The Pen Addict 286/transcript

The Pen Addict Podcast Transcript
Episode:	286
Title:	A More Aggressive Swirl Pattern
Release Date:	December 6th, 2017
Hosts:	Brad Dowdy Myke Hurley
Guests:	No guests this episode
Additional Information
Official page:	Episode 286
Audio File:	Audio Episode 286
Podcast page:	The Pen Addict 286
Length:	7878 min <br />1.3 h <br /> minutes
Previous Transcript	Next Transcript

Myke Hurley: From RelayFM, this is The Pen Addict, episode 286. Today's show is brought to you by Pen Chalet, Blue Apron, and Away. My name is Myke Hurley. I'm joined by Mr. Brad Dowdy. Hi, Brad Dowdy.

Brad Dowdy: Hey, Myke Hurley. How are you?

Myke Hurley: I'm very well. How are you?

Brad Dowdy: I'm very good. I'm very good. You know, as busy and as long as we went last week, I think we might can top ourselves this week if we're not careful. So, like, we have a lot of things to talk about today. Of course we do. A lot of awesome stuff.

Barber Shop

Myke Hurley: I went to the barber today, Brad, and I had my haircut. And we were just chatting, and my barber, we have a pretty good relationship now. Like, I've been going to him for a couple of years. We're very familiar with each other. And he knows what I do for a living, and we talk about it and stuff. And I mentioned this show, and I guess we tend to talk about my shows and what I'm up to. And he's like, you know, like the usual thing is like, how is there a weekly conversation about pens? Like, how is that a possibility? And I said to him, as I said to everybody that asks me these questions, my kind of standard answer is, in every industry, there is news weekly. There is always things going on. There's things to talk about. But if you don't pay attention to that industry, you'll just never see it. Like, you're never going to find it because it's not there, right? Like, if you're not looking for it, you won't see it. So, yes, there's always stuff to talk about every week. There was no real point to this story other than the fact that I just thought I would mention it to you.

Brad Dowdy: The fact that there's always something to talk about.

Myke Hurley: Yeah, there's always something to talk about because the news just keeps on going, and it will keep on going because people like us are interested.

Brad Dowdy: And since you mentioned that you went to the barber, I wrote myself a note that I am supposed to call in and get an appointment for my son and I to get our hair cut. So now I have that as a task.

Myke Hurley: I do what I can.

Brad Dowdy: So I wrote this down on the new NotCo weekly calendar note card, which I'm just using it for show notes today. You asked in our show document, we haven't done it in a while, on the loadout, what are we using today? So that's what I'm using to write on. And writing with are things we will be talking about in this show. I tend to bring in the goods that we're going to discuss in the show to have and use during the show. So I have the Black Wings Vol. 16.2 Ada Lovelace Edition, which is – we'll talk about that. I'll save my conversation. And the TWSBI Eco Tea inked up with Robert Oster Blue Water Ice. The E-Cot. So, yeah. It's very – yeah. The E-Cot. The E-Cot. So, yes. We will be talking about both of those products. That's what I'm using today. Myke, what about you?

Myke Hurley: So I have two pens and notebook today that I'm using. So I have – I know I've mentioned obviously many times that I take my show notes, right, as we're talking and make notes and scribble and doodle whilst we're recording. And I've been doing that in a pano book for a long time. And obviously that's what I'm continuing to use today. The pano book is the perfect notebook for me for this type of job. I absolutely love it. But I use two pens typically for every show. So what I do is I write the title of the episode down. And you know it has the little markers on the pano book for the little columns? I, like, draw over those to make them bolder so I can kind of keep track because I write all my notes in three different boxes depending on what needs to go in them. So I do that and I will always use one of my more fancy, less practical pens to do that. So it will be, like, something with a crazy nib or something where I can't post it because I actually – these days I post my pens that I'm doing my show notes with so they don't roll away. So the clip stops them from rolling away. So if I don't have a roll stop or a clip on a pen, then I won't use it for the show notes because I just place it down and I don't want it to roll away. So I used today my Eastman Primary Manipulation Newton pen. I need a better name for that. That was the best I could do for today.

Myke Hurley: It's long. It's a very long name. So I used that with – I have the Ackerman green ink in it, which I can't remember the number of, but it was the one I spoke about last week. 28. 28. Thank you very much. Ackerman number 28 inked up in there because the green, all that green works with the green very nicely. And I put my show notes today. I am using my current favorite pen, which is my Sailor Pro Gear Slim Purple Cosmos. I have used this pen every single day since I got it. Like, without fail, it is the pen I keep picking up. I have it filled with Califolio and Janopal. And just to give you an idea, right? So I picked this pen up last week, I think it was, right? It arrived when I was in Vegas. I've already had to fill it again. Oh, wow. That's great. So I'm like – I mean, obviously this thing has a pretty small converter in it because it's the little old guy. Yes. But I absolutely adore this pen. I love it. Just love, love, love, love, love it. Anna in the chat room asked what nib I have on the Pro Gear. I have a bold nib, broad nib, I should say. But you wouldn't know it. Feels like a medium to me. Yeah. But yeah, so I'm using my Pro Gear and I love it so dearly. Just so dearly.

Brad Dowdy: I'm glad the slim size worked out for you. Like, I mean, I wouldn't be upset if it didn't. But I was concerned. Like, I don't – you love the standard so much. And this is a different pen, right? Despite the similar name, the size is very different across the board. Yep. But I love them. It's just a different pen and it's a great pen on its own. So, very cool.

Myke Hurley: And just as an update for anybody that might be interested, the Lost Bung Box Pro Gear has been located. Nice. And will soon be on the way to me in London. So, that is going to be happening. I'm very excited about that too. I'm sure that will bump out this Pro Gear for a bit. We'll see.

Brad Dowdy: Very cool. Yeah. That's a great pen. Yeah. I'm glad it worked out. Oh, me too. So, I have a favor to ask you related to your show notes. And I keep meaning to ask you. I've had this email in my inbox for like a month or two now. And I keep meaning to get around to it. So, we actually – we have a listener that doesn't do like any social media or anything like that. And they want to see what your show notes look like. They're like, I wonder what they look like. I've never seen Myke's handwriting. Could you all send me a picture of each of your notes that you take during the show? So, if you're interested in doing that, I would be happy to send it on to our very lovely listener who is interested in those type of things.

Myke Hurley: I will actually put a link in the show notes of this episode. And the way that I'm going to remind myself to do this is by writing a note in the show notes. So, you're going to see what all of that looks like. You're going to see the mess that I make. Nice. All of my doodles and scribbles. I'll put those in the show notes. Don't make fun of me.

Brad Dowdy: No, no. It's perfect. You do, though. I think that's the point, right? You make fun of my handwriting. I know you're going to. Well, that's kind of my job. Hey, I've stopped making fun of your handwriting a long time ago, right? Own it. That's all I say. It doesn't matter what it looks like. As long as it's yours, you just own it. No problem.

Brad Dowdy: It was just that once or ten times.

