Fountain Pens
TWSBI ECO vs LAMY Safari
This is not really a contest between two pens. It is a decision about whether you want to own a bottle of ink.
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Both of these are excellent pens at roughly the same price, and comparing their nibs misses the point. The ECO is a piston filler that cannot take a cartridge; the Safari is a cartridge pen that can take a converter. That single structural difference decides almost everything else.
| TWSBI ECO | LAMY Safari | |
|---|---|---|
| Filling | Built-in piston, bottle only | Cartridge, or Z28 converter |
| Cartridge option | None at all | LAMY T10, proprietary |
| Ink capacity | Large — the barrel is the reservoir | Small — one cartridge or a converter |
| Ink visible | Yes, clear barrel | Only on the clear Vista version |
| Grip | Plain round section | Molded triangular section |
| Nib swappable | Nib units sold separately | Yes, by hand, in seconds |
| Nib grades | EF, F, M, B, Stub 1.1 | EF, F, M, B, plus a left-hander grade |
| Ink included | No — ships empty | One cartridge |
The question that settles it
Do you want to own a bottle of ink? If yes, the ECO is the better pen and it is not close: it holds several times what a converter does, the level is visible, and there is no separate part to buy or lose.
If you are not sure, buy the Safari. It will write out of the box with the cartridge in the packet, and if you decide later that you want a bottle, the Z28 converter is an inexpensive addition. The ECO gives you no such escape hatch — it will not write at all until you have bought ink.
Quick picks
Ranked for the beginner buying their first setup. Every pick names who it is wrong for.
| # | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No image TWSBI ECO A piston filler with a clear barrel at the price other brands charge for a cartridge pen, so the ink is visible and the refill is free. | Using bottled ink from day one | Check price on Amazon #ad No live price right now. How this is funded |
| 2 | No image LAMY Safari A molded triangular grip forces the pen into the right position, which is either the best or the worst thing about it. | Learning a correct grip | Check price on Amazon #ad No live price right now. How this is funded |
1. Using bottled ink from day one
TWSBI ECO
A piston filler with a clear barrel at the price other brands charge for a cartridge pen, so the ink is visible and the refill is free.
#ad No live price right now. How this is funded
A piston filler holds far more ink than a cartridge and costs nothing to refill after the first bottle. That combination usually starts at three times this price, which is why the ECO turns up on every beginner list that takes bottled ink seriously.
The clear barrel is not just decoration. You can see how much ink is left, which removes the most common beginner surprise: a pen that stops mid-sentence with no warning.
TWSBI's own guidance on choosing a nib is unusually plain: extra fine if you write small, fine for a normal hand, medium if you write large, broad for headings and signatures.
| Nib grades offered | Extra Fine, Fine, Medium, Broad, Stub 1.1Source: TWSBI, ECO product page (read 2026-09-01) |
|---|---|
| Nib width in mm | Not published |
| Filling | Built-in piston — unscrew the end cap, dip the nib, screw it backSource: TWSBI, ECO product page (read 2026-09-01) |
| Cap | Inner cap for a seal when stored; the cap posts on the barrelSource: TWSBI, ECO product page (read 2026-09-01) |
| Ink included | No — the pen ships emptySource: TWSBI, ECO product page (read 2026-09-01) |
What it does well
- Piston filler at a cartridge-pen price
- Clear barrel shows the ink level
- Five nib grades including a 1.1 mm stub
What it does not
- Requires a bottle of ink before it will write at all
- Clear plastic sections have a reputation for cracking if over-tightened
- No cartridge option, so it is not the pen to travel light with
Skip this if you want to write the day it arrives without also buying ink, or if you need cartridge convenience for a bag or a commute.
2. Learning a correct grip
LAMY Safari
A molded triangular grip forces the pen into the right position, which is either the best or the worst thing about it.
#ad No live price right now. How this is funded
The grip section is the entire argument. It is molded into a triangle, so there is exactly one way to hold the pen, and it happens to be the way that keeps the nib flat against the paper. For someone who has spent twenty years white-knuckling a ballpoint, that is a genuine teaching aid.
It is also the reason some people hate it. If your natural grip is unusual, the Safari will fight you every time you pick it up, and no amount of practice makes a molded plastic triangle move.
Everything else about the pen is deliberately easy. The nib pulls off and pushes on by hand, so if you buy a Fine and want a Medium later, that is a five-dollar part rather than a new pen.
| Nib grades offered | Extra Fine, Fine, Medium, Broad, plus a dedicated left-hander nibSource: LAMY Safari, Fine (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
|---|---|
| Nib width in mm | Not published |
| Nib | Interchangeable steel nib unit — pulls off and swaps without toolsSource: LAMY Safari, Fine (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
| Filling | LAMY T10 proprietary cartridge, or the LAMY Z28 converterSource: LAMY Z28 converter (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
| Body | ABS plastic with a molded triangular grip sectionSource: LAMY Safari, Fine (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
What it does well
- Swappable nib units mean one pen can change its line width
- A dedicated left-handed nib grade exists, which is rare
- Nearly indestructible plastic body
What it does not
- The triangular grip is not optional and does not suit every hand
- LAMY cartridges are proprietary — the Z28 converter is a separate buy
- German Fine is wider than a Japanese Fine, which surprises people
Skip this if you hold a pen unconventionally, or if your handwriting is small enough that a German Fine will fill in your loops.
Where each one is annoying
The ECO
- It arrives empty. Budget for a bottle in the same order or the pen sits unusable.
- It is not the pen for a bag or a plane. A large open reservoir and changing cabin pressure are a bad combination — see troubleshooting.
- Acrylic threads should be closed firmly, not forced. TWSBI's cracking reputation comes from over-tightening.
The Safari
- The triangular grip is not optional and does not suit every hand.
- The cartridge is proprietary, so your cartridge colors are whatever LAMY makes.
- The converter is a separate purchase that most people do not realize they need.
Verdict
For someone committed to bottled ink and comfortable with a plain grip: the ECO, comfortably. For someone still deciding, or whose grip might not suit a triangular section: the Safari, or a Pilot Metropolitan if the grip question worries you at all.
And as always: whichever you buy, buy paper at the same time.
Questions people actually ask
Is the TWSBI ECO better than the LAMY Safari?
For bottled ink, yes — it holds several times more and needs no converter. For flexibility, no: the Safari takes cartridges, swaps nibs by hand and offers a left-handed grade. The ECO cannot take a cartridge at all.
Can the TWSBI ECO use cartridges?
No. It is a piston filler with no cartridge option, so it requires a bottle of ink before it will write.
Which holds more ink, a piston filler or a converter?
The piston filler, by a large margin. In a piston pen the barrel itself is the reservoir; a converter is a small piston occupying the space where a cartridge would sit.
Which is better for travel?
The Safari with a cartridge. A large open ink reservoir and changing cabin pressure can push ink out of the nib — see fountain pen troubleshooting for what to do about it.