The Lamy Pico is a fun, pocket-sized pen

For reference: The Lamy Pico with some random change and my AirPods.

I enjoy using quality pens, but I usually carry them in a case of some sort. That’s not always practical, though, so I picked up a Lamy Pico pocket pen a while ago. Now that I’ve had a chance to use it extensively, I wanted to review it.

I adore the clever design of the Lamy Pico. The pen is a small cylinder that fits easily in your pocket. When you need to use it, you click the end and it telescopes out to a full-sized pen. The aluminum is light and durable. The mechanism to extend the pen feels solid. The little Lamy logo on the side acts as a roll stop, so it doesn’t fall off the table. The pen at full length is a perfect size to write with comfortably.

Back before the Coronavirus forced us all to work from home, I kept the Pico in the front of my bag so I can grab it when I need to jot something down. Sometimes, I’d throw it in my pocket with a Field Notes notebook. But now that I’m home, I’ve got it at my desk in case I need to take some notes on a conference call.*

My Pico is a red aluminum version which doesn’t seem to be readily available anymore. Lamy offers the Pico in black, white, chrome and a range of other colors. The color lineup changes periodically and currently includes Imperial Blue, Laser Orange, Neon Pink and a new limited edition — and more expensive — Rose Gold.

The Pico uses a proprietary Lamy refill so you are stuck with either blue or black ink. Thankfully, Lamy offers the refill in three thicknesses: fine (0.5), medium (0.7) or broad (1.0). Mine came with the medium black cartridge and it’s nice for jotting notes down. I recently purchased the fine blue refill and prefer the thinner line.

The Lamy Pico is not an inexpensive pen. On Jet Pens and Pen Chalet, the Pico is right around $39. If you have only used disposable pens, that probably seems outrageous, but for the level of quality and engineering, I feel like it’s reasonable.

I’ve been using my Pico for almost two years and it’s great to write with. If you need a pocket pen and want a high quality writing utensil, the Pico is a great choice.

* Bonus: It’s also a great fidget toy during meetings.

Bob Wertz writes about design, technology and pop culture at Sketchbook B. Bob is a Columbia, South Carolina-based designer, researcher, college instructor, husband and dad. He’s particularly obsessed with typography, the creative process and the tools we use to create.