Editing The Pen Addict 516/transcript (section)

== Current Pen Trends and Community Growth ==


'''Brad:''' Absolutely. Right. I think it's crystal clear. And I say that by not by like necessarily like looking at numbers or anything like that, but just anecdotal evidence from retailers that I was very worried about their inability to travel to pen shows, which is, you know, a good chunk of change over the years for, you know, companies that actually really need the business. That they, I don't, I won't go as far as saying that they had a boon time during the pandemic, but they had, they ran healthy business during the pandemic. They didn't have a bus time. Yeah. Yeah.

'''Myke:''' They didn't have a bus time. Which is what we were worried about first. But then it ended up being that like people wanted a new thing to do.

'''Brad:''' And then the second anecdotal piece to that is once travel started happening, I'm getting more and more just one-off reports from pen shows at all the new faces that are there, which is a continuation of the first step during the pandemic is like discovering this new thing.

'''Myke:''' Which is good for pen shows because if the community has grown, the people that still do not want to go to pen shows will now be replaced by the people that are new in the hobby. Right. So it's good, right? Like that's what you want to happen.

'''Brad:''' Right. So you're still not at pre-pandemic numbers, but you're kind of having this backfilling of new customers. So that also means like there's like a shift in the buying habits as well to like, you know, less expensive, you know, introductory type pens and starter inks and notebooks and things like that. So, you know, it's all kind of like a cycle and that's kind of the cycle that we're in right now. And I think that's healthy, right? It feels healthy to me and I do think a lot of that came from, you know, finding hobbies during the pandemic times. And I think there's no doubt in that.

'''Myke:''' Second question. Do you think my current plan flow from Safari to Lamy 2000 is a good way to go about my pen journey or should I just buy another Safari or Aostar to test the medium nib?

'''Brad:''' I have a harder time with this question.

'''Myke:''' I don't. So I'll say first, get another Safari in a different color of a medium nib. Don't just buy a nib, right? Because the price difference isn't that much and treat yourself to a new Safari. That's what I would suggest. I do.

'''Brad:''' I agree with that. I agree with that step.

'''Myke:''' Because Lamy Safari nibs, it's really not much of a price difference. Plus, the nibs are really small. They're easy to lose. So genuinely, like Lamy's nibs, no, Lamy's nibs specifically are tiny. They are tiny.

'''Brad:''' I'm giggling because I lost one on stream the other day.

'''Myke:''' Oh, okay. Okay. I thought you were just laughing at me. They're really finicky and small. And like, I would just get a new Safari. Okay.

'''Myke:''' The Lamy 2000 is a funny old bird. Yeah.

'''Brad:''' I have more of a hard time with this question.

'''Myke:''' It is a great pen, provided you get a good one. It is very unreliable in the experience, in its nib experience. Yes. So if you are, it's a recommendation we always give for the 2000. Get a good 2000, you'll be very happy. I have a good 2000. I think you have a good one, but I don't think it was your first one. Right. You want to get it from either a pen show where you can try it out and make sure that it feels right for you.

'''Myke:''' And or from a retailer that has a good, like, returns policy in case it doesn't work out with the one that you buy.

'''Brad:''' Yeah. So I think my struggle with Brian's question is that the Safari nib to the Lamy nib is not a comparable path. No. Like, you shouldn't consider those to be, hey, I'm following this path. Yeah. And the, I can take something from my first experience with the Safari nibs and transpose that into my expected experience with the Lamy 2000. And I think that's a flawed way to think about it. Like, they're...

'''Myke:''' And this isn't the same for all types of pens. Right. But it's just the particulars of the 2000s. It is built differently.

'''Brad:''' Mm-hmm. These are not connected in any kind of straight line whatsoever, like your experience there. So my thought is to try a different brand completely between... I think trying the second Safari nib is fine. And I agree with Myke in that I would buy just by the pen. Like, you're going to spend $15 on a nib or $25 on a pen. And just get a fun one and go with it from there. I don't know if you should try, like, some other brands. Like, maybe a Pilot, right? To get a different, you know, a Japanese-style nib, medium nib, to see how that type of line works for you. Like, a Pilot Metropolitan medium nib. Like, I think that would be a better, a more worthwhile test than buying another Lamy nib to see. I don't know. I think this is actually a very complicated question for what is posed as a very simple question. And that's why I wanted to cover this. Because I think it's good to figure out, okay, which Safari nib size do I like? Like, it's also, I want to be clear that that is not going to translate whatsoever to how you feel about the Lamy 2000s nib.

'''Myke:''' What else? Okay. I, like, part agree with you, part not. Like, I wouldn't go straight to Japanese medium. I would, because it's not.

'''Brad:''' I think it should just be, I don't, it doesn't have to be Japanese medium. I think it needs to be a different brand. It could be Faber-Castell, it could be Kaweco, it could be whatever. I, I just think they're, you know, Twisby, maybe. Just something different to. Yeah, I can see that. Just to kind of grasp an idea of, of, hey, here's how one type of pen manufactures their nib and here's how a different type of pen manufactures their nib. And I'm not saying you have to test all the nibs from all the brands. I think just one thing different from Lamy, Safari nibs, is enough to kind of help you gain a little bit more understanding and education without breaking the bank before you go into, like, a 2000.

'''Myke:''' Yeah. What I will say is, like, it's a mixture between what we both said. I would say your next thing should be a medium Safari so you can compare fine to medium. So you have, like, a light for light comparison, right? Yes, I'm fine with that. Then instead of Lamy 2000, then get a Japanese pen of some description. Yeah. That's why. Yeah. Because I think having the comparison of a good fine to a good medium, like, this is, like, an understanding that you have between the two, I think is good. Because if you go to a Japanese medium, now you're back towards fine territory again.

'''Brad:''' But get a Platinum Preppy medium nib. Yeah. That pen will blow your mind and change everything you think about pens and the path that you're on and might cause you... It's just... It's a data... It's a different enough data point to make a difference in how you think about it. And the more data you have, whether it's good or bad, is helpful. And it's such an inexpensive pen. Like, it would be okay to spend $5 on a Preppy. And get the medium. Like, I think it's the 03 is the medium nib.

'''Brad:''' Maybe it's the 04. I forget. They're a little bit harder to discern. Is the recommendation.

'''Myke:''' Get both Preppy and a medium Safari and you're going to be having a great time.

'''Brad:''' Yeah. I just think you've got to step out of that Safari thing to test one thing. To test one other thing.

'''Myke:''' Yeah, go outside of Lamy. For sure. For sure.

'''Brad:''' Before you get to considering, like, the Lamy 2000, which is a completely different conversation. Which is a great pen and you should maybe get one. But I just don't think you're getting the information that you think you're getting on that path by doing this.

'''Myke:''' Yeah, I think the key here is, like, don't jump straight to expensive gold nib pen when there's so much more that you can experience in the cheaper pens. Which will genuinely, like, open your mind. Like, I would maybe then recommend, like, if you, like, get a Preppy and you like that, get a Twisby Go or a Twisby Eco. So, try that, right? Because these are all going to be super different and you might find something you didn't know in yourself. Yep. That'd be my recommendations.