It’s a common question, what’s the difference between the LAMY Vista, Safari, and AL-Star? I remember asking the same thing in my early fountain pen days, because I would read about these popular pens all the time. These are all staple pens in the fountain pen community with a loyal following. This video is intended to clarify exactly what each pen offers and what sets them apart from each other.
 LAMY AL-Star |
 LAMY Safari |
 LAMY Vista |
|---|
Here are the main differences:
- The Safari and Vista are the exact same pen, except the Vista is clear
- The Safari and AL-Star are (essentially) the same dimensions, the AL-Star is a hair bigger in diameter but not noticeably
- The AL-Star is made of aluminum and the Safari is made of plastic, the aluminum tends to dent and scratch a little easier than the plastic
- The grips on the Safari and Vista match the rest of the pen, the AL-Stars all have smoky translucent grips regardless of color
- The AL-Star is slightly heavier (22g) than the Safari and Vista (17g)
- The Vista only has a silver clip, the Safari and AL-Star both have silver and black clips, depending on the color of the pen (the clips are not interchangeable)
- All LAMY pens (except the LAMY 2000) have interchangeable LAMY nibs in EF, F, M, B (both steel and black) and 1.1mm, 1.5mm, 1.9mm italics (steel only)
- Both the Safari and AL-Star come in a range of colors, and LAMY releases limited edition colors for both on a regular basis
- All three pens accept both the Z28 LAMY converters, as well as proprietary LAMY ink cartridges, the Vista also accepts the Z27 converter
- The Safari and Vista both sell for $29.60 and the AL-Star sells for $37.60
This should help to clear things up! If I missed anything, let me know in the comments.
Write On,
Brian Goulet
