The Pen Addict 326/transcript

The Pen Addict Podcast Transcript
Episode:	326
Title:	Pen Addict and Pens Rule!
Release Date:	September 19th, 2018
Hosts:	Brad Dowdy Myke Hurley
Guests:	No guests this episode
Additional Information
Official page:	Episode 326
Audio File:	Audio Episode 326
Podcast page:	The Pen Addict 326
Length:	5555 min <br />0.917 h <br /> minutes
Previous Transcript	Next Transcript

Myke Hurley: From RelayFM, this is The Pen Addict, episode 326. Today's show is brought to you by Harrison Squarespace. My name is Myke Hurley. I'm joined by Brad Dowdy. Hi, Brad Dowdy.

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

Myke Hurley: I'm good, Brad Dowdy. I'm very good. I'm happy to talk to you.

Brad Dowdy: Oh, yeah? Why are you so happy? I mean, in general, I mean, you should be happy to talk to me just because I'm a very talkable to guy, but just it seems like a little overreacted. I'm overboard today.

Sailor Pen Discussion

Myke Hurley: I'm in a real pen. I'm just in a real pen mode right now. I'm just really, like, significantly deep within sailor country. Like, you know, I'm just going through a thing right now, which means that lots of deliveries are coming to the house. There's still more on the way. I'm just enjoying pens right now quite significantly, so it makes me happy to talk to you. Isn't it funny how it goes in cycles like that? I don't know what it is. I mean, I know for me, obviously, money is a thing, right? Where, like, you know, I don't want to spend all this money all the time, but I was able to, I was very lucky, I was able to spend a little bit of extra money on some stuff. So, you know, for me, it's like if I can afford stuff, then I'm really super into it, you know?

Brad Dowdy: Right, right. My brain allows it. Yeah, so I tend to get, like, wiped out after a pen show. It's like, no more. Like, I'm done. I need a break, right? Like, that was overwhelming just stuff and money and too much and enough, and then, you know, you give it a few months and being the pen addicts that we are, there's always something new on the horizon. So, where are we at with the Sailor Museum that you're currently curating, as we mentioned last week?

Myke Hurley: All right, so my bong box Arancello shipped today. I got the shipping notice for that, so that's on the way. Now, if you remember, I had three Sailor pens from Pensaci, right? Two of these are stuck in customs.

Brad Dowdy: In the UK customs.

Myke Hurley: In the UK. Okay. And they've been there for a week, and I haven't received any letters yet, because that's what, they send you a letter so you can pay the fees. They've been there a week now, and I haven't got the letter, which really annoys me. It annoys me because they're then going to charge me a processing fee, but it's taken them a week to send a letter. I don't understand why I can't just click a button on the tracking information and pay the customs, right? Like, I just don't get it. I don't get it. It annoys me. But one of them arrived today because Pensaci actually shipped them in two discrete packages. I don't know why they did that, but I'm happy that they did do it, because now I have one of them. So, the pen that arrived today is the... So, I did a little bit of research, right? It is the Nagasawa Tarumi Apricot, which they call the Beside. So, Nagasawa, they're a stationary company, right, I believe? Right. Like, they do paper and ink and stuff, mostly, I think. I had to do a little bit of research, because I didn't really know too much about this. So, when they work with Sailor, they rebrand the Pro Gear Slim as the Beside. Mm-hmm. So, Sailor called it the Sapporo, right? I think that's, like, the name of the model. But they called it the Beside, and they changed the branding on it and everything. So, the little ring that goes around the cap says Nagasawa pen style around it. Oh, interesting. And the nib has this really cool detail on it, where it's, like, this... Like, there's, like, some mark, and it says Kobe, and then it says Sailor underneath. It's really nice. So, I'm going to put a link in the show notes to calligraphynut.com. They have one of these and took much better pictures than I ever could. But, so, yeah, this is a really interesting one. It's a rooster, actually, is the little mark. And the pen itself, I didn't know this until it arrived, because I couldn't tell from the pictures. It's difficult to see. It has a kind of shimmery glitter in the body. Like, it's very discreet. Interesting. But I like this pen because it is orange, but it is an orange unlike any that I have. It's, like, a really muted color. Like, peach is... Or apricot. Sorry. Apricot is a good way to describe it. It's way more... It's way more muted, and it looks really interesting next to my other orange Sailors. So, that's the one that I have right now. Obviously, I love it. I like... I've really come... I've really grown to love the Progear Slim, as well as just the Progear. Like, at first, I was a little bit... I'm not so sure about the Slim, but I've really come to love the Progear Slim, which is good. It's a super functional pen. Because now I have, like, four of them.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah, it's a great... It's a great rider. It's great looking. It's very portable. It's small. It's slim. You can take it anywhere, pack it in anything, and, you know, you're going to have an awesome pen with you. I think this one that you got, the apricot, was the one that listeners were... I got the most comments on from the listeners. They're like, like, I want to see the purple one. Like, I want you to get that one and tell me how that is. But I got more feedback. I got more feedback on the apricot. It's like, oh, that one looks really interesting. So, very cool. I'm glad you like it. What nibs on this one?

Myke Hurley: It is a medium. Okay. Cool. Perfect. Perfect. But there is an important piece of follow-up that goes along with this. This was a successful delivery from Pensachi. Yes. Right? Yes. And the other two pens, they shipped them, right? So... They're there, essentially. Exactly. So, you know, this was just a thing where it was like, okay, we weren't sure because neither of us had received product from this company before, but I can now say that it works. So, you know, always approach anything with caution if you're not familiar with the company, but I can now attest to the fact that the process was mostly fine. It was a little slow, but they were communicative. And I have one of the pens, and they've done their job with the other two, and now it's just up to Customs and Parcel Force in the UK to get it to me. So, if you see anything, I'm just going to say, right, like, I really do believe, I know I got a lot of pens, but I feel like I got really good deals of them. Like... Oh, yeah. The prices are very good, I think. So, you know, like this apricot was £145. Right. Which, you know, I don't think it's too bad for a Pro Gear just in general, let alone something that has some interesting character to it.

