The Pen Addict 307/transcript
| The Pen Addict Podcast Transcript | |
|---|---|
| Episode: | 307 |
| Title: | Welcome To Two Months Ago |
| Release Date: | May 9th, 2018 |
| Hosts: | Brad Dowdy |
| Guests: | No guests this episode |
| Additional Information | |
| Official page: | Episode 307 |
| Audio File: | Audio Episode 307 |
| Podcast page: | The Pen Addict 307 |
| Length: | 6666 min <br />1.1 h <br /> minutes |
| Previous Transcript | Next Transcript |
Myke Hurley: From RelayFM, this is The Pen Addict, episode 307. Today's show is brought to you by Harry's Blue Apron and Pen Chalet. My name is Myke Hurley. I'm joined by Brad Dowdy. What's up, Brad?
Brad Dowdy: Hello, Myke Hurley.
Myke Hurley: How's it going?
Brad Dowdy: I'm good, sir. Good to be talking to you again. Two weeks off is a long time, even though we pretty much talk to each other like every day.
Myke Hurley: People don't know that, though, remember? We kept the mystery alive.
Brad Dowdy: I'm the worst at blowing the mysteries, because I like to tell. I'm a tell-all kind of guy, Myke. I know you are. And one day there's going to be a great book about you. Yeah, that's what... In the dollar bin. Remember those dime novels? Yeah. That's what it's going to be. Brad Dowdy tells all. It'll just be... Brad Dowdy tells all. It'll be one of those trashy novels. That'll be good. I'm going to write it, though.
Myke Hurley: I'm going to write the tell-all Brad Dowdy book.
Brad Dowdy: Well, then it might be reasonable. I'll be short.
Myke Hurley: No, not reasonable. I'm going to tell a lot of secrets.
Brad Dowdy: Well, since I spilled that secret, it was because you were traveling. And since I know what you were doing, and I know it wasn't a work trip being a non-stationary trip and a non-techie trip, I want to know, for a pleasure trip slash vacation trip, do you bring any stationery on that type of trip?
Bachelor Party[edit]
Myke Hurley: So I was on my bachelor party in Austin, Texas, because I'm getting married this year. Brad bailed on me. He was invited, but he couldn't make it. I do worry with these things where people will see pictures and they'll be like, where's Brad? I love Brad so much. Brad was invited, but unfortunately, Brad had some family commitments, which meant he couldn't make it, which was very sad. But I'm seeing a lot of Brad this year anyway, so that I'll make up for it. But no, I don't take anything on a trip like this other than what is always in my backpack, which typically is, and it is right now, it's a Field Notes dime novel. And I think I have one, what is the one with the stars called? What is it called? The one that I really love with the foil star. Night sky. Night sky. I was going to call it sky at night, but that's not, that's a pen. That's a different one. Yeah, so I have a different pen. I always have a night sky and a dime novel just in my backpack, right, just so it's ready. I'm using the Peak Design backpack right now.
Brad Dowdy: We should put a link to that in the show notes because inevitably we get a thousand questions on that.
Myke Hurley: The Peak Design, yeah, I will. It's the Peak Design everyday backpack is what I'm using right now. And I really, really, really like this backpack a lot. It's working very well for me at the moment, so I recommend it. I thoroughly recommend it.
Myke Hurley: And I also have with me, I typically have the Colt Pen mechanical pencil in there because that's like a really good all-rounder. And I have a Retro 51. I don't know what one I have in there right now, but it's just a Retro 51. And also a Sharpie.
Brad Dowdy: I mean, that's a pretty good non-stationary, stationary travel kit, honestly. That's a good leave-it-in-the-backpack kit.
Myke Hurley: Exactly. It's like my all-around, right? Like, I know that it's going to be good. Like, I know that what I've got, like, is going to be consistent. Like, I'm happy with that, you know? So that has worked really well for me in the past. And so I just keep it all in there. You know, so I've got, like, the Retro 51 to fill out the customs forms, right? I've got the mechanical pencil to do whatever you might want to do with a mechanical pencil. And I have a Sharpie just in case, right? Like, you never know what. Sharpies are just good things to have. So that's typically what I always have in my bag. And then if I'm going on specific trips, I'll bring more. You know, I bring my fountain pens with me when I'm going somewhere where people want to see them. Otherwise, I'm not going to use them. So there's no point, right? Like, it doesn't make sense for me to bring one of my Pro Gears with me because I'm not going to use it. Like, for example, I don't journal when I'm traveling.
Myke Hurley: And nobody else really cares about seeing it. And honestly, when you're kind of out and about and running around, right, fountain pens are not always the best thing for that. Hence the EDC pen, right? You know, like that whole idea, the EDC pen is like a rough and ready type of deal, right? And that's kind of what I would use the Retro 51 or the mechanical pencil for, right? Just kind of if I need to be out and about. But it's very rare that I will, honestly. Yeah, those types of pens solve different problems, which is why they exist and why we like them. And when you put this in the document, I misread the question to say any stationary bought on a non-stationary trip instead of brought. I was wondering why this was in there. So I figure I may as well come clean to the pen addicts. I bought a watch. Watch.
Brad Dowdy: You've been talking about this. I've mentioned this. Yeah. You've mentioned this on the show in the Nakaya conversations that we've had. And there was a lot of reasoning behind this. So why don't you spill the beans?
Myke Hurley: Yeah, I've been saving for, I think, about a year for this. I've just been putting away a little bit of money wherever I could. And it was kind of like it started in the Nakaya fund and then got kind of shifted over into the watch fund. And I spoke about it. It's a watch called the Metro Date Power Reserve or depending on whether you're reading it in German, which I prefer. It's called the Gang Reserve because this is by a German company called Nomos. They make really amazing watches that I love very much. And I have had my eye on this watch for, I'm not kidding, probably two years. Like I remember the first time I saw this watch, we hadn't moved yet.
Brad Dowdy: Yeah. Right. So we've actually been talking about it for a while, even before like the talking about the Nakaya talk.
Myke Hurley: So this is something I've had my eye on for a while. And it was my friend Marco who was being my kind of Sherpa in this to the point that I had him come with me to the store because there was a place in Austin that sold it. And honestly, like it was about as much as it would have cost me to get it here. But I wanted to buy it there because I could buy it with him. And I have it and I have been wearing it. And Brad, I am in love. I am in absolute love with this watch. It makes me very happy. I love the way it looks. I love the little power reserve that it has. That's that little red dial that kind of fills up as it needs to be wound. So you know that. But I also just love the detail of the little red. And you know what something else I really love? The ticking sound. It's like every now and then. You don't get that anymore, right? No, I don't get that anymore. And every now and then I might be like holding my hand to my face or whatever and I just hear the ticking. And I love it.
Brad Dowdy: Yeah, Apple should add a ticking complication. It wouldn't be the worst idea, honestly.
Myke Hurley: But Doug asked me if I'm going to wear it in the wedding. The reason I bought it now is because I want it for my upcoming wedding. Because I don't want to wear my Apple Watch. I never wanted to wear my Apple Watch.
Brad Dowdy: Yeah, this is the big life purchase, right? This is the I'm getting married and this is the time you do the thing and you've been saving up for it. And you did really, really well.
