Editing The Pen Addict 319/transcript (section)

== Kickstarter Project Discussion ==


'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yep. Well, I got another Kickstarter project to talk about, but let's talk about one of our good friends first.

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'''Brad Dowdy:''' So you mentioned that Peak, this was like their third project and they're over like $2 million. Well, under our neck of the woods, our good friends at Big Eye Design just launched their 24th Kickstarter project. How is that a thing? How is that a thing, man? Blimey. I didn't realize that. I mean, I know I've been friends with Chadwick and Joe for a long time. I didn't realize it was 24 projects worth. And not everything's pens. So like, you know, we may not all see everything. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But the latest one is a pen. It's the Ti Click EDC. And this is taking the Ti Arto, which was like the big, the larger fits all the refills type of pen and squishing it down into a smaller size and adding a knock and making it. It doesn't fit the 200 plus refills, but it fits like 100 refills. You know, the way they built this pen. Everyone's pretty excited about this. It did. It's already at $132,000 after I think it just launched Monday or it launched just like a few days ago. So I'm a backer. I'm definitely getting one of these. I haven't had one to test out yet. But I'll drive up to Chadwick's house here, you know, maybe when I get back from D.C. and stalk him and knock him out when he leaves the house and steal the one out of his pocket. So he doesn't live too far away from me now. So I'll have to go hit him up and find this. But I love what they do. And they are consistently great. Like they have this down to a science, obviously, with this many projects under their belt. So I just wanted to mention that it's a company I love, making a product I like. I'm all in.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah, it looks really cool. Like this isn't a pen for me personally. Right.

'''Myke Hurley:''' But I'm very confident that it will be made incredibly well because I have one of their pens and I don't remember the name of it. Is it the one with the magnetic cap?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Oh, man, I have no idea. I don't think they've done a magnetic cap one. But like I said, this is their 24th campaign. I could be getting something.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I might have a different one of theirs when I'm thinking of something else. But these guys, they really know what they're doing. Like you're going to get a great thing. And they've done fantastic. They've made how much is this? It says it impounds to me. $132,000 on this. So bravo, gentlemen. Bravo, indeed.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yep. Yep. So what do you think about the system pencil? Like I'm changing a hard turn here into one of the best retro 51 pens we have ever seen. I think that feeling is mutual between the best of us.

'''Myke Hurley:''' It's my favorite. I think so. I think it's my favorite. The system by Mumbag Dudek is my favorite retro 51 design. So he dropped a pencil on you now. What are you going to do? I'm thinking about it still. Yeah. I'm out. Okay. The reason that I'm on the fence about it is because I just don't use mechanical pencils very much.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I have a retro 51 mechanical pencil and I like it. I don't love it. And I don't choose it over my rotary. So that's the reason that I haven't bought this yet. But if you do want a mechanical pencil version for whatever reason, you can now get your hands on it and it's going to look incredible. I really like the black eraser on the end. That's the thing that's like, that's what's really getting me because I think that looks so good. But it's there if you want it. And I think the mechanism is kind of interesting because it twists like the tornado. So you kind of twist it out and twist it back. It's an interesting mechanism. I think it works pretty well because it's not clicky because that would be such a shame because the twist is part of what makes the tornado so great. Probably where the name comes from. Yeah, probably. I've just realized that. Maybe. Wow, mind blown.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' That's probably where the name comes from because you twist it. That'll deserve an email. Now I'll have to email them or tweet them or something. Check that.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Someone check that for me.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Not all pens deserve a pencil component. This is one that's a perfect setup, right? Yeah. Like, you know, people that, you know, not a lot of people buy like the combo, the pen and pencil combo sets because they're not always like the, you don't always want both of them. I have a feeling that a lot of people will pick this one up. It's like, this is kind of like the perfect pen and pencil combo to add those both of those things available. Right. Right. So like, you know, I have never considered doing like a combo set because I don't know. I haven't, I haven't thought of what would work as both writing instruments. Like I don't like, I could make, you know, the pencil all day long, but is it like a good set for someone to buy? I don't think so. But like the system is like, that feels like the right one to do like the pencil set for. And it looks awesome. So I might sit here and talk myself into it, which I really don't need it.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Well, at least you'll have somewhere to put it though, Brad.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. Yeah. What do you mean, Myke?