Brad Dowdy: So... Yeah, the normal limited editions are around that price anyways. Yeah. So, it's totally fair. And just, you know, for the listeners, just if you think that we're done with this, you have another thing coming. Yeah. Yeah. We don't want to say it too much, but... Myke and I are working on something. We want to see if it works.

Myke Hurley: We've done something a little bit wild. Yeah. But we don't want to say anything in case we look like fools at the end of it. So... Well, that's not hard. We'll follow up later on, but there's... Yeah. There's something...

Brad Dowdy: But hey, you still got... You still have three more pens from this delivery. Yeah. Not to mention our other ridiculousness. Uh-huh.

Myke Hurley: So, yeah. Tony in the chat room is asking, and this is probably worth just mentioning, are we doing a collaboration with Sailor? No. Oh, God, no. But Sailor, call me. Please. Yeah. Call us. We can make the greatest pro gear of all time, the three of us. Yeah. You know? Come on. You've got my number. Give us a call. Oh, God, would I love to make a pro gear. Damn.

Brad Dowdy: You know who needs to give us a call? Myke, it's Pilot. You know? I don't know if you've heard. It was their 100th anniversary this year. Did you hear about that?

Myke Hurley: No, I had no idea, because it's like it's not been celebrated.

Pilot Anniversary Transition

Brad Dowdy: This might be the end of the line for this topic. I think it's done now. Because I think we might be done. Yeah, I think it's done. I guess we're still holding out for an October 1st possible theory announcement that something might be coming up, but we got word. I saw it from Goldspot, and I think it was out some other places. Yeah. But there is going to be a 100-year anniversary limited edition Pilot Orozuzuku ink.

Myke Hurley: Yeah.

Brad Dowdy: It looks real pretty. My initial question when I read this was, when? And so I reached out to Goldspot, and they said March of 2019. And I'm like, okay.

Myke Hurley: I think the reason is the inks are the same ones that they've got in that mega set, I think. Yeah. Right? So I expect they want to leave some time for the mega set. But explain this to me. Because it looks like they're selling all of them. It's not just one ink.

Brad Dowdy: Right. So you've got the big 50-milliliter Orozuzuku bottle. It's going to be one thing. And then you're going to have a set of the mini bottles, the Seven Gods mini bottles as a separate thing. So it's really two ink editions. They look great. They look awesome.

Myke Hurley: It's hard to tell, but they look really cool. So like, okay. Yeah. Like, I'm happy about that. I would have preferred to maybe get my hands on them in November instead of March. But this isn't, you know.

Brad Dowdy: Well, people are actually saying November. I didn't mean to cut you off there. But I wanted to bring that up. Is when I found out and Goldspot let me check. And Goldspot came back and they said it's March. And then immediately other people were saying, no, we've heard November. So I, what, I, okay. I don't know what else to say. Like, I want the ink. Like, I'm in. Like, count me in. The ink looks, the big bottle, it looks orange, cognac-y, sazeraki. Like, this is my color, right? This is me all over it. So I want that bottle of ink. I just don't know when. I don't know how many. I don't know how much. I don't know anything. Which has been the story of Pilot's 100th anniversary. I know nothing.

Brad Dowdy: So.

Myke Hurley: I mean, look. And again, it's just like, I'm just going to accept it. I mean, I can't. I can't just keep getting frustrated about this. You know what I mean? I'm not frustrated. I mean, the pens are fine. We are. We are a little bit frustrated. Like, we've been talking about it a bunch. But it's just like, at this point, I'm like, all right. Like, that's something, I guess. You know?

Brad Dowdy: I would prefer more. I just want to participate. I would like to participate, Pilot. Yeah. You know? I'm a huge fan, Pilot. Like, if my favorite band did, like, a reunion tour and was on tour nearby, I'd want to go see it. Right? This is, like, a special event. And I'd like to participate because I'm a fan of the brand. And maybe I'll get some ink. I don't know. Whatever. So, as I was digging around on this Pilot thing, I found something else which had not crossed my radar until yesterday or the day before. And that's the release of the Pilot Explorer fountain pen. I have thoughts on this. I have thoughts on this. I wanted to know what you think first before I go off on a diatribe about what's happening here. Do you even have thoughts? Because I could see the possibility of no thoughts on this.

Myke Hurley: My thoughts are, like, you drop the ball, Pilot. Right? You're selling an entry fountain pen for $23.60, which is not good looking compared to something like the Lamy Safari, right? Or even the Pilot Metropolitan. Right. But then you've got companies like Twisby who are innovating at this price range.

Myke Hurley: So, this is, like, this is junk. Like, who's going to... This is, like, the pen that gets put in staples, right? Like, it's... Yes. You know, but I feel like whilst I understand why Pilot would make that, they already make a really good pen for this price range. Why have they made an uninspiring pen in a bunch of colors? You may as well just do a special edition line of the Pilot Metropolitan in these colors. Like, I don't... I don't know why this pen exists. It doesn't make sense to me.

Brad Dowdy: Good job by you, Mikey. I don't know what's happening here. The... I'll go a little bit further. The Metropolitan is an exceptional pen. I think we all agree on that.

Myke Hurley: It's like, you know, has been for many, many years. Like, this is the pen you recommend to somebody who's new. And it still holds that... It still holds a very strong argument, like, in that point, price point, right? Like, I mean, right now I lean more towards the Twisby, but it comes with an additional requirement for ink, right? But the Metropolitan, right? Like, we had them in our household. Like, it's... It's a great pen. And this one, I just don't... I just don't get it.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. This seems kind of phoned in a little bit. I have some traditionalist issues with it based on my pen upbringing. Number one, they stole the porthole from the Pilot Precise, right? They're making it look... That's what makes me think this is going straight to the store shelf, like you said, you know, going to Target or Walmart or Staples or any of these. Because it looks like Pilot's other popular pens in that category. Yeah. Which makes me think that, oh, we're not trying to sell to this market that's interested in those pens, you know? And for some reason, they believe that the Metropolitan is not the right answer for that, even though it's a much better pen. It's a metal barrel pen. This is a plastic barrel pen. Are these a plastic? 30, 40% more. Yeah.

