The Pen Addict 520/transcript

The Pen Addict Podcast Transcript
Episode:	520
Title:	National Guacamole Day
Release Date:	July 6th, 2022
Hosts:	Brad Dowdy Myke Hurley
Guests:	No guests this episode
Additional Information
Official page:	Episode 520
Audio File:	Audio Episode 520
Podcast page:	The Pen Addict 520
Length:	5555 min <br />0.917 h <br /> minutes
Previous Transcript	Next Transcript

Brad: From RelayFM, this is The Pen Addict, episode 520. We're back, baby! This episode is brought to you by Squarespace. My name is Myke Hurley, I'm joined by Brad Dowdy. You know you're listening to this and you're thinking, but you had heard you last week.

Myke: Yeah, I was literally here last week, Myke.

Brad: But you weren't, were you? Never was I. As mentioned, we recorded that episode in advance, so for me and Brad, in our timeline, it's been two weeks since we recorded an episode of The Pen Addict, so I'm happy to be back.

Myke: Can I say I'm happy to be back on the normal timeline? Yeah. That the podcast out of time was a weird, weird thing. And we did not do the best job at recording it, because I just fail at that whole getting into the headspace of doing the podcast out of time. It's just like, I just want to talk like I'm in the future, but from the past kind of thing. It's a mess. It was a mess. We did, I did an average job at it, and when we normally do a good job at recording a podcast in time, which is what we're going to do today, Myke.

Brad: Yeah, this is much better for a show that is mostly news-focused. That's the thing for us. Exactly. You know, as mentioned, we spoke about the Mark III a little bit, and it absolutely crushed by the time the episode came out. They were funded even 24 hours of us recording, which was then six days early.

Myke: Yeah. Yeah. And then, of course, we're going to have to follow up on the TWSBI narwhal stuff that we talked about before, but it's like, I don't even want to now, because it's already like two weeks in arrears of happening, and everyone already knows. But I feel like in podcast continuation style, we need to at least mention it and go through a couple things, right? Yeah. So, like, that happened, like, I think the day after we recorded, which was almost two weeks ago at this point. So, it's like, eh, that's old news, but it's like, well, we kind of got a touch on it. But we're back. We're back on the normal schedule. I'm back from vacation. I actually took a real legitimate vacation.

Vacation Reflections

Myke: Went to the beach, hung out, read some books, like, literally did as much of nothing as possible. And I got to say, it was fantastic. Like, this is the first family vacation we've taken since, like, you know, like a real vacation, not like a little weekend kind of thing with, you know, seeing other people kind of deal since pre-COVID.

Brad: Maribeth posted just some incredible photos. Yeah. She does. She's such a good photographer, my gosh.

Myke: She loves, she loves, she loves taking pictures. Like, that's her hobby. Her hobby, like, when, if she's home and she's off, she's usually thinking about taking pictures, if not sitting in front of her laptop editing pictures that she's just taken and does all kinds of things. So, she's really, really talented that way. And that's just kind of her thing. She pretty much keeps it to herself, right? Like, it's not a big deal. Like, she's not, like, putting herself out there, but she really, she has a passion for it and she's really good at it. And it showed. I tried to share a couple. They're on my Instagram feed or in the member's newsletter. Just some cool shots she took. So good, man. But that's what we did. Like, she's doing that. While she's doing that, I'm sitting on the beach reading a book, right? So, it's just like, it was good. To follow up on the stationery that I took with me, I figured we would do a quick recap of what stationery actually got used. I knew I was bringing too many fountain pens, right? I don't need four fountain pens for a non-fountain pen writing, drawing, you know, vacation kind of thing, right? So, I just, I really, I used one fountain pen most of the time, the Fagianato PKS in orange that we talked about last week. And I wrote it dry. Like, that feels good, man, right? It's like, it's anytime you empty, and it's just a, you know, a cartridge converter type of situation. So, it wasn't like a huge, massive ink capacity. But it was such an enjoyable writing experience inked with the Bungokan Kobayashi Shizuoka Orange, a.k.a. the Bullet Train ink. That's what I call it. I'm the only person that calls it that. But it's a lot easier to remember. It's the Bullet Train ink as opposed to Bungokan Kobayashi Shizuoka Orange.