'''Myke Hurley:''' You have a new product of your own. I actually saw this in Atlanta. You showed me this when I went back to the workshop. It is the Knock Co pencil pouch, which is one of the most inventive visual designs that the two of you have put out because everything is colored like a yellow pencil, right? With the pink eraser. But this is a longer case, which is intended to hold woodcase pencils, right?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Right. Yeah. So we made, we always wanted to make just like a pencil pouch. And we decided if we're going to make a pencil pouch, we have the material ability to make it look like a pencil. You know, that's not necessarily an original idea. I'm sure there's lots of pencil pouches out there, but we did it in our style with, you know, our fabrics and our materials. And we did a little bit of a tweak on the Knock logo, put a pencil on the crossbar at the bottom. I just, I know it's my stuff, but I love how this turned out. It looks really fun. I love it. The yellow bag for the pencil barrel, the pink zipper for the eraser and the graphite handle pull for the lead component. I thought it just worked. And we were, when Jeff and I put this together earlier this year, we're like, yep, that's it. Like, this is the one. So we did it. So, but this is a nice, simple, traditional pen pouch, right? When you think of a, or pencil pouch, when you think of a pencil pouch, this is what it is. Just an open bag envelope style, you know, size wise, rectangular zip across the top. And that's it. It's super simple. It's very inexpensive. 15 bucks. Like, you know, this, you know, it doesn't have like all the bells and whistles of a Sinclair or a seed case, but that's not what it's for. It's for smaller stuff, accessories. And it looks cool. I'm not going to lie. It looks cool as heck.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah. You knocked it out of the pocket that design. Like, thank you. It really, it's not very, very simple, but it screams what it's supposed to be. Yeah. It's very good. It looks very good.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Well, and it feels like us, like we, we just, we make things that we like and, you know, this, this turned out really good. This puts a smile on our face. So we're, we're glad to have it.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Talking of knockout designs.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' This is on a different level here. So this is where you drop the ball on your trip. I picked you up a little bit because my review of the Canalea Hanuma Bay fountain pen came out last week, which I'd been meaning to do it for months since we got it in Atlanta. And I, I don't know. I really love this pen. It's been inked up since I got it. It's my favorite design that they have. I'm almost like, should I sell my other one? Because I'm going to use this one every time I want to use a Canalea pen. And, um, it's like, no, I kind of like the orange one too. So yeah, these materials and designs and the way these pens feel and write are just nice. They're really nice. Um, it's like, I can't put it down. I can't stop staring at it. It's one of those pens where you just hold it in your hand, even if you're not writing with it. Like if you're using it and writing and then you stop writing, you'll just hold it and look at it because it's so neat looking. Um, I really enjoy it. And it turns out I made a mistake in the story.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah, you, you, I mentioned many times during this, uh, review and it actually isn't even really a typical review, which I actually kind of really like. You don't really talk about the pen itself very much. Like you don't really, it's like, oh, it writes like this and it's weighted like this and the nib is like this. Because with Canalea, that's mostly unimportant. Like, really, you're buying these pens because of how they look. And you find one that looks good for you. And as you said, and I like the way you closed it, right? Where you tell your own story with it. And that's what you did. You told a small selection of stories about kind of getting this pen and then just Canalea pens in general. Because it helps kind of illustrate the idea that these pens are just beautiful objects that perform perfectly well. Right? Like, right. That they don't blow you out away with a certain mechanism or whatever. They're just, they're nice and simple in the, like the actual, like.

'''Myke Hurley:''' The shape. The shape. Or the build. The build. The build. Because they don't want to, I believe that the reason for this is they don't want to distract from the material. Because the material sells these pens, you know. Right. These literally picture perfect designs that they put out. And Hanuma Bay has some stuff that's interesting, right? Like, the section has a transparent part. Like, a demonstrator part that runs through it. I think that's present in all of them. At least it has been in all the ones that I've seen. That there is a clear, like a predominantly clear element that runs through it somewhere. Right? There's a bunch of glitter. You know, like shine and loads of different colors. It really is just a stunning design. But yeah, one of the stories you told, you said that at the 2017 Atlanta show, I wanted to get to the floor early to get the Haleakala silhouette. That was in DC. Was it? Yeah. Because the Haleakala was the DC launch pen. Gotcha.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' In 2017. So, Hanuma will be at this show. So, I should remember that.

'''Myke Hurley:''' It was Atlanta 2017 or 2016 when I did the same thing, but for my first one. Gotcha. You remember, right? Like, I was waiting for them to open up and then just went and picked it. But yes, that was the one where the pen that I ended up choosing was the one that was featured in Pen World.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' That cracked me up to no end when you told me that. I was like, that's just perfect. Of course, Myke picked that one out. And now he's got that story to tell, which I thought was funny.

'''Myke Hurley:''' And I still believe personally that Hugh and Carol probably wanted to keep that one, but just sold it to me to be nice. Well, they had it out. You picked it out. I know. But it's like one of the things where it's like, oh, didn't mean to put that one out. Right? Like, that's kind of how I've always imagined that story going. You keep telling yourself that. But yeah, look, there's just, with these pens, there's just like, when reviewing them, there's not really much point in getting into the nitty gritty with it. Because they're like, you have to see them to believe them, right? Which is a big thing. I mean, you can buy them online. And if you really want one, if you don't have the opportunity to get to a pen show, then yeah, buy them online. But if you do have the opportunity to get to a pen show in maybe like a month and you know Canalea is going to be there, wait. Go and pick one out. Because the designs of these things are so wonderful. And literally every single one is unique. That there's kind of something special that can't be described with that, with a list of specs. It's pretty great.