Editing The Pen Addict 613/transcript (section)

== Discussion on retirement and lifestyle aspirations ==


'''Myke Hurley:''' You know what, Brad? Retirement sounds pretty great. It does. You know what I mean? Like, it sounds like he's just sitting there. Like, he basically, he's just reading the New York Times every day. He's drawing on it and then mailing it to people or whatever. Like, man, sounds great. I mean, that's life goals. I'm going to be really annoying in my retirement. Oh, man. This is me.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' It's life goals right here. Yeah. Okay. So, we have determined his use case. He's having a problem with the flare. I mean, if he's having this much problem with this many flares, I lean towards the pen, not the newsprint. Right? If it's like something's changed, maybe. But I don't know. So, Wirecutter is trying to fix it, right? It's like, well, can we get Ralph Nader into a better pen that suits his needs? As you already know by the title, the answer is no. The answer is no, we cannot satisfy Ralph Nader's needs. But I immediately, before even looking at what they tested, I assumed they went to fineliner type pens. Like, your Secure Pigma Microns and the Sharpie pen were the first two that jumped to mine. And then what I would have picked are the plastic tip pens that have the same type of ink and the same type of laying ink down on the page. They're kind of those white tip pens. I just call them plastic tip pens. I really think that's what they are. They have that white tip and then whatever color the ink is, that's the color of the tip.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah, I mean, they're plastic. I mean, they call them like fibers, right? But it's like a hard, it's plastic. Yeah.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. So, that's what actually I thought would be the best. And it turns out one of the pens that they suggested, which we're going to go through them here all in a second, turned out to be his second favorite choice was that style of pen. But that's all I could think about up front is like it has to be like that style of pen, not one of these fineliners or really felt tip pens, right? Just because of the absorbency issues you do when you hit the newsprint. So, Wirecutter in the past, and I've worked with one of the authors in here in the past, Melanie and I exchange emails from time to time when they go to update their articles. So, they have done some specific articles where they talk about fineliners. And, you know, they like the Copic Multiliner SP, which you love and I love. The Sharpie pen, which I love. Secure Pigment Micron, that's in here. The plastic tip pen that they chose was the Amazon Basics. And another way to describe these types of pens is a sign pen. A lot of people call this plastic tip a sign pen. Because the Pentel sign back in the 70s was a very popular pen. Even though they had two different tip styles you could get. But they had this look and style of this white plastic tip with like a black ink on there. So, they sent him these to test them all. He gave his feedback on each of them. His favorite, even though it was worse than the flare, was this plastic tip Amazon Basics. So, I use that type of pen reasonably frequently. It's a great writing pen. I do tend to just go for the straight up felt tip looking fineliners like a Secure Pigment Micron. But Secure has a pen. I would like to see him get in his hands. It's the, they actually call it the PN. So, it's the Secure Pigment Micron PN. Which, that's a whole set of problems on its own for this podcast. Especially with one of the other pens that I'm going to be discussing here momentarily. But it's the Micron's plastic tip version, right? So, you take this more classic, you know, arrowhead shape tip instead of the felt tip of the Micron. And they're really, really good. Another one I would try out is the Uni Emote. Which is newer to the lineup. And they have this plastic tip. I have tested and reviewed these. I love them. I think they're fantastic. Like, I have a whole set of these pens. This might be a pretty decent option as a flare replacement. They're a little bit expensive. Like, that's the challenge with this. Like, if you're going to ruin this pen quickly. Like, $2.50 a pop is a big ask. As opposed to buying a dozen flares, right? That's also the balance that you have to look at here. Same thing with the Micron I just mentioned. And then, like, related, we just did... Jeff just did a Uni Pin Pin review on the blog that was just published this morning before the show. Just coincidence. But that might be... That's... How do I say this? It's one of my least favorite fineliners. It doesn't mean it's a bad pen. But compared to the Micron and the Copic and Statler pigment liner, like, it's worse because it's a little bit wetter, which might make it good for this use case of writing on newsprint. And I did look in the post, the Wirecutter post. Did they test this stuff on newsprint? They did. So, I was looking for some validation there. Well, Nader was, I'm sure, right? Nader was, for sure.