Myke Hurley: Huh. Because they look metal, right, in the pictures. I believe you, but they look like they're shiny-ish, you know?

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. PVC. PVC. Yeah, but the way they're shot is interesting. Yeah. So it's a metallic finish, but I believe it's a plastic barrel. Right. I could be wrong. I could be wrong, but I think that's what I read.

Myke Hurley: That's what it says, featuring a stylish premium matte metallic finish.

Brad Dowdy: That's what the Goldspot entry says. My biggest issue, Myke, is the name. So there is an old pen that was one of the greatest pens ever made, and it's called the Pilot Explorer. And I have a review from, I don't know, five years ago, four, three, four years ago on the blog. And if you pull up this review, you never see this pen will stop. They stopped making this pen probably 10 or 15 years ago. I've had people search around the world. I've got a box of a dozen of them from Finland or somewhere that someone sent me that they found in a shop years and years and years ago. It was one of the most popular, one of the most famous pilot pens that's ever made. And this fountain pen has stolen its name, and it doesn't relate to it at all. That makes me unbelievably upset, Myke, because I want the Explorer to come back as the Explorer. It's this really weird rollerball, knock, clicky pen that looks like it was made in the 80s or 90s for the future world, right? It's a weird-looking pen, but it was amazing, and everyone loved it. And they stole the name of it, Myke, and I'm upset. Like, call this, I don't know, call this something else, just not the Explorer. Like, because it has nothing to do with the Explorer. They've stolen the Explorer name. They've stolen the precise porthole. They've stolen a price point that is ineffective when you have a superior pen that's 30% to 40% cheaper. I don't know what's happening here. That said, I'm sure I'm going to get one and test it out. And Pilot's nibs are great. I'm sure it'll be fine. It just doesn't compete where it's at. So, I don't know. We'll see what happens here, but I'm super confused on why this pen exists.

Brad Dowdy: Doesn't make sense. Nope.

New Releases Discussion

Myke Hurley: All right, should we take a break? And we can move to some more exciting things that make us happy. New releases that make us happy.

Brad Dowdy: Some of the new releases that make us grumpy. We're not mad. Grumpy. We're confused. I'm confused, Myke.

Myke Hurley: Today's show is brought to you by Harry's. Harry's decided when the company was set up, it was done out of the purpose of trying to make overpriced razors a thing of the past. Nobody wants to pay high prices for stuff that they don't need, unnecessary features. You don't want all of that junk in your razor. Basically, a great shave comes down to having great blades that are made of sharp, durable steel that lasts. Harry's do this by cutting out... They did this by getting a factory, actually. They went and bought a factory that's making some of the highest quality blades in the world. They've been doing it for over 95 years. And then they cut out all the unnecessary costs, which allowed them to deliver to you the perfect razor at an amazing price. By selling directly to you over the internet, Harry's can offer their blades at a price much lower than leading brands. You pay just $2 per blade compared to maybe $4 or more. And Harry's back it up with a 100% quality guarantee. If you don't love your shave, let Harry's know within 30 days and you'll get a full refund. Now, Brad Dowdy, do you love your shave of Harry's?

Brad Dowdy: I do love my shave of Harry's. And I'm sitting here thinking, you know, Myke always likes me to tell a story about Harry's. I have this very particular story and I think I'm going to share it with you, Myke. Like, so I have a beard. I don't know if you knew that, right? Yes. So, you know, normally you like shave up under around the edge of the beard. Well, I decided that the depth of my beard was too short. Like, it doesn't extend down my neck far enough. So, instead of taking, you know, I'm growing out parts of my beard. And instead of taking, like, clippers to, like, you know, extend this section and trim it up, I can just take the Harry's razor blades because they're so sharp and stay, hold that sharpness for, like, I don't know, for, in my case, months. That I can actually extend my beard down and shape it around my neck with just the Harry's razor blade. I don't need anything else. I don't need, like, the electric trimmers or anything to clean up my beard. So, I can just use the Harry's razor blades because it's so sharp and perfect and it retains that edge forever. It's awesome. So, go Harry's.

Myke Hurley: Look at you. Staying nice and clean over there, Dowdy. I love it. Harry's stands behind the quality of their blades, but they know that switching razors isn't an easy decision, so they created a special trial offer for listeners of The Pan Addict. You can get yourself a $13 value trial set that will come with everything that you're going to need for a close, comfortable shave. This includes a weighted ergonomic razor handle, five-blade razor with lubricating strip and trimmer blade, rich lathering shave gel, and that trimmer blade so you can be like Brad, by the way, and a travel blade cover that comes along with the whole package. Join the millions of people who have already switched to Harry's. Go to harrys.com slash penaddict today to redeem your trial set. That's harrys.com slash penaddict. Our thanks to Harry's for the continued support of this show and RelayFM.

Brad Dowdy: So, I'm very interested, now that you have received the Retro 51 Chilpino, how you feel it stands up to the rest of your, the other museum room in your house, the Retro 51 room. How does the Chilpino, how do you like it?

Myke Hurley: I love it for an unintended reason. It is heavy.

Brad Dowdy: Really?

Myke Hurley: Yes. Interesting. And I can't tell you why, but it is 100% heavier than my other Retro 51. It's also thicker. So, I'm assuming it's something to do with the material. Now, this is not being sold as a big shot, but I think it kind of sits somewhere in between the regular Tornado and the big shots.

Brad Dowdy: Interesting. I didn't, I would not have thought that, but I guess now that you say it, it makes sense.

Myke Hurley: I guess it's something to do with the material.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah, I guess they need some added depth to have the shell pieces, you know, stay on there properly and end up smooth and lacquering thickness. Oh, interesting.