Myke Hurley: Once or ten times and then ever since, but whatever.

Brad Dowdy: No. No, no, no.

Brad Dowdy: So, you put some other things in the show notes.

Myke Hurley: Yeah, look at you. Look at you now. Tenth anniversary, Brad. Wow.

Pen Addict Anniversary

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. So, the pen addict turned ten. Like, I don't know. Maybe we should do a whole segment on that one day. We probably could have done that this week and timed it a little bit better. But you know how I am. I don't necessarily, like, bring that up, like, super a lot. Like, I'll bring it up some. And, of course, I'm selling stuff, you know. So, there's that. But, uh, the pen addict actually turned ten. November 29th, where the first of 2007, where the first posts were made. I did a little retrospective in last week's refill for the pen addict members. Um, which happened to be refill number 100 on the 10th anniversary. Just complete luck that it kind of matched up that way, which is really neat. And, uh, you know, looking back ten years of blogging about pens, I still am kind of the same as the very first posts that I wrote. Like, I went back and I was like, oh, like, yeah, these are the things I still use. These are the things I still believe in. And, you know, there's still lots of things to talk about. So, you know, I look forward to the next ten years.

Myke Hurley: So, I just looked it up. In February, this show is six years old. Nice. So, this show, if my calculations are correct, has ran for over half of the life of the pen addict.

Brad Dowdy: Which is kind of crazy in itself. That doesn't make sense to me.

Myke Hurley: Like, we've passed the halfway point. Like, so, we are at a point now where the pen addict will always be more than half of the existence of... Like, the podcast will be half of the existence of the website itself. Which really seems wild to me that we've been doing it for that long.

Brad Dowdy: It really does. It seems like we're on, like, a two or three year run. Always. Yeah. Like, perpetually, right? Like, no matter how many years we've been doing it, it seems like it's been about two or three. But it's not. It's been, like, six.

Myke Hurley: Yeah, six. Six in February. But you've made an anniversary t-shirt which people can buy, which looks fantastic.

Brad Dowdy: Well, I didn't make it. My good friend Ben Kwok. Well, yes. The artist. He designed it. He designed it. He hand drew out the sketch, then digitized it, and made it all fancy, and did a really great job. So, it's a really large 10th anniversary logo on the back. You know, he wanted to incorporate things like 10th anniversary, you know, location, you know, the tagline that's always been there. So, he integrated all these things, and he integrated the logo, like, in the, you know, in the collar of the shirt, and, you know, doing just a little small badge on the front, because I didn't want that big of a logo on the front of a shirt. It wouldn't look right. So, yeah, it's kind of cool. It's kind of a comp. It was more complex of a shirt than I thought it would be, which is good. Like, it's really cool. So, I'm just doing this as a one-shot deal. So, I'm doing a pre-sale for three weeks, which I guess there's about two and a half weeks left on this shirt. And then we'll order all the shirts, and then I'll ship them out, and then it's done. That's the only time you're going to be able to get this shirt, because the t-shirt business long game is not a good one, as I've learned from, you know, the normal Pen Addict t-shirts that I offer, which I love. But sitting on a bajillion t-shirts to sell over a span of years is just kind of boring. So, I would rather do this one-shot type of stuff. So, that's what I did with the Retro 51, and that's what I'm doing with the t-shirt. Unfortunately, I hate that these came out at the same time. You know, I'm very – I try to be thoughtful of making the ask, you know, to members and listeners and things. And it just so happened that I had to ask for these two things in very close proximity to each other. If you're looking for a cool pen or a cool t-shirt to help support me and the Pen Addict, well, they kind of both came out at the same time. So, yeah. But they're there. They're on the site. We'll have the links in the show notes. On the pens, there's only about 200 left out of the 600. And if they keep getting run over by the post office, Myke, they might go quicker than that.

Myke Hurley: I think it's fine because it is the holiday season, right? So, you can ask people for lots of things and they'll be good with it. So, I think that's fine. But, yeah. Unless the post office gets involved and then they just, like, lose it or destroy it.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. I think I'm on, like – I think I'm, like, up to four now. Maybe five.

Myke Hurley: Five destroyed isometrics? Yeah. You put a great picture on Instagram of, like – it's almost like a body horror type scenario.

Myke Hurley: Yeah.

Brad Dowdy: It's just – I feel super bad. Like, people who – yeah. I just feel bad because people, like, email me, like, immediately, like, oh, my God. What do we do? I'm, like, what do you mean what do we do? I'm going to send you a new pen. They're, like, worried that they're not going to get the pen. But, you know, pretty soon, you know, I definitely hold some back, you know, until everything gets shipped. And I'm very, very confident that everyone has arrived safe and sound. But the rate of destruction by the postal service this holiday season has taught me a lesson. There is much less care in the system this time of year, as you alluded to.

Myke Hurley: Yep. Because they're just pumping things out, right? Like, this is the time.

Tiffany Sharpie

Brad Dowdy: Yep. Yep. Yep. All right. Speaking of the holidays and Christmas gifts, Myke, what do you have for me today?

Myke Hurley: So, this comes from RichSticks on Instagram. Photos of the Tiffany Sharpie and the pencil and other related pen things. Just continuing this trend. I just thought I will put these in the show notes so people could see some photos from a Tiffany store.

Myke Hurley: All of these products.

Brad Dowdy: I just clicked on the ruler photo. Yeah. So, it's a six-inch ruler. And RichSticks did, like, he's doing, like, the markup on his little commentary on the pictures. The ruler, the highlight on it says $75 an inch. That is awesome.

Myke Hurley: That's fantastic. So, there you go. Oh, my God. This is what they look like. So, thanks to RichSticks for being our man on the ground.

Brad Dowdy: We had another one, too. Our friend Mark Dwight at Rickshaw Bag Works. He sent me this long email with all these pictures. He went to the Tiffany store in San Francisco. And he said, I want, he asked them to see the pen. And he opened it up and looked at it. And he said, you know, he was laughing just like we were. And he went home and ordered a Sherpa for it. And I think I'm just going to have to get a Sherpa. They're, like, $30 to $40. They cover up the Sharpie pen. And I just need to get one to say, so I have, like, my Tiffany pen. My Tiffany Sharpie, you know, because I have all these pen. I've never seen these before.

Myke Hurley: So, this is, like, that's a fantastic name, Sherpa. So, this is just a cover for, oh, man, they do some sweet ones. Like, they do the, what's that movie? Is it The Shining with the carpet? Mm-hmm. They have, like, one of those. The carpet pattern. Yeah, sure. Yeah, they have that. That looks nice.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. Yeah. No, they're really cool. They've always been very popular. They don't fit a lot of pens, but they fit some popular, very specific pens. Like, the one that I've linked to in our show notes is the Sharpie-specific one. But they have other ones for, like, Uniball Vision and some other pens that you can easily put in some refills, too. So, yeah.