Myke Hurley: Yeah, I love it. I don't know what my... Just to confirm people, it's a mechanical watch. It needs to be wound, all that stuff. It's got incredible gears on the back. It is a beautiful piece that I've had my eye on for a very long time. And I love it very much. And I don't know what my future is in regards to watch wearing. I'm trying... As I said, I've had this on since I bought it. So it's been like four days. And I haven't worn my Apple Watch during that period of time. And I'm trying to see what kind of effect that has on my life. And I'm changing some things around to see if I decide to just go mechanical watch now all the time. What difference does that make? Because my Apple Watch has been a big part of my kind of system. So now I need to see if there is another system that can work for me. Or maybe the excitement of this will taper off a little bit. And then I will wear it for what I expected to wear it for, which is nice occasions and weekends. That was kind of my original idea of this. But as it stands right now, I don't want to put my Apple Watch on. I just want to put this watch on.
Brad Dowdy: Yeah. And I think it's going to be that way for a long while, to be honest. I think eventually, you know, six or 12 months down the line, you'll start mixing it up a little bit. But like you have the watch now. Like this is like the rest of your life type of watch. Like I've never made that purchase. I've always said I was going to make that purchase and I never have. And like I think that's kind of cool. But I am scared of something.
Myke Hurley: Hmm. I have a Twitter. The Twitter notifications on it. No, I have a somewhat addictive personality, you know. Oh, yeah.
Brad Dowdy: That's no. That's one of the prime reasons why. Yeah. Oh, I know.
Watches[edit]
Myke Hurley: And there are a heck of a lot of parallels between watches and pens.
Myke Hurley: Just a lot more expensive. Yes. And that scares me, Brad.
Myke Hurley: So, yeah. That's all I have to say on that matter. But basically, as soon as I put it on in the store, I understood the trouble I was in.
Brad Dowdy: Yeah. No joke.
Myke Hurley: Mm-hmm.
Brad Dowdy: You're going to have to get Marco on the watch podcast, though. That's not going to be me.
Myke Hurley: Yeah. I mean, that feels like. So, this is similar to me and Stephen a long time ago put some consideration into a Lego podcast because we both love Lego. But quickly kiboshed the idea on the basis of insane cost and space requirements. Right. Right. And this is like a similar deal. Like, I feel like I can only have one show that causes me to spend, like, serious money. And it's this one.
Brad Dowdy: Right.
Retro 51 Pens[edit]
Brad Dowdy: Yeah. It could be a problem. Mm-hmm. You know, that's like me and bags, even though that's a way different price point. It's anything, like, with the addictive type of personalities and the shopping stuff and the new stuff. And, yeah, it can be a problem.
Myke Hurley: So, I was in Austin. And I was actually with Dan and Tom at Studio Neat on the day that their Kickstarter ended. So, that was a lot of fun. And we have an episode of Thoroughly Considered that will be going out this week, which is the show that I do with them. So, you'll be. Recorded live in person? No, no. We recorded it when we were back at home again. Losers. I know. We're the worst. I didn't want to work, you know? I hear you. That's true. Good point. Good point. And they seem to be very excited about this world. The Mark I was their most funded project of all time in dollars.
Myke Hurley: That's actually kind of crazy to me. Yeah. But that makes me feel real good, right? Oh, yeah. Sexy. Told you so, you know? Yeah.
Myke Hurley: So, I'm really excited to see what they do next. We were talking. We were talking. They've got ideas, is what I'll say. They have ideas. They have ideas that I am excited to hear more about. But first off, I'm looking forward to seeing how they put this product into production. It is an awesome thing, and I'm really excited for them. So, that's going to be really good to see.
Brad Dowdy: Yeah. Very cool. I love... That's one of my must-listen-to podcasts. I subscribe to a lot of podcasts. Sometimes I don't listen to every episode. That one, I always listen to every episode because... I'm not surprised. It's a big crossover for me, right? Yeah, it ticks all of your boxes, right? Yep. Yep.
Brad Dowdy: Yep. So, another thing that ticks all of my boxes, Myke, I got the system. I got the Retro 51. I got the hookup from a friend of the show. Sent me a tweet, and he worked with the dude to ship it to me directly so I didn't have to make two stops and extra shipping. So, it's legit, Myke. It's...
Myke Hurley: It lands on the way. It's in the post.
Brad Dowdy: Yeah. It's the one. It's really awesome. It came out great. I love the style. It's very unique for Retro 51, I think, and just the features that they added and the texture on the orbits of all the planets. Those lines are a little bit textured. I missed on the... When he was selling them at first, the little picture of Pluto outside of orbit. Yeah. I sent him a text yesterday that when my son picked it up, he just goes, Ah, Pluto! Ha, ha, ha, ha! He just started dying laughing at it. I had to text Myke that. I thought that was priceless, so I just giggled. And, yeah, it's really great. I'm really happy with this pen. I think everyone who gets one of these is going to be very, very happy with it. It's definitely worth... Like, this was a definite premium, you know, Retro 51. It's, I don't know, maybe the most expensive regular one that I've bought, I guess. I don't know. I don't really keep up. And it's worth it. I've been using it ever since. I'm using it right now. So, yeah, this is not one to squirrel away. You know, get this bad boy out and use it and enjoy the beauty of it. I'm really, really excited about it.
Myke Hurley: I have, like, one standard kind of or limited, you know, like, Retro 51 that lives on the desk always. That one's going to... Currently, it's the Tiki one. Yeah, yeah. That's a great one. But the system is going to take that spot, I think.
Orange Pro Gear Pens[edit]
Brad Dowdy: Yeah. So, my desk one right now is the Playball one, the black and white baseball one, which is just beautiful. This one will... I don't know if it'll replace it, but they'll go side by side. So, those are the two. That'll be the second one. And I have the Ice Pop Pin Addict one, which we're going to talk about in a topic we're going to hit later. My second is... You'll be interested to hear.
Myke Hurley: I have the gift, the wedding gift one. But that's a different thing. That's going to live there forever. So, that's a whole different thing. All right. Should we take a break?
Brad Dowdy: Yeah. Let's talk about getting fancied up for your wedding. What are you going to shave with that day?
Myke Hurley: Harry's is the only way to go, because Harry's is all about a great shave at a fair price, which is why over 3 million people switched to Harry's, and you should join them too. Harry's founders decided to create the company because they were fed up with overpriced razors, and they wanted to fix it. They knew that a great shave comes down to having great blades. It's simple, but not everybody does it. So, Harry's makes their products. They're all made of sharp, durable steel that will last, and they also cut out all the unnecessary costs, allowing them to deliver you one perfect razor at a fantastic price. Harry's offers high-quality blades at half the price that you will pay for elsewhere at just $2 per blade. Harry's bought their own factory to make sure that they were going to have the highest quality blades in the business, and the company, the factory that they bought, had been making blades for over 95 years, so you know they're good. And they even offer a 100% quality guarantee. If you don't love your shave, let Harry's know within 30 days, and they'll give you a full refund. But I bet you're going to be happy. And Brad, why don't you tell people why they're going to be happy with their Harry's shave?
Brad Dowdy: Well, today happened to be new blade day with Harry's. So, it's actually few and far between because the blades last so long. And I'm not an everyday shaver. I'm an every other day shaver. So, my blades last a long time. I should write down what the range is from start to finish of a blade for me. But new blade day is always fun. It's like getting that super high-end shave when you go to the fancy haircut place where you get the fancy single blade and hot towel and all that stuff. That's what it feels amazing right out the gate and stays amazing right until you say, hey, maybe tell me to swap this one out.
