Editing The Pen Addict 613/transcript

{{Infobox podcast transcript
| name            = The Pen Addict
| number          = 613
| title           = You Didn't Want Glitter?
| date            = May 1st, 2024
| hosts           = [[Brad Dowdy]]<br>
[[Myke Hurley]]
| guests          = 
| link            = [https://www.relay.fm/penaddict/613 Episode 613]
| audiolink       = [https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/secure/thepenaddict/The_Pen_Addict_613.mp3 Audio Episode 613]
| length          = 63
}}

'''Myke Hurley:''' From RelayFM, this is The Pen Addict episode 613. Today's show is brought to you by Squarespace and Enigma Stationery. My name is Myke Hurley and I'm joined by Brad Dowdy. Hi Brad. Hey Myke, how's it going? Pretty good, pretty good, pretty good. How are you?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I'm good, I'm good. I'm excited about today's discussion. Of course. I love it when the broader internet gets into my inbox, gets into my DMs, and brings forth the wonderful widespread stationery articles. You know, there's so many secret stationery people out there, right? Of course. Everyone is a secret stationery lover. We're just trying to get them all to listen to the show. So, you know, and every now and then, it happens several times a year, we kind of get like a mainstream article that makes the rounds. This one was actually very directly related to what we do here on the podcast, what I do on the blog. And let's see, what is the actual title of this article? I'm going to read this. We sent Ralph Nader some of our favorite pins. He dismissed them all. So, you know, super clickbaity title, right? Yeah, but it's good though. Yeah, it's a good title. It is a good title because it's accurate if you read the article. This is a very long, thorough article, which is why it resonates so much with me. Now, Ralph Nader, he was famous in the U.S. for being like, I don't know, man of the people, consumer advocate type of person. I don't really know too much about him, you know, outside of like the headlines type of stuff. But he currently, I guess he's, you know, well into retirement days and really not out in front anymore. But he actually reached out to the Times and the Wirecutter to lodge a complaint about his favorite pin, which is just fascinating to me.

'''Myke Hurley:''' He loves to see it, you know?



== Paper Mate Flare felt tip pen preferences and issues ==


'''Brad Dowdy:''' So, his favorite pin is an all-time great. It's the Paper Mate Flare felt tip pin. Now, if you're listening to this show, you've probably at least know or have heard of this pin, if not used it. But I've certainly used it plenty in the past. I don't really use them much anymore. But the interesting thing about Mr. Nader's favorite pin is how he uses them. So, what he does, and he went, again, this could not be more up in my alley. He went through the very specific reasons how he uses this pin. So, I'm going to read this one little quote. For years, I've been using felt pins, mostly red and black, but sometimes purple, to mark up the New York Times. I go through every page of the Times, and I mark up different articles and send them to different people. And I do that with the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal. So, he's literally reading the newspaper, taking the Paper Mate Flare, marking the pages to, like, essentially cut out and send to other people. So, it's kind of mind-blowing, right? Like, when you think about this. But there's so many people that do these types of things, right? With their stationery and their pins who have their one particular need. And then, at some point, in the case of Ralph Nader, his need is no longer being met because his beloved Paper Mates are failing him, Myke.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yes. So, but this is one of those things where, like, he is unhappy with the way that the Paper Mate feels to use, like, the ink and also, like, the construction of the pen. But it's one of those things where the New York Times, they reach out to Paper Mate, and Paper Mate's like, we didn't change anything. So, who knows, right? Who knows?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. So, if you listen, so, yes, the Paper Mate did reply to an inquiry that nothing's changed. And all I could think of before I even read, like, there's so much more to this article we're going to get into. All I could think of is the one glaring red flag in all of this. You know, before we dig into it, do you know what it is?

'''Myke Hurley:''' No.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Or can you assume the issue? He could not be writing on a more absorbent paper with a very wet tip pen, right? Yeah.

'''Myke Hurley:''' But it's not like that changed, though, right?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Right. But did the newspaper change? Like, has the newspaper quality gotten cheaper, right? Yeah. You could not.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Who's going to call the New York Times to answer them that question? You know, maybe Paper Mate should put up a blog post, like, we called the New York Times his printer and asked them what they've done today. Exactly.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Like, you could not pick a worse combination other than maybe, like, a Sharpie pen and newsprint, right? So, yeah, it's probably a combination of a lot of things. But, you know, and he's just, he's basically saying, well, this has never happened before. But he's been walking a fine line, no pun intended, for decades if he's been doing this right. And he literally goes through dozens of these pens. He sent, there's a great picture in here of the amount of flare pens that have failed him that he sent to the wire cutter. There has to be three dozen. Three dozen. It says, Ralph Nader sent us a package of the Paper Mate pens that have dried up on him recently. It has to be three dozen pens. Yes. It's amazing. So, maybe, maybe it is. That makes you think it's the pen.