Myke Hurley: They have some really nice designs. Like, Retro 51-style kind of designs. You know what I mean? Like, they have, like, a bunch of limited editions and stuff.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. Yeah. Retro 51, Acme Pen. Those are the things that they remind me of. Sherpa's right along those lines. Yeah, really cool. And it looks like a real, real, real quality thing. So, I'll probably get one, one of these days. And, yeah. So, I thought that was cool. The Tiffany Sharpie lives on, Myke. And, you know, we'll see who gets one this holiday season in their, under the tree or in their stocking.

Pen Chalet Deals

Myke Hurley: Pretty, pretty, uh, that will definitely stuff a stocking, I think. Talking about quality pens, let's talk about Pen Chalet. They have all of the pens and brands and things that you're looking for this holiday season. If you have somebody in your life who is a pen lover, you are that person. You probably know other people. Pen Chalet is the place to go to put those orders in. They have everything that you're looking for. They do free shipping on orders of over $50 in the US. They also sell internationally. We're very reasonable and fast shipping, I have found. When I've been shipping with Pen Chalet, they get their stuff out of the door. They do everything right. And I get it quicker than I would expect. I've been really impressed with the way that they get these things taken care of for people all over the world. Pen Chalet has low prices on high quality pens. And they offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Pen Chalet. Pen Chalet is a special offer, which is a fancy and secret discount on the Pelican M200 Smoky Quartz pens. Now, we're going to be talking about some Pelican stuff later on, but you cannot go wrong with this design.

Brad Dowdy: No, this is a great design. It's kind of that, I call it like a cognac brown with a gold trim. It was made to match their Smoky Quartz limited edition Edelstein ink of the year. And it's just a really good looking pen. It's a really good price. So I can't say the price, but it's really good. And it's fountain pens, ballpoints. There's also, can I talk about that?

Myke Hurley: Just real quick. That price, because you get the pen and ink, by the way, like it's a combo on the fountain pen. That price, if you don't have a Pelican, you should get it. Like that is a fantastic price. And yeah, I like the size. I have a 205, so it's similar in size. I think this is an excellent deal.

Brad Dowdy: Yep. So the other deals they have, can I talk about the Monteverde deal?

Myke Hurley: Yeah.

Brad Dowdy: So there's a buy two, get one free Monteverde bottled ink. In the past, that may not have struck anyone's fancy, but Monteverde has redone their inks completely and they do some really, really cool stuff. It's kind of a no brainer type of situation. Buy two, get the third bottle free. And these are 30 milliliter bottles and they're not very expensive to begin with. Eight bucks. So it's a good way. Yeah. So it's a good way to play around.

Myke Hurley: $16, you can get three colors of ink. Like that's not, that's nothing to sneeze at.

Brad Dowdy: No, and they're, they're really good inks. Like the reviews on the new Monteverde stuff has been fantastic. So a couple more things that fall in kind of like the stocking stuffers. Maybe you want to sneak something into a non pen lover stocking, just kind of see what they think. Ron's got the Monteverde tool ballpoint pens, you know, the ones with like the ruler and, you know, kind of that neat, neat style that Monteverde does. Those are half off. And the Lamy Tipo, which is a personal favorite of mine. Not everyone likes it because it has a funky clip, but they're like the prices. I don't get it. It's one of those things where I didn't know that could happen. So, and it's a very inexpensive pen, like for under eight bucks, you can get like a really cool rollerball pen from Lamy. And it's, that's a great deal. So thank you, Ron, for these wonderful offers this week.

Myke Hurley: As always, thank you so much to Penn Chalet for the support of this show. All right.

Brad Dowdy: So I want to talk about a new pen, which feels funny to say new about the TWSBI Eco, but they're calling this one, the Eco T and T in this case, meaning triangle and triangle, meaning that they molded the grip, the grip section. So the TWSBI Eco, which we are very big fans of here at the pen addict. I love it. It's probably my favorite entry level fountain pen to recommend to someone if they're willing to buy a bottle of ink as opposed to use a cartridge for like the Pilot Metropolitan or the Lamy Safari.

Myke Hurley: Which can make it a whole different world of introduction. Like if I'm introducing somebody that I'm pretty sure is going to go down this rabbit hole, I say, get this one, find an ink that you like, and then go for it. Right? Like, but it is, you're asking for a bigger investment, not just financially, but just like you have to get over the fear of filling a fountain pen, which is a real thing when you've never done it before.

Brad Dowdy: Abso-freaking-lutely. It took me a while. It took me a long time. I just thought it was going to be a challenge and a mess and... And I was going to get it wrong and ruin the carpet and it's a thing. It's just totally not the case. So this is kind of that pen that gets you over the hump. Yep. So the T, where the Eco had, it didn't have any really much of a grip section. It was essentially round. It had like maybe a little ridge at the bottom of the section. This one has a triangle shape in the grip section. If you look at it just visually, it's hard to see because it's all clear, but you can kind of see the angles there. It's subtle. It's not a very...

Myke Hurley: They really could have done a better job of photographing this for their website, I think.

Brad Dowdy: Well, yeah. Well, you can't see it. They did a mock-up where they turned the section gray and you could actually see the changes. And even then, when you could see that, and I looked for that picture, I couldn't find it again to put it in the show notes. Even then, there was very little difference. It's just a subtle, subtle little bump right in between where your fingers traditionally go. For me, who has a very traditional grip, it's wonderful. But I'm also someone who can use the Lamy Safari because that's how my grip works, right? It's nowhere near as severe of a molded grip section as the Safari. It's noticeable, but it's also barely there. It really just kind of molds into your hand. You don't even see it unless you have kind of like a crossover grip where your index finger or a middle finger would be coming across the top of the pen. Then you might feel it. Along those lines, they change the cap design to kind of go along with the theme a little bit. It's kind of a rounded triangle shape, rounded edge triangle shape. Yeah, I can see that. As opposed to just, you know, the standard round barrel on the Eco. But it's hardly noticeable from a standard Eco. You can feel it a little bit in the section. So, their copy on the product page, it says, the Eco T has a slightly more pronounced grip section to help with learning correct writing posture for kids, new enthusiasts, and anyone who likes a bit more structure to the grip area. Cap and end cap also has a rotary triangular shape design.

Brad Dowdy: I love it. I don't have one, right? This is one of my favorite pens.

Myke Hurley: I know how good the Eco is. This makes it better for a lot of people for the use that they created the pen for. It's entry level, right? Like, this is perfect. This is, you know, this could quickly become a pen that you give to kids in school, right? This could quickly, you know, like that is what these grip designs are for. Like, you know, you get those little rubber doodads, right? That go around the grip and help you grip. Like, that's what this is. And creating a pen that is made to do that, built right in, like, that's fantastic. It's a great idea. It's a really, really good fit for this product.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. So, as much, you know, as I have recency bias for new products. Naturally. Naturally. This is way better than every other one that they've put out. And I loved it when they launched the white one. I raved about the lime green one when they came out. This one's the best for me because of the colors. I like the blue and the red. You know, that's my color scheme anyway, right? With my 3D looking pens and other things like that. So, I just adore this pen. I think it's going to do really, really well because it's not as extreme as the Safari. And that's a compliment in the grip section. It's almost to the point of unnecessary, right? They could have just made a singular pen. It's like, why does the eco have to be split up into two? Like, this should have just been the eco. But, I mean, I don't know what goes into those decisions. But, yeah. It's fantastic. Absolutely fantastic.

