Great nib, delightful to use
340292
Love this pen, love the nib. Be careful if you "post the cap," since the liner can degrade and stop holding closed when you really do cap it.
1046144
Smooth writing nibs create a very fine line. Easy to fill. Unfortunately one of the refill cartridges did not have the seal at the bottom, not a big issue.
2642766
My wife purchased this Lamy pen when we were visiting Cologne, Germany over the holidays, and she just loves it (she owns the read one; this "special edition" one is the Citron color, but they are the same pen. Weve purchased a number of Lamys over the years because they are all still made in Germany, have excellent craftsmanship, and just write beautifully. Although I myself am a gel-ink and pencil user, my wife still loves fountain pens, and this particular Lamy is one of her favorites. The reasons?

- The pen significantly exceeds quality expectations as a fountain pen, particularly when one considers its low cost.
- The pen comes in a variety of different colors, and has a modern look and feel; this makes the pen different from many other fountain pens, which are more classically styled.
- Lamy sells nibs for both right AND left-handed people. For those who use fountain pens and are left-handed, the importance of this feature is not to be underestimated! (Its funny that not all fountain pens can be purchased for either left or right-handers, but they cant. This one can. And note that this one comes with the medium nib as standard.)
- The line thickness can be changed by selecting from the variety of nib thicknesses that Lamy sells for this model. You can go from a very narrow, precise line all the way to a thick, broad line. My wife says that the extra-fine nibs are her favorite, because of the precise line and the effortless writing feel. Also, the extra-fine nib is far less likely to bleed through the page, even when you are using very thin paper.
- The weighting of the pen is ideal, with just enough heft to make it feel substantial, without being too heavy for extended writing.
- The pen employs a non-slip gripping surface at the grasp point of the fingers.
- The replacement ink cartridges can be purchased from either Amazon or directly from Lamy.
- Finally, Lamy also sells an refill converter to refill cartridges, if you prefer not to repeatedly purchases new cartridges.
- Comes in a nice black box which is suitable for gifting

When you consider the price and features, this is an easy five star writing instrument. And, yes, it really is made in Germany (as are the nibs, ink, and cartridges!).
2761344
These are hands-down my favorite nibs and I wish my tablet came with 5 of these instead of 5 regular nibs. Very easy to work with and don't scratch up your tablet as much.
2808386
This pen fits comfortably in my hand, though some people are apparently bothered by the placement of the clip - try before you buy or make sure you can return it.

The pen is heavier than some FPs, which I like - if you prefer feather-light pens, it may not be for you.

Bear in mind that this pen is ideally intended for jotting quick notes, as it allows easy one-handed operation; for this type of use, the clip and weight may not be much of an issue. They may not bother you much for a few minutes here and there. If you really need to write many pages, you will probably use a different pen anyway.

The nib is smooth and has good ink flow - among the nicest I have used. It feels a bit bouncy on the page (though it is not a flex nib) due to it's thin size and use of relatively soft 18k gold. Replacement nibs are cheap, so you can have different sizes; people like Richard Binder and John Mottishaw sell custom-ground nibs so that you can play with stubs, italics, and etc if desired. Very handy.

The only other caveat is that the ink capacity is relatively small, since much of the pen's internal space is taken up with the mechanism that allows the nib to be retracted. Once again, this should not be an issue if you are using the pen as a note jotter. For easy refilling on-the-go, Pilot's own cartridges can be used; for desk use, it is easy to refill the converter from an ink bottle.

All in all, a good pen for the money.

UPDATE, 8/15/14:
I bought a second one of these - Gunmetal finish, broad nib. This is one of only two fountain pen models of which I own two examples. (the other is the excellent and cheap Lamy Safari.) Compared to the medium nib, the broad is only slightly wider and is not as wide as a typical western broad (e.g., Sheaffer, Waterman). And the Pilot cartridges are the way to go: larger capacity than the converters and wonderful inks.
77918
These are my new favorite pen to write with! The nib is firm but it doesn't catch on the paper when you write, the movement is really smooth. The ink flows well but doesn't saturate the paper, so unless your paper is thin there should be minimal ghosting.
951392
I can't believe what a nice pen  the Metropolitan this is for the price.  I love it.  A couple of years ago I bought a Silver one with medium nib.  It writes great but goes through ink really fast, and if you're writing on normal binder paper the ink soaked through and took forever to dry.  The fine nib is perfect.  I can write on both sides of normal paper without ink soaking through or smearing.  I put the fine nib in the silver barrel because the black barrel just looks too formal.  Silver barrel with fine nib is now my every day writer and now looking for excuses to write.
1625255
Writes finer than a lot of extra fine nibs
2833384
This is a very smooth writer and very comfortable to use.  The medium nib is on the broader side.
2030539
This is the second of two Pilot Metropolitan pens I purchased at the same time. This one has a medium nib, and the other, the red variety, has a fine point. I found them both very pleasing. Of the two, I REALLY love this one, because I like the way the medium nib dispenses ink. Remembering pens from the Good Old Days, I expected this a medium nib to squander vast quantities of ink and to create a sloppy-looking document. But no: apparently the Japanese idea of "medium" is close to the US idea of fine. On a good piece of paper, this medium-nib pen glides right along -- extremely smooth and pleasant to write with -- and it makes a nice, neat line. Even compared to my old Waterman, purchased back in the day when I could afford pricey accouterments, this inexpensive pen performs handsomely.

