QUICK LOOK: LAMY SAFARI ALL BLACK & AL-STAR VIBRANT PINK SPECIAL EDITIONS!

Some may disagree with me, but I think Lamy has been on a great run in the past couple years with their annual Safari and Al-star releases. The last three special editions have been rather consistent in terms of what we could expect: a bright and colorful new Al-star color, and a contrasting dark and subtle Safari.

Yet this year I think they outdid themselves on the combination of the two! The All Black met some criticism that it's not different enough from the standard 'Umbra' Safari (judge for yourself from the picture below), but I love how it came out. Over the years I've come to enjoy more colorful materials and finishes (If you've been following this blog since the beginning, you'll know that I used to be quite exclusively into monotone pens!), but I will still grab for the subtle and subdued colorways when I can. 

The All Black is indeed very similar to the Umbra, but especially side by side there's a difference to be noticed. The Umbra isn't really grey either, it's more like a really dark brown. I tried my best to show the very nuanced difference in the picture below. In any case, both are simple and office-appropriate, colors. Whether you choose the Umbra or All Black, both are sleek pens suited for everyday use, without drawing too much attention to your pen.

Umbra (used, so the finish has become glossier over time) on the left, All Black on the right.

As much as I like the subtlety of the All Black, the Vibrant Pink also grew on me in the past weeks! Pink and black match exceptionally well, so I think they did a great job putting these two colors together. Yes, the pink may be a slightly girly pen, and it may turn heads in the meeting room. But heck, why not! Want a pink pen, just go for it! For what it's worth, I think they went with a classy shade of pink, more like magenta, not Barbie-like hot pink.

As I said, Lamy has been pretty consistent over the past three years, there's quite a noticeable trend when you put the most recent Safaris and Al-stars next to each other! Continuing the trend, the All Black received the same matte finish as its direct predecessors, and the Vibrant pink is again a very vibrant (well, duh!) and fresh color, ideal for spring!

Put them side by side, and you'll realise just how much Lamy loves red and pink!

Of course along with the new special edition pens, come new special edition inks. Well almost... Remember last year's debacle with the Pacific blue 'special edition' ink that was just Lamy Turquoise in a slightly different packaging? Well they haven't learned from their mistakes over in Heidelberg, because this year they tried the same trick with the All Black ink! It's just the regular black ink, again in an ever-so-slightly different cardboard box. Not cool Lamy! 

Fortunately the Vibrant Pink ink IS a new color, and it's a strong release too if you ask me! Just like the Dark Lilac ink -that I obsessively hoarded as much as I could- Vibrant pink is a nice shade that is plenty saturated and quite legible. The saturation gives this ink a fantastic green-gold sheen, just like Dark Lilac... I'm smitten! 

Dat sheen tho!

Overall, I'm quite pleased with what Lamy came up with this year. The Safari and Al-star special editions continue to grab my attention each year, and both the pens are affordable enough to continue buying them. The price point they are at makes them excellent collectibles, and on top of that they are also just really good pens for everyday use.

Yes, the All Black ink was a bit of a dissapointment. I secretly expected a grey ink to accompany it, which oviously didn't happen. But perhaps this means we can hope for a re-release of the awesome Griso Grey as next year's special edition (still my all-time favourite color!) with a Griso Grey ink? At this point all we can do is guess, but it would be pretty awesome!

The Safari All Black retails for around 20 EUR (30 USD), and the Al-star goes for 27 EUR (37 USD). The ink is 2 EUR for five proprietary Lamy cartridges, or 11 EUR (12 USD) for a 50ml bottle. Both the pens and inks are decently priced, but especially the Vibrant Pink ink is hard not to recommend at this price point. The All Black ink can be ignored, save your 12$ for next year's release...

La Couronne Du Comte and Penworld are sponsors of this blog. I received a discount on the purchase of these products, so I could write this review. I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, nor was I otherwise compensated monetarily. The opinions shared in this review are completely my own. This post does not contain affilate links.

Bonus picture, just look at that magnificent green-gold sheen!