Myke Hurley: Yeah. I don't have one. I will be on the lookout for one. Right? Like, this would probably be something that I would pick up at a show. So, I have it because it looks great. I love the colors, right? Like you. I really love the colors. And I would not mind having another one of these. I'm a big fan. And this looks like a really nice addition.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. So, I went to go grab one of the original ecos so I could take some comparison pictures. And I think I've given them all away. Like, it's such a cool pen. Like, I give them. Like, I think I've sent, like, the new ones. I've sent them to, like, everyone who writes for the pen addict probably has an eco from me. And I know I've given one or two other ones away. So, I couldn't find a standard eco this morning to take some comparison shots. But it's really, like, the biggest difference you'll see in the picture is the shape of the cap, the end of the cap. That's the only thing to compare photography-wise because it's really hard to get those clear sections, as you said, in their photography. It's hard to show the shaping of the molding of the section. So, it's, yeah. I'm on hype train on that pen. It's going to do really, really well. And, you know, I love the color. Hopefully, there's orange and purple in our future. That's my only hope now.

Pelican M805

Brad Dowdy: So, all right. We're going to keep the talk about beauty. But we're going to step it up a notch or 20 right here, Myke. The Pelican M805 Ocean Swirl we've talked about more than once, I believe. But now that they have shown up, it's even better than I thought it was going to look because it looks different than what I think the early marketing showed it to be. I think it's way more detailed in the swirl pattern. And it's absolutely stunning. I, like, I'm, we're going to talk about this later. Like, I'm trying to not spend that kind of money on pens. It's hard to avoid this one. It's so good looking. And I've got a lot of friends that are sending me pictures like, hey, look at this. Look what I got. I'm like, wow, that looks so good. So, what do you think about these pictures now that they're actually out there in the wild?

Myke Hurley: Do you have any good examples of some photos, like, to try and show people? I mean, I was looking, I was going for my Instagram stories today. Yeah, let's see if I can find out. And I think it was Aziza. She was showing hers off. And it's like a 50-50 pen. It's like in four quarters. And each of, like, two of the quarters that, like, they're opposite each other, show the blue swirl. And the other two are just pure black, just like plain black. So, like, as you're turning it around, the pen is changing color. And I was like, oh, boy. It looked really good. Like, it isn't, at least in some instances, it isn't just the solid swirly blue color the whole way around.

Myke Hurley: Yeah, it was really, really, really nice. I liked it a lot, a lot.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah, so, Dan Smith at the Nibsmith, he has, his page is good because he has the stock pelican picture. And I think the reality picture looks completely different. So, he has kind of all three on his screen. And what I thought it was going to look like from Pelican's marketing, I don't think it looks anything like it at all. And it might look better. It's much more detailed, much more going on than I could see in their marketing. So, yeah, it's kind of a crazy pen. I want to see one in person to make that judgment on myself. And I'm not going to buy one because I don't want to spend that kind of money. But, man, Pelican continues to impress in my book.

Myke Hurley: Oh, yeah, these pictures on the Nibsmith are very different.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah, so, you can see the marketing picture below, right? It looks like a subtle swirl pattern. And for lack of a better term, the reality picture is a more aggressive swirl pattern. I don't know what the type of description is, the proper words are for that. But it looks completely different than any marketing materials I thought. And all the pictures I'm seeing look like Dan's pictures of what the real pen looks like. It looks awesome. I love it.

Myke Hurley: Yeah, okay, I found on Aziz's Instagram, I found a video of her turning her pen. And you can see the difference in it. And it's very interesting to see. She does a good job of like, she puts the cap on in a weird way. So, it breaks up the color. Oh, cool. You can see the color change. But it seems like it's kind of inconsistent as to what you're going to get. I mean, I would want mine to look like this, where there is like a clear color difference. But yeah, this is an interesting looking pen. But it is one of those types of pens that if I was ever going to buy it, which I probably won't. But if I was ever going to buy it, I would want to see it in person. So, I could like make sure that it looked the way I wanted it to look. Because it seems like there is interesting inconsistencies of it.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah, it looks like there's going to be some variance. It's like I hadn't seen that picture from Aziza. And it looks very different from some of the pictures, other pictures I've seen, which all look different from the original marketing pictures. I don't think the original marketing pictures are even valid compared to what it looks like in reality.

Myke Hurley: It doesn't look anywhere, in my opinion, anywhere near as good. Like the marketing pictures do not look as good.

Brad Dowdy: Very interesting. Very interesting. And I thought the marketing pictures at the time looked amazing. I was like, I'm going to be interested in this pen. And it looks even better, honestly.

Myke Hurley: Oh, man. Did you see Oscar's pictures? Oh, no. Oh, yeah. So, like, this thing is all over the place.

Pen Swirl

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. But, I mean, the depth and the, I don't know, compactness of the material and the swirl is completely different from the marketing picture. But it's better in my book.

Myke Hurley: I love this pen. Oscar's pictures, again, in the show notes, show very different looks on the details of this pen. And he has, looks like solid color the whole way around. This is a wild pen. This is really weird. I'd like to know more about it. Like, why does it look the way it looks?

Brad Dowdy: So, yeah. I'll want to be checking these out. You know, hopefully, Pelicans, even though they're limited, they don't, they must make a ton of them. They don't sell out very quickly in general. And even if they do, there's enough of them to where you can find a friend with one or see one at a show. Yeah. From someone. So, this is one I want to take a look at. It's not on the shopping list. Yet.

Brad Dowdy: Yet. So, we'll talk about shopping lists and pen shows and all that stuff later. But we have some pretty deep follow-up on our friend Tony Scullin-Breen's question. So, I gave him grief when we talked about his question, the way he presented it to me, considering, you know, I think, you know, Tony and I are friends. And he just wrote this very super generic email. And I was joking on the show. I was like, hey, you know, maybe he should have started like, hey, how's the family? So, he wrote me. He did. He did correct that. He said, hey, I didn't want to jump the line on the Ask TPA. So, how's the family? That was it. So, it was very good. So, Tony's a great dude. So, his issue he was having is he's a lawyer who's on the go a lot and is constantly taking depositions or notes, you know, from prisons or in courtrooms and just constant note-taking, you know, 30 pages a day is the norm. And he wanted to be able to get that. And he likes handwriting. So, he wants, and he's fine handwriting. He can handwrite all the notes he needs fast enough, but he needs those to be digitized in a quicker fashion than, say, scanning or any other type of process-type driven, you know, workflow. I got several emails and pretty much all of them said Livescribe. That's the way to go. It works flawlessly.