Whenever I like something this much, it's the kiss of death...so I probably will buy one or two more of them in the near future, before they go out of style. If this thing lasts, then it's worth considerably more than it costs. IMHO.
635633
I have been a fan of fountain pens since I first discovered them as a kid.  It's been a long learning curve, and while there are many great pens I enjoy from Waterman and others, the Lamy Safari Medium is my overall favorite for everyday use.  I had two a few years back (sort of an oriental red color and an aluminum finish), and LOVED them, but both were stolen a couple years back.  A hard economy made buying a new one out of my reach for a couple of years, but as soon as I was flush again, I made it a point to see if the Safari was still available.  I was delighted to find that it was, and quickly placed an order for a medium point nib with a blue body.  And the new pen is just as wonderful as I remember. Some things I specifically enjoy about this pen for everyday fountain pen use:

1)  Durable Body - not all fountain pens were designed for the rigors of every day, work-a-day life.  Enamel bodies can be easily scratched.  Some plastic bodies don't hold up to bangs and crunches.  This plastic body is TOUGH and wears really well.

2)  Durable / Smooth Nib - Gold trimmed nibs are very fancy and wonderful, but not really appropriate for my work environment (I'm a technical writer).  The iridium tip on the Lamy is very strong and delivers a surprisingly smooth, easy flowing, even line.  I speak only of the medium nib, as it's the only one I've tried.

3) Ink Window - Lamy built a small window into the body of their pen to aid in the process of determining how much ink you have left; a feature missing from some of my favorite fancier pens, requiring that I unscrew them to see how much ink is left.

4) Tight Ink Seal - many of my visually favorite fountain pens have an issue related to cap seals that aren't tight enough to prevent the ink from drying over long periods of time.  OK, it's true, as much as I love using fountain pens, occassionally, I do forget where I left one and a few months go by before rediscovery.  Ooops ... the ink dried out.  Well, I once misplaced one of my Lamy's for the better part of a year ... the ink flowed perfectly the first time I touched pen to paper, with no remediation process on my part.  Impressive.

5)  Easy Grip - the triangul-arch (two triangular flat faces and a third arched face) shape of the Lamy grip area fits my fingers perfectly.  The light weight of the pen makes it a dream to use, with never a touch of writer's cramp, no matter how long I write.

6)  Shirt Pocket Friendly - the paper clip like design of the clip on the cap of this pen is not visually my favorite, but I LOVE the way it works on ALL my work shirt pockets.  Some of my pens have clips that loosen with time, won't work on thick shirts, or stick out from the surface of the pocket more than I'd prefer.  Not this one.  The strong grip of this clip never seems to expire, and the low profile (combined with light weight) make it easy to forget you're "wearing".  Very pocket friendly.

If you're going for fancy in a fountain pen, this one is probably too simple, practical and modern looking.  But for a sharp, professional looking "every day" fountain pen, I know of no other to match the Lamy Safai ... which is available in a dizzying range of colors.

Enjoy!
4802535
Took a bit of getting used to - the grip.  Bu it writes comfortably and effortlessly.  Not clogging all the time like my similar Schaefer.  Nice narrow calligraphic (italic?) nib.  Nice balance.  Weird little cap but not a problem.  Get one.  I actually look forward to using it; especially not putzing for 15" to get ink flowing.
1487193
I purchased the smaller set of these pens, made by the same manufacturer.  I have used several different brands (osmiroid, Pentel Parallel, Manuscript) of broad pen/italic fountain pens and found this brand to be very useable.  The body is light, being made of plastic, and will likely crack after some use.  But the pens write well, and the nibs are smooth.  The feed provides a good amount of ink although I have noticed hard starts and even slowed feed during use.  After priming the nib, it works well again.  I am using Noodler's Heart of Darkness ink in this pen.

