The best starter pen: Pilot Metropolitan vs Lamy Safari

And why the Metro is so much better and if you think it isn’t you’re just wrong

Oddly enough, most people in the US start their fountain pen journey with a Pilot Metropolitan (actually MR but eh I don’t want to get into that) or a Lamy Safari. Other beginner pens that are recommended include the Pilot Varsity (or V-Pen for my European comrades, as was mine until I decided I should pull the nib and feed out it broke on me), the Platinum Preppy (if you really like pens that look like toys but work like absolute units), or, apparently, the Pilot Explorer (lol).

I am a Pilot fanboy, hands down. My collection currently consists of 121 pens, and, as you know, I started with a Metro that turned into three. Wanna know how many Lamy Safaris I have? Zero. Well, technically, the Vista is a clear Safari, and I have one of them, and I do own a Lamy AL-Star, but both of them were gifts. Sure, I got myself extra two nibs for those pens, but that means nothing. Nothing I say!

All jokes aside, I’ve tried to penable coworkers and friends with Varsities, but that didn’t really take. What did work in at least two cases was a PENBBS pen (I believe the model was 323) and a Lorelei 667, which I personally would consider starter pens, despite the first being oddly shaped and the latter being a piston filler. Hell, some people say you should start with an ECO, and if I were to recommend a pen to a student, I’d say an ECO too. Or… an affordable Chinese pen like the Delike Element, which is brass, comes with a converter, and won’t break in your bag when you toss it or kick it around the hallway (I know I used to do that in school).

But let’s say your new victim of penabling is not a student. Let’s say they’re an adult and they need a pen that is quick to uncap, isn’t flashy or doesn’t draw unwanted attention (some coworkers live to steal pens), and is affordable enough for someone who at that moment still thinks paying $440 for a pen is way too much. (Of course, they are an amateur. And it was Raden Stripes. I dare you to find it under $500). You won’t tell them to get something they might not (yet) like for an obscene amount of money, will you? So — we need to make sure we tackle our victim in a way they won’t see it coming.

That is where the aesthetics of the pens comes into play.

Aesthetics

Lamy Safari is arguably ugly and childish. I am not saying it’s a bad pen; as I mentioned, I have several Lamy pens. Besides, many generations of German schoolchildren would disagree if I were to say it’s stupid looking. Compared to the Metro, however, it leaves much to be desired. I do not believe any adult in a cool adult setting would think a Lamy Safari is a good pen to use during a meeting, for example, whereas the Metro, should you go with a plain black one (the dot and zig-zag are discontinued), is just more office friendly. And it looks more expensive, while it really isn’t.

Aesthetics: Metro 1, Safari 0.

Left to right: banana for scale, a Pilot Cocoon (F), a Lamy AL-Star (EF), a Lamy (Safari) Vista (italic), a Pilot Metropolitan (1.0 stub)

Price

Meh. Similar enough. I know that your victim is going to say that a Bic costs less, but you can’t argue with stupid. Just let them hold a Metro in their hand, and they’ll know what’s what.

Price: tie; Metro 2, Safari 1.

Ergonomics

This is where it gets interesting. I am of the opinion that the triangle grip is super cool if you’re in school and you need to learn how to use a pen. Some people, however, hold their pen with four fingers, in which case the Safari would be uncomfortable and/or the two grooves for your thumb and forefinger would just look silly. I love the idea of having actual grooves that keep your fingers in check so that they don’t just slide around, but again, if we are talking office setting, I will venture to say that you should know how to use a pen by the moment you work in an office. Any pen, mind you. On the flip side, the Metro feels good in the hand without having to have grooves. Both pens are generally comfortable, but one has the extra unnecessary step that just doesn’t work for our imaginary office setting.

Ergonomics: Metro wins, 3 to Safari 1.