Myke Hurley: So, yeah, it's a bit thicker. Yeah. So, I expect it's one of the reasons this is a more expensive pen because it seems like they've kind of created something a little bit different for this one. But, I mean, you know, every now and then you come across a pen that can't be photographed. This is one of them. This is absolutely stunning. The rose gold was the perfect choice. It just does a great job of accenting everything. And, you know, just when the light hits that barrel, my word, some of the colors that come off of this thing, it's what you would expect, right? It's anything that has that rotten mother of pearl, like, look to it. But it's just a wonderful pen. I'm a huge fan of it.

Brad Dowdy: So, it's really great. Awesome. Awesome. I want to try it out when I see you. Make sure you bring that when you head back over to the States in October for our trip, which I'm sure we'll talk about more. We'll talk about more down the line. The next pen I wanted to talk about, we've actually conversed about before. And I bring it up because, one, it's now hitting wider release, and that's the Kaweco AL Sport Knight. Limited edition.

Myke Hurley: The Batman pen.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. The completely blacked out sport. And it was on Most Wanted pens, which is essentially the Kaweco Labs, is pretty much what I call it. That's where they end up testing things out, new products. And it had to be on there, what, six months ago? I didn't look back when we talked about it, but we definitely did. It was a while ago. That's also where we saw the Apple Pencil Sleeve, right? That's where we saw it at first. So the Kaweco Labs has now decided that this is a go, and it's hitting the market to all your favorite Kaweco retailers and things like that. So I just wanted to throw that out there for people who are interested in it. I'll put my word out of it. I'm going to pass on this one, Myke. It looks like a Brad pen. I just don't think I would use it more than some of the other ones I have. And that's kind of, you know, like one of the main buying, you know, tenants that I live by is I'm not going to spend the money if I'm not going to use it. And I don't think I would use this more than some of the other sports that I have. Like I like the stainless steel a lot better, you know, just in style. Also, I have a little bit of trouble with black coated nibs. I tend not to like them as much. I don't know why. I don't know if that's just like some, you know, placebo effect thing, right, where I'm just making it up in my head. But I tend to not enjoy the performance of the black coated nibs. And like I said, that could just be me making something up, but not going to buy it. It looks awesome, though. It's super cool looking. And it'll obviously do really, really well. So I just wanted to bring that up because I think a lot of people were probably looking for it outside of ordering it from Most Wanted. And you can see Myke Dudek did order it from Most Wanted. That's a totally a Dudek pen, so he has a good review on it over there. On the other side of the ledger, Myke, something I'm absolutely buying is the new CW Pencil Enterprises baseball scoring pencil.

Brad Dowdy: What makes a pencil a baseball scoring pencil, by the way? That it writes. Yeah, that it has lead. You don't really need a lot to make a great baseball scoring pencil. Because, honestly, anytime I've scored a baseball game outside of my house, I have scored some in the comfort of my couch. But in person, it's usually just like a sweaty, gritty, dirty fest on your notebook. So the pencil doesn't really matter. But I don't know if you remember back when, I don't know, March or April, when baseball season started, we heard from Caroline that they were the official scoring pencil of the New York Yankees. And it just totally blew our mind, right? Like, we thought this was the coolest thing ever. They had an ad on the Yankees radio broadcast. And, you know, baseball scoring has that nostalgia that we all love with our analog tools. So this is one of those things. So they've worked with General Pencil Company, designed a scoring pencil. And, you know, it's baseball-themed, white barrel, you know, red imprints. And it looks like the little stitching and the box design is really cool. So, yeah, this is, like, baseball season is almost over. So I'm sure they're aware of that. They probably had some. I think this was, like, one of the holdups in getting their latest pencil boxes out, the subscription boxes. So I think it's been running a little bit behind. But it doesn't matter. Their baseball scoring pencils will last you a lifetime. You know, you can always get those. I think it'll be a really fun Christmas gift. And I'm not going to order them. I went yesterday to order them. And I was like, oh, we're going to be there in, like, a month, month and a half. So I'll just wait. I'll just pick mine up when I go there. So that'll be something cool to buy when they show up at CW Pencils.

Myke Hurley: I adore the box design.

Brad Dowdy: They did such a good job.

Myke Hurley: I am, like, absolutely in love with the box design. It is superb. I love it. It's wonderful. Really, really great.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah, it's got all the classic shapes and colors that you normally see. And, like, it's like a traditional baseball ticket. Like, you can see, like, a sporting event ticket is kind of how the general design of it is. And it's exceptional. I mean, it's just really nice. Like, great job by Caroline. And she was teasing in one of the emails or blog posts or tweets or something that they have a lot more collaborations coming up for the holiday. So I can't wait to see what they have in store. Hopefully they'll have them in store when we show up there. They won't have, Myke, the Montblanc M Red Special Edition. Now, I normally wouldn't put this in there, but I found a couple things interesting. One, that this pen still exists in the world.

Myke Hurley: It's so beautiful, though. That's why.

Brad Dowdy: It's stunning. It obviously does really well because it's stunning. And it's at a price point for Montblanc that is much lower than their normal, like, core lineup of fountain pens, like the 149. You know, it's probably, like, half the price of that. So it's a great price point for them. And it's a unique design. I adore the design. I love it.

Charity Focus Shift

Brad Dowdy: I don't need the red one. I'm still on the fence about getting the black one in the rollerball. Like, I still kind of want that. I haven't been able to, like, pull the trigger on the price of that. It'd be, like, three something. You know, maybe I can find one cheaper. But I think the design is exceptional. It's not completely functional like the cap has posting. You know, the cap doesn't post on the back, which it looks like it should. But I bring this up because I found an interesting statement in the description of this product. So it talks about the design by Mark Newsome. And, you know, that the Mont Blanc M Red is, like, the special edition. And, Myke, hold on to your seat. They're going to donate €5 from each pen to the Global Fund to fight AIDS. Oh, my God. €5.

Myke Hurley: €5. €5. €5.

