Lamy Dialog 3

[MadAmos]

This is both my first official FPN review and my first Lamy Pen. I hope the review is of benefit to anyone considering the Dialog 3 and I look forward to your comments/ suggestions.

 

First Impression 4/5:

The presentation was nice The pen came in a simple cardboard sleeve and box that did not reveal the nice dark compact wood box that contained the pen itself. The converter was installed but there was no test cartridge included. I was concerned as the wood was in direct contact with the pen and there were noticeable wear/rub marks on the box, however the pens finish was unblemished. A lining would have been a nice addition to ensure that the pen survived shipping under the worst conditions.

 

Appearance 4/5:

I had only seen the pictures of the pen before it arrived as I have no pen retailers in my local area, so I was eager to see it in person. As expected it looks large due to the basically straight cigar shape, the color is a pleasing to me silver/gold with just the simple Lamy logo and two parallel line that can be used to visually confirm that it is fully retracted.

 

Design/Size/Weight 5/5:

I am a big fan of simple yet functional pens and in this respect I am very pleased, for my hand size and grip it is comfortable to use, there was no fatigue or cramping even with extended use. I prefer a pen with a little weight, again the Dialog 3 hits the mark. It is noticably lighter than my 1st gen. Rotring 600 and a little more than a Pilot Fermo. The balance is slightly nib heavy allowing it to glides across the paper with very little effort.

The weight and balance contribute to the comfort for me and it is close to being perfect when using it for extended periods.

 

Nib:

I only rated the nib a three mostly due to the line width. I usually prefer the Japanese Fine for most things and had read that the Lamy would be wider but wow. This pen is fitted with the Lamy two tone EF nib and I find it writes more like a Pilot medium, bordering on a broad. I shudder to think what a medium might be like, and this may need a little work to fit my needs. The Ink flow is a generous 7 out of ten with my first try using a Lamy Blue/ Black cartridge and this only contributes to the wide line.

As far as feel it is very smooth, and on smooth paper like Rhodia/ Clairefontaine it is very nice with just a skosh of feedback, Nice.

 

Filling System:

I have not used the converter but it look like a very standard system and I don’t expect any surprises here it operates smoothly and looks to have a little more capacity than the Pilot con-50.

The pen started easily when used with a Lamy cartridge that I had, just inserted it assembled the nib to the pen and it started immediately. I did not flush the pen and it has not skipped or experienced any flow related problems. Even when I pause for a minute or so the flow starts up immediately with no sign of excessive nib drying.

 

Cost/ Value:

I would most likely not have paid the List price of $300.00 US, but I was able to get the pen for very close to 1/2 that including shipping and that it is in line with what I paid for my Pilot Fermo’s. For a pen with more parts that have to work together and looks like there is a lot more to the initial assembly $180.00 range is about right. The wood box and two tone 14k nib are nice perks as well

 

Conclusion 29/35

I will be using the Dialog 3 as my daily pen for a few weeks and I will see how it hold up to pocket carry and office desk use. If there are any updates of interest I will let you all know.

So far I am satisfied and it seems that some of the early quality problems I read about in other reviews may be behind Lamy on this one. A unique design like this does sometimes take a little time to work out the bugs, so far this one is a keeper.

[777]

Thank you for the review! I'm quite intrigued by the Dialog 3. The styling, finish, etc. - It's all so functional looking.

 

Regards,

777

[pkoko]

How about pictures and writing samples? also how does it compare to the Pilot VP ergonomics wise in ease of retracting the nib

[sarahfar]

I bought one several months ago. I have to say I love the nib, love the size and love the pen. I think it's much better than the Namiki VP, just my sense in terms of size, feel and performance. Only issue I have it with it is the convertor like the VP doesn't take much ink

 

Overall, it's a great pen and writes well.

 

Best,

Mike

[plee3]

I also bought one about 6 months ago with the EF nib. I love it as it also wrote like my previous Lamy Studio, but now I no longer need to keep track of the cap. It is similar to a VP that I use to own, but is larger and easier for me to write with.

 

I was also using the convertor, but with such a limited ink supply, I began to use the cartridge and refilling it with Noodler's Aquamarine with a syringe. So far everything is great.

 

Thanks... plee3

[MadAmos]

I will try and get some pictures posted over the next weekend at the moment work is very busy 12 hr+ shifts. As far as the function I find the click mechanisim of a standard VP more convieient the Dialog is a little easier than the twist Fermo. If I could only have one the Fermo wins hands down the VP second and the Lamy third due to the wide line.

 

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How about pictures and writing samples? also how does it compare to the Pilot VP ergonomics wise in ease of retracting the nib