Editing The Pen Addict 612/transcript (section)

== Comparison of clear and amber pen designs ==


'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah, it's quite staggering how much better looking the clear is than the amber.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' You think so? Yeah.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah. It's staggeringly different in a way that I don't know if I would have necessarily expected. But that, the clear is very good looking. Very good looking.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Smokes close to the amber and just, like, aesthetic overall appearance, right? They're deeper, darker. But you put the clear next to them, it's like, oh, this is different while it's being, like, literally the same pin. It looks very, very different. So I did a review in 2015 of the amber model. I had it on loan from a friend. And because, like, it's just a fascinating pin and I wanted to review it. This is before owning my own. So to your point about the amber model, I wrote, aesthetically, there's no arguing its beauty, but it's not for me. I was actually hoping to fall in love with it while it was on loan to me. And while it is an elite writer, I never bonded with it visually. And that's just talking about the amber.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I mean, it's very different looking, the amber. I feel like there have not been lots of pens like this. I mean, I guess maybe now with something like Ultum, like, that color range is becoming more seen. But, like, the actual, like, amber look is quite unique, especially considering it is also still a demonstrator pen. It makes it different, but I do think it's a bit of an acquired taste.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. The interesting thing about the amber, which caught me off guard back when, even back then in looking at pictures of it now, the finials are not black. They're chocolate brown, which is hard to pick up in pictures.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Huh.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. Yeah. It's almost milk chocolate. I mean, it's maybe a little bit like more of a dark chocolate, but they're brown, which if you look at most pictures, like, unless you're really paying attention, they look black.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I guess that's fitting with the amber. Yeah. One of the things, like, for me personally is the amber looks like a clear pen that got stained. You know? Like, it has that kind of look to it. Yeah. And maybe that's what you want. It has got a kind of evocative vintage look to it. Yeah.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' So, if you're not familiar with the 823 and you're getting into fountain pens, like, this is kind of like one of those aspirational pens. This is a pen that a lot of people could be like a one and only type of pen because the nibs on the Pilot 823, this size nib is fantastic. There's a lot of different nib choices now that are available for this. So, it's one of the best out-of-the-box writing experiences. And then it has a large ink capacity with the vacuum filling system. So, it's like a built-in vacuum filling system. So, this pen has a lot going for it and still at the, you know, at a, honestly, a reasonable price point despite being like, yes, you know, on its own, it's expensive at like $330, something. I'm not looking at the link. But for what you get and the time you'll spend with this pen, like, I still think it's very, very fairly priced. A good price.

'''Myke Hurley:''' $336 on pen, shall I? Okay. Retail $420.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yep. So, this is what, this was like a 10% price increase from like three years ago. So, they were $288 for, I mean, years and years and years and years. So, it's a pretty small increase for a pretty great pen.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Very cool.

'''Myke Hurley:''' All right. This episode is brought to you by our friends at the Canalea Pen Co. Canalea makes stunningly beautiful pens inspired by images of Hawaii. Canalea's founders, Hugh and Carol, believe that these locations can help recharge our spirit and connect us with nature. And we are once again incredibly excited that we get to share information about Canalea's newest release, the Blue Moana Collection. For this pen, Canalea are taking inspiration from the beautiful blue expanse of the ocean, with deep, swirling, glistening blues found throughout the pen, showing both the beauty and the depths of the oceans around the islands of Hawaii. The Blue Moana Collection features fountain pens in Canalea's five profile options, as well as a ballpoint pen as well. But new with this collection, they are introducing a brand new band option, the Mauloa Band. The Mauloa Band visually represents the endless waves of the ocean, symbolizing the interconnectedness of all living things. And it is a perfect match, in my opinion, with the oceanic theme of the Blue Moana pen. Once again, this band is made of lovingly crafted Argentium silver, making an already special pen even more so. This joins the existing band option on other Canalea pens, the Maile Le. These are both available on the classic profile of the Blue Moana. Canalea fountain pens feature Yowo No. 6 nibs. You can buy steel or 18 karat gold nibs directly from Canalea. They offer sizes from extra fine to 1.1mm stub. Hue smooths and tunes every single nib before it leaves the shop, because Canalea will want to make sure that when your pen arrives, it's perfect for you and writing beautifully. And you'll get it straight out of their lovely black walnut keepsake box. Best boxes in the business. With each purchase of a pen from the Blue Moana Collection, Canalea will also be making a donation to the Maui Food Bank and the Maui Humane Society, giving back to the community uses that inspire these wonderful designs. You can find out more about Canalea's whole offering and place an order today at canaleapenco.com. That's canaleapenco.com. There'll be links in the show notes too. Our thanks to the Canalea Penco for their support of this show and Relay FM. So we both have this pen.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' We both have this pen.

'''Myke Hurley:''' What one do you have?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yes. Okay. I have more than one.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Oh, okay. Well, I have. I have the one with the new band.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Myke, I have one with the new band too. Good. And I have a comparison to the style that they know that I love in the classic flush without the band. So why don't you go first, talk about the band, and then I can talk about the comparison between the two.