A big problem with Safaris is they dry out quickly. There are many great pen varieties nowadays, none of which have this common fountain-pen shortcoming.
Safaris are suitable for people who write daily; others should look elsewhere.
Safaris are suitable for people who write daily; others should look elsewhere.
Last year I bought an inexpensive Platinum Preppy and it doesn't have this problem at all. No idea why the Pilot is so bad or if I can fix it, but it basically makes the pen useless to me because I do not write daily. Even if I did use it daily, the disappearing ink means I'd have more maintenance to deal with than I really want.
The other thing many people don't think about is paper quality. Fountain pen ink really soaks through many types of paper. It took me a while, but I finally found a yellow legal pad brand that is great with a fountain pen. Mintra canary premium legal pads are inexpensive and nice to write on.
For newcomers: if you get a pen that seals properly (so it won’t dry out), consider getting a fast-drying ink; you won’t end up with streaks across the paper and on your hands. I found Lamy T52 acceptable.
Beyond those, do research. Fountain pens drying out is a major problem that catches newcomers off-guard. When you can buy EnerGels for peanuts, fountain pen manufacturers really need to up their game to stay remotely competitive with other pen types. And many don’t.
If you need to take quick notes and drying out is a problem because the pens are uncapped and capped a lot, get a Lamy 2000, vintage (not new) Parker 51 or a Pilot Vanishing Point. The first two have slip caps and hooded nibs so cap and uncap really quickly and don't dry out due to the hooded nib. The Vanishing Point also has a hooded nib but you click it like a ballpoint pen to expose and hide the nib. Also don't use quick drying inks.
If drying out is a problem because you don't write frequently enough, there are two solutions. Solution 1: Buy a Platinum (Preppy for low end, or 3776 higher end). It has a really good cap. Both will take a long time to dry out. Or even better, write more frequently.
My kids have them and will use them until they outgrow them.