== Discussion on retirement and lifestyle aspirations ==


'''Myke Hurley:''' You know what, Brad? Retirement sounds pretty great. It does. You know what I mean? Like, it sounds like he's just sitting there. Like, he basically, he's just reading the New York Times every day. He's drawing on it and then mailing it to people or whatever. Like, man, sounds great. I mean, that's life goals. I'm going to be really annoying in my retirement. Oh, man. This is me.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' It's life goals right here. Yeah. Okay. So, we have determined his use case. He's having a problem with the flare. I mean, if he's having this much problem with this many flares, I lean towards the pen, not the newsprint. Right? If it's like something's changed, maybe. But I don't know. So, Wirecutter is trying to fix it, right? It's like, well, can we get Ralph Nader into a better pen that suits his needs? As you already know by the title, the answer is no. The answer is no, we cannot satisfy Ralph Nader's needs. But I immediately, before even looking at what they tested, I assumed they went to fineliner type pens. Like, your Secure Pigma Microns and the Sharpie pen were the first two that jumped to mine. And then what I would have picked are the plastic tip pens that have the same type of ink and the same type of laying ink down on the page. They're kind of those white tip pens. I just call them plastic tip pens. I really think that's what they are. They have that white tip and then whatever color the ink is, that's the color of the tip.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah, I mean, they're plastic. I mean, they call them like fibers, right? But it's like a hard, it's plastic. Yeah.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. So, that's what actually I thought would be the best. And it turns out one of the pens that they suggested, which we're going to go through them here all in a second, turned out to be his second favorite choice was that style of pen. But that's all I could think about up front is like it has to be like that style of pen, not one of these fineliners or really felt tip pens, right? Just because of the absorbency issues you do when you hit the newsprint. So, Wirecutter in the past, and I've worked with one of the authors in here in the past, Melanie and I exchange emails from time to time when they go to update their articles. So, they have done some specific articles where they talk about fineliners. And, you know, they like the Copic Multiliner SP, which you love and I love. The Sharpie pen, which I love. Secure Pigment Micron, that's in here. The plastic tip pen that they chose was the Amazon Basics. And another way to describe these types of pens is a sign pen. A lot of people call this plastic tip a sign pen. Because the Pentel sign back in the 70s was a very popular pen. Even though they had two different tip styles you could get. But they had this look and style of this white plastic tip with like a black ink on there. So, they sent him these to test them all. He gave his feedback on each of them. His favorite, even though it was worse than the flare, was this plastic tip Amazon Basics. So, I use that type of pen reasonably frequently. It's a great writing pen. I do tend to just go for the straight up felt tip looking fineliners like a Secure Pigment Micron. But Secure has a pen. I would like to see him get in his hands. It's the, they actually call it the PN. So, it's the Secure Pigment Micron PN. Which, that's a whole set of problems on its own for this podcast. Especially with one of the other pens that I'm going to be discussing here momentarily. But it's the Micron's plastic tip version, right? So, you take this more classic, you know, arrowhead shape tip instead of the felt tip of the Micron. And they're really, really good. Another one I would try out is the Uni Emote. Which is newer to the lineup. And they have this plastic tip. I have tested and reviewed these. I love them. I think they're fantastic. Like, I have a whole set of these pens. This might be a pretty decent option as a flare replacement. They're a little bit expensive. Like, that's the challenge with this. Like, if you're going to ruin this pen quickly. Like, $2.50 a pop is a big ask. As opposed to buying a dozen flares, right? That's also the balance that you have to look at here. Same thing with the Micron I just mentioned. And then, like, related, we just did... Jeff just did a Uni Pin Pin review on the blog that was just published this morning before the show. Just coincidence. But that might be... That's... How do I say this? It's one of my least favorite fineliners. It doesn't mean it's a bad pen. But compared to the Micron and the Copic and Statler pigment liner, like, it's worse because it's a little bit wetter, which might make it good for this use case of writing on newsprint. And I did look in the post, the Wirecutter post. Did they test this stuff on newsprint? They did. So, I was looking for some validation there. Well, Nader was, I'm sure, right? Nader was, for sure.

'''Myke Hurley:''' If anybody wasn't, he was. I mean, and they show each pen with a newspaper, right? Just quite nice photography, as they always do.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, like, he pretty much shot down everything. He said, nah, the Amazon Basics one's closed, but nothing compares to the flares. So, yeah, I think at this point, they should just send Ralph Nader. They should just send him some of the scented flares just for fun. Like, I think Paper Mate should send him a big box of those. Like, they have, like, brunch flavors and fruit flavors and stuff. Some of the worst smelling stuff I've ever seen, but I'd like to see that on the newsprint there for Mr. Nader. But, no, I would try the Uni Emote plastic tip pens and see how that goes. They might be a little dry for that because they have a finer tip, but they might last longer and perform better. And they might get the job done in a different way than the flare because they'd be, like, half the line width, I'm guessing, if not more, right? So, they won't be marker-esque. But the type of ink will absorb and it should write on the newsprint very, very well. So, it's good stuff. So, I love digging into this. Thank you to everyone who sent in this article. I could spend an entire show just going through, like, my own tests of this. And then, like, one of the big, one of the big, they actually tested this on one of the papers. It's like, yeah, why not pencil? Because, like, that's always going to work on newsprint. But, you know, I mean, if Ralph Nader likes his purple flares, let's find him a purple flare, man. You got to respect the purple flare.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Obviously, we deal with this kind of stuff a lot, right? And I've been thinking a lot about and talking a lot about product reviews, like, as a thing recently. And it's so interesting to read through this article. And you see that, like, many times, like, I think it's Anne-Marie is the writer, but she references Melanie, who you've spoken to. It was Melanie Panola, who also did a lot of the testing for the pen articles that they've done. And they talk about the fact that, like, in their best pen stuff, they just disregard the flare, right? Like, it was, they hated it. Not hated it, but they disliked it so much, they didn't even think it was worth putting in. And it's like, well, okay, so we're starting from a reverse here, right? Where, like, where Nader wants what you think is the worst product, and, like, how do we readjust, you know? And, like, how they said, like, the one that he liked the most was the one that they say, quote, they dismissed, placing it in the competition section, which is the Amazon Basics felt-tip marker pen. And it's just so interesting, right, where it's, like, for, one of the things that I've been thinking about a lot is, like, when it comes to reviews, you kind of have to find people you trust and then judge against them, right? Mm-hmm. You know, like, because you just, you kind of, like, set them as a barometer and go against it. And, like, this is just one of those perfect examples to me where, really, what the Wirecutter probably has to do to try and help Nader is, like, let's find what we think are the worst possible pens. And that needs to be your starting point, because he is working at the complete opposite to them. Yeah. So, I find that kind of stuff interesting.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. Super fair. And not that, like, anyone needs, like, my validation or, you know, my thoughts on what Wirecutter thinks, but their, all the points they make and their rankings of these pens, I agree with 100%. Yeah, me too. Like, across the board.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Like, the ones that they suggest, like, Secura, Pigma, Micron, the Copic, Multiliner, to me, these are the best pens in this category that you can buy. But this is not what Ralph Nader wants for his own purposes, right? And so, it's just, like, super interesting to be, like, no, he wants the different, he wants not what you want. I love it. It's great.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. He just generally needs to go to just, like, a straight-up, like, fine-tip marker. Like, not the flare, just find, like, whatever type of marker type pen. Yeah. Like, and get it in a fine-tip and just go to town on those, so.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Did they try the Sharpie? They did, didn't they?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' They did. The pen, yes. The P-E-N. Yeah.

