Editing The Pen Addict 432/transcript (section)

== New Customers ==


'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yes. So this is an important distinction. These were new customers. Right. Buying their first expensive fountain pen. That was like $80. Like less. At the time, like the Bennu pens that they launched with were all under $100. That's been their price point, right? Like 60 to $80 has been their price point. Very loud, very unique, very eye-catching. So people who were buying their first fountain pens were drawn to them, right? Kind of like Kaweco, right? You know, different style of pen. Kaweco is a little bit more subtle. Some of the models are much cheaper, but the Kawecos are the same thing. Same with Lamy, right? It's kind of that entry-level pen that catches your eye. And then it falls into personal taste from there, right? Does this style fit me? You know, is this my aesthetic? Yeah. And at the time, I always felt the Bennu like colors were cool, but like, this isn't a pen for me, right? This is, you know, I don't want to say not serious enough, but like, it just didn't, it wasn't a fit for what I liked in a pen. But then they kept, you know, innovating and trying new shapes and they've come up with some really wild and, you know, pens that I, I just could never see myself using. But then they started mixing in a few newer designs that I was like, oh, okay, this is getting closer to something I want on my desk or I want to, I want to write with. And, you know, that was when the Scepter and the Grand Scepter came out there. These large twisting barrel pens, they're very, very large pens, but yeah, they're huge. But then they've ramped up their materials too, right? They've continued to push the idea of what a pen should look like. And these look like no other pens, right? They're just, they just don't. They're just glitter bombs and glow in the darks and hot pinks and purples and neon blacklight posters. Like these are the blacklight, blacklight poster pens of the, of the pen world. And now they've gotten to a point where they released the Euphoria, which I don't want to say is the most basic Bennu pen because nothing they make is basic, but this is the most traditionally shaped fountain pen of their releases. It's just a long, you know, standard fountain pen barrel, standard cap clip, you know, taper at the end, taper in the front with the Bennu wild colors. And I'm like, okay, this is it. So I, I've worked with Bennu for years. They've sent me tons of products over the years. They've sent me this, they sent me this pen for free that I reviewed and they've been really nice about giving giveaway products and I've always respected what they've done, but it's never been something that I wanted for myself, right? How do I justify this pen? Say, so this pen was $118. Like that's the high end, right? You can get up to like 128 if you went into the glow in the dark. So how do you justify this pen versus say a Pelican M205 or a Platinum 3776 that you get in that $80 to $120 price range? Now those Pelicans and Platinums aren't always that price, but you can find them in there. And I should throw in Pilot 2, the Pilot 91 and some of the other 74 you can find in that range. How do you justify a Bennu pen when those are its competition? And the answer is you don't, right? This is not a pen you're trying to say, hey, this is the epitome of technical German engineering in the Pelican M205, right? This is not the glorious, you know, high tech Japanese nib of the Platinum 3776. This is a pen that's designed to be fun, right? It's never going to compete on a technical specification with the companies that have been around for a hundred years that also have pens in the same price range. But my God, if I don't love using this pen and it can be that way, right? We can have these things. I'm never going to tell you that this pen is better than a Pelican M205. It's just not. But I might enjoy using this pen more because I pick it up and it makes me smile. And it's fun to use. It's fun to look at. And it kind of cracks me up like in the best way possible. Like what more do you want than a product that puts a smile on your face when you use it? And that's what Bennu pens is. And it took me a long time to figure that out, right? I was like, I kept wondering what I was missing. Yeah. You know, and this is never going to be the enthusiast pen, Myke. We're never going to be, you know, wondering about all the Bennu limited editions like we do the Sailor nibs. We're just not. That's not

'''Myke Hurley:''' what Bennu is. Not every company is built to be the same. Like what are the main, I mean, I know the answer, but like what are the main differences to explain it? Why aren't we going to be flipping out

'''Brad Dowdy:''' over every single release? Well, I think there is a limit as long as Bennu's making this style of pen that they're making, there's a limit to what the feel of the pen is going to be with the materials that they use, right? This is what I feel in my hand adds up to what the question they're currently asking me. It's like, hey, do you like this pen? Is it fun to use? And do you feel it's a fair price? And it's like, yeah. And I think there's a limit to that. Like, I don't know if there's a, you know, a $200 Bennu pen with a gold nib that is, at that point, you're asking me to answer a different question. And that's a more, you know, serious writing discussion to have and a more technical discussion to have. Like, this is a pen that you would see at, you know, at a shop and pick it up on a whim where a lot of its competition is maybe more research driven on why you're going to make this purchase. Where I feel like the Bennu pen is just, it's just, you kind of, it's all right in front of you. Kind of like you're getting what you're getting, you're getting these wild shapes. And, you know, is it the, you know, perfect materials and perfect nib and perfect section and all this? No. But is it awesome to use? Yes. And it's, it's hard to explain. Like, it's different than all of these, these pens I'm trying to compare it to. And like, I'm good with this one, right? I don't need another one. I'm thrilled with this one. Maybe there'll be one down the line that I'll want. But it's not designed to be that way, right? It's more than a starter pen. But I don't know that it's like the hardcore fountain pen user pen. It's, they're hard to place. Like, I don't know how to place them other than they sure as heck sell well. Like, they seem to do very well with their wild colors. People really enjoy them. And it's one of those pens where people accept it for what it is, right? They're not trying to be, you know, pretentious fountain pen snobbery. They're trying to be fun. And that's what I see when I see this pen. And I'm really thoroughly enjoying it. And, you know, sometimes you just have to take that and, you know, ignore all the comparisons to like, well, yeah, I can get gold nib Japanese pen X for cheaper than that. Well, yeah, sure. But that's not the conversation I'm trying to have with this pen. That's not what it's about. And it's better that way, in my mind. Like, it's just pure fun. And it's good. I enjoy it.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I mean, I was genuinely very surprised when I saw the price. How much did this pen cost? 118. I mean, like, that's why people like them. They look wild, right? So like, if you've seen people with these crazy acrylic pens, the stuff that we're talking about all the time, which is like multiple hundreds of dollars, and then you see one of these, and it's like, well, that's like a quarter of the price. And, you know, you can make your own decisions as to whether you think it's a quarter of the value or not. You know, for me personally, I think they look good. I actually think from my eye, I was surprised by the price, but I would have probably put it at maximum no more than $200 looking at the pen. Because when I look at the images, I can see like, the finishing on it is not to the standard that I'm used to with some of the pens that I have, right? Like, some of the design is not that great. I'm not a big fan of the logo and how large it is on the cuff. And neither would I, you know, like be super excited about a Schmidt fountain pen dip, which this pen has. But at that price, I mean, if you like the style, it's unbeatable, right?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Right, right.

'''Myke Hurley:''' It's such a fantastic price.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. So here's the thing. Like, if I put this, so the category, what, a couple months ago where I talked about the $150 to $200 fountain pens, you know, that grouping of pens that I really enjoy with the wild materials, you know, always speak about, you know, the, can I get something that's really cool and wild. This pen cannot compete with those pens on feel and finish and fit and, you know, quality. And it's not trying to, like, if it starts trying to do that, then I think Benu pens, you know, loses the idea of what they are. Like, they're not going to compete with the Leonardo's and the Montegrappa's and, you know, the Franklin Christophe's in that $150 to $200 price range. But for what they are, I think they're pretty damn cool.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah, I agree with you. I agree with you.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yep. All right. You know what else is pretty dang cool, Myke?

'''Myke Hurley:''' What?