Lamy Dialog 3

[DJJM19951998]

Don't you think the Dialog 3 is way overpriced considering:

1. It has the same nib as the $90 Studio

2. The Pilot VP is 1/3 the price

3. It is nothing new to retractable nibs

4. It is not far off from a MONTBLANC BOHEME!

 

Please tell me if there are any factors that I have overlooked. Thanks.

[cuza]

Dialog 3: 14K nib and a palladium body? This is not your standard Sears and Roebuck pen.

 

 

Keep polling!

 

 

 

-- cuza

[mstone]

Dialog 3: 14K nib and a palladium body? This is not your standard Sears and Roebuck pen.

I'm not interested in paying for gilding...

[dizzypen]

It really is too much to pay for a pen that looks like a... well... you know http://l.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/17.gif .

 

Besides, I'm one of those folks who can use a VP comfortably so since it's 1/3 the price, I'll stick to that.

 

I wonder what kind of market research they did to set the price.

Edited September 26, 2009 by dizzypen

[HDoug]

Hard to say just from pics and descriptions. Waiting for a review.

 

Doug

[MikeF]

As far as I know, the retracting mechanism has nothing to do with a VP, has a nice cap that closes the opening unlike the Bohème (hopefully, with a good seal unlike the Stipula DaVinci), and the clip seems to retract too. I would not use a VP with the clip located as is, and maybe I can use a Dialogue 3 if the clip retracts and lets me have a good grip.

[jmkeuning]

There will be a cheaper model. Safari materials, half the D3 price.

[mstone]

There will be a cheaper model. Safari materials, half the D3 price.

I tend to agree, and that pen will be far more attractive; this is a design that cries out for more durable materials. As it is, it seems kind of silly, like they made it out of gold and palladium just to jack up the price. (Yes, that's common in this industry, but not often so blatantly--this is like trying to push a gold plated safari.)

[obmike]

every pen (watch, car, bike, restaurant) is overpriced. no pen (watch, car, bike, restaurant) is overpriced.

 

 

now that i settled that, i'm going to watch ohio state.

[MJSchuelke]

Don't you think the Dialog 3 is way overpriced

It probably is. Then again, which pen isn't? If you exclude student pens for a moment, there are huge differences between MSRPs and the prices offered by competitive dealers -- you can often find dealers selling new pens for 1/2 MSRP or less. Or have a look at Kaufhof and Pelikan selling the M605 SE for €99, when the M600 is officially priced at €255. Since I don't think either of them is actually losing money in that deal, one can only conclude that the regular M600 is overpriced.

[MJSchuelke]

There will be a cheaper model. Safari materials, half the D3 price.

Do you know, or are you guessing?

[stevlight]

I think for a retractable FP the click push button VP is much more convienent. If I have to use two hands to twist it open I may as well twist off a cap!!! Plus the VP's write great and are cheaper!!

[HenryLouis]

No it's not overpriced at all. The new mechanism isn't the retractable nib it's the retractable clip. It may not be perfect but I'm sure they're already working on it. I've handled it and prefer it because the clip doesn't get in the way and I can actually see the nib whereas the VP makes me go off the sweet spot.

 

Plus twist mechanism's aren't cheap either. Look at the Pilot fermo. That is not far off from the Dialog 3's price.

[Siv]

The VP is 1/2 the price, not 1/3. Compare MSRP for the VP ($160) to MSRP for the Lamy ($299). In reality the VP sells for around $110 and the Lamy will probably sell for around $200 when the dust settles. Anyway, I really wish they had used a new nib for this pen - why go to all the trouble of making a new body, mechanism etc and them use a crappy nib that you can find on a much cheaper pen.

Edited September 26, 2009 by Siv

[DJJM19951998]

Look at the other pens you can get in that price range, and then tell me, is it still look like a great deal?

 

All are MSRPs in U.S. Dollars

 

Dialog 3-$300

 

1.Cross Townsend Emerald Lacquer (18K) $260

2. MontBlanc Generations (14K) $265

3. Namiki Falcon (14K) $170

4. Parker Premier (18K) $250

5. Pilot Custom 832 (14K) $350 ($50 over Lamy)

6. Pilot VP (14K-18K) $160

7. Scheaffer Legacy Heritage (18K) $225

8. Visconti Van Gogh (14K) $295

9. Basically all the non-maki-e Sailor Pens

10. Pelikan M400 or MXXX<M400

[HenryLouis]

All of those pens (with the exception of the VP) have regular designs. Only the Pilot custom 823 has a good filling system. (I could count in the Pelikan but it's too small)

 

I've handled it. The twisting action is smooth and quiet. When you close it there's a metallic cover that slides over securely. And when you twist it open the nib is fully visible. No silly trapdoor like the VP. I think ink capacity is better than the VP, ink flow will probably be better etc.

 

Nibs can be interchanged more easily on the dialog 3 than the Vanishing point (you don't even need to flush, although it'll be a bit messy).

 

The Vanishing point is my ugliest pen and to be honest I would probably sell it to make some money to buy a Dialog 3.

 

The Pelikan M400 is really small. If I do get a Pelikan it'll be an M600 or larger.

 

Lamy has good customer service.. And lifetime warranty.

 

The Namiki falcon is kind of eccentric.

 

I do like the Custom 823 more due to it's vac filler and classic design. And that's the pen I'll be getting for Christmas. However, what Lamy is doing is nice.

 

Have you handled the Dialog 3? If not, why judge it with your own assumptions?

[Yuki Onitsura]

I've never actually handled it but the price seems a bit much and I'm not all that fond of the appearance either.

 

Yuki

[HenryLouis]

I wasn't fond of the apperance either but it feels so much nicer in your hand. It's really well balanced, too.

[Doug C]

Good for you in defending the D3 Henry.

 

There are plenty of pens in the two hundred dollar range that don't seem to get the critisism that this pen does.

 

I have not had a chance to review it yet, but the discounted price doesn't seem all that out of line with most of the pens in this category..

[jmkeuning]

There will be a cheaper model. Safari materials, half the D3 price.

Do you know, or are you guessing?

 

 

Pure speculation.

 

I speculate that this is a value-based pricing strategy. Roll the pen out at a high price, and penetrate the market to some small degree. Lighthouse customers will buy the pen at the higher price. Early majority might pick it up at a slightly reduced price. Late majority will not buy it at all, they are going to wait for the more affordable model. If the more affordable model does not come out, then perhaps it's the secondary market, which does not benefit Lamy.

 

The CP1 PT retails at 3x the CP1. Unless you need the Palladium finish, why buy the PT? You can get that nib for $40 -- which, by the way, is an incredible nib. I highly recommend putting one on your Safari for a first class writing experience.

 

 

I'd like to see a Lamy history and investigate whether the CP1 PT, the Accent Brilliant, the Studio Palladium, and the Logo were all introduced before their more affordable siblings. That history would prove nothing, but I'd like to know.

 

Now, if this is cost-plus pricing, I am off the mark, but I doubt it is.