Brad Dowdy: Technically, it's great. You know, here are the issues and all the issues are the same. So, all the pros and all the cons were the same from all these emails. I'll just give you, I'll read one of the shorter ones. It says, I used the Livescribe system extensively throughout my PhD. This was a few years ago now, so I'm sure it's only gotten better. But even then, it was almost magical how well it worked. The other great feature is that it can simultaneously record audio while you're writing. You can then go back later, tap the pen on a word, and hear exactly what was being spoken when you wrote that word. I'm not sure if audio recording would be allowed in a trial, but it's a great feature for those that can use it. All the emails were the same. You know, they were, it works great. It works great. It works great. The downside is you're locked into their system. So, you have to use their pen.

Myke Hurley: Okay.

Brad Dowdy: The refills, I think are D1. So, you can swap that out. Oh, okay. That's good. I think. I need to double check that. I started to look at that, and then I got distracted this morning. I started going through all the Livescribe products. The biggest kicker in my book, and maybe for Tony, is the paper. I think that's my biggest problem. Like, I could spend the money on the pen, but to have to keep using the paper, it's very expensive. Like, 25 bucks a crack. For someone like Tony, who's using 30 pages a day, I think that's kind of a, I think that might be a kicker. That's very expensive.

Myke Hurley: Too much. So, it has to be paper and pen?

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. Because of the background of the page and the way the camera is reading things, that's how the system is made to work. So, I have a pen from Wacom, Wacom, that you can use any paper, and it digitizes into their app. So, I'll have to play around with that more and see if that's a better option. You still have to use the pen in their refill, but you can use your own paper. Livescribe, I believe you have to use their paper, and it's, you can get 200 pages for 25 bucks. I mean, for a normal person, I mean, it's expensive, but okay. For Tony, it's probably very expensive for, you know, what he would have to go to. Like, they have A4 grid notebooks. You know, 160 pages, 25 bucks. Okay, so the chat room's saying you can print your own livescribe paper. Maybe that's an option. Since you can, since you're using a ballpoint or a gel pen anyway, depending on the refill, the copier paper would be fine. If you can print with whatever format Livescribe uses, maybe that's something Tony could look into.

Myke Hurley: Right. Because I assume that what they're doing is, like, there's some sort of codes or lines or whatever it is. Yeah. Right? Okay.

Brad Dowdy: Mm-hmm. But according to my inbox, the Livescribe reviews were glowing. Actually, it had me tempted. Like, I wouldn't do it because I don't, it would be worthless in my hands. But the amount of positive recommendations for the Livescribe, and I even told Tony that, yeah, we're going to talk about it, but you should go ahead and start researching Livescribes because that's every answer I've gotten. The only differing answer I got was, what about the Microsoft Surface? And I don't know what Tony's digital setup's like, but let me read this email. It says, I heard Tony's questions on this week's episode about digital writing where he mentioned he didn't like the Apple Pencil. Full disclosure, I do work at Microsoft, but I'm recommending this on my own initiative in the hopes it'll help him out. The issue I've had, and presumably Tony has, with the Apple Pencil, it is that it's very frictionless and has almost no give, which I find makes for a strange writing sensation. The Surface Pen instead has a little bit of friction and some give in the nib, which gives it a different feel when writing. I don't think either is objectively superior, and it's a question of personal preference, but to anyone who doesn't like the sensation of the Apple Pencil, I would encourage them to try a Surface and see if they like it better. So I emailed Alex back, who wrote this email, and they said that I asked them about the Moleskine integration to the Windows 10 platform. And Alex said that they hadn't been able to try that out yet, but OneNote seems to handle everything that Alex needed from, you know, writing, from a writing perspective, digitizing it, and having it in one place to go search that OneNote is something to look at. So I thought that was a good option as well. And, you know, I haven't seen anyone really mention the Surface, or if they have an experience just from a pure writing perspective. And I don't know what Tony's digital setup is like, so I don't know if that's what would work for him or not. But I think that's another pretty good option to look at. Have you ever gotten to try the Surface Pen? Never. On a Surface? No. Yeah. I just haven't had that opportunity. So I need to try that one day and see what it's like, because I think it could be interesting.

Brad Dowdy: All right. So yeah, LiveScribe, like I told Tony, I said, start researching them, because I'm not getting many other answers other than LiveScribe. And yes, it actually works, is all the feedback that I've gotten. So very cool.

Brad Dowdy: All right, Myke, tell me something that I'm going to put on my Christmas list when we're done with the show.

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Brad Dowdy: So I keep getting asked, what do you want for Christmas? What do you want for Christmas? And my stock answer is, I don't know. You know, if I need something throughout the year, I usually buy it. And outside of stationery, my needs are pretty slim. I've been shopping for the Away suitcase. And now that they have gift cards, that might be like a thing. I can say, hey, get me, end up with a group of gift cards for Away, then go pick out the bag I want. So I think we might have a winner, Myke. I think we might have a winner. All right. I got a strange email just yesterday in the old penaddict inbox. You can get me hello at penaddict.com for all your penaddict questions like this one from Sarah in Italy. I'm writing to you because I am commissioned to do a research on a product design. And I chose the ballpoint pen Jellyfish by Jerem Koo. So for this reason, I'm trying to get as much information as possible. And I would like to ask if you know anything about this pen, any website or books or particular characteristics about it, the company that joined the designer during the production of the pen, if it's available on the market, etc. I hope that it's possible for you to answer any of these questions. I had never heard of this pen. I actually thought, is this kind of like a scam email at first? Like, is someone trying to sell me some weird pen? And it's not. It's a project by Jerem Koo. The pen's name is Jellyfish. And she sent a link to the Behance project page. And this pen won a Red Dot Award in 2015, which is a design award. But it was a concept award. So it's not a product award. Like a lot of the stationary products I get from Japan are Red Dot Award winners in various design categories.

Brad Dowdy: This one is a concept pen. Like a concept car, if you will. Right? It's wildly cool. Like the description, the one sentence description is, a ballpoint pen whose ink tube works as an operating system. I mean, that's a little much. But the design of the pen takes a standard, long, skinny ballpoint refill and weaves it through this tube. And it has, I guess, the look of a jellyfish. It's clear. You can see the innards. I'm completely taken with this pen, Myke. Like, I don't think it ever made it to production. It was a concept project.

Brad Dowdy: And I haven't been able to find anything outside of it, outside of this project. It was back in 2015. So it's been a while. If anyone knows anything about this pen, if it ever came to fruition, I googled and searched everywhere. I couldn't find anything on it. If this exists somewhere, I'd like to know because I want one. It looks really interesting. So when you look at the product page, you see this curve out of the pen. That's its actual, excuse me, the curve out of the refill. That's the actual retractable mechanism. Like, I think it might drive me insane the way it works, but it's very cool at the same time. So you actually have to press the curvature of the refill to extend the tip of the pen. So it's pretty wild. It's a very simple yet unique and complex project. I'm going to keep looking for this. If anyone has any ideas on this pen. I actually just found the red dot link to the pen. So let me see if they have anything. No, they don't really have anything other than it won this concept award, which is pretty cool. So Sarah, I'm sorry I don't have any answers for you, but you opened my eyes to a really, really cool product. And if somehow this came to life somewhere, we'll see if we can find it and I will let you know. So what do you think about this pen, Myke? How many do you need?

