Editing The Pen Addict 614/transcript (section)

== Review of Lamy All-Star pens ==


'''Brad Dowdy:''' Brad also spent some quality time with the Lamy All-Star over the past three weeks. I said I was going to give it a, I said I was going to give it a month, right? So we did it. I marked it down April 17th, but I know you're not going to be here next week. And I, Jeff reviewed his All-Star that I sent him to review for the blog today. So I figured today was kind of a good way, oops, kind of a good way to, to talk about this. My time with the All-Star. So what I was going to do is, or the impetus between this is because I love the Lamy Safari, right? And the All-Star is really not that different than the Safari other than the plastic barrel and cap is converted into an aluminum barrel and cap. So you have different feel, different aesthetic, but essentially same shape, same design, same nib, same clip, same size, you know, a little bit different weight, same, you know, filling mechanism, like literally the same pin other than the external barrel and cap materials. So I never use the All-Star because I like the, the plastic feel of the Safari. It's just always been a tactile thing to me. So I would never give the All-Star any extended run in usage. I haven't inked up an All-Star in years, um, just because I always ink up the Safari and let someone else look at the All-Stars.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' This time with the Fiery and Aquatic. So we'll have a link up on, um, in the show notes to Jeff's review of the Aquatic. So I sent that one to him to review and I kept the Fiery because I like red pens and I like blue, black ink and red pens and I like Lamy blue, black. So I was like, well, now is as good as opportunity opportunity as any for me to spend some quality time with the Lamy All-Star. So I did like, this has been the pen I've used the most over the past three weeks. I have carried it around with me when I've gone out of the house. I haven't really used it out of the house, but like I made sure to carry it with me because one of my big hangups with this pen, which is weird because I don't really think about it with other pens is how it gets dings and dents in it. And I don't like it in this pen. Other pens, I don't seem to care about getting dinged and used, right? That's part, that's a feature for a lot of my pens, right? That they are, Hey, they're used and loved and that's how they should look. With the All-Star, it's always been, well, I don't like how this one dings and dents and scratches because like you see like the aluminum color underneath and things like that. So, um, I didn't really get any dings or dents in it. Like I was pretty careful with it, like not on purpose, but I just didn't really have that opportunity out of the house very much to, to put through it. And the long version or the short version of this, this long intro is my feelings haven't changed about the All-Star in that it's purely a tactile difference for me in how the two pens feel between the Safari and the All-Star. That is literally it. So I prefer the density of the plastic than the light airiness of the All-Star, which kind of goes opposite to the way I feel about some other pens. I'll tend to prefer the lighter materials over the heavier materials. It's a small difference. You know, we're talking a few grams, but it's noticeable when you pick them up and the feel is noticeable. And the All-Star is a great pen, but it's just that simple tactile feel in my hand is the only difference in this, because I will say I've absolutely loved writing with it, which is why I like the Safari so much, right? The grip section, the molded grip section to have like a traditional grip really works for me. That's how I grip a pen. My fingers just lock right into the grip. I have an extra fine nib on this one. It's been glorious. This, I'm actually going to like make note of this extra fine nib in this pen to be my one extra fine nib that I move around to my other Safaris because it is that good out of the box experience, which it's not always like I'll admit that Lamy's steel nibs don't always have great out of the box experiences. Even an extra fine can write like a marker sometimes. This one has been really, really good. I'm also using it with Lamy blue black ink, which is a dry ink. So like I've helped with that situation, right? So there could be other inks that would perform worse with it. But yeah, like this is just a fantastic pen. This is why I like Lamy. You have options for style while meeting the same functionality across the board, like in their entry level pens between the Safari and the All-Star. The All-Star generally runs about $10 more than the Safari. That doesn't make a difference to me. There one's $28, one's $38, you know, just give or take a few dollars. So, you know, find one if you like this style and the grip works for you. Just pick which one you like. Like it's there. I think they're just such a good writing experience. I think the Lamy Safari is like one of my favorite EDC pens. Like I don't think I could do, I don't think I would enjoy just throwing the All-Star in my pocket constantly, given the barrel material. But the Safari is just great. And, you know, I was thinking about this. It's like, I don't even own very many of these pens. This is the only All-Star I have. I might have one more. I might have the teal one, like a Pacific blue, whatever they called that from years ago. And then like my Safaris, like I have like the Terracotta and Savannah Green they did. My favorite is a white barrel with a red clip that they did. I have a Natoya special. Like, you know, I have five, six, seven Safaris. It's not like I have 20 Safaris and like I'm super, like it's the greatest pen ever. But I just love popping a cartridge in those with an extra fine nib and just going to town. It's one of those, it's one of those types of pens for me. And that's super valuable, right? Like that's, I get as much joy out of that as, you know, I will get inking the Wes Anderson, you know, triple green baby fountain pen later. Like, and like that seems weird to say, but it's the truth. That's how I feel about a lot of these pens. And the Safari and All-Star are right there. But I'm definitely going to stick with Team Safari. But I understand why everyone loves the All-Star. It's a really great pen.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah, I feel like, at least when I'm hearing from you, like there is a feeling that the Safari gives, that the All-Star doesn't replicate. Like, even though it's a great pen, it's just like the thing that you love about the Safari isn't really there. It's not there the same in the All-Star at least.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, like I would, like if I was writing a description of each of these pens, like side by side, and I was like, okay, I'm going to write a description of the Safari, then I'm going to write the description of the All-Star. I would use the word utilitarian in the Safari description that I wouldn't use in the All-Star description, right? I feel like I could drop the Safari. I could throw it against the wall. Not that I would ever do any of these things, but it's just like I have a different feel about this pen. And then like I'm not being delicate with the All-Star whatsoever. I'm just not going to enjoy it as much if I know it doesn't have this in it.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yep, makes perfect sense.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' But again, this is, they did a great job on the All-Stars this year. Love the All-Stars this year. So really good job, really popular, popular color. So good job.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Great. Should we do some RSTPA to finish out today's episode?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yep, what you got?