Editing The Pen Addict 355/transcript (section)

== Sponsor Break ==


'''Brad Dowdy:''' OK. Should we take a break? Let's do it. All right. This episode is also brought to you by Harry's. Harry's, their founders were tired of paying too much money for razors because they were overpriced and overdesigned. They knew that a great shave doesn't come from gimmicks like vibrating razor heads or handles that look like spaceships. These are just tactics that large brands use and have used over time to raise prices. So Harry's decided to put their focus on what actually matters. They combine a simple, clean design with quality, durable blades and sell them to you at a fair price. Harry's bought a world class blade factory in Germany that's been making quality blades for over 95 years. This allows them to sell their cartridges for just $2 each, which is half the price of their big brand competitors. And all of Harry's blades come with a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee. So if you don't love your shave, let them know and they'll give you a full refund. Brad Dowdy, do you love your shave?

'''Myke Hurley:''' I love my shave. Did you see me at the Atlanta Pen Show? I mean, hello. I saw your razor in the bathroom. It was really cool. I mean, my neck was clean and smooth. The edge of my beard was pristine. I mean, how can you go wrong with any Harry's razor product? I just, it's not possible.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, they are really amazing stuff. I mean, I'm walking proof, Myke. Yes, you are. You really are. Walking handsome proof. People love Harry's so much that they've received over 20,000 five-star reviews at Trustpilot and Google. And you can get a $13 value trial set that comes with everything you need for a close, comfortable shave, including a weighted ergonomic handle, five blade razors with lubricating strip and trimmer blade, rich leathering shave gel, and a travel blade cover. And listeners of this show can redeem their trial set right now at harrys.com slash penaddict. So go to harrys.com slash penaddict to redeem your offer and let them know that we sent you to help support the show. Our thanks to Harry's for their support of The Pen Addict and Relay FM.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Myke, we have so much Ask TPA this week that I had to delete some that we already answered from last week.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I'm just doing my best here for you, man. I don't know what you want from me.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I hear you. I hear you. No, but I did add a few. I had some emails that I haven't been getting to because I've been holding them for Ask TPA, and I think today's the day we catch up on this. So the first one is from Chris May. I'm trying to understand pocket fountain pens. Are they simply pens that fit in your pocket, or do they tend to have a way to reduce ink from getting in the cap? Definitely number one, not at all number two. So I don't really know a way to reduce ink from getting in the cap. You know, maybe we can get that on Kickstarter somehow with some humidity cap on there. I don't know if that would work. Just stop it. Stop it right now. Pressurized air system in the cap. Brad. Brad. I'm just thinking out loud, Myke. Maybe we can do. I don't know of a way to reduce ink from getting in the cap. So, Chris, it's legitimately just small-sized pens that easily fit into a pocket. There's no way to prevent the banging and the possible ink splatter that you will get from just actually using the pens. Not that I know of anyway. So, yeah, it's small-sized pens that fit in small places.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Next question comes from Vitallo. What are good Parker-style gel refills? I'd like to use them in a Parker Jota. I really like the Uniball Signo 207, but those refills don't fit. I'd also like a 0.5mm if possible.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah, this has always been a challenge. Parker gels are actually pretty good, but the smallest is 0.7. It's still worth a try, maybe. Monteverde does a Parker-sized 0.5 gel refill in several different colors. That's the most common and the highest quality one that people use for those style of refills. It's hard to get a really perfect Parker-style gel refill, and Monteverde probably comes the closest.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Eatnix asks, I'm interested in a new gold nib pen. I want a nib that's on the softer side. I have and love a Sailor, but they're not soft enough for me. I'm not a big fan of the Lamy 2000s looks, and the Pilot Vanishing Point wasn't my style either. I have and love a Franklin Christoph Gold Sig that's nearly perfect for me, but I want something new. Any ideas?

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah, this is actually a really tough question, which is why I wanted in here. Two things come to mind. Platinum does soft nibs, so like they're soft-medium. I would pass on the soft-fine. I can't remember how fine Eatnix writes. I'm familiar with her pen choices, but I can't remember her writing style. But Platinum does a soft-medium that is pretty good. And then, like, the next thing that I can think of is Pelican's nibs are generally soft. They're very wide. You know, a Pelican 600 medium nib is very wide, but they're soft. The gold is soft. And then if you really kind of want to break the bank, the Aurora Flex nib, that's not really a flex. It's kind of a soft writing nib. It's fantastic. I'm very impressed with that nib just from a writing perspective, but not a flex perspective. It's going to be closer to that Franklin Kristoff Gold Sig nib. So the Pilot Falcon nib, you're getting into kind of a flex issue there. That's a real soft nib, but it's made around flex. But depending on your writing style, that might work. So I'd be looking at probably Platinum Soft Medium first for just, like, basic writing. And then I'd maybe jump all the way to something like Aurora's Flex nib. But that's a price point that is in a whole different arena.

'''Myke Hurley:''' It's a freaking great nib, though.