Editing The Pen Addict 62/transcript (section)

== Pen Design ==


'''Brad Dowdy:''' So lefties push the pin across the page, and righties pull it across the page. And that's an issue because of nib design, especially in rollerballs, ballpoints, and gels, because what that does is, you know, paper fibers and ink and everything gets pushed in that where that ball seals with the tip of the pin. It's a sharp edge. So really, you know, if you're not holding the pin at a particular angle, that sharp edge is really digging into the paper as a left-hander right, right? Am I saying that correctly?

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yep. Yeah. I mean, maybe that's why, I mean, I've never really thought of that before, but maybe that's why I tend to be very critical of, you know, any rough nib design. And maybe for me personally, it's why I tend not to like finer pens because, I mean, you're probably going to disprove this for me, Anna, but I tend not to like finer pens because they are rougher for me. So I probably feel that more.

'''Ana Reinert:''' No, I think that's, I did not realize, I really like the look. My handwriting is very small, so I really like the look of a fine tip pen, be it fountain pen or gel or anything like that. But it wasn't until I got the Pilot Prera with an EF nib that I realized that I have my limits because of the angle that I write at. I basically was constricting the ink flow completely because I was pushing the pen, not pulling it. And it was just too fine, like nothing was coming out. I kept trying different inks to see if I could get it to flow better. And I finally realized it's me, it's not the pen.

'''Ana Reinert:''' Not playing nicely. So I went up to, I think, a fine and that was better.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, and that's one of those things that stuck with me all these years. It's once you, you know, test out a few pens and start writing at them at different angles, it's a completely different performance. And, you know, you have to have those considerations for how other people write. That's why the hardest question that I get, and I don't know, and you might get, Anna, is, you know, what pen is best for me? I mean, it's such an impossible question just for reasons like this. I mean, having a rollerball to a fine gel tip pushing across the page is, I mean, you're just going to eat up the paper, it seems like to me. So it's hard, it's real hard for lefties that write, especially overwriting, to use those fine tips.

'''Ana Reinert:''' Actually, the pen that causes me the most heartache of all is the Uniball Vision, the rollerball. I can't write three letters with one of those before they die on me. Wow. It's something about, and I don't know how, what the combination of the ink, which is more of a liquid ink than a gel ink and the ball. I can't even write a grocery list with one of them. They'll just stop working. And I'm like, why are these always dead when I pick them up? And somebody else will pick it up and go, no, it works just fine. And I'm like, urgh.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Urgh. That's weird because I use and have used these and have been fine with them. That's so strange. Yeah. I mean, I've always been actually quite a fan of the Vision Elite.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. See, I can't write more than three letters with them because I hate them. It's not a lefty righty thing. The Vision Elite's fine. The regular Vision, I can't stand that pen.

'''Ana Reinert:''' That's the regular Vision, not the Elite.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Oh, I've not used the regular one.

'''Ana Reinert:''' Yeah. Those are in every office in America. There's a jar full of those, and I can't use them at all. But the gel, like most of the gel pens, like the, I'm actually sitting here right now writing notes with a Pilot Juice, and it works like a dream. So I don't have any problems with it.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Interesting. That's cool.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Is it the .5?

'''Ana Reinert:''' Yep.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I'll never, never quite will I get over that website.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, that was one of the great moments in podcasting history when we played around with that website. That thing is, it's too fantastic.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I'm going to put that episode in the show notes. I feel like people need to find out about that website via listening to the show. Yep. And the show notes for this episode can be found at 5by5.tv slash penaddict slash 62.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' And where can they find the show notes, Myke? That was my Dan impression. It was good. He always has to drop that in on every episode he does. It's the way that it should be done, I think.

'''Myke Hurley:''' It's his thing. So that's why I'm trying to do it more.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' It's smart. It's smart. That's why he's the boss man.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Mm-hmm.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' All right. So back on the fountain pen topic. So that's interesting. I haven't heard you tell this Pereira story before about having, you know, the issues with a super, super fine nib, not being able to, not basically not getting any ink flow out of it was the issue. Right? So talk a little bit more about fountain pens. What types work well for you as a lefty, Anna? And what other, if there's any other ones you've had challenges with?

'''Ana Reinert:''' For me, and I will say it a million times, I love the Cuico Sports. They just write awesome for me. I never have any problems with them. And, you know, for the price point, I just, I don't, I never feel bad about carrying them around. But I've used both the extra fine and the fine. And I have a double broad that I use as a highlighter. And I do have one of the calligraphy nibs, the 1.1 millimeter, which I'm not as fond of. And that sort of leads into the topic of lefties and using stub or italic nibs, which is a slightly different topic. We can, we'll get to that in a minute.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

'''Ana Reinert:''' But for the most part, I find for me, like a fine nib, particularly with the European nibs, is good. Because when I get into the medium nibs, they tend to put too much ink down on the paper. And then I have the whole, like, ink drying. I have to be very particular about the types of inks that I put in it that are quick drying so that I'm not rubbing it all over the paper.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. I know that's a massive issue. And we're going to talk about, we're going to have some recommendations on that, too.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Go ahead.

'''Ana Reinert:''' Oh, I was going to say, I've used Twisbees and a lot of other, you know, a lot of the other fountain pens that we've talked about. The one that I do go back to again and again that I have an issue with is the Mami Safaris that have that molded plastic grip, which is great if you're an underwriter, because it really does force you to use a proper grip. But if you're a left-handed writer and you do overwrite, it is very awkward to be able to angle the pen to get that ink on the paper.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah, I just ignore that grip.

'''Ana Reinert:''' Well, and then I end up finding that it will cut, you know, you have to angle it in such a way that that grip cuts into your fingers. And so I have just abandoned the Mami Safari altogether. I have a Mami Studio, which has a standard, like, sort of round barrel that I do like to use.