Myke Hurley: Harry's stands behind the quality of their blades. But they know that switching razors, that's not an easy decision if you've been using someone for a while. So, they wanted to make it super simple by creating a trial offer for you. You can get a $13 value trial set that will come with everything that you're going to need for a close, comfortable shave. It has a weighted ergonomic razor handle inside, a five precision engineered blades with a lubricating strip and trimmer blade, rich lathering shave gel, and a travel blade cover. Just go to harrys.com slash penaddict right now and you can redeem your special offer and let them know that we send you. That is harrys.com slash penaddict. Thank you so much to Harry's for their support of this show and RelayFM.
Brad Dowdy: So, as an introduction to this next topic I would like to discuss, I want to go on record saying that I know that I'm the king of recency bias. And I know I'm the king of hyperbole. But I finally got my hands on the Sailor 1911 Royal Tangerine. You know, the orange and rhodium trub. You have it. We've been talking about it pretty much since January, I guess, when first word came out about it and how much I loved it. And I wasn't going to get it just because, like, I don't need it, right? But my friends at Goldspot Pins sent me one to review and I'm just completely smitten with this pen in a way I didn't think. I thought it would be awesome, another Sailor, which I love. But, you know, when you're reviewing, like, your favorite pen over and over again, it seems like there's a chance, like, the next one could be not as special as the previous ten that you have, right? But that's also why you have ten of them already because they are special. What I found out about this pen and myself was, number one, I didn't have this size. So the 1911 is not my preferred shape, which is one of the reasons I held off on this. It's the conical end pen as opposed to the flat ends in the Pro Gear. Yep. Which is why I had always held off from the 1911. Right. Secondly, if I had bought my own, I would have just gone for the large version. I prefer, in general, the large versions, especially the Pro Gear, probably more than the 1911 now, of, you know, their mainline pens. So the Pro Gear comes in, it's what they call theirs Pro Gear Slim and Pro Gear Standard, while the 1911 is 1911 Standard and 1911 Large. I wish they'd kind of sync that up. But anyway, this is the standard one, meaning it's the small one. What I found about this pen is I want to carry it everywhere. Like, this is, while it's an expensive thing to say that this is a pocket pen, you know, like an almost $200 pocket pen, that's what this feels like to me. I want to carry this pen like I carry my Kawekos. Those are my pocket pens. Like, a lot of my fountain pens live in pen cases because they have clips and I don't want to stick them. Like, I'll clip them to my shirt pocket, but I don't want to toss them in my pocket necessarily. Like, I don't mind leaving the house with them, but they're usually like in a shirt pocket, not just in a, in an I don't care place, as much place like a pants pocket or shorts pocket. But this pen, I just throw in my pocket and go and it's awesome. It's like the best fit, the best feel, the best size, the best weight. You know, it's lightweight. It's the smaller nib of the two sizes. I think the tapered ends, you know, helps it like, you know, slide into a jeans pocket. You know, better.
Myke Hurley: This is not small, this pen. Like, I have the small. No, no, no, no. Right. Do you know what I mean? Like, they call it like the small and the large, but like the small would indicate you've got a pocket pen. But no, like this is bigger than a pro kit. Absolutely not. Right. Like it's, it's, it's like significantly longer than a, than a standardized pro gear. And I know that it's like slightly thinner. Like the body, it's kind of, I would say is somewhere in between a slim and a, and a regular pro gear. Like when you're holding it in your hands, kind of from a thickness perspective, I wasn't, I went in the same way. Like I just bought it. I wasn't really paying attention and I was concerned that I wasn't going to like the small, but I actually do. I think the large would be too big for me. I, I have not been able to use my joke now, which I was just going to say anyway, now it won't be as funny. Hey, Brad, welcome to two months ago.
Brad Dowdy: Right. This is like, I, you know, I try to be cautious and I go in waves, right? Like I'll, I'll, you know, preach like caution and patience and waiting, and then I'll go and do something stupid for like a month straight. Right. Like I'm, I'm the, I'm my own worst enemy as far as like, you know, budgeting and balance in the force and pictures of my closet, you know? So it's, um, I don't know. I, I, I love this pen. It's unbelievable. I didn't think, I didn't think I would love it.
Myke Hurley: You haven't even spoken about the color, right?
Brad Dowdy: Like, because I still don't know what color this is.
Myke Hurley: It's, it is the most vibrant orange I've seen in a pen because it kind of, it transcends regular orange, which sounds like such a stupid sentence to say. But once you see the pen, you understand. It's like, this is like, it feels like a color that you shouldn't be able to, to just make. It gets really weird. I love it.
Brad Dowdy: So you and I, one of each of our favorite pens is the orange pro gear from the stock lineup. It's got black, uh, grip section and black finials. And we always said, boy, that's a great orange pen. If you put that pro gear up to this tangerine, it looks like cantaloupe.
Myke Hurley: Yeah. It's just like, I look at it now and I'm like, oh man.
Brad Dowdy: Yeah. I always thought it was regular orange. This, this pen's impossible to photograph. It's impossible to describe. That's why I said it always does so well. It shows like when I was in Arkansas and working for Dan for an hour or two, people couldn't help but pick this pen up. Yeah. It was the strangest thing. So this is going to be like my carry pen, like bang it up, destroy it, throw it in my pocket with my keys and love every minute of using this pen. Good. That's what I'm most excited about this pen for. That's good. And I'm, I'm surprised when I got it. I mean, I knew, of course I was going to like it. Right. But was I, was it going to be, you know, air quote worth it? It definitely is. And yeah, I don't know what it is. What nib? You got a medium, right? A medium fine. Medium fine.
Myke Hurley: Okay.
Brad Dowdy: I'll only go full medium on sailor on the larger sizes, which I don't even like doing that. I'll either go fine or medium fine. I have enough extra fines to suit me for a while. I don't need any more sailor extra fines. Yeah.
Myke Hurley: I have a medium fine on my Rialo. Right. And I actually was surprised how much I like that nib. Like I like that nib a lot. It's a, it's a great nib. Like it, it is firm, right? Like a, like a fine would be for me, but I don't feel like I'm scratching across the page, you know?
Brad Dowdy: Yeah. It's a great writing nib size. I think for most people, like sailor fines could be too fine and sailor mediums are generally pretty good writers. I think obviously the medium fine in between those is a great spot to be. It's a very smooth, like right out the box works perfectly and has a great line width. That's not too wide for me, but it's not super fine and firm and scratchy like a lot of my EFs, which I enjoy. I just don't need every pen to be exactly the same. So yeah, the MF was a good choice.
Myke Hurley: I got the zoom on my 1911 because, you know, I, I wanted something that was completely different. Like I don't have a zoom nib and I have more than enough sailor pens with a medium nib on them now, you know? Like I'm good. Like I'm good. I have like four, like I'm fine. Right. And I wanted something, I wanted something that made this pen different and also usable in different ways. Right. Like I, I like, um, so someone else can turn on zoom, Z O O M nib, zoom nib. Um, it's, it's, they're the nibs that have the kind of, it's quite chunky at the end and you can turn them upside down and on the side and they write in different kind of line variations. They're really cool. Um, but I just like, I use my pens in different ways. Right. You know, I use like a couple of pens every day and I would use some of my more wild nibs to write out headings for stuff, you know, and to, to like draw attention to things on the page. And then I use my more regular nibs, my mediums and finds if I have any, um, or like a, you know, like a ballpoint or whatever to write my actual notes for the day. Because I don't know, trying to write notes of a zoom nib, that's going to be a difficult thing to do. Yeah. For sure. For an entire day. Cause you, you're going to get a lot of ink and it's all going to be really close together. You've got to kind of really think about that. Um, but I absolutely adore, like just adore this pen. It is wonderful. Um, and again, it's just like, it's just another reason why I've been on this sailor kick because I put them all in my little pen block over here and it is just a, just a beautiful collection of pieces that I own.
