Editing The Pen Addict 204/transcript (section)

== Retro 51 ==


'''Myke Hurley:''' I chose to do this topic. I chose to pick three, but I'm picking four. So the first one for me isn't obvious, which is Retro 51. I think as a brand, I think that nobody even comes close to what they're able to do at the price point that they give. Um, their pens are very affordable. They work fantastically and they look incredible and they have loads of different styles. I can't think of any pen company that hits those three things. You know, like for all of the reasons that we love field notes, I think Retro 51 fits right in with them. They're like, for me, they go side by side. It's a great product at fair price and they have loads of interesting additions so you can create your own little collection or just buy the ones that speak to you. Um, and Retro 51 continues to be a pen that I am able to give to anyone and they're going to enjoy it. Like, uh, on the bagel episode of top four, uh, you hand Marco a pen at the beginning and I know it was a Retro 51 because of how I reacted to it. Right.

'''Tiff Arment:''' Which I've had for years. I had that so long and then I found it again and, uh, actually got a refill that wasn't dried out. And yeah, they're, they're great. But yeah, Marco was even like, oh yeah, I guess if I wrote anything with it, I actually wrote things down. I might enjoy this maybe, but I was like, oh, you're the worst. How could you not appreciate this?

'''Myke Hurley:''' It's just a superb pen through and through. Uh, my next company is Rotring because I have a, you know, I have a love for mechanical pencils. I haven't been using them as much recently because I've been using all my new fountain pens. Um, but I just think from a design perspective and from a quality perspective, it's, it's hard to beat Rotring. They, their stuff is incredible and their mechanical pencils are just so good. They are just so good. I love the best. And then my next one was a little, my third pick was a little bit more difficult. Um, because I only have one sailor pen, but that's who I've picked as my third. Um, and it's purely because my pro gear is so good. Like that, that sailor pro gear is so incredible. Uh, that I just, and every other pen that I've used, I only own one sailor, but every other pen that I've used just confirms why they are so amazing. Right. All of their stuff looks so good. Um, they do crazy things like King of pen. Right. Um, and I love the colors that they do. They do interesting special editions like that pink one that you have. Um, yeah, I think sailor are just a clear choice. Like the materials that they use are great. Their nibs are fantastic. And the quality that you can get at the price point that they offer, um, is amazing. Like they're like $200 or whatever, but they are way better than other $200 pens. Like just flat out. Um, so sailor is my, my third pick. Like my runner up is pilot. Um, just because some of the, some of the stuff that I have from them is fantastic, but it's all the older stuff. Uh, I don't really feel like for me anyway, that they do as much anymore that I love, you know, but you know, I look at the M90 and now this new vanishing point and it's like, how, you know, how can I not pick them? Um, but they, I think for me anyway, their vintage lines are way better than the current.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. Uh, if we were doing a, just a vintage, vintage pen palettes, vintage palettes, old stuff is amazing.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Like it's yeah, they, they had and have still, but really it shine their sense of style. Um, just unparalleled and, uh, just say, look, I know that it's, it's a shame when you're just going back to your old stuff and reissuing it, right? Because you're not really giving yourself room to grow, but they should just reissue everything they've ever made forever and we'll all be happy.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I'd be okay with that as you'll, as you'll see when we get to my list.

'''Myke Hurley:''' All right, Tiff. Um, what do you think?