'''Myke Hurley:''' If anybody wasn't, he was. I mean, and they show each pen with a newspaper, right? Just quite nice photography, as they always do.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, like, he pretty much shot down everything. He said, nah, the Amazon Basics one's closed, but nothing compares to the flares. So, yeah, I think at this point, they should just send Ralph Nader. They should just send him some of the scented flares just for fun. Like, I think Paper Mate should send him a big box of those. Like, they have, like, brunch flavors and fruit flavors and stuff. Some of the worst smelling stuff I've ever seen, but I'd like to see that on the newsprint there for Mr. Nader. But, no, I would try the Uni Emote plastic tip pens and see how that goes. They might be a little dry for that because they have a finer tip, but they might last longer and perform better. And they might get the job done in a different way than the flare because they'd be, like, half the line width, I'm guessing, if not more, right? So, they won't be marker-esque. But the type of ink will absorb and it should write on the newsprint very, very well. So, it's good stuff. So, I love digging into this. Thank you to everyone who sent in this article. I could spend an entire show just going through, like, my own tests of this. And then, like, one of the big, one of the big, they actually tested this on one of the papers. It's like, yeah, why not pencil? Because, like, that's always going to work on newsprint. But, you know, I mean, if Ralph Nader likes his purple flares, let's find him a purple flare, man. You got to respect the purple flare.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Obviously, we deal with this kind of stuff a lot, right? And I've been thinking a lot about and talking a lot about product reviews, like, as a thing recently. And it's so interesting to read through this article. And you see that, like, many times, like, I think it's Anne-Marie is the writer, but she references Melanie, who you've spoken to. It was Melanie Panola, who also did a lot of the testing for the pen articles that they've done. And they talk about the fact that, like, in their best pen stuff, they just disregard the flare, right? Like, it was, they hated it. Not hated it, but they disliked it so much, they didn't even think it was worth putting in. And it's like, well, okay, so we're starting from a reverse here, right? Where, like, where Nader wants what you think is the worst product, and, like, how do we readjust, you know? And, like, how they said, like, the one that he liked the most was the one that they say, quote, they dismissed, placing it in the competition section, which is the Amazon Basics felt-tip marker pen. And it's just so interesting, right, where it's, like, for, one of the things that I've been thinking about a lot is, like, when it comes to reviews, you kind of have to find people you trust and then judge against them, right? Mm-hmm. You know, like, because you just, you kind of, like, set them as a barometer and go against it. And, like, this is just one of those perfect examples to me where, really, what the Wirecutter probably has to do to try and help Nader is, like, let's find what we think are the worst possible pens. And that needs to be your starting point, because he is working at the complete opposite to them. Yeah. So, I find that kind of stuff interesting.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. Super fair. And not that, like, anyone needs, like, my validation or, you know, my thoughts on what Wirecutter thinks, but their, all the points they make and their rankings of these pens, I agree with 100%. Yeah, me too. Like, across the board.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Like, the ones that they suggest, like, Secura, Pigma, Micron, the Copic, Multiliner, to me, these are the best pens in this category that you can buy. But this is not what Ralph Nader wants for his own purposes, right? And so, it's just, like, super interesting to be, like, no, he wants the different, he wants not what you want. I love it. It's great.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. He just generally needs to go to just, like, a straight-up, like, fine-tip marker. Like, not the flare, just find, like, whatever type of marker type pen. Yeah. Like, and get it in a fine-tip and just go to town on those, so.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Did they try the Sharpie? They did, didn't they?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' They did. The pen, yes. The P-E-N. Yeah.

'''Myke Hurley:''' But maybe he just needs, like, a really thin Sharpie, because they make those, too, don't they?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' The problem with that one is it's alcohol-based, and that will just eat up the newspaper. Like, it'll just spread instantly. You just need a regular, like, cheap marker. Like, if you were doing, like, adult coloring, that type of marker. You know what? Like, a Stabilo 0.88. Like, those would probably be, like, really good, right? Just, they might be a little fine. So, you know, anytime you can get, like, those 10 to 30 color marker sets, like, that fine line of, like, a finer coloring marker, but not a fine liner that has, like, a marker tip, that's probably going to do better than the flare. The flare is going to wear out pretty quick.