Myke Hurley: I think I can see why this didn't become a product. Because it would be incredibly uncomfortable to use. Because you would have to be applying constant pressure to that one specific area of the pen to stop it from retracting. Right?

Brad Dowdy: And what do we all do when we write?

Myke Hurley: Move our hands around all the time. We twist the pen. I mean, I think that's why this isn't a real product. It's a very beautiful idea. It is one of those, like, you know, you can see why it won design awards. Because it is boiling the essence down of what a pen requires to function to its purest form. Right? Like, it still retracts. But there is nothing except the pressure of a human to the pen. Like, that's all it is. So you can see why. But, like, it would hurt. Because you would be pushing down. And also, like, jamming your fingers into the hole. Right? So you'd be like, every time you use this pen, you'd have, like, ridges in your finger. Right? So you can see why it didn't get made. But it is a very beautiful concept.

Brad Dowdy: That's why people like concept cars so much, right? Yeah. It's like they're impractical. It's super impractical. But, you know, maybe we can take one thing away from this. Yep. There's something to learn. That might be something down the line. But I just thought this was really cool. You know, I love seeing things that I've never seen before like this. And, you know, unfortunately, I don't think we'll ever be able to find this in production. But, hey, if for some reason we do, let me know. It'd be cool. So I'm going to get you into pencils, Myke. And the one I'm going to do it with, I think, is the new Blackwing 16.2. It's the latest volumes release. It's the Ada Lovelace edition who was, I guess the best way to put it is it was a visionary. Like, she was a mathematician. She understood things and concepts that people in the 1800s could not grasp. She was so far ahead of everyone. And she's actually kind of considered the quote they tied to her when describing what her life's work was or what she kind of is known as is the prophet of the computer age. Like, even in the 1800s, like she had this mathematical bent. That allowed her to do work that no one else could do. So Blackwing made this edition called 16.2.

Blackwing Pencil

Brad Dowdy: And it's awesome. It's awesome. Like, this is the best edition they've done in well over a year. I've liked most of their recent editions. This one is off the charts to me. From a design, a style, a story. I've already gone ahead and ordered extra ones because I want to give them to my kids. So I can tell them the story of Ada Lovelace. And maybe we can research her and learn about her some more. Because she seems super interesting. Like, I knew the name, you know, just from, you know, things I've read or in passing. But I didn't know the story. And the story behind her looks fantastic. And what Blackwing did with this pencil is from a design perspective. I love everything about it. It's just a stock white barrel with a matte finish and silver printing. I love the ferrule is black matte. That looks really cool. And then a white eraser. Like, it's a simple, simple pencil. But beautiful. It tells a great story. It actually has on the backside of the pen pencil, which you can't really see unless you put it in the right light, a stamping of the binary pattern of Ada's initials. So it's just really detailed in a very subtle way that you'd look at and go, oh, it's a black and white pencil. But I just think this is everything that I want in a Blackwing's volumes edition. Right? Technically, story-wise, you know, usability. I think this one is just about perfect as far as I'm concerned. If I could get you some of these pencils, would you sharpen one and use it?

Myke Hurley: Yeah, of course I would because it's wonderful. It really is wonderful. I think it is beautiful and interesting, especially the printing that they've done on it. Yeah, I really, really like this design a lot. I think this is a really, really excellent job from them. It looks beautiful. It's thoughtful and well-made.

Myke Hurley: Looking at this, I mean, they've had pretty good success so far with these. But Blackwing, they turned it up a notch with this one. And I wonder if this is their new direction. Because this is interesting and complex in many different ways. And I'm wondering if that is like, not necessarily a one-off, but like, is this what they're going for now? Or did they just really have some excellent ideas and things they wanted to do with this one? We'll see. But this is them going, turning it up. They're in a new gear now.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. I mean, 10 out of 10. I don't know what else to say about this pencil. It's that good. And this one has separated itself like the 211 did, which was just in looks alone, basically. I mean, it was definitely, you know, nature-related and John Muir and, you know, that whole thing. But this one's different in the story and the feel and the execution, I believe. This is something else. I am very impressed with this pencil. So, on top of that, they, they being Blackwing, they offered volume subscribers. Speaking of the 211, they did a commemorative Cal Cedar Centennial pencil. So, I want your thoughts on this, Myke. It's at the bottom of the 16.2 page that I put in the show notes. You have to scroll all the way down. So, this is kind of an answer. I know Johnny and Tim and Andy at Erasable have been pining for a repeat of the 211, which was the wood barrel. Just like kind of the unfinished barrel, cedar barrel of the pencil and do some different things with it. Like this one has green stamping, gold ferrule, green eraser. Looks awesome. And, I mean, I ordered, I ordered my two boxes of them because I'm a subscriber. How do you feel about this pencil being available to subscribers only? Like, do you think that is a thing?

Myke Hurley: I think that's a good idea. Like, for a couple of different reasons. Like, a commemorative thing really is wanted by the most devout fans. Mm-hmm. And those people will probably tend to be subscribers.

Brad Dowdy: Mm-hmm.

Myke Hurley: Right? Like, that makes sense. I don't have a problem with that. Like, if something's going to be in limited supply, offer it first to these customers in the same way that you might offer something first to a mailing list or something like that. Mm-hmm. I have no problem. Right. Personally, I have no problem with it.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah, I don't either. And, you know, it's a benefit. As a subscriber, as someone who puts money up front to support a thing, you gain extra benefits. Mm-hmm. That's why you do. That's why you choose to subscribe or you choose not to subscribe. So, I don't really have an issue with that. And I think the 16.2 is better looking than this one. I just, it's a really good looking pencil. I like the original 211 better. I like these. I'll use these. But I'm, I don't know. I'm just so excited about the 16.2. I just, I can't contain myself. It's a really, really good pencil. So, I just wanted to throw in that Centennial conversation in there. Because it's a good looking pencil. It's something the community has been asking for. Especially in the Erasable group. Like, that's something they've really wanted as an additional stock item for Blackwing. This still isn't a stock item. It's still a special run. But maybe it's going to be the annual subscriber edition. It's going to come in this style and in different colors. Things like that. So, it's very cool. I like it.

Myke Hurley: Mm-hmm.

Brad Dowdy: So, this pencil launch, the 16.2 and the Centennial, and my purchasing of extra pencils that I don't need necessarily, but I have plans for, got me into thinking about my pen purchasing. And, I haven't really bought any pens, like, to speak of since the San Francisco Pen Show. I think the only one was maybe the Thomas Hall Franklin Kristoff. I could be missing something.

