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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: July 23rd, 2023

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  • It’s not a stupid question!

    First of all, it’s a fountain pen, which means its nib construction and method of delivering ink is completely different from ballpoint pens: a fountain pen pushes liquid ink down the nib slit through capillary action. See close up here. The ink flows smoothly and you don’t need to push against the paper when writing. Most fountain pens are refillable and you can choose any ink colour you like.

    A regular ballpoint pen has a small ball, held in place inside the casing by a tiny spring, and typically uses thick, oily inks. See close up here. The ink is delivered through friction (ball vs paper), which means you have to push harder against the paper when writing. It can lead to fatigue during long writing/sketching sessions.

    Now, there are “ballpoint-like” pens that take liquid ink, called rollerball pens. See close up here. They’re usually a good option if you want a smoother writing experience and more ink options than your standard ballpoint offers. With roller balls though, I’ve had the issue where the ball casing wears down and the spring shoots out the ball like a projectile, spewing ink everywhere … I find that the fountain pen nibs are more durable if you take good care of them.

    As for the Lamy Safari, it comes in all three options but the most common one by far is the fountain pen version.