'''Myke Hurley:''' But maybe he just needs, like, a really thin Sharpie, because they make those, too, don't they?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' The problem with that one is it's alcohol-based, and that will just eat up the newspaper. Like, it'll just spread instantly. You just need a regular, like, cheap marker. Like, if you were doing, like, adult coloring, that type of marker. You know what? Like, a Stabilo 0.88. Like, those would probably be, like, really good, right? Just, they might be a little fine. So, you know, anytime you can get, like, those 10 to 30 color marker sets, like, that fine line of, like, a finer coloring marker, but not a fine liner that has, like, a marker tip, that's probably going to do better than the flare. The flare is going to wear out pretty quick.

'''Myke Hurley:''' So, if Mr. Nader's assistants out there are listening, getting in touch, because Brad might have some more suggestions for you.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, maybe I can get him in touch with Uni.

'''Myke Hurley:''' You just, I just feel so sorry for the paper mate person that they spoke to. I really do. They're just like, we didn't change anything, man. I don't know what this guy wants. We didn't do it.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I mean, and let's be honest, like, the flare is a beloved pen. They're not putting technology dollars into the flare. No. Like, let's be honest. Like, I bet that it hasn't changed. Unless they've, like, cut something, like, which, you know, like, I wouldn't put past anybody these days. But, like, on the flare, like, what would you even cut? Like, the tip design's the same, the ink's the same, the barrel's the same.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah, they've had what, like, so many other companies have at different points where it's like, oh, well, there was a component, thinking about our friends at Lamy, a component that is not available anymore. So, we continue making the product, but it's different. But they said that didn't happen, so. Right. Very funny.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Take that, Nader.

'''Myke Hurley:''' This was fun. This was a fun article to read. Love it. I also, bravo to the Wirecutter, because this is just a great, this is just a good time article to put together. I want to see them do this more. Like, I think the Wirecutter should become part, like, I don't know if they do this, actually. Maybe they do this now more since they moved to the New York Times. But kind of like an advice column kind of thing for certain people. You know, like, you could write in and be like, I want this particular thing. Can you help me specifically? Right. Because I'm sure people write in and they're like, can you find us the right security camera? But it's like, what about the security camera for my specific needs? You know what I mean? Right, right. Good time.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' And what's great about this one for us, for this specific article for us, this is a super basic question. Yeah. Like, this is like the highest level of nerdery that the Wirecutter could post. Yeah. But like, this is like the most simple, straightforward question for me. Like, and I would love, I love talking about this stuff. So they do a good job at the thoroughness and depth. Because they, like, I only know in the case of like the stationery people, like, they reach out to a bunch of us, say, you know, they won't ask always for like our opinion on products. But they'll say, hey, what's new? What have we missed? What should we look at that we're not already looking at? Like, they take it seriously. So they do a good job.

'''Myke Hurley:''' They sure do. All right. This episode is brought to you in part by our friends over at Squarespace, the all-in-one website platform for entrepreneurs to stand out and succeed online. Whether you're just starting out or managing a growing brand, you can stand out with a beautiful website, engage with your audience and sell anything. Your products, services, even the content that you create, because Squarespace has got everything you need all in one place, all on your terms. Squarespace's blueprint AI and SEO tools make it so easy to get started. You can start a completely personalized website with their new guided design system, Squarespace Blueprint. You choose from professionally curated layout and styling options to build a unique online presence from the ground up, tailored to your brand or business and optimized for every device, and then easily launch your website and get discovered fast with integrated, optimized SEO tools so you show up more often to more people and grow the way you want. You can also integrate flexible payments to make checkouts seamless for your customers with simple but powerful payment tools. You can accept credit cards, PayPal and Apple Pay, and in eligible countries offer customers the option to buy now and pay later with Afterpay and Clearpay. With Squarespace, you're able to sell your content. Squarespace has the tools you need to sell exclusive content on your site by adding a paywall to select content or courses. You could even sell files your customers can download like PDF, music, or e-books. So it's not all about physical goods. You can have digital goods too. It's super easy with Squarespace. Everything is. I love Squarespace. I've been using them for so long. And I really recommend that you go and try it out. If you have a project that you're building for yourself or for a friend or you want to make a suggestion to someone, tell them to go to squarespace.com or you can and sign up for a free trial. In that trial, you can build your entire website. So you can play around with all of their tools, see how it works, get a feel for it, and have a great time building your website the way that you want. But then when you're ready to launch it, go to squarespace.com slash penaddict and you'll save yourself 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. That is squarespace.com slash penaddict when you decide to sign up to get 10% off your first purchase and show your support for the show. Our thanks to Squarespace for the continued support of this show and all of RelayFM.



== Montegrappa's "Off the Rails" special edition pens ==


'''Brad Dowdy:''' All right, Myke. They have done it again. Mad less. The frequency at which Montegrappa releases these. Off the Rails special editions. It fascinates me. So today we're going to talk about the Frankenstein limited edition. I keep forgetting this for the last couple of weeks. It's been in my notes and I keep forgetting to put it in the show. So it's been out for a few weeks. Before we even get into this, I just, I, I'm just fascinated at what the shop and manufacturing could look like at Montegrappa to be able to put this much effort and level of detail into so many pens so frequently. I'm completely fascinated. Like I, like I should put on like my bucket list, like dream trip would like actually to go to Montegrappa because I find them one of the most interesting big fountain pen makers in the world. Right. I just think they're very interesting because I love their, I love the pens that I can afford. Right. Like I'm not, I'm not getting the Frankenstein pen, but like the pens that they make for me that are in my budget are some of my favorites. Right. So I'm already a fan. And then they go out and do, do something like this. So, um, this is called, I guess the, the, the subtitle of this pen is called the monster within. And like with a lot of these pens, I think we have to just start with the display. Myke is, is this the most awesome display that we have ever seen? Um, despite the fact they have built a literal Coliseum for one of the pens before.

'''Myke Hurley:''' What is the display for this one? I don't see it on the website. So I'm on the top page. Oh my word. Yeah, there it is. Yeah. Okay. That's pretty great. So does that, that thing actually does the little electric, like, uh, so you know, there's things you put your hands on, your hair stands up. Is it actually doing that?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I doubt that. Uh, although it does say danger, high voltage on the back of it. Like it has the switch you can flip. And I don't know how much of this is like interactive or lights up or, or, or what, but like, it's got the table, uh, where the monster would lay and, you know, all of the, uh, electricity.

