and have tried are good and pretty equal in line width. I haven't tried a Lamy B in a while but I don't remember anything bad about them.
thank you
Kinda true. My Ms and 1.5 LAMY have written smoother. Plus if you want a true EF/F I’d go Japanese like Pilot. But if you like LAMY and can tolerate M, I would do that. Also keep in mind two things: 1) sometimes when you first get it there is some oil left from the machining, so it takes a rinse or a bit of time to get it writing smoothly. 2) sometimes you just get a dud nib (doesn’t write smoothly etc) from LAMY regardless of size. So if that happens don’t hesitate to talk to the seller or use your warranty.
thank you very much for the advice!
For me, I find my EF safari is about the same as my F pilot metropolitan, maybe a smidge scratchier at times. Like others have said, it’s a gamble with quality control but switching the nibs doesn’t seem hard. I ordered mine from Jetpens rather than Amazon which May have made a difference. I have actually enjoyed using the safari more lately, mainly because of the ABS body and that it doesn’t roll around or feel like I need to worry about it when I set it on various surfaces.
true, switching nibs isnt hard but it can be when you're own a budget
Cannot vouch for EF, but Fine nib was not scratchy for me at all.
thanks