TL/DR: A versatile fountain pen for learners, a handy every day carry for veterans.Because the Lamy Safari came up in my search for good starter fountain pens, I looked for a color a liked and couldn’t find one. Eventually I learned about the Vista, which is mostly the same thing (aside from being the only model of this type of pen to feature a clear body.) The pen has been, overall, a joy. I actually received it with a defective nib, which JetPens quickly and professionally offered to address, however a local fountain pen professional helped me troubleshoot the issue. After figuring everything out, I can see why Lamy pens are so commonly recommended: they provide one of the smoothest writing experiences on the market. For beginners, these nibs are really nice. ... MoreTL/DR: A versatile fountain pen for learners, a handy every day carry for veterans.Because the Lamy Safari came up in my search for good starter fountain pens, I looked for a color a liked and couldn’t find one. Eventually I learned about the Vista, which is mostly the same thing (aside from being the only model of this type of pen to feature a clear body.) The pen has been, overall, a joy. I actually received it with a defective nib, which JetPens quickly and professionally offered to address, however a local fountain pen professional helped me troubleshoot the issue. After figuring everything out, I can see why Lamy pens are so commonly recommended: they provide one of the smoothest writing experiences on the market. For beginners, these nibs are really nice. Having the option to change them out (very easy) and experience different sized nibs is invaluable for someone learning about fountain pens.The cherry on top (in my opinion) is being able to see the ink in it. It’s fun and it cheers me up throughout the day.

Standard Lamy excellence, as expected.I already had a black Lamy Safari when I ordered this (the Safari and Vista are one in the same, aside from color). So I knew what I was getting. This time though I went for the extra fine. The Safari I had before was a medium nib, which was great, if a bit scratchy on copy paper. I prefer thinner lines though, so I went with the extra fine when it came time to buy the VistaWhile I still prefer my Pilot Metro in terms of writing feel, the Vista/Safari is still a great workhorse pen, and writes like a dream on good paper (I use Rhodia, personally). Not to mention I think it looks a bit better than the metro, but that’s just my opinion of course, I just prefer the industrial design, and you just can’t say no to that clip ;). ... MoreStandard Lamy excellence, as expected.I already had a black Lamy Safari when I ordered this (the Safari and Vista are one in the same, aside from color). So I knew what I was getting. This time though I went for the extra fine. The Safari I had before was a medium nib, which was great, if a bit scratchy on copy paper. I prefer thinner lines though, so I went with the extra fine when it came time to buy the VistaWhile I still prefer my Pilot Metro in terms of writing feel, the Vista/Safari is still a great workhorse pen, and writes like a dream on good paper (I use Rhodia, personally). Not to mention I think it looks a bit better than the metro, but that’s just my opinion of course, I just prefer the industrial design, and you just can’t say no to that clip ;). The translucency of the Vista is drop dead gorgeous, it really needs to be seen to be believed, it’s a beautiful pen.I recommend going with extra fine nib. Especially if you’re coming from a Japanese pen (Pilot, Platinum, Sailor, etc.). The extra fine I’ve found seems to be the same size if a bit bigger than the fine nib on my Pilot Metro. It’s not really an issue as long as you know that going in, as I did. I’ll also note that this pen is great for art, it’s what I primarily use fountain pens for, and this nib is great as it doesn’t have a lot of flex to the nib, so you know exactly what the line is going to look like every time.You can’t go wrong with this pen, it’s been a staple of the fountain pen community for decades for a reason, you get a lot of pen for 30 bucks.I hope this review helps you make an informed decision! And if you do buy it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Finally venturing into fountain pens as a lefty and I bought mostly demonstrators. I found the nib a little stiff. Ink also creeped up in front of the nib and my obsessed self kept wiping it away! (I hadn’t come across this issue even with the more affordable Preppy pens)i might consider a medium nib change. Not really as enthralled with it as I expected it since everyone seemed to love a Lamy!

Great Pen!

