Lamy Dialog 3 Ef (Expanding Long Term Review)

October 5, 2020

Firstly thank you for constant update on your experience with the pen its much appreciated.

I love the way the pen looks and honestly I will soon find myself at same turning point as you, dialog vs VP.

This page has helped a lot, now I am not sure if I will manage to get one to try before buying for either pens but now, I really will try to get a sample of the pen before buying either, especially since I prefer light pens and write for long sessions.

Recently I had my Dialog3 F nib re-ground to a real mini-stub (think Western EF stub). Instead of doing it myself, this time I asked Anabelle (in-house nibmeister of Appelboom) to do it for me. I wanted to see how far my own skills are removed from those of a pro. Well, the nib turned out fabulous. And as an amateur nib tinkerer I have a long way to go .

(The railroad you see on one stroke was caused by me pressing too hard.)

The subtle variation of this nib is totally addictive. I love it. As an added bonus, the nib became quite soft. Before the re-grind, it was a nail. Happy!

This new grind looks nice, I personally like the subtle variations, just enough to make normal writing look interesting without taking casual or professional feel away (personal opinion this one).

Anyway glad you enjoy the pen after all that is what matters the most.

October 12, 2020

... I prefer light pens and write for long sessions.

The Dialog 3 is not a light pen, nor is it particularly ergonomic. It either suits your hand or it doesn’t.

... This new grind looks nice, I personally like the subtle variations, just enough to make normal writing look interesting without taking casual or professional feel away.

That’s exactly what I was looking for! Very glad that it turned out well.

October 12, 2020

Thanks for the great review! I've not handled one of these, but have considered one more than once.

Re: the nib. I've been a big fan of the Studio for a while(which is also a heavy pen, although I don't think as heavy as the Dialog) and the higher trimmed Studios have the same 14K two-tone nib. It might actually be worth watching for these, as occasionally I've lucked out on a complete Studio in the $130 range vs. $100 for just a nib. In any case, I find Lamy's 14K two-tone to have a very different feel than their steel nibs. I happen to really, really like them, even though even in medium I've consistently found them to have a bit of tooth if rotated a bit off their sweet spot. Still, though, they're great writing nibs.

If you want to play inexpensively, it's worth mentioning also that the ubiquitous steel Lamy nibs will readily interchange also, or at least on the Studio(and I can't see why they wouldn't on the Dialog). This lets you play with $15 nibs, including some of the special grinds that Lamy makes still at that same price. Alternatively, you can dress up a Safari with your 14K nib if you're so inclined (I've done it more to have a convenient nib holder in the past when putting other nibs on).

October 15, 2020

It seems like very regularly, the best price by a country mile would be from endless pens. It's where I got mine, and it regularly goes on sale for an unbelievably lower price than other retailers. I have no idea why lamy doesn't jump down their throat for the sales, but I'm a happy, repeat customer of theirs.