You'll have to excuse me for the brevity of this article! There's just not all that much to say about these pens. If we wanted to take all the fun out of it, we could just end the article with the statement: Lalex makes nice, well engineered ballpoint and rollerball pens.

But who wants brevity? The pens of Lalex 1938 are what I would call "boutique" pens. Very high quality, and designed with the gift market in mind. They have several collections, offered in some interesting colors of pearl material, including blue, yellow, brown, charcoal, and a bright pink.

The collection that we are looking at today is the Forme Collection. These pens come in three basic shapes, each shape (or form) is the basis for the design, circular, triangular, or square in cross section.

There are three different models, a capped rollerball, a ballpoint, and a mechanical pencil, in both compact and full size versions. The ballpoint and mechanical pencil models are nice pens, the mechanism is actuated by a hefty button at the cap top, and the barrels, even on the small version, are more than wide enough to provide a comfortable grip in use.

These would make a great pen for those needing a nice, hefty ballpoint pen. Or, as I suspect, they will prove to be very popular as gifts for those who, while they might easily appreciate a "nice pen" are not in any sense of the word, pen collectors.

As a "real world" writing tool, the Lalex Forme should prove admirably well suited. Even the compact model is comfortable in the hand, and the larger version is "just right" for my oversize taste.

The capped rollerball version of the Forme is where the attention is firmly drawn, however. While the capless ballpoint design is nicely done, it's really not that different from many other pens on the market. With the capped version, however, a new level is reached. Instead of the click on cap I expected, given the triangular shape of these pens, the cap screws on, both in the closed as well as the posted position.

It's a single thread, so the cap lines up perfectly with the barrel when you put it on. Sure, a click on cap would have worked just fine. But there is a certain elegance to doing it this way instead.

The two versions of this model that we received for review were both in the triangular shape, and both definitely passed the "cool" test. It's still unusual to see a pen in this shape, despite the fact that it's really a very ergonomic shape for a writing instrument.

The section is round on these pens, though. I don't consider that to be a drawback, it's a comfortable design, but it is thinner than the barrel diameter, so if you're not happy with thinner pens, it might be a good idea to try one out first. On the other hand, they are about the same size as most ballpoint pens, and thicker than the disposable ballpoints they would likely be replacing when given as a gift.

I cannot emphasize the quality of these pens enough. The fit and finish is excellent. They are probably not going to excite much interest in the "serious" collector, but would definitely make a nice gift, or even a very usable pen for those times when you don't wish to have one of your collection in actual use!