Brad Dowdy: Yeah. So let's talk about, let's have the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde portion of the show because this brings up my hesitancy to purchase it in the first place because I want, I'm, I'm getting a little bit confused and maybe a fraction worried at the pace sailor is going with these limited editions. Like it seems like only last year we got like one or two North American exclusives this year. It seems like one every other month, like the stormy sea one just came out, you know, I'm going to get the ocean one in, you know, this summer, which is the other reason why I didn't buy the tangerine and just on and on and on. It's like, it's a lot, Myke. Like it's, it's too much in my opinion for a brand that I love. And like, and I'd be the first one to tell you if sailor came to me tomorrow and said, Hey, you want to make a hundred units of a pen? I would be jumping through the roof and I'd be adding to the problem. But just from the outside looking in, man, they're going berserk with these limited editions and small runs and crazy colors. I, it's getting a little bit worrisome just from a consumer perspective. It's obviously working them from a brand and a retail perspective, right? They're selling the heck out of them and we obviously love them. But from a consumer perspective, we're getting a Pokemon thing going on here.
Myke Hurley: It doesn't bother me because you mentioned like the Pokemon thing, right? Got to catch them all. That's not their problem. That's like your problem. Sure. Sure. Right.
Brad Dowdy: Like, I don't, that's why I said this is not a problem for them.
Myke Hurley: Yeah. Like, you know, if you feel like you need to collect every pro gear, right? Like that is a, that is a very bad choice you have made because they're expensive. And my feeling really is that I like that they're doing all of this because it gives us more choice. Like that you are more likely to be able to pick up a sailor pen that meets your aesthetic requirements now than ever before because they're making a bunch of them themselves. They're doing a bunch of special editions with, with any company that will wink at them. Right. But I have no problem with Retro 51 doing this. And, but it's not just a cost based thing for me. Like, I, I like that Retro 51 do it for the same reason that I like that Sailor do it because it keeps things fun and fresh and you be able to, and you get to make some choice. Like you get to pick something that really speaks to you, which I think is really important anytime you're spending any amount of money. Like not just to buy something because, but like to buy the one that is for you, right? Like the one that like really matches your aesthetic desires. And so I think it's cool that we have all this choice. I, I understand why somebody might say like, oh, this is, you know, that they're making too many, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But for me, that's only a problem if you feel a requirement to collect them all. And if you feel a requirement to collect them all, you made a bad decision somewhere along the way, in my opinion, because it's too much, too expensive. Because it's too expensive. Like, you know, you're looking at $170 to $250 a pop. Like that's too much to collect. Like you can have a small personal collection like I do, which I'm going to keep building to. But it's the same as Retro 51 for me in that I just buy the ones that I want and the ones that I can afford. And I make those decisions whenever it's right for me, you know. It's like, it's like, for example, I really want the King of Pen, right? Pro-Gay King of Pen. That's what I want. And I decided not to buy it at Atlanta. Because what is available right now in King of Pen is not what excites me. Like I like yours, the ocean. And what they have available right now is like- Sky. Sky. Sky. Sky, that's the one. Sorry. Yeah, ocean's coming, isn't it? Ocean's, yes. I think it's available now, actually. But Sky, I love Sky because it was this really bright blue demonstrator. And they have a clear demonstrator available right now. But that just isn't the one I want. And the ocean, I think there is some translucency there. But it's nowhere near the same as yours. So it's like, well, that doesn't tick the box that I want. So I'm going to wait a little longer until I, either my tastes change or they bring out a new one, which they probably will at some point. So you know what I mean? And I just feel like that that is a healthier way of approaching this than just being like, well, I made the decision. I want a King of Pen. So I'm just going to have to get whatever's available. I don't think that's a very good way of doing it.
Brad Dowdy: So yeah, I think I agree with everything you're saying. I'm just wondering, you know, from the devil's advocate perspective, or does the brand lose a little bit of specialness when everyone can get everything? And maybe that's not a fair thing to say.
Myke Hurley: My feeling is yes, if they're bad, but they're not. Right. Right. Like they're making a bunch of stuff and it's pretty much all amazing.
Brad Dowdy: So yeah. You know? Yeah. I mean, I'm the guy that I, I mean, for the first time ever, I've pre-ordered one. I mean, they're, they're, they're, they're firing on all cylinders right now. I just wonder like, like I'm burnout on inks and stuff. I know that's a different conversation, like, because everyone's running like constant limited edition inks and I'm tired of the chase. Like, that's not what I, you know, I found the inks that I like and those are the ones I use and I don't need all these inks. I'm wondering if that's going to start hitting on pens, but I guess it's just from an individual matter, you know, understanding what you like, understanding what you're going to lose and you use and wait for the one that speaks to you the most. And so, yeah, good stuff. So, uh, are you getting the stormy sea? No. Yeah. Me neither. I'm not going to pre-order. This time I really am. What have you pre-ordered then? Uh, the ocean, the pro gear ocean. So I, I'm, I'm good with my Royal Tangerine orange 1911. Now I'm going to get back into the, the pro gears with the translucency, which is really my arena, right? That's, that's my place. So yeah. Are you getting the regular ocean? I'm getting the regular, not the slim and not the king of pens. I'm getting the standard or whatever. I'm getting the pro gear, not the pro gear slim and not the king of pen. So the what? $250, $280 one, the one in the middle.
Myke Hurley: All right. I'm keen to see what you think of that and how that actually comes out.
Brad Dowdy: Not king of, I do not need another king of pen.
Myke Hurley: Oh no, come on. That's that close to the one that I have. Yeah.
Brad Dowdy: I mean, if they, if there was a red one, like I would consider like a translucent red one, they know it, I might be in line, but you know, this is too close to the one I have and too expensive to have that similar of a pen.
Ocean Pen[edit]
Myke Hurley: Yeah. I'm keen to see what you think about the ocean, right? Cause like, I haven't seen it and I know that's the next king of pen. Um.
Brad Dowdy: Yeah. Should only be another month or so. I think the pre-orders are out. I don't think they're actually stocked yet.
Myke Hurley: So like, you never know, right? The pictures I don't like, but maybe when I see it, I might change my mind. Right. But I, I, you know, it's like my original feeling about the king of pen. I thought when, when I first saw the king of pen, I thought it was the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen. Yep. Then I fell in love with the sailor. Then I used it and then that changed everything. So who knows? Right. I'm saying that the pictures that I've seen, um, of, of the, the ocean doesn't excite me, but it could just be a situation where it's not photographing. Right. Like who knows? You might be able to see right through that pen. I doubt it, but you might be able to, you know, like sometimes this stuff can be difficult. So we'll wait and see, but I'm pleased that you're on the, uh, tangerine chain train because it's a good one to be on. Yeah. Love that pen. Choo choo. Love that pen. All right. Let's talk about pen chalet, which is actually good because I think all of those sailor pens that we were just talking about, you can either buy right now or pre-order a pen chalet. So you want to, you want to get that 10% code, which I'm going to tell you about in just a second. And pen chalet sell all of the pens and all of the accessories that you want from all of your favorite brands. I mentioned they have sailor stuff or they have Kaveco stuff. They have Pelican stuff, Lamy stuff, pilot stuff, Namika stuff. They have all of it. They have fast and reliable customer service. They're always doing special discounts and closeout specials, and they're doing their best to make sure that they're adding new styles of pen every single month. I feel like if there's a new pen that I hear about, Ron's got it. Like, and not only has Ron got it, Ron's doing it at great price. Because that's what, that's what pen chalet believes.
