pictures of new lamy dialog 3

[oceansportrait]

It looks OK...but there isn't $300 worth of greatness in that pen (just by looking at it anyway).

 

I like the idea of a retractable fountain pen, and I love Lamy nibs...but just the aesthetics factor isn't working for me. Does anyone have the exact dimensions on this? It looks pretty small...

[sirksael]

I'm quite disappointed too. The shape is not fantastic to me, the nib is an all-out disappointment, imo the nib is still an important part of the pen. Why spend $300 on a pen when you can have the same nib for $80...

[Ondina]

Against most of the opinions expressed here, I like the pen. But not at the price. Not even at half the price, actually. Design looks industrial, minimalistic, sturdy, probably holds a good amount of ink, and the nib retracts. Cool. But expensive. The fountain pen market has gone bananas.

Does it really hold much ink? Given the safari nib I'd expect the same ink capacity also.

 

To me, it looks like it's going to be unusually wide and awkward to hold onto--no taper or gripping section, so I'd guess it's about the same as the back end of a safari or a little larger.

 

Compared to a VP anything holds a ton of ink .......

[Ondina]

I like the shape and style.

I like the clip and the nib.

 

I'm not worried about capacity, if its like the VP it will be enough.

 

The price is about 2 to 3 times too high though.

OK, how about 4 times.

 

I like it too, my main concern is the grip area. Metallic ones, brushed paint or not, are particularly uncomfortable for me. Price is going to be a big issue if MRSP gets closer to the $300, retractable nib or not, is waaaaay too much for the pen and for the Lamy philosophy of Bauhaus industrial, utilitarian pens. Very specially if it is a c/c. But is just my humble opinion.

[MiniMaupassant]

expected late july. $300.

 

needless to say, i'm getting one.

 

 

 

Seemingly, I'm in the minority, but I think it looks cool.

However I won't be purchasing, as I HATE those nibs!

[Frits B]

I'm curious about the retraction mechanism. The pictures show a strip on the barrel of the pen that stays aligned all through the extension of the nib. So what do you twist/push/threaten to extend the nib? Or is it just artistic license in the pictures?

Might just be that the nib is pushed out by pushing the clip in. This then stays flat when you write and pops out when the nib is retracted. This would also explain why the two parallel lines stay aligned during the pop-out process. Same trick as used on one of their ballpoints. The back end of the barrel would then only be unscrewed or pulled off to get access to the converter or cartridge.

 

 

[greencobra]

I would agree with Deirdre's view of the pen :roflmho: but I still enjoy the VP. If that price is correct then I again agree with most of you too. I might be missing something with LAMY's marketing strategy. Do they really think their loyal customers, who the majority of go nuts for their bottom of the line fountain pen offering will purchase this pen in the quantities it will take to justify the engineering, R&D, and tooling? Obviously yes, but the only two pens people here really talk about that are sold in the US are the Safari and 2000, with the Safari seemingly overtaking the 2000 maybe 10 to 1. If anything a gutsy move, not just on the design, but introducing a $300 radical design. I can't wait for sales to launch and the reviews start to come.

[OtterNZ]

I actually like the look.

 

But it looks to wide, and it seems far to expensive.

 

At first I was wondering how they'd stop any possible ink splash while it's in your pocket, then I saw some bulby thing in the first photo...what is that and how do you get it out to use the pen?

[Frits B]

I went to see a local Lamy dealer who said the nib is propelled and retracted by pressing on the clip. When the nib is retracted, the hole in the barrel is closed by the "bulby thing" noticed by OtterNZ (no idea what the proper term might be).

 

No further info is available for now. Dealers are kept in the dark, too. Mine said he didn't expect to sell many: far too few fp users around here. He has even trouble selling Studios.

[supenguin]

I actually think this pen looks nice. Typical Lamy design of clean lines, simple form, and nothing really fancy. Two things I'd be really curious to know that I can't tell from the pictures: does that little silver thing (looks more like a lid than a bulb to me) cover up the nib while the nib is retracted? And will it take regular Lamy ink cartridges and converters? I don't see how those would fit in something like that but the only other option is for Lamy to come out with shorter than usual carts & converters.

 

Anyway, whoever said this is a bold move by Lamy is right. A whole new design and so much more expensive than anything else they make. I would buy one to try it if it were in the same price range as a VP, but for $300 it is just WAY too much.

[Penman1964]

Not good. Hell would have to freeze over before I'd spend $300, $200, or even $100 for that pen. That's a $50 - $60 dollar pen imo. And at that price, I still wouldn't buy it.

[Orval]

QUOTE (Frits B @ Jun 3 2009, 11:41 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm curious about the retraction mechanism. The pictures show a strip on the barrel of the pen that stays aligned all through the extension of the nib. So what do you twist/push/threaten to extend the nib? Or is it just artistic license in the pictures?