'''Myke Hurley:''' It says here a working lab display, whatever that is. That means let's go.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Let's go.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Let's go. A straight jacket, pen wrap.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Like, yeah. Like, yeah. Oh, the pen wrap is intense. We'll go with intense. You know, I mean, I guess if you're watching, uh, I guess if you're watching the movie or have, or can, you know, have read the books and read the book and, and can visualize some of this stuff. Like you, you're already aware of what's going on. All right. Um, so there's one key feature amongst a lot of features. Yep. In this pen. Um, I'm not even going to tell you what it is, but I'm going to just get you to go ahead and describe it because there's really only one thing to focus on with this pen.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah. So if you're hearing, oh, there's a Frankenstein pen, uh, and it's from Montegroppa, let me tell you right now. It ain't what you're thinking. There's no abs in this pen, right? Like they did not make a Frankenstein. Um, what this pen seems to be is like, it's meant to look like a chamber that maybe he was made in. Although like, I don't remember Frankenstein ever being in a chamber. Like maybe this is like a different version of Frankenstein, but like I always have known it and pictured it as like, he's on the table, which they have made. Right. And then they kind of electrify him and he comes to life. Right. Um, but there is this little wheel that you can turn on the cap and when you turn it, a little door opens up and you see Frankenstein's head in the thing, which is cool. Like, I do think that like, that is a very fun way to do this, but it feels like a missed opportunity to me that like this pen should have looked like Frankenstein. Like you may as well have just gone for it. Yeah. The monster. Yes. Thank you. Frankenstein's monster. We're going to get an email. Not Dr. Frankenstein. Let me tell you right now, listener, if you were going to write that email, just get out of town. Right. Like, you know what I'm talking about.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I was just going to subtly, you know, throw that in there because I mean, everyone does it like this is a normal thing. So, yes.

'''Myke Hurley:''' We're talking when Frankenstein means the monster. Like everyone knows that now. If you think that Frankenstein means the doctor, then I don't know what to tell you. You know, this is part of a new license that Montegrappa has, which is the universal monsters license, which I think also includes like King Kong. And Godzilla and Godzilla and stuff. No. Because they say this is our debut universal monsters writing edition. So, Universal Monsters is a collection of monster licenses owned by Universal. Oh, no. You know, like Kong.



== Universal Monsters and themed pens ==


'''Brad Dowdy:''' Godzilla's going to be a problem for me. Godzilla and Kong. That's going to be sick. Right. Godzilla and Kong. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

'''Myke Hurley:''' That is a Universal Monsters movie. So, yes. There's Toga in the chat saying that is the mummy. Like, there's loads. I think what I want to see is them trying to do the invisible man. Now that, now that could be a good time. You know?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Get on it, Montegrappa.

'''Myke Hurley:''' There's your April Fool's. Here's your 3,000 invisible man pen. But yeah, look, this pen, and it also has like on the end finial, there's like some gears you can turn. And that's kind of cool. And like they move. It's like, I see why they've done what they've done here. Because it probably, I'm sure, I have no doubt, because it's Montegrappa, that there is a sketch of a pen that looks like Frankenstein. Right? That like they did that. A hundred percent. And for whatever reason, it was like, this isn't going to work. And I understand that. And so they've gone with this. Or maybe, look, they're working with a licensee. Maybe there are different things. I mean, it does have some bolts on the cap, like in the bolts in his neck. Like there are interesting details and there are like stitching, like metal stitching all throughout the pen. But like when I see the details like that, I'm like, oh man, the pen isn't even green, you know? Right, right. Like there were things that could have been done here and they haven't been. But it is full of really great details. Like the grip section has like bolts of electricity. The nib has a little portrait of Frankenstein on it. The clip is great. The clip is really good. Like there are lots of little details here. But it was just, for me, this one was a bit of a letdown. Because I saw the link and I was like, here we go, baby. And I was a little bit disappointed when I saw it.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, since a lot of people know I like these things and we like these things. You know, they're sending me links and giving their comments. And they mostly agree with what everything you're saying. And I do too. It's like, oh yes, I'm glad we have this. But like I think I wanted something different. So maybe now that they have the license, they can eventually bring the full Frankenstein's monster body into the Warrior series. You know, like the Samurais. And so where you can have like a full figured one. That's what I want. Like the 60 grand special edition. Yeah. Frankenstein's monster one. Give me Frankenstein.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I refuse to do it. Give me Frankenstein. Give me it. I know. You know, I want him in all of his glory. You know? Yeah. This just feels to me like I want to see Montegrappa get in their bag on this one. You know? Yeah. And I don't think they're in their bag on this one.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' This one only got partway there. Yeah. Like is the way I see it. Yeah. Like there's so many externals that are just awesome with this. But like the Frankenstein-ness of it didn't fully get fleshed out. Correct.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Because like you look at that display and it's like, oh boy, they went for it. Like that to me feels like the thing that again suggests this should look like the monster. Like you wouldn't strap a container to a table and then put the monster inside. Right.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' You know? I bet. Like you said, I bet they tried like heck to make that work for this type of thing. Like, but then you kind of got to, you know, there are limitations and everything. So even for someone who has no limits like them.

'''Myke Hurley:''' You know what? I see what you're saying though. I think I'm following about like, oh no, they've got the ones that are the bodies. They're really expensive. Right. Yeah. And so maybe they had again, like, like the Gladiator one starts at like 18,000 euros. Right. Which is ridiculous. Just went saying that out loud. And this one starts at 9,000 euros. So maybe they had like, you know, they couldn't go whole hogging it. Different level. Different level. Yeah. It's a good time. It's fun. It's a fun pen. Like on its own. It's a fun pen. It's a fun pen. I feel like I maybe would have liked it more if I hadn't seen the other things Montegrappa could do, you know? Exactly. I do really like the little head in the thing. I think that's very cute. Like, I think that's very funny. I like that it's hidden. You know, like I think it's a fun thing to show someone. Like, oh, look, Frankenstein's in here. Great time.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' All right. Now that I know that Godzilla might be on the way, I'm keeping my eyes and ears peeled for that. I mean, I'm not going to buy it. Like, it's way too much, but I'm excited. Now I'm kind of like, I'm setting myself up to be let down because that could be sick. So we'll see. We'll see if it happens.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I'm going to try and get the list here of who is in the universal classic monsters. We've got Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, Werewolf of London, Wolfman. What else have we got? I'm looking through all the different movies here.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah. So yeah, they got a lot. And I'm pretty sure that they have, Godzilla, I'm pretty sure is in this list, but maybe it's not. I don't know. It seems like it is, but I'm. Yeah. Creature from the Black Lagoon.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Oh, okay.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Phantom of the Opera.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Oh, that'll do well.