'''Tiff Arment:''' Well, I had trouble with this topic because I have one of everything pretty much. Uh, the only ones I have multiple of are pilot and it's hit or miss, you know, like, uh, I really like the metropolitan, but I really don't like the, um, Pereira. I think that's the other one I have. Yeah. Um, I don't like that one. I got it cause I thought I would like it. I don't. Um, so I, I just, I had really, I had a, I don't know. I guess I was trying to think of, all right, of the ones that I do have the one-offs of pretty much everything, which would I want more of? And that was also a tricky question because I really liked the Waterman, uh, flex nib that I got the vintage Waterman that I got at the pen show and I love flex nibs, but I don't really care for the way, uh, the Waterman styling is. And I don't know anything about their modern line. So I couldn't really pick that one. I really love the aesthetics of Parker pens. I love their, the arrow clip and just the way a lot of them look in the way that they're styled, but I haven't written with a lot of them to really know besides the, uh, Parker 41 that I have, which is an older pen also. So I couldn't really pick that. I love my TWSBI Eco, but I, I think I love it because it's, um, a one point, it's a 1.1 stub nib. And I think I like 1.1 stub nibs. So I'm not sure if it's the TWSBI, especially cause they don't have a lot of variety in their line. It seems like the, a lot of them look similar. I like demonstrator pens. So that's probably why I like that particular one. And I'm also a little dubious about their, um, quality because a lot of people say that there's breaks. So I didn't really want to pick that either. And I like my, I have two Lamy's now and I really like them a lot, but again, they just, they write beautiful and smooth, but the, it seems like the only difference between them are color and I don't feel the need to have all the colors. So I couldn't pick them either.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I struggled with Lamy and TWSBI, um, to not put them on the list. Cause I've had such great results with them, but there's just things that both of them do, which is like, I just can't pick you. Like TWSBI seem to have sorted out a lot of their problems, but their problems that they've had in the past is like, I can't, I can't in good faith say that you're one of my favorite brands cause I don't know how you're going to go along. And Lamy, it's like, I love my Lamy pans, but they just don't, they just don't set that fire off in me. You know, like I have Safaris, I have AL Stars, I have a 2000. Um, you should look at getting a 2000, by the way, I'm just going to say that. Uh, but you know, I, they, they just don't, they just don't excite me in the way that the others do.

'''Tiff Arment:''' Yeah. Yeah. That's, I mean, that's how I, I felt about them too. And I have two TWSBI's now and they kind of write the same, you know what I mean? Like they're not, uh, they're useful. I pick them up. I do want to use them. Um, the same with the Lamy is I very much want to use them. Let me see which Lamy's I have. Um, I have a Safari and I have, um, the one from, um, Father Kyle, which was the. It's the AL Star, I think. Yes. Yeah, that's right. And yeah. So, and then I was thinking about Retro 51 too, but again, I don't feel the need to in myself to like collect all the different types. You know, I'll pick like the one or two that I think are very attractive and I love the way they write and I like having them, but I wouldn't pick it as, you know, that's it. The end all be all. And I guess so like, you know, those are all the ones that I had and I have a couple others. Uh, but again, I, I just, I don't know yet. I don't know which one's my brand to cross joke, but, uh, yeah. Yeah. So I, I'm still, I'm still finding, I'm still going to find, I'm going to, I mean, there's a lot out there still that I haven't bought or use. There's a lot of brands out there that, um, you know, the price points get higher and higher. So I haven't delved into many of them yet, but I haven't found the one that's hooked me completely. I, pens in general have hooked me. So I'm happy with that. That, that satisfies me.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Aside from Nakaya, are there any brands that maybe you own pens of or that you want to, that you want to dive into more? Like, are there any that are like, I want to explore, kind of explore what these pens offer?

'''Tiff Arment:''' I feel like I want one of everything.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Uh-huh. That's normal. Very normal. That's completely normal.

'''Tiff Arment:''' You know, like I have a Pinterest board of like all the pens that I like. I love the, um, uh, I'm sorry if I pronounce everything wrong. Um, Visconti. Yeah. I, I really love the look of a lot of their pens, but again, like you, Myke, their clip bothers me.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Good. I'm pleased that you feel that way. Cause I feel like I'm slowly becoming the only person that feels like this. No, no.

'''Tiff Arment:''' I look at how beautiful their pens are. And then that clip is just like, oh, it's like a, oh, it's like a spoiler. Like, it's just, I don't need a wing to keep my pen on the desk. You know what I mean? Like it's so big. Um, so I haven't really, I've written with them at the pen show and I really like a lot of their styles. I don't have one and I don't know a ton about them. So I couldn't really pick that. Um, you know, the Nakai is again, like they're beautiful and I can see there's a lot of variation in the nibs. And so that's exciting. And again, like I don't have one, so, uh, I don't really feel like I can pick that as like, this is it. This is going to be my brand. Um, so I don't know. Yeah. Again, sailor too. I don't have any sailors, although I am aching to find one of those turquoise ones. I want that to be my first and I don't think they make them in the United States. So I'm going to find it.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I didn't even know they had turquoise ones, but it doesn't surprise me that they do.

'''Tiff Arment:''' Oh, it's like secret. I found it at, uh, Aesthetic Bay.

'''Myke Hurley:''' You're so, every now and then, like you say something, I'm like, oh, you're further into this than I thought you were. Like it's just every 10 minutes. There's just another thing. It's like, oh, okay. You found that then.

'''Tiff Arment:''' My kid's at school. So I got some time.