Brad Dowdy: Yeah. And of course the stormy sea is right on the front page. And that's just a beautiful pen and a beautiful picture. And you're like, yeah, I'm.
Myke Hurley: Pen chalet believes in those low prices on high quality pens, and they offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee to back it up along with very fast and reliable customer service. They sell internationally with great shipping rates. And if you're in the US, you can get free shipping on orders of over $50. I mean, and come on, how hard, how hard is that going to be? Over $50. I'm sure you could do it. Go to penchalet.com, P-E-N-C-H-A-L-E-T.com right now and click the podcast link at the top of the website. Enter the password penaddict for this week's special offer, and take out the code that you need to save 10% on anything at pen chalet. Our special offer this week is on the Fisher Space Pen Bullet Ballpoint in chrome, which is a really cool looking. This is the classic. This is the one that started it all, right? This is the kind of classic look. It's a great look. And I will mention again, Ron asked me too, but we did it already, that pen chalet has the Sailor Stormy Sea US exclusive colorway available right now, and there is a link in the show notes for that. But our special offer in the secret penaddict area this week is for the Fisher Space Pen in chrome. So go to penchalet.com, click the podcast link at the top of the website, enter the password penaddict, find those special deals, and get the code that you need to save 10% on anything at pen chalet. Our thanks to pen chalet for the continued support of this show and RelayFM.
Brad Dowdy: So something else further down that list has caught my eye, and it's the pilot Stargazer. This is essentially the metal barrel gold nib version of the Prera. It's a really, really nice pen. I think, and I'm going to go off topic here because I don't know for a fact, but I think this pen's being discontinued. It's an amazing pen. This is a crazy price for a gold nib metal barrel pilot pen. I'm going to have to consider this one because I don't own one. I've always wanted one. I've never heard of it. It's the size of a Prera because it came in at a weird size and a weird price point. It's not as full length. It's a full length pen. But if anyone has used the Prera, you know that it's kind of a short pen until you post it. So that's what this kind of is. And when they came out, they were popular for a minute. But I think the price point got people in a weird spot. It's in that range where you have a lot of choice. Right now, it's in a spot where, I mean, it's in the no-brainer price range category for a gold nib pilot pen. And it feels different than any of their other pens in this range because it's a metal barrel instead of plastic barrel. So if you've been looking for Stargazer, if you're looking for your first gold nib pen, this is an awesome choice at a great price. So keep that in mind.
Brad Dowdy: All right. So this week, last week, recently, my good buddy, Matt Armstrong, decided to shut down the pen habit. Well, at least step away. I mean, he's retiring from the game, if you will, the blogging and video making. And I just wanted to tell Matt thank you for how great he's been over the years, for all the content he's provided us, for all the fun I've had with him at pen shows. And just wanted to tell him that I was proud of him for making the decision. I know it's not easy. Like, once you start doing this, it's weirdly not easy to stop doing it until you finally... Sometimes you reach a point. And Matt's reached that point quite a while ago. And I mentioned it in the members newsletter this weekend. Like, Matt's talked about doing this for a while in a private manner to some of us. And, you know, we support, obviously, every decision that he makes. And I think he's going to be, you know, happier and healthier. And he's excited about not doing it anymore. And I can appreciate that. So I just wanted to tell him thank you for all of his years of hard work, because it is really, really hard work, especially what he was doing with the quality of the videos that he was putting out. Holy cow. I mean, he put a lot of time and effort into it. So thank him for doing that. And for all of you other bloggers and writers and podcasters and video makers out there, you know, keep plugging away. Even on the days when you feel down, like, it's okay to step away and take a break. Don't kill yourself doing this. But if you love doing it, keep plugging away and then you'll figure out, like Matt did, maybe one day it's not for you anymore. And that's okay, too. Like, if you have to step away, that's totally okay. You know, when I was writing this up, I mentioned how unique this community is into where there's zero competition between people who blog and video and podcasts and people who are just people have been doing it for years and people just starting. Like, everyone appreciates everyone else. There's no competition between the top blogs or the top video makers or the top podcasts or anything like that. Everyone wants to see everyone else do well. And I think our community is unique in that. And, you know, I think our listenership and readers of all the blogs and, you know, and all the video watchers and podcast listeners, you know, understand that it's like the right type of people in the right type of community. And I'm just proud to be part of it. And I love what I do. I am. I'm not stopping anyone anytime soon. Like, I have to do this. Not because it makes me money, but because it's part of who I am. Like, I can't not do this. Right? Like, I physically cannot talk about pens. Well, if I'm gonna talk about pens, I'm gonna talk about them online and share what I do. So, I'm not stopping anytime soon. But I understand, you know, when Matt comes to this decision, it's not, it doesn't come about easy. And I totally respect that and love him and love what he did for this community and helping build it for all of us to enjoy. So, thank you, Matt.
Myke Hurley: This stuff's hard to stop. It's hard to stop.
Brad Dowdy: It really, you say that out loud. It is the absolute truth. People don't, who haven't ever done it don't understand. Well, just don't type that day. It doesn't work that way. Right? It's really hard to stop. And it's okay if you do. Right? I mean, don't, you know, overextend yourself. Don't make yourself miserable because you feel like you have to meet some criteria or quota. It's really hard to stop. So, just have honest conversations with yourself. Have honest conversations with people in the community. Ask for help. You know, don't do anything you don't want to do. Don't make your life miserable. Life's too short to deal with any of that type of negativity or, you know, breakdown in like your life situation. Things like that. So, yeah. I'm lucky to be in a place where I can do it. And I'm going to keep on doing it. And I'm going to keep on getting better and improving and love doing it. And I'm not stopping for the rest of my life. But, you know, not everyone's in the same situation. So, you have to look at your own situation like Matt did. And sometimes it's a super hard decision. Like, I literally, I started crying when I was watching Matt's video. So, there's a bingo square for y'all. I didn't actually cry on this show. But I did when I was watching this video. I was like, yeah, okay. Thanks, Matt.
Myke Hurley: I do just want to say something on this. Which is like you mentioned that you're never going to stop it. And like, this might just be in people's minds. And it is definitely worth addressing. Do you make money from it? And a lot of people don't. Yeah, I said that. I said that. You know? But I think it's just worth underscoring it. That like. This is my job. Exactly. Let's be perfectly clear. This is my job. So, it's easier for you to keep going. Because not only is it the thing that you love. This is the same for me. Not only is it the thing that you love. It's also the thing that puts food on your table. And when you have a job which is requiring your time. And you're also trying to do this thing on the side. Sometimes you just have to make the priority shift. And choose the things that are the most important. That you actually have to do. And then sometimes blogging or podcasting. Or making videos doesn't work for you. And I'm very much like this. Right? Like if I start a thing. And it's not working. And it's distracting me from the stuff that I need to do. If I don't think that there's a future in it. If I don't think that it's going to work for me. I will stop doing it. Right? Like I tried my hand at vlogging. And it was fun. And I enjoyed it. But I ultimately didn't think that it was going to get me what I wanted. So, I took some time. I thought about it. And decided that that wasn't for me. Right? Because it was distracting me from the more important things in my life. So, there you go. That's kind of my feeling. And I think we're definitely. Me and you are on the same lines of this. But I wanted to just mention. Like it's important to note. That like these decisions are easier to make. When you're actually in the case of it being part of what you do for a living.