Brad Dowdy: And, like, the Pelican Ocean Swirl in the past, I might have just, like, jumped and bought. Right? Like, I'm really, I have this feeling that I'm going to be reining in my purchases next year from big ticket pens. Like, I kind of, I'm really good on what I have. And, you know, I need to use that or sell them and get, you know, sell five pens and buy one pen kind of thing. Something like that. So, I sent this out on Twitter last night. I said, for someone who's on a self-imposed pen buying moratorium, I sure did buy a lot of pencils today. And, I guess my point in that is saying that I still love the $2 pencil or the $3 pen or the inexpensive notebook almost more than I necessarily love or have to have, like, the $500 or $600 singular pen. And, one of the responses I got was from Jim on Twitter. He said, 2017 is my year-long pen buying moratorium. I bought a lot of ink and notebooks and actually used my existing fountain pens more than ever before. Now, I couldn't do that. Right? I will buy pens next year. I am in the business of reviewing pens, so I will get a lot of pens next year. So, even if I said I wasn't going to buy them, I will certainly have a lot of new pens next year. So, I could never pull something off like this. I wonder if anyone else is thinking along the same lines as Jim to committing to not purchasing any new pens and using more of what they have. And, we always talk about the concept of thinning the herd, and I think that's always a good practice. And, I haven't been living up to that practice in the past year or two. I've been more acquiring instead of refining. And, while I won't go as far as Jim, I think 2018 might be the year of refinement for me. What do you think about these thoughts?

Myke Hurley: I'm not going to stop. I have no plans for that. But, I think I could do a better job of selling some stuff. And, I might start doing that more. Especially because Adina really seems to enjoy eBay. So, we might do some of that. I might do some private sales or some stuff that I have.

Myke Hurley: I'll see. I don't know what I have that I would be willing to sell that people would want to buy. You know? Like, I don't really know if I have a good sense on what that might be. But, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea. Just as I'm like, some of my storage is like, it's not getting full. But, like, things are starting to overlap. Which is suggesting to me that I have too much in there. And, especially when I look into my storage and there's like, I'm looking at it and I'm like, I'm never going to use these pens ever again. Right? Sure. Like, I just know it. Like, there's just stuff in there that I'm not interested in using. So, I think it might be time to start thinning things out that way. Because, I have no intention of, like, specifically slowing down my purchases. I don't have an intention for that. You know? Like, ideally, I would like to make some large ticket item purchases in 2018. Like, some stuff that I've been holding off on. So, I don't have any intention to curb it. But, maybe I could do some stuff to bring some funds in for stuff that should just sit in a garrick and dust.

Future Planning

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. I think this is a topic we'll approach more next year. It's something I want to look at and focus on and, you know, get enjoyment from and refining the whole process. You know, it's been a very, very good learning process throughout all these years. And, sometimes, part of that process is, you know, figuring out what you like and what you don't like. And, keeping the ones you do and don't like it. You know, it's nothing new. Nothing novel. But, it's always interesting when someone, you know, like Jim mentions, you know, how he did it last year. It's like, I just didn't do it. I used, I cut myself off from pens and buying new ones and used all the ones that I have. I bought ink and paper to scratch that itch. But, I held off on the pens. And, I think that's admirable. And, you know. Yeah, I think it depends. Says the guy who just bought four boxes of pencils last night, right? Yeah, exactly.

Myke Hurley: I just think that this depends on what your tastes are. Like, for me, if I couldn't buy, if I was saying to myself, oh, I'm not going to buy any new pens, then I wouldn't have any joy from it. Because, I don't get the same level of joy from paper and ink. Like, it's the pens that I like the most, right? And, I mean, there are many, you know, there are many, like, subsets of this hobby. But, like, for me, it is the new pen. That's kind of, I like the acquisition of the new pen. That's my, that's my bent, right? Like, that's what I am interested in the most. So, if I stop doing that, then I take away my joy from this hobby.

Brad Dowdy: Right. And the place I am and the place I've really always been is I'm as excited about this TWSBI Eco-T almost more so than the Pelican Ocean Swirl.

Myke Hurley: Yeah, it doesn't need to be a $300 pen every single time. But, something, I was super excited about the R2-D2 cross pen. It's still sitting on my desk. I love it. Like, it's a great little pen that I love the design of and I'm really happy about. Like, it doesn't have to be my custom Sean Newton pen, right? It can be anything, right? And, again, it's like this Pro Gear, I mean, okay, it's $200, but it's not $900. And I'm just, like, dying about how much I love this thing. So, yeah, there are differences in there. It's not necessarily the most expensive is the best. But, at the same time, I'm not interested in, like, making a conscious effort to cut that down right now. That's just not where I am right now.

Brad Dowdy: Yep, exactly. All right. So, we have a bunch of STPA. I'm actually going to follow up on this conversation later in the Ask TPA. But let's talk about another one of our good friends before we get into it.

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Brad Dowdy: All right, so we have quite the varied amount of Ask TPA. And this first one, I'm going to need some help on from the chat room and from listeners, because it's a really good question and something that people think about a lot, and it's from the Rostra. I've developed an affinity for pens with longer sections. For example, the Franklin Kristoff 31 and Peyton's Ranga Zeante. Can you recommend Japanese pens with long sections? Are there any references that list fountain pens by section length? There's got to be. I'm thinking there is for section length, but in general, the fountain pens from Japan that I use, Pilot, Sailor, Platinum, all kind of have normal length sections. They're not short. They're not long. They don't really tend to get in the way. Some have less of a step at the cap and threading than others. My Aboya pen has a decently long section, so that may be one to look at. But, you know, I don't know exactly what the answer is. You know, the chat room says the Pilot E95, but that's a small pen. I have a feeling based on the love of the Franklin Kristoff 31 and the Ranga, you're looking for a larger pen. So the E95 may be too short. So this is a tough question. I don't have a great answer. I'll have to check if my Aboya is longer than any of my other Japanese pens. But there's not one standout for me. So I will follow up on this one with you from the Rastra.

Brad Dowdy: All right. Bijou wants to know, any plans to introduce new seed colors in the nearest future, or are you just focusing on getting all the sizes out right now? It's definitely all the sizes out right now. The A5 is next, but by next, I mean probably January at this point, which as you can tell, I'm frustrated with. But that's just how the manufacturing cycle goes. They will be in the same colors that are available now. And then the traveler's notebooks will be after that in the same colors, the steel color and the lilac color. The way we manufacture, we have to buy such large quantities of fabric that we have to commit to a very large color run. So it's not easy for us to switch up as quickly on color since we operate that way. So that's just kind of how we have to do it to sustain like a decent amount of inventory. So there will be new colors eventually, but it might be this time next year kind of thing, right? So we have this whole colorway and all these sizes to go through, and then we'll see what colors are next after that. But we do have the next new color of Sinclair and Brasstown will be the next thing you see before even the seed A5 shows up. So that'll be Mandarin and Steel Gray. So that will be very cool.

Myke Hurley: Good. How is all that going?

