Lamy AL-Star

Overview

The Lamy AL-Star is a pen Garry bought in person from a fountain pen shop in Perth -- he mentions it was one of the rare occasions he'd bought a pen face-to-face rather than by mail order. It's an aluminium-bodied version of the Lamy Safari, identical in shape but with a noticeably nicer finish and, in Garry's view, a nicer writing feel -- though he has never fully pinned down whether that's down to the material, the different nib, or the ink. He has one in dark purple, fitted with a 1.5 stub nib (his deliberate choice, made possible by being able to pick the nib in-store). It doubles as his dedicated 'star' / title-writing pen in his monthly Pens In Use videos and notebooks, kept semi-permanently inked for that purpose. He is genuinely affectionate about it, recommends it as a follow-on pen for people moving beyond budget Chinese pens, and consistently prefers it over his own Lamy Safari despite struggling to explain exactly why.

Design & Appearance

Material: Aluminium body with a smooth, properly finished feel that Garry consistently contrasts favourably with the plastic Safari ('looks like it's been properly finished, where the Safari still looks a bit rough on the outside').
Colour: Dark purple -- he says the colour jumped out at him in the shop and was the deciding factor in buying it. He notes in his First Impressions that on camera the pen looks pinker than it really is; the real-world colour is a dark purple sitting toward the red side of the spectrum.
Clip: Silver-coloured, springy and easy to use. A small difference from the Safari's black clip.
Section: Transparent plastic -- he enjoys being able to see into the mechanism. Features the characteristic Lamy triangular shape with a pronounced lip that guides the fingers, intended to encourage correct pen grip. Garry says he holds his pens low anyway so this suits him well, but he specifically flagged in one April 2021 review that the lip digs into his finger after around three to four sentences of writing -- a comfort issue he has not repeated as a complaint in later reviews, suggesting he adapted or it settled.
Ink window: Present in the body, allowing him to see the converter level.
Cap: Pull-off cap.
Pen Looks scores: 9/10 (vs Lamy Safari showdown) vs the Safari's 8/10.

The Nib

Size/type: 1.5 stub -- Garry's deliberate choice, made in-store when he bought the pen. He considered 1.9 but decided it would be too thick for everyday use.
Feel: A catching/tactile feel on the paper, which he describes in his First Impressions as 'the pen catching on the paper' -- he distinguishes this from dragging and says it's actually enjoyable. In the Lamy Safari showdown he rates writing experience 9/10 and specifically mentions loving the line variation.
Line variation: Very visible and frequently praised. Wide down-strokes, narrow cross-strokes. He says this makes it ideal for headers, subheadings, and titles rather than continuous note-taking (where the line width and wetness would make it impractical).
Interchangeability: The Lamy nib unit swaps with the Safari's. In the showdown video he mentions wanting to try swapping nibs between the two pens in a future video to test whether his preference for the AL-Star is the material, the nib, or the ink -- he had not done this at the time of filming.
Writing Experience scores: 9/10 (vs Lamy Safari showdown).

Filling Mechanism

Cartridge/converter. His AL-Star came with a converter included (which he notes may depend on where you buy it -- his Safari, bought from a different shop, did not). He purchased a converter separately when he got the Safari, and notes this as an extra cost to factor in. Both take the same Lamy Z28 converter.

Measurements

Measurement	Value
Total length (capped)	13.9 cm
Length unposted	12.9 cm
Length posted	17.0 cm
Body width	1.28 cm
Cap width	1.55 cm
Section width	1.0-1.22 cm (tapered)
Full pen weight	22 g
Cap weight	10 g

The AL-Star is slightly wider, slightly heavier, and posts considerably longer than the Safari (17.0 vs 16.4 cm posted). Garry was surprised by the posted-length difference and measured it four times to confirm it was real.

Writing Experience (Ink Flow & Comfort)

Ink Flow scores: 9/10 (vs Lamy Safari showdown) -- he had no skipping, hard starts, or flow issues with either of his primary ink pairings.
Comfort: Generally praised, with the triangular finger guide working well for how he naturally holds pens. The lip-digging-in issue (noted in one April 2021 review after a few sentences of extended writing) is the only comfort complaint on record, and it doesn't reappear in later reviews.