Myke: And again, we talked about this last week, but the experience of writing with that was great. It was a good combination. It was kind of the perfect little vacation diversion pen that I journaled with while I was there. The second thing.

Brad: Was that what you expected? Like, did you expect that that was going to be like the standout?

Myke: Yeah, I did. Because it was the most unique pen that I brought. Yeah. Out of the fountain pen category, right? There was no reason for me to bring four fountain pens on this trip. Sure there was. You know? You brought that to me. I mean, that's what I do. Okay. There wasn't another option. Let's be clear. There was no other option, but I understood even while I was packing that I'm not going to use all these pens, but I'm taking them, you know, because this one I love and that one I want to try. And this one I want to test the ink. And, you know, you make all the little excuses. All the pen addicts know all the little excuses you make to overpack your stationery, right? Like, it's super easy. Super easy to do. But I did use the notebook and the note cards that I brought. And I also, Myke, in last week's, aka two weeks ago episode, we talked about the tactile term ultim goods. I got those. And I brought those on vacation. That was probably my most used pen. Aside from, like, when I was journaling, I was using the Fajonado fountain pen, right? Otherwise, if I was writing, which I took a lot of short notes, quick notes, things, you know, you know, just carrying it around with you pen, EDC pen, the tactile term ultim bolt action pen, I did get in hand. So quick review on that. Quick disclaimer, Will from tactile turn sent me both the ultim and natural in the short configuration, as well as the Bayar knife, the ultim handle knife. Ah, the knife sold out. It's happened. They are all coming back, I think. I haven't confirmed with Will. I am, as not a knife person, right? Like, I have a few knives, right? But, like, I think the last knife I bought was three or four years ago when I was at Dromgoos. And they have some knives there. And they had a G10 handle, bench made. I think the model is called the Proper. Yeah. That I just love. It's a very simple, thin knife. And this ultim knife is kind of like my platonic ideal of a pocket knife, right? As someone who's not, like, way, way off the deep end into this stuff, I am thrilled with this knife.

Brad: The James brand Folsom knife is, that's, like, as good as it gets. I freaking love them. I have two of them now. I have their original one, their green one. Yep. And I have the DDC, the Draplin orange and black one. Mm-hmm. I love them.

Myke: This is thinner and lighter than that James brand, which is what I really appreciate about this. Oh, I have no doubt.

Brad: The James brand one is quite hefty.

Myke: Yeah, but it's still normal. It's not, like, overly big. Like, it's a knife I would consider buying, right? Yeah. If we're not a knife person, just give me something simple and beautiful and functional, right? And this is even more of what I would have wanted without knowing that I wanted it, right? Like, it's a $200 knife. Like, let's not, like, beat around the bush here. This is a very expensive product. But as far as knives goes, just, like, fountain pens, it's, like, people who are into knives say, $200, eh, you know, whatever. You know, like, we buy, you know, more expensive pens all the time. It's the same kind of, you know, passion that knife enthusiasts have, like, when they see the price. Like, if you're new to it, you're going, like, oh, my God, that's crazy, like, expensive. Then if you're knee-deep into it, like we are with pens, you're like, okay, I see it. I understand the price, right?

Brad: How much are they? Because it doesn't say in, now, $199. Yeah. I mean, I don't know. I mean, it doesn't surprise me because I know what, in general, like, nice-made things are expensive. You know what I'm saying? Like, I feel like I'm in enough hobbies at this point that I know that stuff can add up.

Myke: Yeah, just your Ultem keyboard tray. Just that piece, how much would that piece cost?

Brad: Oh, I don't even know, man.

Myke: Like, a couple hundred bucks just for, like, the bottom. Yeah, easy. So, yeah. Like, so, let's talk about the pen for a second now that I actually have it. It's great. It lived in my pocket pretty much for a week straight. Right? And it's exactly made for that. Right? So, that's the Ultem thing. Right? It's a plastic, and it's durable, and it's lightweight, and it makes for a good shell for a pen. Right? It's a little bit wider than the standard tactile turns, which I didn't realize until I got it. I was like, oh, this is a little bit wider. I think, you know, just for wall, barrel wall integrity and structure purposes, I think the pen has to be, like, crafted a little bit wider just for that reason. But it's kind of the perfect EDC pen in that it's just ultra light, but extremely durable. And it kind of checks both of those boxes, which is pretty rare to do. And the bolt, I mean, this is one of the best bolts going. I mean, listen to this.