Brad Dowdy: Right. Right. Right. So, yeah. We could go back through like the entirety of our show. And we could do a whole podcast on like. You know. People like to hear us talk about like the business aspects. And sometimes it's hard to talk about. But we like being open and honest about that stuff. And like Chewbacca says in the chat room. I mean. Before it was my job. I stopped doing it for like three or four months. And then realized that I like. I couldn't quit it. Like this. I enjoy it too much. And then I came back with a vengeance. And you know. Two years later. That led me to quitting my job. Because I made it happen. And two years after that. We're sitting here talking today. So. You know. It's a. Yeah. It's something we could talk about forever. It's something we enjoy talking about. Hopefully. Give some insight. And help others who are interested in doing this type of thing. So. Yeah. It's. It's. It's always tough. And. You know. It's. Always the hard decisions to make. So.
Myke Hurley: Yeah.
Tombo Erogyten[edit]
Myke Hurley: Let's move on. Talk about the Tombo Erogyten.
Brad Dowdy: Erogyten. Yeah. Let's talk about. Let's talk about Brad's adult coloring. I love coloring. Still. To this day. Do you still color? I'm not.
Myke Hurley: I'm not. On that train anymore.
Brad Dowdy: Not even in your Pusheen coloring books? I have them.
Myke Hurley: I haven't used it in a long time.
Brad Dowdy: Yeah. I do like. I still. Color. I have the. My favorite has been the Doodler's Anonymous coloring book. We'll find a link to that in the show notes. I've talked about it before. So. I'll take pages for them. And I work on them. From time to time. Recently. I got. In one of the CW Pencils. Subscription boxes. They had four postcards to color. So. That's what I just colored. For this review. I just enjoy sitting and coloring. Because sometimes I don't enjoy sitting and drawing. It makes me think too much. Like. And I get frustrated with my drawing. So. Coloring. I don't. The drawing's already done. I just have to color it in. So. I enjoy. Doing that. But these colored pencils. Number one. They're crazy expensive. But number two. They're really high quality. Like. I haven't reviewed. Like. All the colored pencils in the world. But. These seem different. Than. Anything else I've tried. They seem. Like. They have a nicer core. They act more pencil like. They are very. Fine. And controllable. Um. You know. Making. Making lines. And. I don't know. I just wanted to point out this review. Because I like them so much. And on top of that. They have fancy packaging. That I actually approve of. You know. I'm. Generally. Packaging doesn't make. Make a darn. In my purchasing decision. The packaging. On these. Are really. Uh. Feels like part of the whole thing. Like in a serious way. Yeah. Yeah. So it's like an encyclopedia. Set up. Where there's. Three packs of three. Ten pack boxes each. So I'm only getting one. I don't need all. I don't need 90. Color pencils. In. In various ranges. But I. I picked the. The pack of 30. That I thought. Had the best range of colors. For. What I like to use. And yeah. This is. This is really. Really good. So I had. There were a couple other reviews. I wanted to. Just mention real quick. One is the Galen leather. Writing box. Which our friend. Friend of the show. Harry Marks. Wrote for the pen addict. I was excited.
Myke Hurley: What a beautiful looking thing this is.
Brad Dowdy: Yeah. This is like the most. Instagramable. Stationary product. Of the last year or two. Yeah. Um. And it's. Unfortunately. Got a few flaws. That people have. Have been finding out. Like I. I always wanted these. Just because it's pretty. I have absolutely no use for this. But like Harry's a writer. Harry. Like. Can get. Around the concept. Of actually using this. You know. Taking it out. Taking it on the road. Setting up his kit. Doing his writing. Writing. Working on his novels. Things like that. It really. Really fits. Like his aesthetic. And like. I could never figure out. Like a use case. Other than to take. Fancy pictures with. Right. I mean. It's so beautiful. But he. Found out. And. It turns out. Other people have found out. That there's been. Like some. Technical difficulties. Getting these made. There's like some warping. In the wood. And it hasn't come out. As perfect. As like the pictures. Have indicated. Um. So. Just beware. And be. You know. If you're in the market. For this. You know. Be in contact. With Galen Leather. They're working on. You know. Making sure. Like everything. Has been. You know. Like. You know. Treated properly. And. And the woods. Treated properly. So it doesn't warp. Or change the shape. And prevent it from buckling. And things like that. So. It's. Really cool. It's actually. Seems to be fairly priced. Um. For what it is. Um. You know. How many people. That listen to the show. Have a use case for that. I don't know. But I'd like to find out. Because I think they're kind of rad. Like. This is a great little thing. But. Um. Probably something I'll never own. But. You know. You like to see the pictures. And you just drool. And. And Harry did a great job. With the review. So thank you Harry. And the pictures are awesome. Um. I mean. He did super good. Did you. In Atlanta. Get to try. Anna's. Mark one. Filled with the. Pre-mec. Gel refill.
Myke Hurley: Nope.
Brad Dowdy: So. She brought this to me. To try out. The. Because it's a. 0.4 millimeter. Gel ink refill. That's a Parker style refill. Uh. The company's called Pre-mec. I think they're from. Switzerland. And. Mary Collis. From the pen cup. Just did a review. This past week. Which we'll link to in the show notes. Talking about this refill. And. She picked one up. And Anna sent me one. Uh. Just in the mail the other day. So I've started to play around with this. It's nice to have. A finer tip. Gel ink refill. To fit in the retros. Like. As much as I love the Schmidt. P8126 refill. I would prefer a 0.4. 0.5 millimeter. Black gel ink refill. The problem is. No one really makes them. The last one. Um. That was any good. Was Moleskine. Made a great. Five millimeter gel. But they stopped making them pretty quickly. Uh. Those were my favorites. So. This is one to check out. I haven't. Totally. Used mine. Yet. Other than like. Popping it in. A pen. And writing a few lines with it. I need some more time with it. It does feel a little bit scratchy. Right out the gate. Like. I'm fine with scratchy. Fine gel ink pens. This seemed a little more scratchy. Than. I would accept. But. It's brand new. I want to scribble around with it. And play with it some more. Before I really really know. And. Uh. I. I want to get a black one to try out. I like the. I have the blue one. So. I want to try one of each. And I want to try the 0.5 millimeter. So. I'll have to order some more. But. This one may be an option. Myke. For. Uh. People looking for. Fine gel ink refills. For their retros. And other pins. That fit the Parker style gel.
Myke Hurley: Yeah. And I know. I know from talking to people. That like. There are a bunch of people. That. I get it. Like. They like the design. But just don't like the refill. Because that refill. Is very particular. I mean. It is. The particularness. Which makes it. What I think. One of the best refills. Are on the market today. But that does mean. That it's not going to be for everyone. It's just the nature of things.
Brad Dowdy: Yep.
