Editing The Pen Addict 545/transcript (section)

== Stationery Products for 2023 ==


'''Myke Hurley:''' If there's something I'm looking for from stationary this year is I want products that will surprise me. Like I want there to be things that come onto the market that are new or different in a way that I hadn't expected or doing something in a different way. Like one that I'm interested in and I don't think, I don't think you've got it yet or you haven't spoken about it. Um, is the shown design nib. Yes. Right. Yeah. This is the kind of stuff where I'm like that kind of thing. Like, well, how different is it? And like, what could it be? You know, like I want to see things that are new. That's what I want this year. Not just like a new design, but like someone's taken something and going in a new direction with it and getting different results to what we would have experienced before. I don't know if that's going to do that, but that's the kind of thing where maybe it will, you know,

'''Brad Dowdy:''' that's exactly right. And, uh, we have talked about the Monarch nib. Um, it's now released and you can get in, uh, different batches. They're, you know, they're very particular nib and difficult to make. So, um, we'll put a link in the show notes to the Monarch page and you can pick like the group, like the month manufacturing group that you want and you can get on there. Now I'm waiting until there's, I'm going to see if there's a new nib size because this one's a little bit wide, right? That's just the design of the pen of the nib so far. So I'm going to, I'm waiting and see, but that's exactly like what I want to see. Something that surprises me, something that's interesting because I'm very content with the things that I have. Like it's a good place to be, but also as someone who follows the industry and who is always on the lookout for new stuff. Like I see plenty of new stuff, but like what is really going to like move the needle? And, you know, maybe it's something like the Monarch nib and, and I think that's like a super pleasant surprise. Right. And it's also, I know that it's also a very, you know, very specific, unique product for very, very few people. Right. So that's why one of the categories I always look at is, you know, just for, you know, ease of, of saying it, it's just, you know, Japanese gel ink pens, right? Like that market is one where there's sometimes some fun stuff that happens. And then that bleeds into other types of products and other types of stationary. One thing I would like to see just big picture. And I've mentioned this in years past just about companies in general. I really think we can do like collectively as a stationary industry, having some more paper options and not necessarily in paper types, but in, I'm a real big believer in these big companies, say like the Japanese big three pilots, sailor platinum, even brands like Pelican. And we saw Lamy do it is making their own notebooks and committing to saying, Hey, this is what we believe in, in paper. And I always want to see that. And Lamy started to branch out a little bit and they've done some good, good jobs with their own notebooks. I want to see like the big brands surprise me with some paper, right? We have great paper from paper manufacturers, Midori, you know, one of my favorites, Morimon, Kikuyo, Life. Like we can, we can name a thousand paper brands. Like we put, believe me, we have plenty of paper, but I kind of want to, I kind of want a statement of work from some of the pen manufacturers. Hey, pilot, what do you think a notebook should be? Right. They make some paper products. They make some like letter writing products, you know, sailor. What do you think, you know, a notebook should be like, maybe they're not interested. Maybe sailor just wants to make inks and pens and nibs and that's enough. And robots, I guess, but you know, I, I kind of, I don't know. I really like for something as simple as a notebook for companies to like, you know, plant a flag and say, Hey, this is what we believe in. So I would kind of like to see that. I don't know if we will, but you know, who knows just one of those things that's always, I've always found interesting as a watcher of the industry that why doesn't pilot tell me, Hey, this notebook, it will be awesome for your pilot nibs and pilot inks.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Huh?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Just, it just doesn't exist.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' So anyway, I do have a small shopping list for my own pens collection that I I'm thinking about. Like I said, I'm mostly content and I'm working on, you know, we'll, we'll talk about later this month. The pen attic 100 project is, is about to be rebooted here this month and get some real traction. Yeah. We need to get some traction on this. Like it just got, it just got hung up late in the year. It just got busy. You know, it's a, it's a big project. So like I said, I'm really content, but there are a few things that I'm monitoring. Maybe I'll end up with these products. Maybe I won't. One is the pilot decimal, which I've talked about a bunch. Um, I have plenty of vanishing points. I want the thinner barrel decimo and I could go out today and buy just, you know, one of the stock decimos, but I'm kind of holding off for like the one, like I don't, I don't want to really dabble in decimos. I want to just like go right into the deep end and figure out like, Hey, this is the perfect one for me, even if it's some weird limited edition that I got to overpay for, but just be the one, because I think in the end, I'm going to like the narrower barrel of the decimo over the vanishing point. There's slightly narrower diameter. So I'm looking forward to that. So, you know, I hope to be at some more pin shows this year. Maybe I'll find one at a pin show that I'll pick up or find something on eBay or something. Who knows? Who knows? I'm not, I'm not overly anxious to like just jump in and buy one. Any of these pins, I could just go out and buy right now, but I'm trying to exercise some patience. Um, the Scribo Puma has been on this list for probably like two years now. They make it's, again, it's a smaller pin acrylic. They have a stock extra, extra fine nib that they do. And that's kind of what I want for this pin. So they just came out with some new colors, which I think are actually going to be, I'll probably end up with one of the ones, uh, of these, these three new acrylics that they did. They're, they're really pretty right up my alley, kind of wild looking. So that's probably, that would, that would be easier for me to just like come home with one day than a decimo, because I think I've kind of already decided on the one that I want right now. And then the last one is more broader in that the, the idea of the Toma pen is fantastic to me. And in the past, you know, I've gotten to see some of their, some, most of their pens are like, are gigantic. And they have these gigantic pens and they, these gigantic nibs, but they've started to make a smaller model and I got to use one in San Francisco. So this smaller model fits my hand well. And once I got to like a barrel size that I found that I enjoy from them, I was curious about the nib because they're these very long nibs. Like you'll have to go look at them. They're very unique. I'm almost like a custom made nib, but, and my, my concern was that they were going to be too flexy because they're very big and they're made from gold, but they're not, it was like a really firm nib, the one, the pen that I got to test. And now that's back on the list. That's a, that's a mega expensive pen. Like that's something that I would have to really, really think about and really find the right one. That's not just something you buy on a whim.