'''Myke Hurley:''' There's a lot of things that could potentially be in this list.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' That seems like a very Montegrappa pen, Phantom.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' That seems like they could pull that off pretty well. All right. We got a different type of theme pen here. A very, very different aesthetic going from Montegrappa Frankenstein to Bungu Box Thumbelina, Myke. Have you seen this pen? I have a lot to talk about this one.

'''Myke Hurley:''' You know, I'm just going to suggest in case before we get the, like, there's a thing called the Monsterverse, which is technically what Godzilla and Kong are in, but it is all still universal. So I'm not sure. Basically, what I'll tell you is they have a lot of these that they could now play with. Okay. And so that's kind of, that's where I'm going with. I apologize in case I've said something incorrect. I will not apologize for saying Frankenstein.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Nor should you. Nor should you. I'm with you on that. All right. So how about Thumbelina, Myke? Will you apologize for saying Thumbelina?

'''Myke Hurley:''' I don't know. Should I?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' No, I don't think so. Okay. So I have a lot to say about this pen. And my first question is, and this kind of can relate to, you know, Frankenstein or any theoretical Godzilla pen that we might get. If you love how a theme pen looks, but aren't particularly into that theme, would you buy the pen? You know what I'm asking?

'''Myke Hurley:''' Say that again.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' So like, if you love how this Thumbelina pen looks, like in say my case, I love how this looks. Yes. I cared literally nothing about Thumbelina, but it's a Thumbelina featured pen, right? It has like some nit etching, some finial work. Would you still consider buying the pen, even if the story of the pen does not fit like your thoughts?



== Alice in Wonderland-themed Bung Box pen purchase ==


'''Myke Hurley:''' I've done it. I bought the Alice in Wonderland bung box pen. I don't have any particular feeling about Alice in Wonderland, but I really liked that pen. So I bought it.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. So I like, I'm wondering what the listeners would say to this as well. And I think probably most people would like, if they're into the pen and like the pen really, really fits their style. I think, yeah, they would buy it. So like, I'm having a hard time not ordering this one because it's really, really perfect for what type and style of pen that I want. And I've been wanting to add a second sailor. This is the Pro Gear mini. So, or Sapporo mini. I forget they've changed the name of this one a little bit. So I forget the exact name of it. So yeah, like I'm not going to because I can't quite get past like, hey, this is the Thumbelina pen and I have like no relation to Thumbelina whatsoever. But I, this is, this is just a beautiful pen. So like I keep looking at it. The problem is I keep looking at it, right? But I'm not going to get it. I'm going to pass. I'm going to be a good boy. But I do love, love this pen. So that was one part of it. The second part was an interesting little snafu. And this is not Bunga Bucks' fault. You know, they worked with Sailor to get these pens made. And Sailor, they, you know, they obviously designed it in collaboration with Sailor, picked out all the materials and finishes and style and everything to get the pens made. And then Sailor actually used an incorrect barrel rod material. And like the pen showed up. And I think Bunga Bucks like, huh, that's not what we picked out.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Where it technically does look nice, but no, that's not what we chose. So they're doing a cool thing, which is kind of like the only, like, it's kind of like the only answer you do. Like Sailor has to fix this, right? So, but now we have all these extra pen barrels. So Bunga Bucks is like, hey, hey, why not both? It's a true why not both situation. They're giving you the wrong pen barrel and getting all the right ones made. So you're actually going to get two pen barrels with the pen, which I think is pretty rad. In the end, that would actually make you, make you, if you haven't ordered, make you want to order it. If you could, if you could get both barrels. I don't know if it works that way, but it's pretty hilarious.

'''Myke Hurley:''' They said that though, didn't they?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, you get both barrels, but I didn't know if that was for like the pre-order people, but.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Oh, probably, right? Yeah. I guess, I guess it depends how many did they order, you know?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. If there's a hundred pens and they got a hundred wrong pens, well, they have a hundred right pens to ship too. So all 100 are going to get the, get the, get both barrels, which I think it's, it's, it's a pretty fun, happy accident, right? Like I'm sure like literally no one cares that they have to wait longer for this really great looking pen, right? Oops. But now they get a little, little fun, little bonus. And I thought that was kind of neat, which actually makes me want to order it. So again, back to like the style and aesthetic of this pen, it reminds me of, um, Sailor's Pro Gear that I almost bought, uh, in the second round of cocktail series. I believe it was, there's one called a cyclamen, uh, which is kind of like this pink lemonade looking material. It's kind of got the same yellowish light, yellowish color barrel, pink, uh, grip section and cap. This is, I don't know what it is about this aesthetic that I never bought this cyclamen pen, but like, if I was going to buy one from that series, like that's the one. And, and this Thumbelina is along the same lines. Like, what is it about this aesthetic that, uh, that really piques my interest, I guess, because I don't really have anything like this, this setup, but it's a really good, uh, pink lemonade type of setup. And I like it a lot. So who knows, maybe one of these days I said earlier this year, I probably ended up with another Sailor somehow this year. And it might be a mini because I have my one mini Mekon, the orange, the tangerine one that from Bungu box with the stack nib from CY. And I want another one that just has like a stock extra fine nib, right? I don't, I want one that's just like your basic small mini pin with an extra fine nib. And I haven't found the perfect one yet. And this one's close. I'm going to, I'm going to pass, but, uh, dang, if it doesn't look good.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I like the way they're dealing with it too. Like, this is a good way to do it. Just like, everyone's going to get it.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Like, you know, you've got two, you know, people are going to have to wait. And, um, you know, might as well, like Sailor can't do anything with the, like the barrels are done, right? It's not like they ordered the wrong material and now they have to order the right material. Like it was a completed, it was a completed pin. So now they're going to redo part of it.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I do like the idea. They were like, oh, it's a Bungu box order. Throw the glitter in.