Myke Hurley: All right. Today's episode. Is also brought to you. By our friends. Over at Blue Apron. The number one. Fresh ingredients. And recipe delivery service. In the US. Blue Apron delivers. Fresh pre-portioned ingredients. With step-by-step recipes. Right to your door. When you cook with Blue Apron. You're not just having burgers. For dinner. You're making seared steaks. And thyme pan sauce. With mashed potatoes. Green beans. And crispy shallots. For example. And all of them meals. Are ready. In under 45 minutes. It's always going to take you. To put them together. They have 12 new recipes. Every week. That you can choose from. You can pick two. Three. Or four. Based on what best fits your schedule. And you can count on them. For great quality food. And meat with no added hormones. From now to May 21st. Blue Apron is teaming up. With Airbnb. To bring you the best home cooking. From around the world. Check some of these meals out. Every week. The menu will feature. A recipe delivered. In collaboration. With an Airbnb host. You can cook meals. Like roast pork. And salsa verde. With sautéed vegetables. From Florence. Beef and rice. Beef and rice bowl. With soft boiled eggs. And roasted broccoli. From Tokyo. Or what about. Beef empanadas. With roasted sweet potatoes. And creamy zucchini. From Buenos Aires. Brad. How do they sound?
Brad Dowdy: It sounds like I need to place an order. I've been missing out. Been missing out the last few weeks. So I need to get back on it. What I've always. There's two things that I've always been impressed with. Blue Apron for. One is the quality of the meats. Like. Whether it's. You know. Steaks. Or ground beef. Or chicken. Or fish. It's always like. Wow. This is as good as any restaurant. Any nice restaurant I've been to. You know. That's how it always tastes. And then second. The. Like. The additional. Like. The additional spices. Or. Like. The small things like butter. Or honey. They provide to cook with. Are always like. Superior quality. Like. The best stuff. Like. You can. You can really taste. The difference in like. The stuff that. You know. I have in. Our spice cabinet. You know. I enjoy their spices. And their butter. Always more than. Than ours. So it's really nice. How they do that.
Myke Hurley: Yeah. It cannot be. Like. Emphasized enough. How good. A meal can be. If the ingredients are good. Like. You may think. That like. Whenever you've cooked. It always comes out bad. But you just may not have been using. High enough quality ingredients. And that's the kind of thing. You're going to get with Blue Apron. With their incredible ingredients. And chef designed recipes. Blue Apron. Let's you see. What the power of food can do. Blue Apron. Is treating you. To your first. Three meals. Free. With free shipping. Just go to. Blue Apron. Dot com. Slash. Pen Addict. That is right now. Just go. Check out this week's menu. Get three meals. Free or free shipping. At Blue Apron. Dot com. Slash. Pen Addict. Blue Apron. A better way. To cook.
Brad Dowdy: So at the Atlanta Pen Show. Our friend Sarah. From the BYOB podcast. Hooked us up with the. The Pen Addict. Tokes. She made us. Or beanies. Or knit hats. Whatever your country. Wooly hat. What do you call them? Wooly hat. Is that what you call them?
Myke Hurley: Mm-hmm.
Brad Dowdy: Yeah. I forgot. I got yelled at for. Not using the. The toque. Which I. Or toque. I guess is the proper pronunciation. Which I love that word. I just have a hard time saying it. She came out with. The patterns keep increasing. And I saw the erasable one. The. Or the wood clenched one. I'm sorry. With the pencil one. And they. It came out awesome. So I wanted to put a link into Sarah's work. Over on Ravelry. Where you can either buy the hats. Or buy the patterns. If you're a knitter. And you can learn to make these patterns. She has BYOB. Pay It Forward. Pen Addict. Wood Clenched. And I'm sure she'll be adding some more. So they're really cool. Love this. Love this hat so much.
Myke Hurley: I have mine. Sitting on top of my Pusheen plush. Because. It's warm here now. So. Yeah. Exactly. But Pusheen's looking sweet. And as soon as the colder weather comes. That'll be on my. On my brain box.
Brad Dowdy: Yes. I. That's. I was glad I got to wear it. Right after the Atlanta Pen Show. Because we froze on that Monday. Right after the show.
Myke Hurley: Because you were colder than everybody else. Which was hilarious. All those people that live in colder climates. Were laughing at you. Yeah. You felt the requirement to wear a woolly hat all day.
Brad Dowdy: Yeah. And I'm a warm guy. I mean. I don't normally run cold. You sure are. I'm a brat. Daddy. Yes. I am. I know. You've. You've been in my bedroom.
Myke Hurley: Oh my gosh. All right.
Brad Dowdy: At TPA.
Brad Dowdy: Aaron has a question for us. Myke. And I like this question. And I'm going to do this. Hi Brad. I have a question for the podcast. Are you or Myke participating in the 2018 Reddit Gifts Pins and Stationery Exchange? Reddit Gifts the Secret Santa Exchanges throughout the year connecting strangers all over the world. And one of the exchanges starting this month is Pins and Stationery. Have you or Myke ever tried out anonymous gift exchanges before? So the Pen Addict Slack does have a Secret Santa. I've participated in that before. It's super fun. And I have not seen or participated in this Reddit one or any of them before. I've seen them before. I always see the post when someone gets Bill Gates every year. Right. That's always a thing because he always hooks people up with some sweet stuff. So is this something you're ever interested in or have done or interested in doing this year?
Myke Hurley: I have heard of this before. Mostly around Secret Santa. I didn't know that they did these gift exchanges outside of that. That wasn't something that I was aware of. I have never done anything like this. There's a lot of pressure involved. This is it. I honestly don't feel like I could do a good enough job.
Brad Dowdy: Even though you could. You know you would. But yes, there's a pressure involved with this. But I'm going to give this one a shot.
Myke Hurley: I want to hear what this is like. I want to know if you go through it. I want you to report back on the show and tell everybody how it goes for you.
Brad Dowdy: I think the sign up ends pretty soon. Let me bring this up here. One of the things is one of the current exchanges is for people who like all things British.
Brad Dowdy: You'd be pretty good at that one. I don't know, man.
Brad Dowdy: There's 1,747 people signed up and it closes on May the 14th. So yeah, I'm going to do this. So after the show today, I'll sign up for it and we'll track this on the show. Who I get, what I'm going to be gifting. Although I probably can't say it. Who knows if they're a listener. We can talk about it afterwards. It's all secret.
Myke Hurley: Because you never know. There is probably a pretty strong Venn diagram overlap of people familiar with you and signing up for this. I don't know about that. It's not going to be everyone, but it's going to be, there's going to be more people in the pens exchange than there are probably in the condiments exchange. Right? Yeah. You know, it is possible.
Brad Dowdy: 10% overlap compared to 1% overlap is a giant change.
Myke Hurley: But like still 10%, that's pretty huge if that was the case. Yes. That's what I'm saying. That's my point. And I think that is definitely possible.
Brad Dowdy: Right. Right. All right. Will says he's back with another question. Sorry, Will, I don't remember your previous question, but I still love you. Myke doesn't. He doesn't like you. He's not a fan of Will's, especially the ones in the throne room. I have $150 that I would like to use towards the purchase of a good fountain pen. Should I go with a Pilot Vanishing Point or a Franklin Kristoff Model 20 with a steel nib? Thanks for your input. You go.
Myke Hurley: Model 20. I think the answer's easy.
Brad Dowdy: Yeah.
Myke Hurley: Model 20, I think. Model 20. Yeah.