Ultem Pen Discussion

Brad: Yeah, that's nice.

Myke: I mean, it's just a rock.

Brad: I've got to say, what I don't understand is people that buy the pen but get the black one.

Myke: Yeah, so, like, I guess we'll talk about this in just a second, but, like, Ultem comes in two colors, essentially, right? It's this amber, what's considered the natural Ultem color, the translucent amber. That's when I hear Ultem, I think of that. And then the other Ultem option when you're buying it at bulk to manufacture things from is black. And the black doesn't pop like the amber, but I think people really also don't like the amber a lot either. It's a weird color. Yeah. I won't elaborate on that, but I love it because it's that orangish-yellow.

Brad: I mean, it is what you're buying. Yeah. You know, like, that's what it looks like. And so you get it because it's kind of not just a material, it's a color. It's both things, you know?

Myke: I agree with that, yeah. Even though it does come in black, when you say Ultem, I never even think black. But I will say the black has matching black hardware on it. So, like, the clip and the knock all match, and it's really clean. Like, I prefer the standard Ultem, but, I mean, I think the black is clean. But it's, I mean, you know, the consumers have voted, right, the standard Ultem is sold out while the black is available, right? That's kind of all you need to know.

Brad: Because really, it's just lightweight, right? Like, that's what the black is. It's just lightweight. It's an ultralight. There just isn't, I mean, that just doesn't have the same pull, I would assume. Because there are a lot of lightweight materials. You get any black plastic, right? You know what I mean?

Myke: Right.

Brad: Yeah, exactly. I guess it has an interesting texture, but still.

Myke: It does. It's still got that same, the tactile turn ridges, which I was surprised when I got it. Because they don't, like, the original photographs, I couldn't tell until I, like, kind of zoomed in. You know, tactile turn's known for those, you know, cylindrical ridges around the pen. And I'm sure there's a more technical name for it. And that's kind of, like, their staple. Like, every pen has that. I was like, oh, are these Ultems going to have it? And they sure do. And it makes it feel great. Like, again, like, this is, like, one of the better just EDC type of pens. If you just want something that you're not going to have to worry about destroying and just can take it and go. Like, I really love it. I put the, it ships with the Schmidt EasyFlow 9000. So, it's the Parker style refills. And if I was going to, like, really, like, hardcore EDC it and I, like, worked outside, I would put a Fisher Space Pen refill in it. But I put it in the Jetstream, the SXR, you know, the Platinum, excuse me, the Parker style ballpoint, the 07, which is just perfect for it. So, I really, really like it. So, yeah. Thank you, Will, for sending me these. I'll probably have some reviews of them later. But we'll continue to take pictures and share them. Because I'm really happy with them. Even though, like, you know, I did get, you know, these are mine. I got these for free. So, Will sent them to me. And I would happily pay for them. You know, maybe I just need to go buy them. When they come back in, maybe I'll buy some and give them away on the blog. I generally like to do that. Yeah, I generally, that's my move, right? Like, I am so lucky to get these things. But I also want to, like, support these makers that are so kind to me by actually, you know, giving them my money.

Brad: Well, but the other thing you do, though, I mean, we're inside the looking glass now, is what you've just done. That's the kindest thing you can do, is talk about the product. Right, right. If it's good, I mean, that's the other part. It has to be good. But you talk about the product, right? And then if it's good, then other people want it because you are an influencer.

Myke: A penfluencer. We decided I'm...

Brad: We're inside the looking glass now, man.

Myke: We're past it. We decided... What did we decide? I'm not an influencer. What am I? I'm a tastemaker. Tastemaker, I believe. Yeah. We prefer that. I prefer that term very, very much.

Brad: Although, don't eat the ink. We've been through this before. Do not.

Tastemaker vs Influencer

Myke: Yeah, please don't eat the ink. All right, so the next pen that I wanted to talk about is another Ultem product that came out last week and that I don't have in my hands yet, but I hope to one day soon. The Shown Design Smoltem, which is one of the greatest names ever. I like that you like it. All right.