Might just be that the nib is pushed out by pushing the clip in. This then stays flat when you write and pops out when the nib is retracted. This would also explain why the two parallel lines stay aligned during the pop-out process. Same trick as used on one of their ballpoints. The back end of the barrel would then only be unscrewed or pulled off to get access to the converter or cartridge.

 

Brilliant if you're right. If you are wrong, rush and take a patent on that idea Frits.

The look and the girth are very appealing to me. If the material is aluminium, the weight will be ok. If the coating is OK too, for the grip and the tactile feeling, hurray again. If the mechanic is reliable, well it's German.

The price, my fellows .... the trick is old as Europe. First throw the rumour that it will cost 300$ and then bring it to the market for 150$. Everybody rush to buy that cheapie.

[coldman]

QUOTE (Frits B @ Jun 3 2009, 04:19 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I went to see a local Lamy dealer who said the nib is propelled and retracted by pressing on the clip. When the nib is retracted, the hole in the barrel is closed by the "bulby thing" noticed by OtterNZ (no idea what the proper term might be).

Let's call it a blast door.

[oceansportrait]

QUOTE (Frits B @ Jun 3 2009, 11:41 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm curious about the retraction mechanism. The pictures show a strip on the barrel of the pen that stays aligned all through the extension of the nib. So what do you twist/push/threaten to extend the nib? Or is it just artistic license in the pictures?

Might just be that the nib is pushed out by pushing the clip in. This then stays flat when you write and pops out when the nib is retracted. This would also explain why the two parallel lines stay aligned during the pop-out process. Same trick as used on one of their ballpoints. The back end of the barrel would then only be unscrewed or pulled off to get access to the converter or cartridge.

 

Brilliant if you're right. If you are wrong, rush and take a patent on that idea Frits.

The look and the girth are very appealing to me. If the material is aluminium, the weight will be ok. If the coating is OK too, for the grip and the tactile feeling, hurray again. If the mechanic is reliable, well it's German.

The price, my fellows .... the trick is old as Europe. First throw the rumour that it will cost 300$ and then bring it to the market for 150$. Everybody rush to buy that cheapie.

 

 

$150 is still expensive IMO...especially if, as pointed out by others, the nib's the same as the one used on lower-end fountain pens... Judging from the looks, it should be in the same price range as the Safari Al-Star (which is ~$40)

[saintsimon]

...and the tampon shape of the pen ....

 

They should've named the pen TamPen instead of Dialog 3.

[Deirdre]

I would agree with Deirdre's view of the pen :roflmho: but I still enjoy the VP. If that price is correct then I again agree with most of you too. I might be missing something with LAMY's marketing strategy. Do they really think their loyal customers, who the majority of go nuts for their bottom of the line fountain pen offering will purchase this pen in the quantities it will take to justify the engineering, R&D, and tooling? Obviously yes, but the only two pens people here really talk about that are sold in the US are the Safari and 2000, with the Safari seemingly overtaking the 2000 maybe 10 to 1. If anything a gutsy move, not just on the design, but introducing a $300 radical design. I can't wait for sales to launch and the reviews start to come.

I think the Studio gets short shrift, and I think the Studio's a cool-looking pen.

 

I'll certainly take a look at this one in person, but I don't think it'll appeal to me.

 

In general, Lamy's designs are just TOO minimalist for my taste, and I like Shaker furniture....

 

This may not be obvious from my taste in pens, but my preferred style of furniture is Shaker and/or Scandinavian modern, with a preference for Shaker. I don't generally like ornate furniture (unless it's Moroccan). Somehow, we wound up with a blend of those two styles in the living room....

[Silvermink]

I love minimalist designs, but the shape of this is just... weird, to my eye.

[Bartimaeus]

Indeed like a hybrid of Capless Fermo and pico. The nib with the stripe of gold reminds me of one of the newer Pelikan models, can't remember the name. - An eclectic pen.

Lamy apparently tried to flatten the clip which, as I understand, frightens quite some people off the VP. I wonder if this clip is still functional.

 

Of course one would have to see it in real life. A lot would depend on the measurements of the pen. It might be fat and ugly or sleek and, well, not handsome, but okay looking.

 

I don't like the cylindrical form as much as I like the gentle curves of the Decimo (or the spindle like curves of the Lamy 2000, for that matter).

 

300 USD is a lot of money for that pen, it would be too much for me.

[haywoody]

I love Lamy and bauhaus / minimalist design... but this one is not doing much for me. The gold stripe on the nib totally wrecks it for me. Gonna have to see it in-person...

 

/Woody

Edited June 3, 2009 by haywoody

[Deirdre]

The gold stripe on the nib totally wrecks it for me.

This is typical of their gold nibs in the Studio line as well, and, lacking a politer word, it makes the nib look vulvar.

 

So yes, I agree that it wrecks it for me as well. There's plenty of other masking possibilities (if one must have a two-tone nib, which I don't personally care about) without being so -- unfortunate.