Pilot Vanishing Point[edit]
Brad Dowdy: It's such a good pen for everything. Like the Pilot Vanishing Point, I love it. I don't think it's good for everything. The Model 20 is good for everything. You can pick out what type of steel nib you want and get something tweaked on it if you want. I don't know. They have great colors, great designs. It's my favorite or one of my favorites. I like the Model 02. The 20 has the slip cap, which I like. I have the clipless Model 20s with the slip cap. They're great riders. Cool colors. Yeah. I think this is an easy answer for, it turns out, both of us. So, all right. LJNWolcock wants to know, I bought a Platinum 3776 and I love this pen, but the nib is causing me problems. It's ultra extra fine and it feels like I'm gouging into the paper even when I'm writing on high quality paper like Rhodia. Am I doing something wrong? No, you're using a 0.1 millimeter fountain pen nib. So, you have to understand Platinum's ultra extra fine is insanely fine. It's going to take, it's going to have a very small sweet spot. The angle is going to have to be held correctly. Basically, this is one of the most delicate pens on the market from a stock nib and they only started making these nibs widely available in the US market and other markets in the past year or two because they're so fine. They are just super, super particular. You might want to get it checked out to make sure the tines are aligned. You know, have a Nibmeister look at it just to tune it, if you will, just to make sure everything's aligned up properly. But yeah, this is a 0.1 millimeter nib. I don't even own one of these. Like, I love them. I've tried them. I have pins ground down to something close to this. This is the craziest fine stock nib on the market, in my opinion. It's very particular just in how you hold it, how you write with it. I would have someone check it out if you think it's causing a real problem to make sure there's no tine issues. Because it is so fine, it's going to be more hit and miss than, you know, say a medium nib, something like that. I would like to see you try this pin one day, Myke. I don't know if you've ever tried one. No, thanks. Yeah. All right. Doc Himes wants to know, with Dudek Modern Goods taking a hiatus, what are your other go-to multi-pin holders for use on a desk or dresser shelf as opposed to cases and bags? This is a tough question. I couldn't really come up with a great answer besides some of the E&M products that are available like at JetPens and other retailers. I have a couple that I haven't started using yet. I just got one of their longer blocks to begin to use, but I haven't started filling things up in it yet. It has varying size, diameters of holes to store pins in. Some of them are really wide, which I don't know what to do with. So that's the only thing on my radar right now as far as those goes. You can probably find a lot of smaller makers that I'm unaware of, like on Etsy. I just do a search for that. I bet you could come up with a whole list of probably, and probably find some pretty neat stuff and maybe share with us if you find something. But I'm sure there's probably a lot of wood makers out there making stuff like this that we're just unaware of. That's probably pretty nice too. You have anything, Myke? You're all in on the Dudek. I'm all in on the Dudek. I mean, I don't know what else to say.
Myke Hurley: I mean, I also have been using recently the custom blocks that were made for me by Listener Allen. Do you remember those? They've got the Relay FM logo on and the Michaels. I've been using those because they're awesome too. But yeah, I've never found a product that I've been able to buy that gives me what I want other than Dudek stuff, I'm afraid.
Brad Dowdy: Right. Right. Maybe it's just because we're not aware. I've seen plenty of other things. Nothing's registering with me to say that's the thing. All right. Last one. Ari Thornton. This is an awesome question. You've both raved about the M805 Ocean Swirl as well as the new Canalea. If you could only use one, which one and why?
Canalea Pens[edit]
Myke Hurley: I'm going to go with Canalea because I have a few reasons for this. I like Pelicans. I love Canalea pens. I do think that part of this for me is knowing the story behind the product. Knowing where they came from, knowing that they're handmade by a small team of people, knowing all of the thought that goes into them. It's kind of hipster, but I like that. That's kind of how I am. You know, it's like the idea of the small batch or whatever. Right. Like that whole thing about like, you know, the authentic made. Like I like that kind of stuff.
Myke Hurley: And I'm sure that, you know, Pelicans are made with a lot of care, but it feels like a big company. It doesn't feel the same. I mean, also as well, I actually do think that as nice as the Ocean Swirl looks, I do prefer the look of the Hanaama Bay.
Myke Hurley: But yeah, that's kind of where I'm falling. I would go Canalea.
Brad Dowdy: So I'm going to do like you. I got to take the big breath.
Brad Dowdy: I'm picking the Pelican.
Brad Dowdy: It's a tough decision. But the number one, if I had to pick purely on looks, like the newest Canalea, the Hanaama Bay, between the Ocean Swirl, just on aesthetics, the Canalea is like a 10 out of 10 and the Ocean Swirl is like a 9.5 out of 10. Okay. So I would pick that. But if my choice is to what pen I'm going to use every day, I'm going to pick the Pelican pretty much every time. Because it fits my hand from a writing perspective better. It has a piston filler, the gold nib. Pelican's extra fine gold nibs in the 805 don't need any work for me to use. It's a perfect writing pen, perfectly balanced. I get a lot of joy out of using my Canalea pens. The Ocean Swirl is a workhorse of a pen. And, you know, if those are the only two pen choices I had to use, like for the rest of my life or the rest of the year, say, I would pick the 805 and it actually wouldn't be much of a competition.
Myke Hurley: Interesting. Okay. I mean, I understand.
Brad Dowdy: Oh, yeah. I mean, like Hanaama Bay might be number two, right? It's like, it's almost unfair, right? Because it's so close. But if I'm forced to pick one, I'm using the 805 every day without question. That doesn't mean anything against the Hanaama Bay. It's a stunner. I want to use it. It's inked up right now, you know. But the pen I've been using, like, just over the past week or two is Ocean Swirl, like every day. It's really, really, it's an amazing writing pen, right? Yeah. So, yeah. That's why I love this question so much. It is really hard to answer because it's so close. And, like, if you pick one over the other, it feels like you're saying the other one's bad and that's not the case. Like, it is that close. And that's why we pick something different because it is that close.
Myke Hurley: Mm-hmm.
Brad Dowdy: Yep. So, great question. I love these type of tough, tough questions. And I'll be, like, both of us were willing to put it on the line, put it down on paper, right?
Myke Hurley: I think that's, we would, right? We'd just write it on paper. This isn't going to go anywhere else. That's our job. All right. Should we wrap it up? We should. All right. Thank you so much for listening to today's episode. If you want to find our show notes, head to relay.fm slash penaddict slash 307. Thanks to Harry's, Blue Apron, and Pen Chalet for the support of this show. If you have any questions you'd like to hear us answer on a future episode, just send in a tweet with the hashtag AskTPA. They go into a document for us to pull out. If you want to check out the show live, we record every Wednesday, typically, around 10 a.m. Eastern time. But you can go to relay.fm slash live, and there's a link that you can hit there to get our schedule. So you can see. We always try to keep that up to date if there's been any changes. But it's a great live crew. They hang out every week. And so you can come and join and hang out with us. Actually, you can go directly to relay.fm slash schedule, and you can get that. You can find out exactly when we're going to be recording live along with all the other shows that do. The chat room's a great thing to be in. There's a bunch of great folk in there every single episode. If you want to find Brad online, go to penaddict.com. He is dowdyism on Twitter, penaddict on Instagram. Brad's doing a bunch of stuff on Instagram Live, so make sure you go and follow Brad and have your notifications on. So you can keep up with that. And you can also find Brad's amazing work on cases over at knock.co. I am at imike, I-M-Y-K-E on social networks. This show is a part of Relay FM. There's a ton more shows, and I bet it's something else you're going to love. Go to relay.fm slash shows, and you can find more right there. But until next time, say goodbye, Brad. Goodbye, Brad, and God save the Queen.
Myke Hurley: Why? Why are we doing that?
Brad Dowdy: I don't know. Why not?
Myke Hurley: Okay.