Myke: Let's be perfectly honest. It's not a good name, right? Because it's hard to say, but it's a very correct and fun and accurate name for what the product is. Is fun written down? Yes. Yeah. I love this name. You know, I don't know that I... Even for someone like myself who likes to have fun with products and all of this stuff, I don't know if I could have actually pulled that trigger. I would have called it the, you know... I mean, he does it kind of like the AKA, right? Pocket Engineered Plastics Ultem, AKA the Smoltem. I mean, we're all going to call it the Smoltem, right? Yeah.

Brad: I mean, I would say Shown is great with this. Like, what was the... Is it Peak? Is that the little ghost one? Yeah. Yeah. Love it. That's the one at the top of my list. Memorable names. Memorable names, for sure.

Myke: Yeah. Yeah. So, this is... What this is, is Ian at Shown Design made, like, full-size eyedropper-able Ultem pens. Again, black and the standard, you know, Ultem Amber. And this is a smaller, kind of pocket six size, pocket pen Ultem barrel fountain pen, which is really great. So, it's a little small eyedropper guy. And I just adore it. So, I still... I'm kind of making a mental list for when I go to San Francisco. I'm assuming Ian's going to be there. If not, I'll order it. I still want the Peak first, right? That's... I have the Ultem. I want the Peak barrel, which we'll put a link in the show notes to the Peak, if y'all don't know what I'm talking about. And then the Smoltem is probably after that. But, like, I still want the Peak ahead of this one. But I kind of love it. And, you know, I like that these manufacturers are messing around with, you know, interesting materials. Ultem's become very popular these days. It must machine well enough for people to keep making things from it, right? Like, we talk about how when makers experiment with new materials, not all materials are manufacturing friendly, right? Like, there's damage that can be done to either the materials or the machinery, depending on the types of materials. And Ultem looks like it's kind of become a pretty good option to make things from. So that brings up a question, Myke, from NeighborVillain in my Twitch chat. Is Ultem a fad? And they asked me this on stream yesterday. And I said, I'm going to hold that and talk about it. Since I knew we were talking about the tactile turn and the shown design, I said, let me take this on the podcast. Is Ultem a fad? And the answer, my answer, is yes. I don't know if that's what people would think I would answer or they would think I would say no. It's absolutely a fad. Can I correct you?

Brad: May I correct you? Sure. It's a trend. Fad.

Brad: Okay. Is there much difference? Yes. Fad is a derogatory term, I think. Okay.

Myke: I think people take it that way. Yeah. Yeah. Okay.

Brad: That's just a fad. Like, it's rubbish. It comes and goes. Nobody wants it. Like, fad kind of has this idea of like, oh, it's crap. And like, no one wants it. And we're all going to forget about it. And it's going to be done. Like, Ultem is just a trend. Like, it's just popular right now because it's new and people are doing it with pens. Eventually, it's going to calm down. But it will remain an option that people will continue to use. Like, it's not going to go away. It's just in vogue right now.

Myke: That's how I would answer. I'm trying to. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm not disagreeing with any of that. I'm just trying to think about my idea of Ultem as a platform for stationary. It is currently trendy. And it's currently good. Like, I'm not saying, like you're saying in a derogatory way. It's not trendy like, oh, God, can we stop with this Ultem stuff? No. Like, I love it. I think there's a cap to it. I think it's limited. Yeah. Just like, just in the color discussion we're having, there's only so much you can do. So, it's never going to be crazy popular. And I don't think it's necessarily going to have a long tail either because there's going to be something else. Exactly. And this is what I'm saying. That's going to come out.

Brad: You are, like, for me personally, describing a trend. Okay. You know, that, like, it's having its moment in the sun right now. Yes. But this excitement is going to fade away. But I don't think it's like, then there will never be Ultem pens again.

Myke: Right, right, right. Right. Okay. I think you're saying what I'm thinking. Yeah. I was thinking about it in a different way. I was thinking of it more as, is there, like, a termination point in Ultem? There's not, but it's not going to be as popular as it is right now, like, you know, a year from now. Right.

Brad: It's like shimmer inks were a trend. And now that's calmed down, but it's not like they're gone. But for a while, everyone was doing them.

Myke: I mean, they still are. Like, shimmer inks have staying power that, like, Ultem does not have staying power, right? They're different categories.