I got the EF nib and I absolutely love it. It writes like a Japanese Fine nib and the ink flow is good. There's some feedback to it, but not too much. Just the way I like it. Two things to note about this pen: 1.) As a demonstrator pen, it feels a bit weird for it to still has the two holes to check the ink level. But this pen is supposed to be a re-color of Vista and that's just how it is. This is just aesthetic thing. Does not impact the pen performance whatsoever.2.) LAMY's converter normally has two dots that stick out so that it stays in a position when you put it in AL-star and Vista (Pretty sure Safari is the same way, but I don't own one). This pen has the insert for that two dots, but the converter doesn't actually have the two dots. This doesn't affect the ... MoreI got the EF nib and I absolutely love it. It writes like a Japanese Fine nib and the ink flow is good. There's some feedback to it, but not too much. Just the way I like it. Two things to note about this pen: 1.) As a demonstrator pen, it feels a bit weird for it to still has the two holes to check the ink level. But this pen is supposed to be a re-color of Vista and that's just how it is. This is just aesthetic thing. Does not impact the pen performance whatsoever.2.) LAMY's converter normally has two dots that stick out so that it stays in a position when you put it in AL-star and Vista (Pretty sure Safari is the same way, but I don't own one). This pen has the insert for that two dots, but the converter doesn't actually have the two dots. This doesn't affect the performance of the pen at all, just something I noticed.

Great for on the go writing

I got the pen as an everyday carry. It was important that the pen write no matter the environment I'm in at the time, and that it be legible. Problem for me is I have spidery handwriting which takes best to a Japanese EF nib. Which leads me to my first caveat: the nib doesn't seat as solidly as other pens I've used due to the way it connects to the pen. It's a slide on type deal. It makes it easy to change nibs on the go, but the extra wiggle does not translate well for my super-fine handwriting. The second caveat: The barrel spins loose, and sometimes completely off, while in my pocket. I work in a fast paced, physical environment and it's clipped to a small notebook in my pocket. It's possible my movements generate enough torque & friction to unscrew the barrel, ... MoreI got the pen as an everyday carry. It was important that the pen write no matter the environment I'm in at the time, and that it be legible. Problem for me is I have spidery handwriting which takes best to a Japanese EF nib. Which leads me to my first caveat: the nib doesn't seat as solidly as other pens I've used due to the way it connects to the pen. It's a slide on type deal. It makes it easy to change nibs on the go, but the extra wiggle does not translate well for my super-fine handwriting. The second caveat: The barrel spins loose, and sometimes completely off, while in my pocket. I work in a fast paced, physical environment and it's clipped to a small notebook in my pocket. It's possible my movements generate enough torque & friction to unscrew the barrel, but it's just odd and kind of annoying when I need to jot something quick. Third caveat: it does not like to be filled via and ink bottle in the 'standard' fashion (dipping nib & pen barrel into ink bottle & pulling up ink through to converter). The three times I've attempted this (with different inks each time) the nib has stayed over saturated and no amount of blotting corrected the issue. Instead, I now inject ink directly into the converter then install or resort to cartridges. The pen gets 4 out of 5 stars because it's held up ridiculously well, namely in two situations:1. Keeps on writing while jotting notes in a walk-in freezer2. Survived being washed in an automatic washing machine. The barrel came unscrewed a little, but the converter stayed in place and the ink was not diluted, so its seal remained intact. No water made it into the nib area, but a little water got under the protective portion OVER the cap (whatever it's called).Good little pen. Definitely worth the purchase.