'''Myke Hurley:''' It's pretty funny.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I was like, this is obviously, it's like, oh, this is obviously it, right?

'''Myke Hurley:''' You didn't want glitter in this one? What's happening? You okay with that?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I actually, I actually do like the, I do like what it was supposed to be better than the glitter model. I like, like the pearlescent, um, the original choice, like the correct choice that it's supposed to be. That's the one I like. The glitter is the accident. So yeah. Very funny.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Fun stuff. Very funny. All right. This episode is brought to you by our friends at Enigma Stationery. They offer unique items made from in-house designs along with top brands and hard to find imported products. We're now introducing Pen's Desk Select, a curated box of new stationery items. 12-year-old Pen is the youngest member of the Enigma stationery family, and they're a big voice in the items that you see in the shop every single day. Pen personally selected each item in this box for their own desk, and now they're putting a box together for you to enjoy yourself. Pen's theme for this box is summer vibes, and it features items that they chose to get in a sunny, warm weather stationery mood. Every item is new and not yet available individually in the shop. The total value of the summer vibes box is $150, but the price is just $95, including shipping. There are only 10 boxes available, so you've got to rush to Enigma stationery, where you'll also find some other new items, including the Zebra Blend 3C, quote, Snoopy limited edition multi-pans, so that's a good time, plus stickers, pins, and more from Occasionalish, including the excellent What to Eat spinning pin. So if you need some help, you can find out what to eat with this spinning pin from Occasionalish. I like it. If you want free US shipping or discounted international shipping on orders of $50 or more, plus a free gift, and to check out all of these amazing products, go to enigmastationery.com slash penaddict and use the code penaddict24 at checkout now. That is enigmastationery.com slash penaddict to get your hands on the limited edition Summer Vibes box, plus a free gift and free US shipping on orders of over $50 or more with the code penaddict24. Our thanks to Enigma stationery for their support of this show and RelayFM.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I love these boxes. I love this idea. Because I'm always getting tagged as like, did you get one? I was like, no. And it's like, oh, man, we got some good stuff in here. So that's one of those things that people love to be surprised and then love to share all the awesomeness that's in there. And I certainly think that an enigma box would be freaking amazing.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Sometimes it's good for some fun. And also because there are going to be things that you would not have chosen for yourself, but you never know, there might be your next favorite item inside of these boxes, inside of this very box is Summer Vibes box for Enigma stationery.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. And the cool thing that they did, I think differently than anyone, I haven't like researched like other companies boxes, but they're doing this from a batch of new items that they received not yet available individually in the shop. So it's almost like a preview box, which I think is just fantastic. Like, I think that's a super idea. So yeah, love it.

'''Myke Hurley:''' All around good stuff from our friends at Enigma stationery. Always, always.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' All right. We got a shout out of the week, Myke. The week. Gosh, you've almost got me singing it.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Ah, that will be a good time when you just do it by accident.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I almost did it. As soon as I said, I was like, wow, that was very sing-songy.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' So I'm pretty sure I've shouted out Weirdo Forest Pens because I love that blog so much. They just celebrated their seventh blog-aversary, Myke, which is always something to be celebrated anytime you can commit to doing anything for, hey, if it's even seven days, you can have a seven-day-aversary like me using this Lamy All-Star fountain pen for, I don't know, I'm on like day 14 or 20 or something right now. Anytime you can do anything for a commitment length of time, it should be celebrated. And I just love all the artwork that they have over on Weirdo Forest and just the style and the fun reviews. And it's just really cool stuff. So if you're not following Weirdo Forest Pens, please go click this link, check them out, give them a follow, and be amazed at their reviews. They do a great job.



== Listener questions and recommendations for content creators ==


'''Myke Hurley:''' Very cool. Been like any show notes as always. Yep. We have some RSTPA to finish out today's show. First comes from Minhan who asks, I was wondering if I could get some advice on the Traveler's Notebook versus the Plotter. I've used Traveler's for several years and have the standard and the passport size. I love the aesthetic and modularity, but I'm intrigued by Plotter. The price point is drastically different and I'm hesitant to make the plunge. Plotter seems like a lovely marriage between Travelers and a ring system. Any thoughts would be appreciated?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' This is a great question. One we get a lot. One I tackle a lot and I have used both systems. So the question you have to answer is how a ring bound system will work for you and if you will enjoy that, right? That's where you need to start because they're both beautiful. You know, they're both functional. Both systems. I'm talking about Plotter and Travelers. Both are just wonderful systems. They have wonderful accessories. They have wonderful internal options from plain papers to planning pages to calendars. They both do all of the things very, very well. It should be the shock of no one that they're owned by the same parent company, but they're completely different products, I think, in the way that they're used. So you almost need to look at this backwards, right? Don't get caught up in the visuals and, you know, the beauty or the fun that these systems look like. Like, you need to start with, hey, this book is now opened up, laying on my desk. How am I going to work with this ring bound system versus a bound notebook system inside the Travelers? And that's where you have to think about it. So, like, I can't tell you which one's better for you, right? Because there's pros and cons to each. But that's how you have to go into, if you're going to choose between one of the two, that's how you need to look at it. How is this system, how does this system work for how I do work? The reason I ended up on Plotter is because I don't, I use it more as a planner, not a journal. And therefore, I'm good with having a ring bound system where pages can move in and out. And I also don't keep the pages that were in the book. I don't say, I don't archive my pages, right? So, it's really just kind of like this ephemeral system where things are passing through. But while it's in use, it's like super handy and useful for me, the way I work. Where if I chose the Traveler style, well, I get that in just a regular notebook, right? Like a regular A5 or A6 notebook sitting on my desk or a field note sitting on my desk kind of solves what I need for what a Traveler's is. But if you use the Traveler's in a different way to where you need to have like a full big section for work and a full big section for like journaling and a full big section for, you know, tasks and to-dos and projects. Like maybe that system would work better and you need more access and retention type items at once. The Traveler's might be a better setup for that. So, you just have to think about the use case because you're going to be pleased with the style and the quality and the functionality of both systems. So, it just comes down to how you will use it, right? So, you know, think about is it a work notebook? Is it a play notebook? Is it a combination of things? And then how those would fit in those two different types of systems. Because once you open these things up, I think I do believe that they are very different in the effects that you're going to get personally from them.