'''Myke Hurley:''' This reminds me a little bit of like, not really in style, but like in, in idea and, and there's like a, some similarity to the, is it Ebelwood?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' So the Elwood. So that Elwood was probably, probably my most interesting pen purchase from last year. Like it's one of my favorite pens. The Elwood pocket master is the model I have. The Tomas are bigger. There's just something about it. It's like,

'''Myke Hurley:''' you have to think about it. You want to make sure you do it right. They're really well made, but there's also like a cylindricalness. Yes. To both of them, whether there's a similarity that I feel.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yep. I think that's fair to like, they have the same idea, small maker, like one person shops, right. But they're making like really high end, really detailed, really almost custom. They're not necessarily custom, but it's that type of feel, right. You're buying something very, very special. So that was the, the Elwood was my celebration pen for episode 500. And still like, that was, I didn't do like really a pen of the year for like 2022, but that was probably one of my best purchases of the year. Just in what I'm looking for, as far as uniqueness, feel and style for me personally. Right. But again, like you're alluding to, like, it's not for everyone, like not by a long shot.

'''Myke Hurley:''' So what is the ordering process for one of these? I don't know. I don't know.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I would ask. So see why has one. I would probably ask my friends. I would, I would probably just start a, probably started like an Instagram DM with them and say, Hey, I see this model that you've shown. Can we do something like this? Like it would, it would be a process. Like, you know, it's, I would imagine like, this is not something you necessarily just go buy off the shelf. Right. So it would be a longterm thinking about and building process to get something like this. So I kind of want to, I kind of want to see him again in person because I was kind of, I had written them off because of the size before, but now these, these smaller ones that they seem to be making more of and getting to hold one going, Oh yeah, like this is going to be a problem. Like as soon as I got that in my hand, I was like, Oh yeah, it's good. It's, it's, it's, it works for me when I thought it would just wouldn't work for me. So yeah, that's a, that's, that's on the, the big picture longterm. Uh, I guess we need to get to episode a thousand for me to celebrate again. So it might be like 10 years from now, I'll celebrate with that pen. Start saving up now.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Oh, sorry, but that's going to be a really long time.

'''Myke Hurley:''' The one thing I kind of have in my mind for 2023, um, is I want to buy some stationary in person. I've realized, you know, over the last couple of years, such, I've added such little to my collection. And I think the biggest change for me is I haven't been able to buy products in person. You know, I was going to a couple of pen shows a year and I would spend the most money there and buy special things, things that I would fall in love with that way. And I feel like I need that to come back again. Um, for me. And so like, I'm trying to work out what that's going to look like. By the way, Brad, I realize now something got lost in our break here, like in a, in a little time. I got the Bulbasaur pen.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Nice. You told me it was on the way. So let's save that for next week. I want a full breakdown. Okay. I want a full breakdown of that. Let's save that for next week because I think that's a, I want to explore that a little bit.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Okay. But yeah, I, you know, that, that was something where like, I would have got that no matter what it was, you know what I mean? It would have been like, I don't know, like a pencil or whatever, you know, but, um, but yeah, I, I want to bring some stuff back in, but I don't know what, like the only things that I've been adding to my collection consistently is Mark ones. You know, I have like seven of them now or something ridiculous.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I got a pretty sweet one. I don't know if I'll talk about it. You've got a pretty sweet one.