Brad Dowdy: I mean, it's going fine. It's just slow, as always. You know, it's one color at a time. You know, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of cases. Next color. You know, it just takes time. It's frustrating. Like, it's a twice a week call and conversation to figure out where we're at and what we're doing. So, you know, we're at the point now where it is what it is. And we're going to try a couple – we have some ideas to do things a little bit differently in 2018. It's too early for me to say exactly what that is yet. But it's kind of you'll know it when you see it. We just want to do more and do more faster, and we're trying to figure out ways to do that because that would be – I mean, that's what we want to do. That's what's fun. That's what our customers want. But at the same time, we also have, you know, certain minimums and quantities we need to do to keep the pricing right and, you know, be successful with retailers and things like that. So, it's this whole balancing act, and it's just – it's never fast enough for me, right? But it's kind of – we're to the point where we understand that now. So, we're going to try to work and work our best with that situation. So, it's all good stuff. It's just crazy. It's just always something. Yep. What do you mean – what do you mean the factory has a day off? Not acceptable.

Brad Dowdy: You know, it's unrealistic things like that. I'm just being funny. You know, it's – you know. So, yeah. But, yeah, it's just manufacturing, man. It's hard. It is hard. All right. J.L. Moth. Or, Mothy. More important than cake versus pie, what do you drink with it? Coffee or milk? So, we're both team cake, Myke. You get a slice of cake. What are you drinking with it?

Myke Hurley: Probably milk. I think I'll be more inclined for milk than coffee. It depends. See, it all depends on the time of day, right? And, like, where I am. Like, for example, you know, when I told you last week I had that piece of pumpkin pie? I had it after dinner, so I had it with a glass of milk. Yeah. But coffee is always good. Like, it depends on the time I'm eating the cake. But if I'm having the coffee, the coffee's going to have milk in it. So, there's always milk involved.

Brad Dowdy: Hmm. So, I would be cake and milk as well. Even though I'm an avid coffee drinker, any time of day, any temperature outside, I want milk with cake. It just seems like the right way to go.

Myke Hurley: Hmm.

Pen Preferences

Brad Dowdy: All right. As great as that question was, this was my favorite question from last week. No offense to any other questioners. I just love this question. It's very simple. And it's another one. I'm really good at not answering these Ask TPAs, Myke. So, they're going to stop asking me before too long. This is from Diana Morganti. I want the color and patina of a copper pen without the smell. Am I dreaming?

Myke Hurley: It seems like a Holy Grail type situation here.

Brad Dowdy: I think she's dreaming, you know, because I want the same thing too, and I've never been able to find it. The closest I've come is the Kaweco Lilliput.

Brad Dowdy: The copper is less smelly, if you will. And the more I use it, the less I notice it.

Brad Dowdy: But it's still there. You know, you can't avoid it. You can do a little better with brass, even though you don't get the amazing copper patina. You do get less of the smell, but it's still there. My Y-Studio brass, brassing fountain pen, and my Kaweco Lilliput fire blue, although I guess that's stainless, are my favorite metal pens with patina that don't smell as much, but neither one of them are copper. Copper is, I think, the smelliest. And I've never owned a copper pen that didn't. And it stinks. Well, unintended pun right there. I was going to say, it stinks because I want to use that beautiful copper pen, right? But they're generally way heavy, and they're smelly. So, I don't have an answer for you, other than to answer your question, are you dreaming? And I think you might be. But we'll keep on the lookout. We'll see if we can find out. But I don't think it's going to be out there. But I think you have maybe some other options in brass that can give you a real nice weathered look that limits the smell some. So, we'll give that a shot.

Brad Dowdy: All right, Will, we're going to circle back to some of the Pelican talk from earlier. In the back of my mind lately, I've been debating a Pelican 400 versus 600 versus 800 for my first Pelican. Any thoughts on that?

Brad Dowdy: That's a tough question. Mine was the 400. I think the 600 is the right answer. And I think the 800 is amazing. So, how's that for a non-answer? I think the 600 is the sweet spot for everything good about a Pelican. You can get in the 600 the size, the nib, and everything. I think the 800 is a very special pen. It's larger, obviously, but the weight and feel and writing experience with an 800 is very different. But I think the 600 is the best all-around size. I would skip the 400 just because if you're considering a 6 or 8, I don't think 400 is even a choice.

Brad Dowdy: I would go with the 600. I think it's the best all-around size. It's the one I use the most. I think I only have one 800 now. And I like the size of the 600 better. I think I have two or three 600s. And even though I use my 800, I think the 600 is the sweet spot for me. But the 800 is very, very nice. It's definitely a superior pen. But I think the 600 is the best of everything. And you're not giving anything away by not going to the 800. I think the 600 is amazing. So that's my personal thoughts. That's a very personal thing, I think, with Pelicans. So ask that question around, and you'll probably get a few different answers. But I think the 600 is the answer.

Brad Dowdy: All right, last one from Michael.

Brad Dowdy: What pen shows will you be bringing NOC to in 2018? It's a very good question. So I will be in LA, but I'm working for Venice Pen, so I'm not bringing the NOC Empire out west for that show. Atlanta's a definite.

Brad Dowdy: After that, I don't know. Even Chicago, Michael, I don't know. Because there's something else going on in my life that weekend. I may not be able to make it. I want to do Baltimore. I want to do St. Louis. I want to do D.C. and San Francisco. I don't know what I'm going to get to do just based on the life calendar. So I'm still working on that. You can count on Atlanta. And that's all I can guarantee you so far. But there'll be more news on that as we get into the early part of the year. And we'll figure it out from there. What about you, Michael? What pen shows are you bringing NOC to in 2018?

Myke Hurley: Atlanta. Yeah, that's about it. That's the only one I know I'm selling at. We're hoping to visit one other show. We have some plans. But I don't think we're planning to sell at that show. Because of what we're hoping to do in the whole trip. So I may only be behind that table once this year.

Brad Dowdy: Well, next year. I know. I know. So I've sat down twice trying to plan my calendar. And I get a little bit sad every time. And I wanted to bring this back. And we'll end it on this. To the topic of buying pens in 2018. You don't have to go to a pen show and spend any money. You should go to a pen show to hang out with the people and see things. So don't think you have to go to a pen show. Because I would highly recommend you go to as many pen shows as you can next year as humanly possible. And you don't have to come away with anything but the memories of meeting new people. Hanging out with friends. And sharing stories. So I wanted to leave it with that.

Brad Dowdy: That's what we need to spend our money and time on. Getting to the show and hanging out with people. That's it.

Myke Hurley: Can't say it better. If you want to ask us questions, hashtag AskTPA. Send those in. We really appreciate it. Please let us know if we can help with anything stationary related. And I guess Pi related. It's a new vertical for AskTPA. If you want to get in touch with Brad, he's at Dowdyism on Twitter. D-O-W-D-Y-I-S-M. He is Pen Addict on Instagram. I am at iMike. I-M-Y-K-E. You can find Brad's stuff over at PenAddict.com and Noc.co. You can find the show notes for this week's episode at Relay.fm. Slash Pen Addict Slash 286. Thank you so much to our sponsors this week. Pen Chalet, Blue Apron and Away. But most of all, thank you for listening. Until next week, Brad. Say goodbye, Brad. Goodbye, Brad. Let's take aSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSureSure