Lamy Dialog 3 For Us$170 On Endless Pens Hop Drop

[A Smug Dill]

The Lamy Dialog 3 has just been added to Endless Pens' Hop Drop page. The price comes to US$170, affter applying the 15%-off discount code HOPDROP15

You need to have an account on its Shopify platform to access the product page, and you need to be (separately) subscribed and on Endless Pens' mailing list to be eligible to use the discount code at checkout.

[MuddyWaters]

what other offers do they have? is it basically like massdrop, ie, expensive retail special edition bling?

[A Smug Dill]

  On 9/13/2019 at 10:01 PM, MuddyWaters said:

what other offers do they have?

I'm sure you can see for yourself if you're keen.

[Theroc]

I had to gather the heap that used to be my lower jaw off the floor. I thought it was a steal at $185 when I got mine.

 

  On 9/13/2019 at 8:55 PM, A Smug Dill said:

The Lamy Dialog 3 has just been added to Endless Pens' Hop Drop page. The price comes to US$170, affter applying the 15%-off discount code HOPDROP15

You need to have an account on its Shopify platform to access the product page, and you need to be (separately) subscribed and on Endless Pens' mailing list to be eligible to use the discount code at checkout.

[nm4]

I can’t seem to get the discount code. I signed up for the mailing list and created an account on the site but got no 15% off - what am I doing wrong?

 

Thanks,

N

[OmegaMountain]

  On 9/14/2019 at 10:54 AM, nm4 said:

I cant seem to get the discount code. I signed up for the mailing list and created an account on the site but got no 15% off - what am I doing wrong?

 

Thanks,

N

The code was in the original post - HOPDROP15

[SpecTP]

the Lamy Imporium is also at a pretty good price too.

[Spelled78]

The oblique nibs are all sold out now for the Dialog 3, as are all of the Palladium options. Not surprising at this price. I’m hesitated for a moment, but quickly realized that I’ve never seen a price this low for a new one. A little bit of sweat as I hit confirm, but I think I’ll be happy once it’s in hand!

[neverforget]

is this pen worth the price? even with the discount? The convenience of a twist mechanism is appealing but the size concerns me.

[A Smug Dill]

  On 9/17/2019 at 2:31 PM, nickycat said:

is this pen worth the price? even with the discount?

How someone would judge a pen's worth is subjective. At US$170, the price isn't much more than that of a Pilot Capless Vanishing Point pen, although personally I'd prefer the Pilot.

[Honeybadgers]

Well I wasn't PLANNING on ever buying a dialog 3 because the $300 pricetag was a little eyewatering for what it was, but at $170...

 

Only the normal black is left, I kinda wanted the palladium finish, but I figured piano black/white would just be fingerprint magnets (they're sold out anyways)

 

And if I don't like the pen, I can always move the 14k EF to my CP-1 and resell the dialog 3 with a 14k oblique medium that I don't use much.

 

Also, if anyone else can't find the code, I had to actually google the code for 15% off (it's not mentioned anywhere that I could find)

 

The code is (without the quotes) "hopdrop15"

Edited September 17, 2019 by Honeybadgers

[SpecTP]

  On 9/17/2019 at 2:31 PM, nickycat said:

is this pen worth the price? even with the discount? The convenience of a twist mechanism is appealing but the size concerns me.

 

if you've ever held a MB149 or Sailor KOP, it's basically the same. Very comfortable to use.

[Honeybadgers]

I just got mine and... Woah.

 

This was unexpected.

 

I have thusfar precisely ONE gripe, and that's that I wish that the clip retracted further in just because it advertises that it does.

 

But the pen has a feature that I just found might make it my new ideal work pen - you can pinch the hinged clip like a lamy 2000 or conklin. That makes sliding it into my shirt way easier.

 

And it's astoundingly comfortable. I'll use it at work for a few weeks and maybe write a review/do a video.

 

I had the option of grabbing an imporium instead, I'm glad I got this.

 

And I'm glad I got a textured black model instead of the piano. it's not slippery at all.

[A Smug Dill]

@Honeybadgers I'm glad you're happy with the Lamy Dialog 3.

