Office & WFH · Head-to-head
Pilot Metropolitan vs LAMY Safari
Which should you buy? Our verdict on both, pulled from our full The Best Fountain Pens: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) comparison.
The Pilot Metropolitan in the budget tier is the default answer: brass barrel, stainless steel nib, refillable, a pen that feels far dearer than it is and writes immediately. LAMY's Safari is the rugged cult favorite with the teaching grip. The TWSBI ECO is the piston-filling hobbyist upgrade. Pilot's own Varsity is a pre-filled disposable: a real fountain pen by mechanism, but a different class of product.
Pilot Metropolitan
Buy itBrass-barreled starter pen with Pilot's smooth stainless steel nib: budget money for a pen that feels far dearer.
- Brass barrel under a matte finish with stainless steel accents: real heft, a serious instrument rather than a toy.
- Pilot's stainless steel nib has an out-of-the-box smoothness owners rarely need to tune.
- Refillable with Pilot cartridges or a Pilot converter, so it starts on cartridges and grows into bottled ink.
- Pilot's brochure lists several point sizes and a black gift box, and Pilot USA covers it with a 2-year limited warranty.
- Pilot's US brochure does not list the box contents, so check the listing before counting on a converter being included.
- Proprietary Pilot cartridges: standard international cartridges do not fit.
LAMY Safari
Buy itThe ASA-plastic tank with the triangular grip: tough, endlessly moddable, a design classic since the 1980s.
- Ergonomic grip section teaches a proper hold automatically: the teacher's favorite.
- Robust body in what LAMY calls resistant, high-gloss ASA plastic, with a viewing window for the ink level; decades of owner reports back the durability.
- Polished steel nib offered in EF, F, M, B and a left-hander grade.
- A Development Group Mannheim design in many standard colors plus special editions: personality in a pen.
- Ships with one LAMY T 10 blue cartridge; the Z 28 converter for bottled ink is a separate purchase.
- The grip triangle polarizes: owners love it or find it constraining, with little middle ground.
Side by side
The 4 criteria below are the ones our full comparison judged every product on, narrowed to these two.
| Pilot Metropolitan Our pick | LAMY Safari | |
|---|---|---|
| Our verdict | Buy | Buy |
| Best for | First-pen giftees, journalers, and desk workers who want grown-up gear cheap. | Students, sketchers, and anyone hard on their gear. |
| Price tier | $ · budget | $ · budget |
| Body | Brass barrel, matte finish | ASA plastic, grip triangle |
| Filling system | Cartridge or converter (box contents not published) | Cartridge; converter sold separately |
| Nib | Stainless steel, several sizes | Steel, EF/F/M/B/LH |
| Verdict | Buy: the default answer | Buy: the rugged classic |
Which one is right for you?
Pick the Pilot Metropolitan if
first-pen giftees, journalers, and desk workers who want grown-up gear cheap.
Know before buying: pilot's US brochure does not list the box contents, so check the listing before counting on a converter being included.
Pick the LAMY Safari if
students, sketchers, and anyone hard on their gear.
Know before buying: ships with one LAMY T 10 blue cartridge; the Z 28 converter for bottled ink is a separate purchase.
The bottom line
Our overall pick is the Pilot Metropolitan - Brass-barreled starter pen with Pilot's smooth stainless steel nib: budget money for a pen that feels far dearer. Choose the LAMY Safari instead if students, sketchers, and anyone hard on their gear.
Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Fountain Pens: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).