Brad Dowdy: For each €430 pen.

Myke Hurley: Don't tell people how much you're going to give if it's €5. Where did you find that? Because I don't see it on the page. Is it in, like, the video or something? It's at the end. Under the video.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. So I don't know. Yeah.

Myke Hurley: For each purchase, €5 will be donated.

Brad Dowdy: I mean, I'm, you know, I appreciate charity. I'm a big charity giver. I donate a lot to charity. And, like, I'm glad that Mont Blanc is, you know, doing this and donating to charity.

Myke Hurley: The red line of products doesn't just give money. It also raises awareness, which is awesome. Right. But $5. Don't tell people how much it's going to be if it's such a small amount.

Brad Dowdy: Well, especially if you're Mont Blanc, right? Yes. Like, you know, if you're Ticonderoga and you're selling a 12-pack of pencils and you're going to, for $12 and $2 is going to go to the global fund, that's awesome. That's amazing.

Myke Hurley: It needs to be a significant percentage. Right?

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. This falls way flat on it. Anyway, I don't want to. I just don't. That was just one of those things that caught me, like, a little off guard because I was like, wait, did they typo something?

Myke Hurley: Was there a typo? So close, right? Like, so close. So close, Mont Blanc. But yet, so far.

Brad Dowdy: Oh, well. Not a big deal. But I thought that was interesting, to say the least.

Myke Hurley: Oh, God. All right.

Product Discussion Shift

Brad Dowdy: I want to flip the script. All right. Let's stop. We're going to stop talking about products so I can talk about more products, Myke. Except this product is one that's causing me a problem, and it's my notebook situation. Okay. So I've talked about notebook storage as one of the general frustrations that I have. That's not what I want to talk about today. I want to talk about half-used, partially-used notebooks, notebooks that I've reviewed that have filled my desk into a point where I don't want to open the desk drawer where they're stored anymore. So this past weekend, I declared notebook bankruptcy at my desk, ripped every partially-used notebook out of there because I was completely tired of looking at them. Like, I have all these notebooks there with these grand plans of, well, after I review them, I obviously enjoy them, and I want to keep using them because I don't want to be wasteful. And they're nice paper and nice to use and a cool style and things that I like. And then it goes into the stash, and then the stash keeps growing every week because there's another notebook. And at some point, I just, like, I hated opening the drawer. I'd open the drawer, look at this stack of notebooks. There's probably about 15 notebooks. And I'd just shake my head, and I'd shut the drawer back. And I'd go, I'd just been using, like, one notebook, you know, during this time for the most part. And it's been a super frustrating thing. So I said, screw it, and emptied the drawer. I saved one notebook out of that whole thing that I use regularly.

Myke Hurley: So what kind of notebooks were in the drawer? Were they stuff that had been sent to you, stuff you'd bought, or was it just a complete mix of everything?

Brad Dowdy: Both, both. Stuff that had been, I'd say majority stuff that had been sent to me, some stuff that I bought, all of it was either used for reviews, like paper testing for, like, inks and different pens. So testing on different papers. So a lot of them just have, like, test pages done.

Brad Dowdy: And, you know, then they weren't getting used otherwise. And I've, like, I know this is, like, a woe is me problem. And this is a very, like, specific and privileged problem that I have. But it's, like, I just wanted to light it on fire. Like, I just wanted them to go because they were making me mad. And I don't know what to do with them. So I thought about this a little bit. Like, I don't know that this is, this is obviously not an issue. It's, like, this is, like, the worst first world problem. But it was bugging me. So I figured out, I cleaned them all out. I saved one notebook that, out of that entire stack that I actually do use regularly. And just for the record, it's the CW pencils, the little flap jotter that they used, like a checklist pad that they used, that they made it with right notepads. It's a really nice pencil notebook. So I use it a lot. Everything else is gone. And I decided that I'm going to go through those notebooks. I'm going to find anything interesting in them. I'm going to cut it out or tear it out, put them in my visual journal that I've been building. Like, anything that I want to keep that I found interesting that I want to keep, I can tear it out and tape it in my visual journal. And then I'm going to take the rest of those notebooks and I'm going to essentially cut them all to where they're just loose sheets and have, like, a stack of paper. Right? That way, I don't have to commit to the full notebook. I'll just can grab a sheet of something if I want to goof off or if I want to try something or I want to test something where I don't have to commit to the whole notebook. Side topic, and this is, and we'll talk about this later, I think this is why I like index cards so much. Right? Because they're that stack of sheets of paper that you don't have to commit to. So I clearly have commitment problems. So that doesn't solve the collection of this group of notebooks in my desk. Yep. Because it's going to happen again starting tomorrow, you know, theoretically, right?

Myke Hurley: Yeah, you're only going to get more stuff in the mail.

Brad Dowdy: Right. So I don't know how to solve that. I don't know if I'm going about it the right way. I don't know if I'm just being a whiny head, which I'd say that's highly likely.

Brad Dowdy: From my personal use, I've only been using two notebooks. Like, I use the Nock notebook, the pocket notebook. That's my favorite. And then I use the Apica CD notebook that I've used for a long time. That's a hardcover A5. And then the Nock is the 3x5 pocket notebook. So, like, I'm trying to stick to that. And this is leading into something we're going to talk about later this year when we're talking about our plans for 2019. I'm going to try to stick to, like, those two things. Like, it doesn't have to be those two specific things, but, like, one pocket notebook, one desk notebook. I still have to review stuff. What am I going to do with the partially used notebooks? And if anyone has any suggestions, I kind of like my ideas, and I want to hear more because I've just kind of thought about, like, I can't just stick a notebook that has three pages used in the closet to collect dust or, heaven forbid, throw it away. But I think if I destroy them a little bit more, I will actually use them more, if that makes sense. I don't know. That's the way my brain's thinking right now. Do you have any thoughts?

Myke Hurley: So you're trying to turn them into, like, tactile things? Right. You're more likely to use it.