I bought a black-and-gold Imporium for just under US$200 instead. I felt the construction of the model, based on the TiPt unit I bought earlier in the year also from Endless Pens, is excellent and the grooved barrel is like a distant cousin of the Diplomat Aero, which I also like very much. The Lamy Z56 EF nib could use being finer and more precise, but I guess the way it is now is just German EF nibs for you, so to speak; I can't trust a similarly priced Pelikan or Diplomat fitted with a factory 14K gold nib to write any "better" subjectively for my preferences. I haven't inked up my black Imporium with the Z57 OM nib yet, so I don't know how much or little I like (or dislike) it.

I haven't inked up the Lamy Studio Lx All Black that was on the same order padding the total to US$250.33, just over the free international shipping threshold either, but I did take it out of the box to hold in my hand, and wow! It looks great and feels fantastic; my first impressions of it are more favourable than I had of the Sailor Professional Gear Imperial Black I bought five years ago (a little too lightweight, and the barrel material didn't really feel "premium"), which took writing with it to appreciate its 21K gold F nib, and equal to that of the Pilot Capless Vanishing Point matte black, which arrived in a particularly cool presentation box (Source: No Pen Intended blog) and has remained in my Top Five most beloved pens for all these years. I was originally very much inclined to get the palladium version, for the gold nib and the absence of a glossy chrome section (which counts out most of the Studio variants, including the Piano Black), but after two weeks of pushing I still couldn't get an answer from Endless Pens as to whether it could offer me one of those, I ended up picking the Lx All Black instead and boy, am I glad!

If a Lamy Z57 gold EF nib could be trusted to deliver a "better" writing outcome than the Z52 steel EF nib with which the Lx All Black came, then I'd be happy to give that pen a gold nib it seem to deserve.

Edit:


The nib on the Studio Lx definitely fits the grade of Extra Fine, and writes more than smoothly enough for one that puts down such narrow lines. The pen obviously writes a bit dryly, though, which in itself is not a problem but I'll just have to put a darker ink in it. I was going to put Sailor kiwaguro in it, but given that ink has a reputation for making nibs write narrower, perhaps I should use Platinum Carbon Black instead.

p.s. The Lamy Dialog 3, Imporium, and Studio Lx All Black have now all been removed from the current list of Hop Drop specials.

Edited September 21, 2019 by A Smug Dill

[Honeybadgers]

Compared to the VP, I think I am much more firmly in the dialog 3 box thusfar. It feels more like a pen (it's kind of sharpie-esque) and not like a weird object. But I think all the VP taught me is that I should get a decimo.

 

I've noticed the EF is a bit of an architect, with a borderline japanese EF downstroke and more western F cross stroke. If I press down, it's almost a western M cross stroke. But when I write cursive, it kinda blends together into a western EF with some character, and I only see the architect-ness if I'm printing

 

But that bounce is really, really nicely tuned too, in a way that I couldn't really experience with my Oblique Medium (a nib I really don't recommend)

 

So if it wasn't smooth and perfect flowing, I'd probably regrind it down to a more japanese EF. But I am actually really digging it, it's awesome at work. I don't think I'd love it for long writing periods, it's more of an amazing note taker than anything else

 

 

Thanks again for pointing it out, I'm glad I got it. It may be a hair less convenient than the VP since it's not a one-handed thing to open, but it's still pretty lightning fast, and I like that the nib is still very visual, and like that they didn't try to make it look hooded in some way.

Edited September 21, 2019 by Honeybadgers

[A Smug Dill]

  On 9/21/2019 at 5:24 AM, Honeybadgers said:

I've noticed the EF is a bit of an architect, with a borderline japanese EF downstroke and more western F cross stroke.

Does the tipping on the nib look anything like that on the Lamy gold nib @countrydirt has?

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/348119-lamy-studio-gold-nib-very-scratchy/

 

Another one who has reported an 'architect' EF nib, in this case on a Lamy Dialog 3:

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/349419-lamy-dialog-3-ef-expanding-long-term-review/

 

  Quote

If I press down, it's almost a western M cross stroke. But when I write cursive, it kinda blends together into a western EF with some character, and I only see the architect-ness if I'm printing

It doesn't sound like something that would appeal to me, so I'm glad I didn't order one.

 

  Quote

But that bounce is really, really nicely tuned too, in a way that I couldn't really experience with my Oblique Medium (a nib I really don't recommend)

I'm confident I'll get around to trying the one I have in the next few days, and see how I go.