Brad: But this is what I'm saying. It's like, the shimmer inks are still around, but it's not, like, all we're talking about anymore. They're just, like, you can still buy them. People still make them. But they had that moment where it was, like, you couldn't move for people introducing brand new shimmering lines, right? Like, but now it's, like, okay, this is just a staple of what exists. So, like, trends, like, the items in a trend, like, they stick around. Especially, you look like fashion and furniture, right? Something becomes trendy. People buy it. They still own it. Yeah. You know? Where I feel like fad products tend to be, like, you just get rid of them.

Myke: Mm-hmm.

Brad: You know, like, we all saw, like, fads when we were kids and toys and stuff like that, right? But it's, like, eventually it's just, like, nobody wants this thing and they just get rid of it. I'm trying to think of something that I would consider a fad in pens and I'm struggling with that at the moment. But if I think of something, I'll let you know. Okay.

Myke: Yeah. So, like, and Alan's bringing up the point, like, the real point why I think it's, like, a trend and doesn't have, like, this long-term thing. Unless there's some kind of, like, color additive that can be done, then, you know, the two basic colors just, they have a limited shelf life of creativity. Like, they don't have a limited shelf life for my personal usage, right? Like, I bought the pen. I love the pen. I'm going to continue to use the pen. That's also the only one I need, right? Sure. Like, I'm not going to get the purple one or the swirly one, right? Because it's not a technical feature of Ultum. Like, if that becomes a feature of Ultum, then I think we're in business. But, again, Ultum is not made for the pen industry. Like, we have custom makers making acrylic, right? It's a commercial product. And, like, I don't know that there's necessarily a need for them to make purple or magenta Ultums as a business model. So, we'll see. I would love it if they did because I love the material for what it is. Like, that kind of very, like, tough to destruct plastic. Like, I'm down with that. But, yeah. So, there you go.

Myke: All right. What's this next thing we got in here? Recording.

Sailor North American Edition

Brad: Yeah. Someone threw this in the Discord. Who was it? Ryan. It's a new Sailor North American edition with line characters.

Brad: You have nothing to say on this? You're always so excited about the bear and the duck when anybody else does it.

Myke: Okay.

Myke: Line is not in America.

Brad: But it doesn't matter, though, right?

Myke: It doesn't matter. Like, I'm confused. It's like, why is this a North American version when we don't even have line in here?

Brad: It surprises me, too, right? Yeah. These are good-looking cute pens. So, like, great. I'm pleased that they did it. They're amazing. Do you know what I mean? The reason I'm saying is, like, you and me and other people that listen to the show have to try, like, loads of nefarious means to try and get our hands on pens that look like this, right? These look really good. There's a duck.

Myke: Okay. I scrolled down the Instagram comments. First comment. Cute indeed, but is line even popular in North America? Crying laughing emoji.

Brad: It doesn't matter, man. Because this is just a duck pen and a bear pen.

Myke: I completely agree. That's what they are. I'm glad my initial thought was the initial thought of other people as well.

Brad: I mean, yeah. It's weird, right? Yeah, yeah. Because they should have just done a bear pen and a duck pen and left line out of the equation. But they didn't. But now, like, these are great additions, like, color-wise.

Myke: I think they look fantastic. How good is the finial on this duck? Like, these are the most basic finials ever. It's great. And it's just glorious. Yeah. And these have to be $400, right? These have to be, like, crazy. I would assume so. What are these? Are these the full size? No, these are 14K, so they're the Pro Gear Slim. They're Slims. Yeah. So that makes them probably $380.

Brad: They have custom nibs, too.

Myke: Yeah. They're fantastic. They're great. I have no qualms with the pen. Like, it's great. Like, I love everything that Sailor makes. I don't know when the next time I'll buy a Sailor pin is. Like, I bought one in Atlanta. And, you know, because I could get it at kind of like the before price. And, like, I'm good with that. It's like, am I going to buy another one? I probably will because I love them so much. Yeah. But it's like, this one's interesting.

Brad: I merely wanted to talk about it because of the licensing thing. Because this is what it was like. This is odd to me that they would like, of all characters, you know, that this is what they work for. And maybe it's just because, like, Sailor has an existing relationship with them. I don't know. It's usually Lamy, right? A dude line?