'''Myke Hurley:''' You have to ask me this next question. This is a question for me. Can you imagine such a thing?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Oh, yeah. I like it. I like it. So, this is actually a good question. Via Chad. Hey, Myke. My love is fountain pens, stationery, paper, inks, and all the things you and Brad talk about here. But now I find myself needing a new keyboard for a work computer and a new job. I know that's one of your other passions and I know nothing about them. I don't have time to find out who are the right content creators to help guide me to a great keyboard. Can you give me three options for keyboards to check out and maybe buy? Like new pen lovers, what do you tell newbie keyboardists?

'''Myke Hurley:''' Well, I'm going to start by telling you the two content creators that I recommend that you follow. Like, if you do want more info or you want to watch videos about these, actually, I'm going to recommend three people. One is Teha Types. Teha is like the guy. He's the Brad Dowdy in keyboards, right? Kind of a big deal. Yes, he is a big deal. He was like one of the first to do this kind of content. The idea of like streaming keyboard builds, like he was one of the innovators of that. And he got popular on YouTube. Alex Otofs, he is my like absolute fave. Like Alex, I've hired to take a lot of photos of the Sidekick notepad. So most of the really beautiful photos that we've had of our products, Alex has done them because his aesthetic is so good. And he's a super nice dude. And so you can go watch his stuff. And then I also want to recommend a good friend of mine, Ian of Earth. He's one of our Discord community members. And he like he's he does a good job. He did that interview with me a year or so ago where like we did like a studio tour and an interview. Yeah. Ian did those. But also he does really good content on one of the brands I'm going to mention in a minute. So like if you want reviews of these products, you can, which, by the way, I do really recommend. Like I'm going to give two brands, but they have multiple products. But these are the two brands that I recommend for different reasons. But I really do recommend like with anything, if you're going to make one of these purchases that you consider watching some reviews on them. So the easiest jumping in point, I believe, is the Keychron Q series of boards. Keychron have been around forever. Their stuff is readily available and at varying price points and functionality. So I say the Q series because there are three sets of Q boards. And this depends on whether you want wired or wireless or a combo. And wired is like a USB cable, right? Wireless is obviously Bluetooth. Bluetooth. And then within those series, you start there. Within those series, they have every possible layout of keyboard that you could imagine. And the layout basically just means how many keys are there and how are they arranged. And this can be like a visual thing. Like sometimes the keys are a little more spread out. And like your arrow keys are maybe more spread out. Or they're like right compacted with the rest of the keys. Maybe you don't want arrow keys at all or you don't need them because you want a small keyboard. Maybe you want an ergonomic layout. Like my recommendation is if you look at these and see something you want, because for whatever reason, you should get it. Otherwise, I believe you should look at the Q1, which is what is called a 75% layout. Don't worry about that. It's just like that's what it's called. But you get all of that, the keys that you're going to expect, the arrow keys. You get some function keys. Like that is my typical recommendation. Or what's called a 65% and they have products in that range too. I think the Q... Basically, they have so many. This is unbelievable. I always forget how many they made. They made one and it was very successful. And then they made like a thousand. A 65% layout is basically all of the keys, all of the number row, the arrow keys, no function keys. So just depends on how many keys you think you might want. But my recommendation, their website, while it's a little bit complicated, just go through and you can take a look at what they have. But this is not my recommendation, really. Like this is a you want to get started. Here's a great place to get started. They have varying price points and lots of flexibility. My recommendation is Mode Keyboards. Their website is modedesigns.com. They have a selection of keyboards that are all available now. They have one that's on pre-order right now, but like pre-order with shipping very soon. But the rest of them, they're all in stock now. This is one of the things that's changed in the last year. You can actually buy stuff. Mode's keyboards are more expensive, but they're incredible. They are the keyboards that I use every day. I particularly like the Sonnet, the Tempo and the Envoy. The Sonnet is my absolute favorite keyboard. It is a 75%. So it's the one that's got the arrow keys and the function row. The Tempo is a 60% where it's just the letters and the modifiers, no arrow keys. Like I don't gravitate towards that layout personally because you need to use like a function key and then WASD is your arrows. But I don't really tend to like that. But they have it. They also have the Envoy, which is their cheaper board, like of all of the ones that they offer. But they're still not cheap, which is a 65% layout. And then they also have two products that I've not tried, but they're available. The Loop is a bigger keyboard. And then they currently have the 65 on pre-order, which is a really high-end version of the same kind of layout as the Envoy. Lots of options. What I like about Mode, you can go to their website. You start with like a starting point and you can customize it with all the materials that you might want to look at.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I'm literally clicking all the buttons while you're talking.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah. And they also do a good job. There are some things where it's like, hey, choose a plate. And if you don't know what that means, they have videos to explain to you what you might want to do. So this company, they do everything right, in my opinion, from the way the boards are presented on their website, to the offerings that they have, to the explanations that they give. And they even will build the whole thing for you if you want. So you can pay a little extra and they'll build it, which is also very helpful. So, yeah, you can also buy everything you need from Mode. So, yeah, they are absolutely my recommendation. But these are the two companies that I'd recommend that you do look at. The building a keyboard, though, from what they have, is so easy. Like, trust me. Like, if you buy everything from them, and I recommend building it yourself, they have great guides in video and written form. What you'd be building from them if you got what's called a hot swap keyboard, which is there's no slaughtering needed. You're just pushing things into place. Like, it's not very hard and will be a fun time.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Is there a difference between that hot swap and the soldering type, like, in, like, the long-term functionality of the keys?