The second photo shows a comparison of the output of this pen.  The second larger section was written with the Nicole calligraphy pen, the partial upper section was written with a Manuscript pen (also available on Amazon).  The Nicole set is not as defined or crisp.  Compare the "a"s with the thin upper stroke in walk and the "a"s in the lower section.  I took two stars off for this, because a hallmark of calligraphy broad nib work is the thick and thin lines made by the nib.  If you have a choice between the two, the Manuscript set is better.

The other reviews are correct, my set did not come with instructions, just the package itself and a nice storage box.  But learning good technique in calligraphy is like learning to play the piano - it will take time, lots of practice, and is best taught by on real-life instructor.  I am self taught, but I have a very logical, analytic mind and figured out the strokes on my own.  I actually started by hand drawing the letters and soon realized that the broad nib would do most of the work for me.  That was in 1976 , and I have been practicing on and off since then as a hobby.  I am not a professional calligraphy but I have become much better over the years. If you are looking for an instructor, find a local guild.  Most large cities will have a calligraphy guild, google it and ask about lessons (preferable live instruction, not on-line).

My advice for someone wanting to learn is to find a local instructor, practice at least daily (10 minutes will work), and keep a dated practice book.  You will be amazed at how you improve in just a few weeks, and after a year, you will be pleasantly surprised at how 10 minutes a day pays off.

Calligraphy with a broad nib IS NOT HANDWRITING, is is more similar to printing or drawing each letter.  Being a moderately good calligrapher has not really helped my handwriting at all, I still scribble something awful.  But my calligraphy is even and consistent when I take the time to use it.
478952
I received this as a gift recently and I love it. Mine was the turqoise with a fine nib. Since this is a Japanese nib it's more like an extra fine compared to other pens. The ink it comes with is fairly wet so it is really easy to write with. You just need to be a bit careful not to smear it. If you're left-handed you may want to use a different ink with the con-20 converter it comes with.

I had an issue with ink leaking in mine. It turned out I hadn't fully seated the ink cartridge. Once I got that fixed it worked great. I would definitely recommend getting one of the pilot converters so you have more ink options.

Overall it's a great pen at a great price, especially as a gift or a starter pen. I highly recommend it.
235912
These nibs are amazing, I'm in love with them. I use them on my Jinhao X750 and I'm very happy with how it flexes, how it writes. The nib is very very sharp, it can cut paper on the up strokes but I'm very happy with it, there is a lot of room for line variability. I recommend it to everyone.
1355850
It's been many, many years since I've used a fountain pen, and I had almost forgotten how much I love them. I got the Lamy Safari, Medium nib, and the only problem I have with it is that the grip area is not smooth and round. It has a terrific grip with squared-off edges, and that would be great if only it placed the nib in proper place for my own peculiar writing position (watch President Obama sign something and you'll have a better idea of how I write). I'm trying to figure out a way to turn the nib to the left (with the nib being held at the right end) a few degrees. So far I haven't been able to do that. I watched a video showing how to change nibs with the assistance of tape, and I'm going to try that next, but replacing the same nib in a slightly different position. I don't know if it will hold in that position but this try is part of the ongoing experiment. After starting this review, I found a beloved student Sheaffer (304) fountain pen. It had been in boxes from one move to another for the past 45+ years (I am NOT a hoarder! I just know what's worth keeping; finding it again is the problem). There is a dried-out ink cartridge in it -- "Washable Blue" -- and a lone unused replacement cartridge in its partial packaging. That one is also Washable Blue, Skrip, and printing on the back that says "12-packs, 98." How times change. I will try filling a cartridge with a syringe (the only benefit of having a diabetic cat is the availability of syringes).

I really do like the Lamy. It has a good heft, which is something that appeals to me, and once I readjust my hand to suit the grip, writing is mostly wonderful. It came with one cartridge, but I ordered a converter, which I haven't tried yet. The great thing about using a fountain pen, for me at least, is that my really nice handwriting is returning. After 30 years of home computers, my handwriting had transitioned into something resembling runes or chicken scratches. I thought my old handwriting was irretrievable, but no. It just needed a fountain pen. Oh my, I'm turning into a crazy person, obsessed with fountain pens.
2140328
I really enjoy using this pencil. The feel of it is perfect. The only complaint I have is that there is a tiny bit of play in the nib, but it's really not a big deal once you start using it. The retractable feature is great for pockets.