'''Myke Hurley:''' So, if Mr. Nader's assistants out there are listening, getting in touch, because Brad might have some more suggestions for you.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, maybe I can get him in touch with Uni.

'''Myke Hurley:''' You just, I just feel so sorry for the paper mate person that they spoke to. I really do. They're just like, we didn't change anything, man. I don't know what this guy wants. We didn't do it.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I mean, and let's be honest, like, the flare is a beloved pen. They're not putting technology dollars into the flare. No. Like, let's be honest. Like, I bet that it hasn't changed. Unless they've, like, cut something, like, which, you know, like, I wouldn't put past anybody these days. But, like, on the flare, like, what would you even cut? Like, the tip design's the same, the ink's the same, the barrel's the same.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah, they've had what, like, so many other companies have at different points where it's like, oh, well, there was a component, thinking about our friends at Lamy, a component that is not available anymore. So, we continue making the product, but it's different. But they said that didn't happen, so. Right. Very funny.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Take that, Nader.

'''Myke Hurley:''' This was fun. This was a fun article to read. Love it. I also, bravo to the Wirecutter, because this is just a great, this is just a good time article to put together. I want to see them do this more. Like, I think the Wirecutter should become part, like, I don't know if they do this, actually. Maybe they do this now more since they moved to the New York Times. But kind of like an advice column kind of thing for certain people. You know, like, you could write in and be like, I want this particular thing. Can you help me specifically? Right. Because I'm sure people write in and they're like, can you find us the right security camera? But it's like, what about the security camera for my specific needs? You know what I mean? Right, right. Good time.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' And what's great about this one for us, for this specific article for us, this is a super basic question. Yeah. Like, this is like the highest level of nerdery that the Wirecutter could post. Yeah. But like, this is like the most simple, straightforward question for me. Like, and I would love, I love talking about this stuff. So they do a good job at the thoroughness and depth. Because they, like, I only know in the case of like the stationery people, like, they reach out to a bunch of us, say, you know, they won't ask always for like our opinion on products. But they'll say, hey, what's new? What have we missed? What should we look at that we're not already looking at? Like, they take it seriously. So they do a good job.

'''Myke Hurley:''' They sure do. All right. This episode is brought to you in part by our friends over at Squarespace, the all-in-one website platform for entrepreneurs to stand out and succeed online. Whether you're just starting out or managing a growing brand, you can stand out with a beautiful website, engage with your audience and sell anything. Your products, services, even the content that you create, because Squarespace has got everything you need all in one place, all on your terms. Squarespace's blueprint AI and SEO tools make it so easy to get started. You can start a completely personalized website with their new guided design system, Squarespace Blueprint. You choose from professionally curated layout and styling options to build a unique online presence from the ground up, tailored to your brand or business and optimized for every device, and then easily launch your website and get discovered fast with integrated, optimized SEO tools so you show up more often to more people and grow the way you want. You can also integrate flexible payments to make checkouts seamless for your customers with simple but powerful payment tools. You can accept credit cards, PayPal and Apple Pay, and in eligible countries offer customers the option to buy now and pay later with Afterpay and Clearpay. With Squarespace, you're able to sell your content. Squarespace has the tools you need to sell exclusive content on your site by adding a paywall to select content or courses. You could even sell files your customers can download like PDF, music, or e-books. So it's not all about physical goods. You can have digital goods too. It's super easy with Squarespace. Everything is. I love Squarespace. I've been using them for so long. And I really recommend that you go and try it out. If you have a project that you're building for yourself or for a friend or you want to make a suggestion to someone, tell them to go to squarespace.com or you can and sign up for a free trial. In that trial, you can build your entire website. So you can play around with all of their tools, see how it works, get a feel for it, and have a great time building your website the way that you want. But then when you're ready to launch it, go to squarespace.com slash penaddict and you'll save yourself 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. That is squarespace.com slash penaddict when you decide to sign up to get 10% off your first purchase and show your support for the show. Our thanks to Squarespace for the continued support of this show and all of RelayFM.