Brad Dowdy: Right. So, like, I could actually use, say, I take a Write Notepads book and a Rhodia book, and these are all small page notebooks, small, thin, like, pocket-sized, or smaller than A5-style notebooks. Take them out, like, cut them in half and have individual loose sheets, basically sheets of index cards, if you will, and then just have that stack of paper for things I want to use. And that way, it's kind of mixed up. I get the pleasure of using something different, because there'll be lots of different papers in this stack. And I would also be using it on top of that, even though I wouldn't be using it in the traditional sense as a singular entity. Right? So, I don't know. Interesting. I'm having trouble with it.

Myke Hurley: Yeah, I wish I had an answer for you, because I have, like, two huge drawers full of notebooks that I just know I'm never going to use them. And at some point, I need to do something about it.

Brad Dowdy: Right. I actually just shipped off some notebooks to a friend. You know, like, I need to do that more.

Myke Hurley: I've done some of that, too.

Brad Dowdy: The unused stuff, I'm okay with, because I'll just, you know, find a use for it or give it away. Like, I'm actually okay with stacks of unused stuff. I'll figure out something with that. Well... It's the partially used stuff that's kicking my butt.

Myke Hurley: Something you could do. I mean, this is really just inefficient. But, like, if you have a book that, you know, you want to give away or whatever, like, you know, you're not going to want it. You want to give it away. What you're using it, you could just make that dedicated to the person that you're giving it to. So, when they receive it, you don't have to cut it out or whatever. Like, it just arrives and it's just got that in there and it's for them. Right.

Brad Dowdy: Right.

Myke Hurley: But that's super artisanal.

Brad Dowdy: Super artisanal. You know me. Anyway, this is, like, this is, like, the epitome of the first world stationary problems. Like, you know, a lot of this stuff, you know, I got for free or, you know, just used. And I don't know. I guess I have some guilt on seeing unused notebooks that have been started. You know? Like, I'm totally cool with unused notebooks that are brand new and still packaged or never been touched. I can deal with that. But it's the partials that are just driving me bonkers at my desk recently. So, my desk is a mess again. I get so frustrated.

Myke Hurley: Yeah, I understand.

Myke Hurley: Take a break. Yes. Today's show is brought to you by Squarespace. Make your next move with Squarespace because they will let you easily create a website for your next idea or project. You can grab a unique domain name, take advantage of award-winning templates, and be safe in the knowledge that there's 24-7 customer support in case you need it. Whether you want to create an online store, a portfolio, a site for your business, a site for your restaurant, a site for your band, maybe something for an upcoming event like a wedding, or you just want to create a blog. It doesn't matter what type of website you want to make. Squarespace have the tools to help you do it. It's an all-in-one platform. Everything's drag-and-drop and wonderfully customizable, and there's nothing to install or patch or upgrade. They take care of all of that stuff, so you don't have to. You can sign up for a trial today. Just go to squarespace.com slash penaddict, and you can play around with everything there, which is super simple to do. And their plans start at just $12 a month when you decide you want to sign up. So just go to squarespace.com slash penaddict and use the offer code penaddict to check out. This will get you 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain and show you support for this show. Once more, that's squarespace.com slash penaddict and the code penaddict for 10% off your first purchase. We thank Squarespace for their continued support of this show. Squarespace, make your next move, make your next website.

Brad Dowdy: Did you know on the Squarespace commerce platform you can schedule a launch of a product? Didn't know that. Yep, so we do that at Nock, and we have the Hightower back in stock, the Coffee and Violet Hightower. And tomorrow, I think tomorrow, say for example, say maybe tomorrow, if I wanted to launch it at 10 a.m., I can build out my product, have it inventoried and skewed and photographed and everything set up, and click the button and say, at 10 o'clock, make this product live. So that's pretty cool. Hashtag features. Shout out before we get to the other hashtag we do, hashtag Ask TPA. Got a shout out to the Melbourne Pen Show. So we shout them out every year. They always do such a good job. And they are having the site be slow coming up. There it is.

Myke Hurley: So the Malvin Town Hall in Glen Ferry Road, Malvin, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the 25th of November 2018. The admission is $10, but it's free for students under 18.

Brad Dowdy: So they have lots of pictures from last year's show. It looks like a fun event. I have always gotten some really good stories from people emailing me that they've attended the show. And I know some of my Australian friends will post on their blogs about going to the show. So yeah, if you are in the area, which you should be. I mean, it's Australia. Who doesn't want to be in the area? So head to Melbourne on November 25th, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Be there.

Myke Hurley: Come on, Melbourne. Fly us out.

Brad Dowdy: That's right. We're there. Let me check my calendar. All right. We have some digital STPA, Myke, in that we received them on the Twitter machine. But after these, we have the special edition of P.O. Box Handwritten Letter STPA. So let's see what the digital version has for us first. Shawnee B. Good asks, hypothetical, Montegrappa has called you up and asked you to help design a pen. Your name will not be associated with the pen. And that's a key point, Myke. What kind of insanity do you make? You go first because I still don't have an answer for this. I've been thinking about this since yesterday.

Topic Change - Gaming PCs

Myke Hurley: I've been into building gaming PCs. I built a gaming PC. I'm into gaming PCs now. One of the main features of a gaming PC, it seems, is LEDs. RGB LEDs. I would want to make a pen that lights up and flashes and changes colors and stuff like that. And I feel like Montegrappa will be the company that would allow me to do that. Yeah.

Brad Dowdy: I could see that happen. I mean, Montegrappa, like some of the pens that I've handled from them in the past year or two, and like there's a particular one that they have not shown yet that I've seen and several other people have seen. It's like I don't know how it can get crazier than what they've done. Like I say, I want to do something like very colorful and wild, but like they did the rainbow pen like a year ago or two years ago. That was just stunning.

