Editing The Pen Addict 308/transcript (section)

== Japanese Ballpoints ==


'''Brad Dowdy:''' Japan as a whole does not have many metal barreled ballpoint pens. You see that more in the American market, or maybe at least I do, because of the machine shop pen making thing that has kind of taken over. So, I actually had to think about this. The first one came up real quick. And it's the Uniball Jetstream Alpha Gel. So, it's not a full metal barrel, but it's a brass barrel with a rubber grip. A really nice grip, actually. So, that's one I use, but it's not like the Parker Jotter. You know, it's not like a full metal body, full metal to the touch pen.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' And the other one I use, which I really love, but I use it very infrequently, and I don't know why, is called the Pilot Ageless. The specific one, I would put a link into JetPens. In the show notes, it's a fantastic pen. Mine is the one I saw. I had to order from Japan. I wanted it so much. It's a black metal, like a brushed matte black with a walnut wood grip section. It's pretty amazing. But those are kind of your answers for Japanese metal pens. I wonder if we're going to start seeing Uniball do more with the Parker Jetstream refill that they've made. Like, I wonder if we're going to start seeing, like, a Parker Jotter style that fits that Jetstream body and do some more, like, $20 metal barrel pens. There's just not a lot of options for that right now out of the Japanese market that I've seen.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Let me tell you, I've never seen this Pilot Ageless before. That is a really cool-looking pen.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. They're expensive, and the refills are actually hard to find. So there's a lot of negatives to that pen, other than it looks really cool. It looks like a spaceship. Yeah. So I have one of those, and it took me years to pull the trigger on it just because I didn't think it was the value. Then I kind of found the one that spoke to me, and I haven't seen it for years. Like I said, I had to get it. I don't know if I bought it through eBay. I went through some very not normal channels to get the one that I have. I have it in my Instagram feed. I went and looked to see if I reviewed it. I haven't. I'll have to dig it up on my Instagram feed. It's probably a couple years back in the feed, but it's really, really cool. So I don't have any recommendations other than that because that's a really good question. So I will keep my eyes peeled, and I'll be interested to see if Uniball is going to do something with this new refill that they made. So we'll see.

'''Myke Hurley:''' All right. What do we got next?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' We have Jeff Sandstrom, new podcast listener. Sorry if already answered. That's okay. All of our questions have – a lot of the questions have been asked before, and we like talking to new listeners about new questions that they have. I'll be attending the Triangle Pen Show in Raleigh at the end of May, and it's my first show. Any tips for first-time pen show attendees? Should I bring a bunch of cash? Is credit card okay? Thanks. So I will be there as well, Jeff, so be sure to come say hi. I'll be at the Nock booth with both of my kids, so come say hi to us there. And I can help you out with anything you need at the show, any questions you have. But a couple of things that I always reiterate when we get asked this question is, one, take it slow. You will have a tendency to get overwhelmed. Even on a smaller show like Raleigh, it's still bigger than any other thing you've been to for, like, pens and paper. And even just a single table with the quantities of things that they have laid out in front of you can be overwhelming. Take it slow. Breathe. Drink a lot of water. Bring snacks. Stop for lunch. Do anything you can to not just go buzzsaw crazy through the entire show. Because even though you say it and you try to do it, you end up getting overwhelmed. It's like, let me look at the next thing. Let me look at the next thing. Do I need to buy this? You know, what should I do? Go slow. Breathe. Secondly, the cash or credit card question. Most vendors now are taking credit cards. There will still be some cash-only transactions. Most of the time, you'll be covered. I'd bring a mix of both. You know, make sure you have cash, but a lot of times credit card is going to be okay. Okay, I do, when I meet first-time pen show goers at a show, I always tell them I'm open to, like, any buying questions they have. Like, if they have a question about a pen and they're wondering about the price, feel free to come talk to me about it. Like, I'm glad to take the time to help make you more comfortable with any purchasing decisions you have. I know those don't come lightly, whether it's a $10 pen or a $1,000 pen. And, you know, it doesn't matter. So, you know, come to me with questions. I'm glad to help. And talk to the vendors. Like, they're more than willing to answer any questions you may have. Like, they love what they do. That's why they travel around the country and go to these shows. They will gladly answer even what you think is, like, the most simple, basic question. They're used to answering that, and they just want to help you find what's going to work for you. So, take it slow. Take it easy. Ask questions. Come holler at me if you get in a bind. And have fun, you know, and talk to people. So, it's great.

'''Myke Hurley:''' And our last question today comes from ATP Colors. Brad mentioned last time how the crazy fine platinum UEF nibs, like how crazy fine that they are. But my platinum UEF is about the same size as my Pilot EF nib. My choice of paper or ink affects the line width more strongly than my choice of these nibs. Is that your experience as well? That paper or ink can affect the line width maybe more than the actual nib can? Yep.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I mean, and that's the one thing we don't mention about is what do they call, like, the trifecta, like, the triangle of things that, you know, everything has to be made on. You have to have, it's the nib, ink, and paper all determine how the pen's going to write. In general, any platinum UEF I've ever used has always been noticeably finer than a Pilot EF. Now, I say that knowing that Myke could have a different experience than me because he used a different ink and a different paper. So, that will absolutely affect your experience. You know, if you're using, like, a coated paper like Rodia, man, you can get some crazy fine lines because there's no bleed. The ink's not going into the paper at all. And your line will be super fine. Add in a dry ink to that, it's going to be, you know, it's going to look wispy, you know, with a UEF nib, even compared to a Pilot EF nib. So, I think the UEF nib is clearly finer than a Pilot EF on a neutral playing field, if you will, you know. So, the ink and paper absolutely make a difference. So, that's always a good thing to point out, say, you know, if you're wondering about a nib, you know, talk about what ink and what paper you use. And that does narrow things down because it can change, you know, if you change any one of those three things, you know, your writing experience is liable to change. And then mix in a fourth thing, which is your writing style, how you hold the pen, what type of pressure you use. So, yes, it's a very specific particular thing, which is good to talk about from time to time. And always, you know, I like to remember, you know, to ask people, like, what ink and paper they're using sometimes when they talk about writing. And I sometimes forget even. And those are equally as important as what nib you've picked out. So, yeah, great question.

'''Myke Hurley:''' All right, that wraps it up for today. If you have a question that you would like to ask us in a future episode, just send a tweet with the hashtag AskTPA. And they go into a document. Or if you're in the pen addict Slack, you can just ask them. Do they just ask them straight to you, Brad? Is that usually how that happens?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, and I miss a lot of those because they roll off the screen. So, I prefer Twitter for hashtag AskTPA.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah, it is better. Like, if you're on Twitter and you can fit it into a tweet, that's the best way. Because they go into a spreadsheet. So, we don't even need to look for them. They just go into a spreadsheet and we pick them up when we're done. Yep.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Or email. I would rather email than Slack. Just because Slack's for, like, a live conversation. Like, following up on old questions is almost impossible in Slack.

'''Myke Hurley:''' So, you can get emails at hello at penaddict.com?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yes.

'''Myke Hurley:''' All right. You can go to penaddict.com to find Brad's work and go to knock.co for his pen cases. He is dowdyism on Twitter. He is penaddict on Instagram. I am imike, I-M-Y-K-E. Thanks again to Squarespace and Joe Perra Talks With You for their support of this week's episode. And we'll be back next time. Until then, say goodbye, Brad.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Goodbye, Brad. Pip, pip, cheerio.

[[Category:Podcast Transcripts]]
[[Category:The Pen Addict Podcast Transcript]]