Left to right, uncapped save for the banana since I didn’t have any coffee for it: banana for scale, a Pilot Cocoon (F), a Lamy AL-Star (EF), a Lamy (Safari) Vista (italic), a Pilot Metropolitan (1.0 stub)

Ink capacity

Lol ok, it’s Pilot’s fault for discontinuing the Con-50 and replacing it with the stupidest converter that ever converted anything worth converting. If I could take away points for that, I would. Honestly, both converters for lower priced Pilot pens are stupid, and you should just go ahead and get a piston filler if you need ink capacity, but your victim won’t. Lamy wins, just because con-40 is an insult to anyone who’s ever wanted to not kill the planet and stop using cartridges.

Ink capacity: Lamy wins; Metro 3, Safari 2.

Nib options

Who thought of these questions? Anyway. You’re expected to use crappy paper in the office, so honestly, we only need one nib rule them all, although having options is great. Lamy does offer EF, F, M, B, 1.0, 1.5, and the “italic” that looks very much like an architect, whereas the Metro only comes in F, M, and 1.0 stub. You can get an EF transplant from a Kakuno (yes, I have two, and no, they’re kids’s pens that I love but we’re still obeying capitalism and having to look presentable in an office). I am not sure if all the nib options are truly available when you want to buy a Safari; I believe I’ve only seen the EF, F and the M, and to be frank, they were all horribly dry and unusable. Also, quality control leaves much to be desired (I almost thought I was talking about Kaweco Spotts). The italic is good though.

As I said, having options does not mean anything if your nibs are inconsistent, which is a thing for Lamy pens. Your EF could be an EF but it can also be an M. Pilot nibs are way more consistent; I can honestly say that I’ve only ever had issues twice, once being my first Metro (lol I know; misaligned tines) and a VP, but every single Lamy nib I’ve tried has disappointed me. I’m talking EF, F, M, and the oblique medium on my Lamy 2000 that I had to ask Kirk Spear of Penrealm to fix for me. I’ve only ever liked the italic grind — but that is an extra expense. So, despite “more options”, the actual quality of the nibs and the writing experience both have me vote for the Metro.

Nibs: Metro wins; 4 to Safari’s 2.

Color options

Okay, well, yes, Safari comes in about seven billion colors; one would think they were catching up with Sailor limited editions. The Metro comes in three sets of colors, the “urban(?)”, the retro pop, and the animal collection. So, yes, technically, Safari is the obvious choice — but again, office setting, hello? I’ll give this one to Safari in the hopes Pilot will make more cool stuff, if a representative of Pilot ever stumbles upon these ramblings and says, “This idipbananasintocoffee person is onto something.”

Side note: if you want to overspend, you can always order a Pilot Cocoon, the Japanese exclusive of the Metro that comes in Maroon (guess twice if I have it), blue, and grey. I think it’s about $40ish on Amazon. I am a sucker for maroon pens so — spoiler alert — I do own one, but it is literally the Metro, just with dots on the nib, and with a bigger price tag.

Anyway… Lamy wins. Metro 4, Safari 3.

Dry out

… well they both suck. Preppy is better. Leave an ink in either one of them and they’ll just dry out and thankfully they’re easy to disassemble, but still.

No points for any. Metro: 4, Safari: 3.

Conclusion

So there you go. The Metro is clearly the better pen. In all seriousness, both pens are pretty damn good, and the point I was trying to make is that you shouldn’t base your own opinion on some random person’s words on the internet; for all you know, I could be sponsored by Pilot (I wish) to talk about how great Metro is and boost their sales among the five people who read this blog.

Before you commit, I would encourage you to first figure out what your pen needs are. If you need a good pen for school, go with the Eco. If you want a silly yet a good pen that won’t let you hold it however you want but actually use it intentionally, Safari’s your best friend. But if you actually want to be cool, look sophisticated, and have a beautiful little pen, just go with the Metro.

Or, even better, enjoy whatever you have. At the end of the day, we’re here to use fountain pens, not ballpoints, since we’re better than that. Enjoy, I say, and go write any note you need to write, or start drafting the next great American novel. I promise I will read it as long as you use a fountain pen. Just like Neil Gaiman does.

TLDR; any fountain pen you like is the perfect one.

(The Metro is the best though so go get one).