Brad Dowdy: I'm having like a huge, huge problem with this. Like I would probably do something maybe like sneaker-wise, you know, just something wild like on the, you know, for the sneaker heads and have everything from like the fabric materials from different types of fabric and leather to laces and rubber soles. And it would just be this, you know, this ridiculous looking sneaker, sneaker pimp shoe, a pen that, I don't know, they could probably pull something off like that pretty well.

Myke Hurley: You may have just found Gen X Retro 51s, is that?

Brad Dowdy: We could do that. We could do that. All right, Curtis Davis Esquire says, can you talk about the 1911 standard versus the Pro Gear Slim and how the size compares? I love my 1911 large, but think the Pro Gear Slim is too small. I'm trying to decide if the 1911 standard may be too small as well.

Brad Dowdy: It's pretty much the, so the Pro Gear Slim and the 1911 standard are generally the same size, like in the section and barrel.

Myke Hurley: They're next to each other right now. And they are, so if you line up like the strip around the cap, right, that has the Sailor logo on, it's kind of funny that they're exactly the same, like everything is exactly the same, all the markings are in the same place. The literal only difference is like the cone on the 911, that cone shape, the finial on each end, right? It's just a little bit larger, but they are about as thick as each other. Like if your problem is thickness, that's going to be, you're not going to like it, right? Because they're the same thickness. And honestly, the size difference, you wouldn't notice it.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah, and the same goes for the larger size, right? I don't, they've confused it by naming, they've confused it by naming them this way. But the regular Pro Gear, which is the large and the 1911 large are also generally the same size, right? They use the same size nib, same size section, same barrel diameter, have different ends, you know, flat finials instead of rounded cone finials, you know? So if the Pro Gear Slim is too small, the 1911 standard is probably going to be too small. I actually, I'm shocked to hear myself say this. I think I like the 1911 standard more, maybe because it gives you that illusion of length, even though I own more Pro Gear slims than I do 1911 standards.

Myke Hurley: I was surprised how much I enjoyed the 1911 standard. Yep, same here. Because in general, I find the Pro Gears to be more visually attractive than the 1911. I tend not to like the shape, but I have the tangerine because, like, come on, the color, right? But it's a very comfortable pin to hold. And I think it's, like, part of the reason I like the Pro Gear Slim so much now, I think, is because I like my 1911 so much, right? So, that, I would say, they're small, right? Like, they are small. Yes. But they're not tiny, you know? But this is a difficult one. I think you would need to try it, I think, if you're really concerned about it.

Tangerine Pen Discussion

Brad Dowdy: There's a pretty big difference between the two size pins. So, yeah. But you and I are on the same page that, for some reason, getting that tangerine one in our hands kind of changed our perspective a little bit on those two products. All right, Myke, you ready for this? You don't have the notes because these are physical paper, ass TPA. And I'm going to go ahead and apologize in advance. I've had these for a while. Some of these, there's one from June, one from July, and one from August. So, I picked out some of the letters. This first one is the most recent one. It's from Alex in the Netherlands. And it is one, two, three pages long. I'm not going to read the entirety of it, but I'm going to read the meat and potatoes, Myke, because he did his own draft. So, he's heard our drafts about school supplies, and the office supplies is what got him to write this letter because he's a consultant. So, he needs a traveling desk kit, right? So, he was very confused at us for enjoying a stapler that he would never take around from office to office. As he consults, he's like, I would never pick a stapler. So, let me tell you some of the things that I would use. And number one is the bag he uses it in is the Lihit Lab Teffa Bag & Bag A4. Like, we talk about that all the time, right? Like, that's kind of the go-to bag for a lot of stationary people who are not stationary. See what I did there?

Myke Hurley: Nice, nice. Very clever.

Brad Dowdy: First one is the Rhodia A4 notebook. Yep. It's perfect, right? I mean, that's his number one draft pick. The Rhodia A4 fits in the bag. Great paper. Awesome paper and top bound, which I find hugely important in office spaces. Like, any type of office or desk space, I want top bound.

Myke Hurley: You've got to maximize the space you've got available to you.

Brad Dowdy: Yep, yep. So, and he says it's also good as an improvised coffee cup carrying tray. So, that's an added feature. Number two, and this is why I love Alex so much, index cards.

Myke Hurley: Hmm. I can't believe you didn't pick those now.

Brad Dowdy: Well, that's what I was talking about when I was talking about, like, cutting up the paper and, like, all these things. Like, this is how I use things. I'm actually going to read this section because it's actually even more than an index card. A few years ago, I ordered a handheld embosser with my personal logo, which is this rad fox looking thing. So, then I used blank index cards embossed with my logo for leaving notes for my colleagues. I added one to this letter, so I have an index card in here with the logo embossed on here. It's so good. The index cards stand out while remaining subtle, and all the secretaries on my floor know it's mine immediately when I leave a query or request on one. Some of them give me priority because they're so cool. They're fancy.

Brad Dowdy: In my book, that is $27 well spent on an embosser. So, yeah, he has this blank index card and this fox embossed on it. It looks killer on both sides. So, genius, genius move. Item number three, pen roll with fountain pens. He actually links to a fountain pen roll that I have not looked up yet. It's a Dutch pen roll from a Dutch company called Vos Crafts. So, I'll have to look that one up. But he needs all of his favorite pens and a range of fountain pens. You know, one serious pen with the blue-black ink, other fun pens with bright inks, and things like that. Number four is a few greeting cards and stamps. Since he's consulting and traveling around, he's always writing thank you notes. He does that during the downtime, and notes go a long way. They really do. And thank you for sending this mail to me. Number five is actually the most genius item for someone in his situation. A working whiteboard marker. How many times are you in your office looking for a whiteboard marker? Not just a physical marker, but one that actually works because they seem to either be stolen or out of ink or smashed, dried out. So, he always brings around a working whiteboard marker for a consultant. I imagine that's a key. So, wonderful draft there from Alex. I learned a lot. Alex is my spirit animal, just like the fox on his embossed index card.

Myke Hurley: I think we've both been out of the office environment for too long.

