Hero goes on a Safari

Back in October I mentioned I bought a Hero 359 from isellpens after reading a review and admiring the bright purple model.

After several months I can now write my own review.

Is it a good replacement for the Lamy Safari?

Close up of ring between body and nib section

Probably not if you have the cash for the more expensive, and more reliable Lamy.  

The Hero is a good look-alike, but it may be just that.  After removing the cartridge and cleaning it out, the cartridge nearly fell apart and the small black ring that separates the body from the nib section slipped away so quickly I nearly lost it.

Converter (included in purchase)

The cap is a tight fit and has trouble coming off, although virtually no trouble going on.

The nib is just average, and not as smooth as any of the Lamy Safari or Al-Star's I've owned.

Hero 359 Closed

 

 

Hero 359 Open

The bottom line is if you love purple and can afford to have an extra pen, buy it.  If not, pass it by for the more satisfying Lamy Safari.

Fearless Lamy Nib

It took me nearly a year to get up the courage to get out a tape dispenser, pull a length off the roll, lay the tape down on my Lamy Safari Red fountain pen and whip off the 1.5 nib that I just think is too wide for daily writer.


It was so simple and painless!

What's the Fuss: Parker Penman Sapphire

Penman Sapphire Scribble on Staple's Bagasse Tablet

More Sapphire Scribbles on Staple's Baggase Tablet

After all the talk, most positive, some bemoaning and forlorn at the ink being discontinued, raves about its colour, I was offered a bottle--for a price.

It is a beautiful colour, resembles several others, but is perhaps more of a pure sapphire.

But, and there is a but, among those raves were the original complaints about its clogging pens. Sure enough I had it in my white Lamy Safari, B nib, and although I use this pen often, it went unused for a couple of days. While this is generally not a problem with Lamy pens, this time, the pen went all cranky on me. It didn't seem to want to write unless I held it vertically.

When I dipped the pen in some cool water, a sea of blue floated to the surface and I was able to write normally--for awhile.

In my Sailor Sapporo with a music nib, the very same Penman Sapphire seemingly adapted better, didn't exhibit writing nausea and the ink colour looks delicious.

So the moral of the story on Parker Penman Sapphire is while it is a beautiful, luscious color, it is also an ink that contains properties that causes clogging in some pens and probably the manufacturer thought it best to withdraw the product from the marketplace.

I am withholding my own vote as to whether this is a keeper.

PS - I sold the ink for the price I paid for it.

What is a collection? Lamy Safari Update

Clockwise:
Visa (F); 2009 Orange (1.1); Yellow (1.1); Red (1.5); Blue (F); Charcoal (B); Lime (1.1); White (B)

Since posting about my Lamy Safari's here, I've traded, sold, given away and reconverted my stash of these colourful pens.

Here's the latest hoard.

Still unsettled about the Red 1.5--too wide even for me.

What is a collection? Lamy Safaris

I remember buying a yellow Safari at Morris' on Thayer Street when I was at Brown but for some reason that fountain pen got lost, and now I have seven (7) Safaris and none are yellow.

I'd like to trade one of the reds for another colour: yellow or charcoal.

I think my two favourites are the lime with a 1.1 nib and the white with a b nib.

And like most Safari users, I am content with these fine writers, and affordable fountain pens.

They are so sturdy I have no worries tossing them into my pocket and jumping into the car with a shopping list.

Lamy Safari

In another crazy spur of the moment I bought another Safari.

Why? I think because I wanted a white one. More importantly, but as inane as any other reason because I wanted the case.

And lastly because I just lost two pens I was bidding on at the 'bay--neither of which I need or really want.

And my German pen hasn't arrived yet.

And don't forget Mercury is retrograde in my 8th house.