Inks Used (as referenced across reviews and monthly uses)

Ink	Context / Notes
Cult Pens Little Bob (by Diamine)	First Impressions and the vs Safari showdown; a dark crimson/purple ink with a gold sheen that dries to a browner tone -- he bought the pen specifically with this ink in mind, and says the pairing is one of the reasons he loves the pen. Finds the drying characteristics unusual (base colour is crimson-purple, dries to a gold-brown hue)
Diamine Earl Grey	April 2021 Pens In Use rotation -- described as transformative; switching from his first ink to this was the moment the pen 'clicked' for him
Various inkvent inks	Used in December 2021 inkvent rotation and others, typically for his stars/titles role
Multiple inks across monthly rotations	Used consistently as his dedicated 'title/star-writing pen' across many months of Pens In Use rotations; specific inks not always captured

Comparisons and Rankings

vs Lamy Safari (dedicated showdown, Cult Pens Little Bob vs Pure Pens John Frost)

The headline comparison -- near-identical pens, plastic vs aluminium. Both wrote well; both are wet writers. Key differences: the AL-Star's dark purple colour rates higher (9/10 vs 8/10 for the charcoal Safari); the AL-Star's 1.5 stub nib gave richer writing experience (9/10) compared to the Safari's broad (8/10). Final scores: AL-Star 8.75/10, Safari 8.25/10. Garry's personal preference was clear: he reaches for the AL-Star, not the Safari, even when both are inked and sitting next to each other.
Lamy AL-Star = 8.75/10, Lamy Safari = 8.25/10

'My Suggested Follow-on Fountain Pens (Not from China)' (recommendation video)

The AL-Star was Garry's first recommendation in a video suggesting pens for people moving on from budget Chinese pens. He specifically noted that despite the two being virtually the same pen, he finds the AL-Star nicer to use and would recommend it over the Safari for anyone considering a Lamy pen at this price point.

Monthly 'Pens In Use' dedicated role

Rather than rotating in and out, the AL-Star has a semi-permanent dedicated function: Garry keeps it inked at all times for writing titles, stars, and subheadings in his notebooks and video scripts. He explicitly describes it as 'a pen I use for writing stars' in more than one monthly video, and it appears in his pen case in January 2024's Pens In Use '2023 Winners' video as a fixture rather than a rotation pick. He uses it unposted for this purpose (posted it runs very long).

'Pens I Love to Hate But Would Not Part With' (Safari, not AL-Star, featured here)

The Safari was the pen he featured in this category; the AL-Star appears as a contrast -- 'I love using the AL-Star, I just don't know what it is about this Safari that doesn't click for me.' The AL-Star is thus by implication a pen he loves without reservation.

'I Ranked My May 2025 Fountain Pens' (included as a ranked pen)

Appeared in a month where multiple pens were ranked; listed alongside a note that he has it with a different nib to his Safari, and that he really likes it.

Overall Scores Summary

Review	Score
vs Lamy Safari (showdown)	8.75/10
Average	8.75/10

(One formally scored showdown; all other appearances are monthly rotations or recommendation/round-up videos without numeric scores.)

By category (from the one explicitly scored showdown)

Category	Score
Pen Looks	9/10
Writing Experience	9/10
Ink Flow	9/10
Value for Money	8/10

Build Quality

No build quality score exists from a formally scored review, but it is consistently described in positive terms: the finish feels proper and complete in a way the plastic Safari's doesn't, and Garry has never reported a mechanical or structural issue with the pen.

Value for Money

Rated 8/10 in the Safari showdown. He notes it costs roughly double the Safari for 'what is virtually the same pen,' but concludes 'it looks twice the pen' and gives it the same value score as the Safari rather than penalising it for the higher price. In his follow-on recommendation video he notes the price may vary between retailers and encourages looking around.

Key Recurring Themes

Bought in person in Perth -- one of the rare pen-shop in-store purchases, and the colour was the reason he chose it.
Preferred over the Safari despite being essentially the same pen -- a genuine, recurring puzzle he acknowledges openly; he can't fully explain why he prefers the aluminium version.
A dedicated title/stars pen -- its semi-permanent role in his monthly setup as the pen he keeps inked specifically for writing headers and titles. This gives it a different kind of staying power than his 'regular rotation' pens.
The 1.5 stub nib was a deliberate in-store choice -- and is central to why he loves this pen; the nib character (tactile, wide line variation) is what he values most.
Too wet and specialised for ordinary note-taking -- consistently described as a pen for headers, titles, and special writing rather than everyday continuous writing, specifically because of the line width and slow-drying inks.
Finger-guide section -- the triangular grip helps him hold the pen correctly and he has adapted to it well; the only discomfort issue (lip digging in) was an early complaint that did not persist.

Source Files

#summary