LAMY Dialog 1 Ballpoint Pen Matte Titanium, Finish (L274)

The pen was released by Lamy in 2003, launching the Dialog series of high-end writing instruments and collaborating with famed industrial designers in their conception. The Dialog 1 in particular was designed by the Munich-born Richard Sapper, known for designing the Artemide Tizio desk lamp in 1972 and the IBM ThinkPad in 1992.The Lamy Dialog 1 has a metal body with a triangular cross-section and matte titanium finish. It uses a top-push click mechanism. The triangular shape of the pen is equilateral with curved vertices, even though the oblique ends may give an illusion that it is not. Length wise, the pen follows a parallelogram profile. The clip is spring-loaded and made of stainless steel, also with a matte titanium finish. The Lamy logo is etched just beneath the clip. The 'underside' of the pen has a slight curvature. There are two very slightly-raised black textured plastic tabs to protect the metal surface from rough exposure to hard surfaces; you'd have look very closely to notice that they're raised.The removable front end of the pen is textured black plastic, and has a protruding, stylized sleeve with a metal tip for the ballpoint. A nearby small button with a rounded spherical depression is pressed to open the pen and swap refills. Inside the pen, there is additional black plastic reinforcement to guide the narrower part of the ballpoint refill. The 'button' itself constitutes a protrusion of this reinforcement that is bent to dislodge the plastic front end from the pen. Clever German engineering.The pen's design is masculine, industrial, and practical. Apart from the design, the triangular shape serves as an ergonomic feature to aid in writing comfort, particularly for right-handed writers. Overall, not too exhibitionist, not too plain. Not fancy, not boring. It's appropriate at a university lecture, engineer's desk, or executive boardroom.All Dialog pens come in a wooden case made of beech with magnetic closure, also designed by Richard Sapper. The case interior is coated with a rubbery material to prevent scratching if the pen stored inside moves. Smelling the case reminds me of IKEA, with that familiar scent of wood furniture. The case comes packaged in a black box with a warranty slip and descriptive instruction leaflet. Finally, the Dialog 1 includes a Lamy M16 proprietary ballpoint refill in black with a medium point.I am left-handed and feel compelled to make a few remarks for lefties that may be interested in this pen. Normally, I either hold writing instruments at a 45-degree or 60-degree angle, depending on which is more comfortable factoring in the weight and shape. We lefties have evolved to hold pens in unique ways, and the Dialog 1 will initially take time getting used to. The triangular shape was not optimized for lefties, but I've found a comfortable sweet spot, holding the pen at a 60-degree angle, and the writing experience is heavenly. I've also observed that the oblique front end of the pen can act as a rest for your middle finger if it feels more comfortable. If left-handed, you are urged to try this pen at a shop before buying; your experience may be the opposite of mine! On the other hand, it feels more "natural" (no pun intended).For the moment, it is my favorite ballpoint pen, and the one I will readily grab when necessary. I wouldn't call it a daily writer since I don't use ballpoints often. The price may be steep for a such a pen, but may be worth it especially if the 'form follows function' approach to product design appeals to you. If well taken care of, the pen can last for more than a decade. Would I buy it again if I lost it and would I recommend it to others? Definitely. But that's just me.

This pen has been available for a while now, but I just recently stumbled upon it on Amazon while browsing for ballpoint pens. I was in the mood for something a little fancier than the standard office Bic, and the Dialog 1 caught my attention and kept it. There really should be more product photos of this pen on Amazon; the one view doesn't really tell the whole story, and if you're interested in this pen I would suggest you search the web for more photos (there are a lot out there). The clean lines and simple but bold design of this pen make it a work of art. The pen comes in a nifty wood laminated case that seems to suggest that the pen belongs in a case, not out and about in the world.I bought the pen because I intended to use it, and I do. It was hard getting an idea of the actual size of the pen from photos and measurements, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. The pen is actually very light and feels somewhat hollow in the hand, but doesn't feel fragile. The length is almost exactly the same as a Bic stic pen without the cap, and the Dialog 1 is noticeably thicker. The thicker pen combined with the smooth metallic finish made me worry that the pen would be slippery, and so I found myself gripping it tighter than I actually needed to. Once I relaxed and worked with then pen, my experience improved, and the shape of it really does sit naturally in my fingers. Retracting and extending the ballpoint is not loud or all that "clicky", and the experience doesn't feel especially premium to me, but it works. The plastic ends stand out as plastic, but I like the contrast between black and silver that the plastic provides. I haven't yet refilled the pen, but thanks to a few blogs out there, I know what to expect when the time comes (the front end pops off for refilling...Google it, it's interesting). The Lamy ballpoint refill that came with the pen writes smoothly and I have no complaints about it.In the end, I find the pen neither comfortable nor uncomfortable to use. It's a pen that I use because I think it's neat and I want to use it, and that's pretty much what I was expecting.

Truly a one of a kind original. One of those items i'm glad i didn't spend a year or more deciding if i should get it because of the price (and it not be available to buy anymore :(!!! been there done that). If you dig the look then you'll love it even more when you finally have it. I enjoy and appreciate how bold it feels to the grip compared to a common pen. Best way to describe to anyone interested is that it just feels right, seriously. It looks awesome too and I really wish they'd post more photos of this pin since they expect a pretty price for it but I can assure you it definitely looks bad ass. First time buying an expensive pen like this too so I'm really having a lot of fun owning this and look forward to using this daily for years to come. BTW, the blue ink that is sold separately for this(M16BLM), BUY IT, it really does complement this pen(my preferred pick of ink to use with this :))))).Update 3/13/16Pen is still holding out great! I'm still on my first ink that came with the pen. I have been using this everyday for work and it still gets peoples attention to this day and is a good conversation piece surprisingly lol. I am still glad I and happy that I purchaced this and plan to keep using this pen for as long as possible!The ONLY complain I have is that I have dropped this a couple times and where the pen comes out at, theres a metal tube; this piece has bended before making it impossible to retract my pen due to blockage. Simple fix though, I just used any thing I could find to round it back out again. At the time when this happend to me all I had was a pocket knife and I used the end of my blade to press against the dent, and also gently rubbing and rotating against it to round it back out again. I would recommend others to use something else like a small phillips head(anything, use your imagination, just don't destroy your pen with your muscles) but I am a jeweler and I am used to fixing small metal objects.

Really cool!

後輩が資格をとったのでお祝いに何がいい？と聞いたところこれを指定されました。もう製造していないようで日本国内ではほぼ全滅状態でしたが、直輸入しているお店から買うことができました。独特のデザインはその存在だけで見る者に強烈な印象を与え、強く記憶させますね。かなり軽量ですが（チタン製だからでしょうか）しっかりとしていて、高級感があります。どうやって芯を取り替えればいいのかがわからなさそうですが、それは後輩の研究課題ということで。