Listener Mail Begins

Brad Dowdy: I know. I know. So, he's set us straight. All right. That's letter number one of three. Number two. Let me bring this out. This one blew my mind. All right. When I got to the end of it. So, this is from David. David's in Saskatchewan. Says, greetings from Saskatchewan. It was neat to hear you mention our fine province on the podcast. It made you guys feel not so far away. So, this is a two full page written letter. Very long. And I'm going to cut right into the meat and potatoes here. Here's my real question. Do you know of any good resources for writing with quill pens? Oh my. I have found a couple of videos on how to cut a quill. However, they seem to always focus on cutting the quill for broad edge calligraphy. Or only quickly give the way to cut one but nothing else. What I'd really be interested in are tips for cutting different nib types. How to adjust flexibility. How to recut. Or other practical guidance. So, I'm bringing this up because I don't know. You know. Please, you're not asking me. Yeah. No. I have no idea. But this is a great question for the listeners. Has anyone experimented with this? I know in the past we've gotten. We've received bamboo cut pens before. Yeah. I don't have any traditional quill pens. So, I have never considered writing with one, David, because David asks. So, I'm looking at this letter, right? And it's beautifully written, cursive, nice, neat. Looks like, you know, a fine nib. And I get over to the end of this page, written with Lamy Turquoise ink using a Canada Goose quill. Damn. Like, the handwriting he has on this is as good as anyone's regular cursive writing that you'll ever see. It's exceptional. I'll send a picture of this. I don't want to post it on the internets necessarily. But maybe I can get part of it out. It doesn't, under no circumstances, what I thought this letter was written with a quill. So, any quill writers out there, I want to hear from you. So, let me know what your tips and tricks are, especially if you're doing traditional writing, not calligraphy or, you know, some really out there types of letter shapes and things like that. Just for traditional writing. So, things like that. All right, Myke. This last letter, I can't believe I just opened. Because I've had it since the 26th of June. And I want to apologize to Ari, who is a nine-year-old listener of the show, Myke.

Myke Hurley: Oh, Brad. What have you done?

Brad Dowdy: Oh, no. Wrote us a letter in pencil. It says, to Pen Addict. It says, hi, Pen Addict. I am Ari, and I'm nine years old. I was wondering if you, Myke and Brad, can answer my question, which is, if you ordered an expensive $1,000 fountain pen and it got delivered and you opened the package and it was all messed up, would you be triggered? Yes.

Brad Dowdy: Thank you for your time. Yes, I would be. Thank you for your time. Bye. And he spells, he made a point to spell bye, B-A-I, and then there's a little arrow drawn to it. This is how I like saying bye. So, bye, B-A-I, from Artie. And then he has a drawing. I'm guessing it himself. It's like a little face guy, like a little winky guy. It says, Pen Addict and pens rule. You're so right. Ari, what an amazing. Letter. I can't believe I didn't open this earlier. And what was your answer on this? Would you be triggered or very mad, Myke? I would be triggered. Yeah, I would. That would trigger me.

Brad Dowdy: I would be upset, Ari. I would definitely be upset. If I, let's go through this. If I ordered an Akia, because if I'm spending that kind of money, let's just be honest, that's what I'm buying. I'm not buying the Monograppa Chaos Pen. Let's say I buy an Akia and it costs like $1,200.

Myke Hurley: Because if the Chaos Pen arrived, how would you know it was going to be messed up?

Brad Dowdy: If I arrived, if that pen arrived and something happened in transit, I would be very upset. Like my face would probably turn red and I would start pacing and I'd be going, oh my gosh, this was like a one of a kind type of pen, even though I know it's not. But I would feel that way because it would be that important to me. I would be very upset. All right. So I hope this does not happen to me or Myke or you in the future because you're going to be an awesome pen addict when you're going to get older. So when you, we're going to be doing this podcast, you know, 10 or 20 years from now. I want you, when you buy your first $1,000 pen, because I know it's going to happen and it gets delivered and it turns out beautifully. I want you to write me a letter with that pen and say, hey, I did it and it came in awesome and I wasn't triggered. So thank you, Ari. I'm so glad you listened to the show. You can write me anytime and I promise I'll read them more frequently than two months from when you send it. So thank you, Ari. I appreciate it.

Myke Hurley: I'm so sorry. I'm very sorry it took so long.

Brad Dowdy: Mm-hmm. Thank you.

Myke Hurley: Your question was awesome though.

Brad Dowdy: The question was awesome and just a beautiful letter. Thank you so much. I'm just excited. So very cool. That's it, Myke. That was all the STPA mail. You can send it to me at P.O. Box 343, Bolingbroke, Georgia, something, something zip code. Excellent work. It's on my contact page. Oh, look, I have it right here. 3-1-0-0-4.

Myke Hurley: All right. Do you want to give that address one more go in its entirety?

Brad Dowdy: The Pen Addict, P.O. Box 343, Bolingbroke, B-O-L-I-N-G. B-O-L-O-K-E, Georgia, 3-1-0-0-4.

Myke Hurley: Good work. If you want to find that and much more, you can go to penaddict.com and you can find all Brad's work there. You've still got to go. You've got to go to twitch.tv, slash penaddict, and hit that follow button so you'll know when Brad is streaming live. You got any streams planned this week?

Brad Dowdy: Probably Thursday. We'll get something spun up for tomorrow, so I don't have the details yet, but we'll figure it out. I got a writing box to talk about, so we'll probably load up the Galen Leather writing box. It's fancy.

Myke Hurley: Brad is on Twitter. He's at Dowdyism, and he's a penaddict on Instagram. I would like you to follow me on Instagram. I'm trying to use Instagram more. So if you want to see what I'm doing there, I'm I-M-I-K-E. My wife has noticed that. Oh, yeah?

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. Okay. Myke's on again.

Brad Dowdy: Just kidding.

Myke Hurley: Oh, God. That's incredible. All right. Thanks for listening. Thanks to Squarespace and Harry's for the support of the show. We'll be back next time. Until then, say goodbye, Brad. Goodbye, Brad.