'''Myke Hurley:''' No. I mean, if you really know what you like, you can get some slight differences in the typing feel. I can't tell a difference. For me, the soldering of switches to a board is just a fun thing to do. It's like a little project.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I would say for the majority of people, there is functionally no difference. And I would recommend hot swap because then you get the opportunity to change the switches for a different switch later on if you want to try a different feel. Or maybe you want to go from clicky or tactile to silent or linear. You know, you have options because the switches can even make sound or not make sound. They can have a different feel to them. And so I recommend hot swap. That's what I always do. I just go hot swap all the way now because then I have the opportunity to truly configure things the way that I want to. Gotcha.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Super cool. Yeah, this mode design site is a problem. Like, I'm just fascinated.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I could not recommend their products enough. They're really nice people too. I've had very good experiences with them. They deliver things on time and right, which unbelievably is not as simple as you'd think. Yep. I like what they do. They're my recommendation.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Brent asks, I'm an industrial chemist and a fountain pen user for over 30 years. One thing I've not figured out though, when I use conventional pens and I need to draw a straight line, I just use a ruler. What about if I'm using a fountain pen?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Really good question. You're going to use a ruler, but you're going to be very careful.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I would say you want to start probably plastic, right? Plastic ruler.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' You definitely don't want a metal ruler. Yeah. You go plastic ruler. The problem you're going to run into is the tines on a ruler. Given the angle and the amount of pressure that you're going to have drawing a straight line with a ruler with a fountain pen, you're still adding variability into the mix because those tines, at the angle you have to write the line with, I think you're going to have some inconsistency issues with the tines. Because I'm thinking through this out loud and thinking through a feel in my head. Because you're not going to, you're generally going to grip the pen the same, even though you could do a more horizontal angle. But you're not going to get the ink flow that the nibs are designed to have when you're holding the pen in your normal writing angle. Maybe you need to get a Sailor 2 Zoo for this. I would use a steel nib pen for sure. Steel nib fountain pen, right? Because the gold is even going to be more flexible and the tines are going to split even more. However, you're just adding in a variable that I think is pretty tough. But if you do a steel nib on a plastic ruler, you could probably find the sweet spot to do consistent lines. The other issue is the ink is generally a lot wetter. So when you remove the ruler, if you don't lift it and you slide it, you're probably going to get some strays. Because, right, as opposed to using a pencil or a ballpoint or a fineliner, that edge is going to be much, much cleaner than if you get ink on the edge of the ruler with a fountain pen, it's just going to be wet. So there's a lot of variables you're putting in play with that. I'm not saying you can't figure out the perfect setup, but I don't know that you're going to enjoy the results as much than using a more traditional pen.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I wouldn't do it.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, like I've done some small little lines where I'm really careful, but it's not a repeated consistent task that I do because it's not fun.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah, I think for me, the way in which I would have to be and do have to be extra careful means I'm inevitably not going to get the line the way I want it. Right. And so if I'm going for precision, which would be my expectation if I'm using a ruler, I just would not use a fountain pen to draw that particular line.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Right. Yep. So as long as your expectations are set going in, you might be okay. But in general, it's going to be a mixed bag experience.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I'm going to bookend today's show with this question from Leslie who says, so you've done reviews of fine liner pens before, but I was wondering if you know anything about a new type of felt tip pen that I've seen flooding my social media. I'm talking about the refillable pens of replaceable tips. There are two main brands that I'm seeing, Tom's Studio and Yuka's. Have you tested either of them? I'd be interested to know what you think.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Ralph Nader approves of the question, Leslie. So I would not recommend these pens to Mr. Nader.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' These are a tough sell for me. And like, I don't want to knock these pens necessarily. And it's not brand specific, right? It's a tip that you can get, say, from Krataki maybe.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I'll have to find, you can buy these parts essentially, right? And then there's companies that have built pens around these parts, which is what we all do. It's like, hey, here's a refill. Let me build a pen around this. That'll make it better. So what these companies have done has have taken these like refillable marker cartridges and these tips kind of stick in. I'm outside of the internals of these pen barrels. So I'm not talking about like the pen barrels themselves. So the internals are basically just like an absorbent cartridge that you drop ink in and you can use fountain pen ink. So you're saturating this tube, right? That's filled with like felt or whatever this material is. And then the tip of this pen has like a pointer in like an arrow tip that sticks up into this refill cartridge. And then the ink flows down into the tip, which is where these companies are, what they're building around and making you a pen to do this. So they're fine. I think they're a little fidgety. The tips I don't find to be as long lasting as if I just went for like a straight up Secura Pigma Micron 03, right? That tip's going to last longer. But what the Secura Pigma Micron 03 doesn't offer is the ability to fill one of these pens with Pilot Orochizuku Shinkai. And if you want that, they work well. They work well enough for that. I don't think they're going to replace like your standard black fineliners, right? Which is the most popular type of fineliner. But they're going to give you these options and they do work with other types of fountain pens and fountain pen inks. They're good for pigmented fountain pen inks too, right? To where you don't have to worry about your feeds getting clogged. Now, they're not hot swappable, right? You just have to, you can use one barrel and have different internals that you just need to swap in. And you'd have to swap out the tip and you'd have to swap out the refill cartridge like each time you could use the same pen barrel. But then you have to do something with like the ink that's in these other barrels. So I think personally, and this is just me, they're over fidgety for the performance that you get. But they're also kind of cool for the options that they provide. So kind of like with rulers and fountain pens, set your expectations accordingly and you'll be happy. Don't think they're going to change the game for, for you. Right. So, um, I've used, uh, Kuretake. So I've used the, you can buy, I don't have a link, but I believe it's Kuretake. You can buy a set of all the parts that you need and just some standard plastic barrels and you can get that for cheap and decide if you like that style of pen and how they operate. And I did, but like, I didn't want to go past that and get my one fancy barrel to use with these types of cartridges and parts. So I'll have to see if I can find the link and we can put it in the show notes. Um, but, uh, Kuretake sells like a little five pen kit and gives you like a marker tip, a fine liner tip, a brush tip, and then all the barrels and cartridges to use your own inks with these types of pens. So I'll, I'll find that and we'll put that in the show notes, but, uh, yeah, I think they're cool. Just set your expectations accordingly and, uh, have fun with them. Like I do think they're fun.

'''Myke Hurley:''' All right. If you would like to send us a question for a future episode of the show, or you have any follow-up or feedback about today's show, go to penaddictfeedback.com or you can click the link in the show notes and go right there and leave us a note. We'd really appreciate it. And thank you to everybody that does. In the meantime, if you want to find Brad online, go to penaddict.com, spokedesign.com, at penaddict, and over on twitch.tv slash penaddicts as well. I'm at imike, I-M-Y-K-E. My shows are here on Relay FM and you can find my products at cortexbrand.com. Thanks so much to Enigma Stationery and Squarespace for their support of this week's episode. But most of all, thank you for listening. We'll be back next week. Until then, say goodbye, Brad. Goodbye, Brad. you

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