The Dialog 1 was released in 2003 as the first of Lamy’s Dialog series. This Dialog is a ballpoint designed by Richard Sapper. It uses a unique triangular shape with a matte titanium finish. The Dialog 1 is a quirky pen that is more interesting than it is usable and it really hasn’t gained a cult following the way Lamy’s 2000 series has.
The retail price of the pen was about $125 for most of the pen’s life, but it can be had for around $150 today.
The Dialog one is made of metal — Lamy doesn’t say what time — and coated in a matte titanium finish. The body is a single piece of triangular metal with rounded corners,and the front tip and clip are both metal. The rest of the pen is made of plastic.
The pen has a number of quirks, many of which are bordering on problems.
- The metal piece at the tip is quite sharp. Putting the pen in your pocket and scratching your hand with the tip happens easily
- The button action sometimes misfires and the tip won’t extend or retract
- The pen isn’t very comfortable and has a number of sharp, pointy angles
- The writing tip is off-center, so each of the three ways you would hold the triangular body results in a different placement of the tip relatively to your hand
- As the pen gets older the plastic at the front end can start to bend away from the metal body. This is very minor, but can look “off” when examining the pen.
The Dialog uses Lamy’s standard M16 Giant ballpoint refill. The refill can be removed from the pen by pushing a small button at the front end of the pen, on the black plastic. This small dimple can be pushed with a pen/pencil tip or with the plastic protrusion at the back end of a Lamy M16 refill.
The Dialog 1 was originally sold with a wood gift case when purchased direct from Lamy.
Lamy Dialog 1 Ballpoint Information
| Street Price | Check Price |
| Manufacturer | Lamy |
| Pen Type | Ballpoint |
| Rating | |
| Barrel Color | Titanium |
| Barrel Material | Metal |
| Body Diameter (mm) | 12.9 mm |
| Grip Color | Titanium |
| Grip Material | Metal |
| Grip Diameter (mm) | 12.9 mm |
| Country of Origin | Germany |
| MSRP | $149 |
| Still Sold | Yes |
| Release Year | 2003 |
| Similar To | |
| Refills | |
| Capped? Retractable? | Retractable |
| Clip? | Stainless Steel |
| Length Capped / Retracted (cm) | 13.9 |
| Weight (g) | 24.9 grams |