Quite a good pen

The Lamy Vista was my second pen ever (I'm now up to nine) and it was my absolute favorite when I first got it. I had a Jinhao X750 before and the Vista was such an improvement. Now that I have expanded my collection and used the Vista for longer, here are my thoughts. I like this pen quite a bit, and for the price, I don't think it would be easy to beat. It's a very smooth writer, even with the EF nib, and I like being able to see the ink color and level inside, as well as the mechanisms more generally. I like the triangular grip, as it fits nicely in my small hands. It's reliable and I only rarely have difficulty getting the ink going. As for the negatives, they are quite trivial, but I wasn't quite prepared to give it five stars because it isn't perfect:-The nib ... MoreThe Lamy Vista was my second pen ever (I'm now up to nine) and it was my absolute favorite when I first got it. I had a Jinhao X750 before and the Vista was such an improvement. Now that I have expanded my collection and used the Vista for longer, here are my thoughts. I like this pen quite a bit, and for the price, I don't think it would be easy to beat. It's a very smooth writer, even with the EF nib, and I like being able to see the ink color and level inside, as well as the mechanisms more generally. I like the triangular grip, as it fits nicely in my small hands. It's reliable and I only rarely have difficulty getting the ink going. As for the negatives, they are quite trivial, but I wasn't quite prepared to give it five stars because it isn't perfect:-The nib is lovely and smooth when it is juicy with ink, but gets a little dry when its ink level is lower. A nice thing about the demonstrator aspect is that I can see the ink in the feed, so I was able to figure out what was going on. I've just taken down to twisting down on the convertor so that more ink goes into the feed and that's enough to get rid of the dryness. -I'm also not crazy about the aesthetics of this pen. It's very well-made, but the pen is designed for utility more than looks. Obviously you can decide if this pen suits your aesthetic from the pictures. When I got a Sailor Pro Gear, my little Vista looked a bit sad in comparison. -The extra fine nib is German, so it's not the thinnest you can find, if that's something you're looking for. I've since found that I like finer nibs with just a bit of feedback, so this pen doesn't perfectly suit my preferences.-This is more of a converter problem, but I've found that this pen isn't as easy to clean as my others. The convertor's piston doesn't seem to be in good contact with the walls of the convertor, so it gets streaky with ink and takes about twice as long to clean as my other pens.Overall, this is a really nice pen, especially for the price, but it isn't perfect.

Special Edition Black Vista Safari - very cool!

I didn’t know what to expect because I already own a Lamy Safari Vista. It just isn’t the Black version. Actually, when comparing the two, there’s very little difference. The only visible difference in the clip, which is fine. It allows me to have two different ink colors always ready in a Safari Vista.

Very good demonstrator fountain pen

I don't buy outrageously expensive fountain pens anymore, but I still do buy good quality fountain pens. This Lamy Vista (Lamy Safari Demonstrator if you ask me) works and looks as good as some of the more expensive Lamys. I bought this for my 13 year old daughter to go along with her other calligraphy, normal fountain pens, and her demonstrators. She was thrilled. I was happy. It came with a Lamy blue/black ink cartridge, but once it is empty, I will clean that cartridge out and set it aside and use a Lamy z24/28 ink converter and put one of my many other bottled inks in it for her. I always use bottled ink. Less waste, and the pen, with lower costing bottled ink, will actually end up costing you less than several disposable ball point pens. Have fun going green ... MoreI don't buy outrageously expensive fountain pens anymore, but I still do buy good quality fountain pens. This Lamy Vista (Lamy Safari Demonstrator if you ask me) works and looks as good as some of the more expensive Lamys. I bought this for my 13 year old daughter to go along with her other calligraphy, normal fountain pens, and her demonstrators. She was thrilled. I was happy. It came with a Lamy blue/black ink cartridge, but once it is empty, I will clean that cartridge out and set it aside and use a Lamy z24/28 ink converter and put one of my many other bottled inks in it for her. I always use bottled ink. Less waste, and the pen, with lower costing bottled ink, will actually end up costing you less than several disposable ball point pens. Have fun going green while writing happy and classy. Being a demonstrator, you will always know what ink color is inside and how much ink is left. What I found most absurd but very fun indeed is that, like other colored plastic and colored aluminum Lamy Safaris and Al Stars, it has two opposing cutouts to display the ink color and amount of ink. Very redundant, but still funny anyway. As it has a Lamy steel nib, there is no flex, and as far as that goes, some will call it a nail with a split down the middle, but no, it writes very smooth with a nice triangular grip, and the nib has the right amount of scratch and smoothness on even lined paper. Gives good response and feedback. Very good pen to start someone off with on fountain pens. Very good for student use and all around everyday use. Also, with the vast amount of different colored inks that are out there, it makes a good art pen.