 

I actually like the look of the Pilot Capless Vanishing Point, and I'm still thinking about ordering the Turquoise 2019 LE, although I know from experience that I don't dig using the Pilot CVP pens that have glossy finishes, so my Charcoal Marble 2012 LE just stayed mostly unused all these years. The ones I use most, and with which I actually enjoy the writing experience, are the ones with the matte black, blue matte, and deep red birch bodies.

Edited September 21, 2019 by A Smug Dill

[neverforget]

  On 9/21/2019 at 5:24 AM, Honeybadgers said:

Compared to the VP, I think I am much more firmly in the dialog 3 box thusfar. It feels more like a pen (it's kind of sharpie-esque) and not like a weird object. But I think all the VP taught me is that I should get a decimo.

 

 

Nice to hear you like the dialog 3...I am curious if you could share a bit about your comment on VP vs. decimo.

[Honeybadgers]

  On 9/21/2019 at 6:07 AM, A Smug Dill said:

Does the tipping on the nib look anything like that on the Lamy gold nib @countrydirt has?

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/348119-lamy-studio-gold-nib-very-scratchy/

 

Another one who has reported an 'architect' EF nib, in this case on a Lamy Dialog 3:

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/349419-lamy-dialog-3-ef-expanding-long-term-review/

 

 

It doesn't sound like something that would appeal to me, so I'm glad I didn't order one.

 

 

I'm confident I'll get around to trying the one I have in the next few days, and see how I go.

 

I actually like the look of the Pilot Capless Vanishing Point, and I'm still thinking about ordering the Turquoise 2019 LE, although I know from experience that I don't dig using the Pilot CVP pens that have glossy finishes, so my Charcoal Marble 2012 LE just stayed mostly unused all these years. The ones I use most, and with which I actually enjoy the writing experience, are the ones with the matte black, blue matte, and deep red birch bodies.

 

I'm at work and don't have a loupe at hand, but it looks like it might be exactly the same. The more vertical I hold it, the closer to a true EF it is, the lower down, the closer to an architect. Like you said in that post, it is very similar feeling to a sailor zoom nib, just smaller in scale. If you hold the pen higher than about 45 degrees, you'll get a proper EF. And mine is also a very smooth reverse needlepoint

 

One thing I'll point out is that this pen is FUN to fiddle with, if that's something you do. there's a satisfying pop as you initially rotate it and the nib just shooting out in the last 1/4 turn just has the feel of deploying a switchblade. And the fit/finish are impressive. I do think it should have come with the black/gold nib though, I probably prefer the rhodium but the black would have fit the "feel" of the pen better, along with maybe anodizing the exposed part of the interior barrel black so it gives an all-black feel when extended.

 

But you like what you like when it comes to nibs, and it sounds like the architect/zoomish design is pretty ubiquitous in the EF

Edited September 22, 2019 by Honeybadgers

[Honeybadgers]

  On 9/21/2019 at 2:19 PM, nickycat said:

 

Nice to hear you like the dialog 3...I am curious if you could share a bit about your comment on VP vs. decimo.

 

I don't have a decimo yet so no idea, but I think what I really disliked about the VP was that extremely sloped body where you hold it.

 

I don't HATE the VP, but I just don't find myself wanting to use it very much. And I am a bit turned off because I wanted a 14k nib, got a stub, and jetpens burned me hard on it. So I think I'll probably just wait until I can find a used EF decimo or one on sale.

[A Smug Dill]

  On 9/22/2019 at 12:34 AM, Honeybadgers said:

The more vertical I hold it, the closer to a true EF it is, the lower down, the closer to an architect. Like you said in that post, it is very similar feeling to a sailor zoom nib, just smaller in scale. If you hold the pen higher than about 45 degrees, you'll get a proper EF. And mine is also a very smooth reverse needlepoint

I like versatile nibs from which it isn't too onerous on the user to extract proper EF (or whatever is marked and sold as its nib width grade) lines out of it.

 

Holding the pen at 60° or 70° angle from the paper surface is not that onerous to me, and neither is not rotating the nib as I write in English with a cursive script.

 

Your description makes the nib sound very attractive and capable! An architect's nib/grind is a different matter; I always imagine that to be functionally an italic nib rotated at 90°, and from which it is impossible to get a narrow 'horizontal' stroke moving the pen in line with the plane of the nib.