Myke: Yeah, Lamy. So, like, yeah. This was my next question. Where does this discussion originate? I would be hard-pressed to think that Sailor North America would initiate the conversation. Let's bring line pins to North America. I would think it would be the other way around where Sailor Corporate would be, hey, we have this line license and these pins are great. Can we do, like, a North American version, right? Like, which direction do you think this went?

Brad: I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if at some point we see that this is the Japanese edition too. Like, it's the same pin. You know? And, like, just Sailor North America is bringing it over because it's a great design.

Myke: Nope. Both pins available as North American exclusives. I was just looking for that. So, there it is. I don't understand that.

Brad: I don't know why they did it.

Myke: I don't know why they did it. But I like them. This will be the pin where the Asian market will be having to hunt down the options in the U.S. Yeah, see how you like it, you know? Yeah. They pulled a reverse Sailor on us. Yeah. I guess they did. That's funny. It's really great. I really love them. I can't get over the duck finial. I don't know why. That just really speaks to me. It just helps that it's orange. So, it's pretty cool.

Brad: That's all I had to say on the matter. I like them. I think they look good. But I don't know why they're buying them either.

Myke: Yeah, it's surprising. It's certainly a thing. It's okay.

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National Mechanical Pencil Day

Myke: Michael, how did you celebrate National Mechanical Pencil Day yesterday? Did you celebrate? No. And what do they mean by national?

Brad: I mean, you know, whatever nation you're in, I suppose.

Myke: Yeah. It's just, why isn't it World Mechanical Pencil Day?

Brad: I feel like the only place where national is used is America. Like, other places would give it a more descriptive name, and America's just like national. You'll get it.

Myke: Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. So this is one of those days, unlike Fountain Pen Day, which is great. This is one of those days where there's like 10 things that the day is that, you know, it's like National Guacamole Day, you know, It's Independence Day in Algeria. National Guacamole Council.

Brad: National Apple Turnover Day.

Myke: Yeah, that's the perfect one. Yes.

Brad: National Bikini Day. National Graeme Cracker Day. National Hawaii Day. National Workaholics Day. Pet Remembrance Day. St. Cyril and Methodius. Zambia Unity Day. It's Ryan Shane's birthday. And Tavia Mowry's birthday.

Myke: Okay. Okay. I am, I did not know it was National Graeme Cracker Day, so I'm going to celebrate that later when we get off. But yesterday I was streaming, and, you know, I got the, hey, happy Mechanical Pencil Day. I was like, I did not know these things. Which, you know, it's a fun jumping off point to get me to talk about mechanical pencils and what my favorite mechanical pencils were. And we've covered this before on the podcast. Maybe last National Mechanical Pencil Day, Myke. Like, maybe this is an annual event that really sticks in my head, so I remember it every year, which I don't. But I thought I would mention, give a shout out to a few awesome mechanical pencils. And I did a little tier ranking off the top of my head. I didn't really, like, spend hours thinking about this list, so I guarantee I left off your favorite pencil. And I don't mean you. I mean the collective listenership. I guarantee I left off someone's favorite pencil here. And it was not on purpose. It was that me making this tier list quickly. Because I think there's a very defined S tier, Myke. And I think it's clear. And I am not open to discussion, really, for the S tier. After that, I think everything's up for discussion. So in the S tier, it's two pencils. It's the road. For me, this is my list. Rotring 600 and Spoke Design Model 4. And that's the extent of the S tier list. And that's how S tiers should be. S tiers should not be large and all-inclusive. And, you know, like, complete, right? They should be a very defined top of the list. Then everything else is, like, a complete tier below these pens.

Brad: I always read it as steer.

Myke: I have never done that in my life. But I really dislike you for letting me have that visual now. So thank you. What about the next tier? Then what's the next tier called? Is it ATA?

Brad: No problem at all. That's A tier to me. Like, I do not have a problem with A tier, B tier, C tier. No, no, no. But S tier, I'm always like steer.

Myke: Okay. Well, I'm always good on S tier, but I'm going to call the A tier ATA. ATA. From now on.

Myke: So the Rotring 600, I just think it's one of the best products ever made. One of these days, we're going to do the Panatic Ratings podcast that we keep threatening to do, that I do for Panatic members. You know, I'm going to have a bunch of those. And then the Spoke Model 4 is right there with it as well, which chat's giving me grief. The Spoke Design Model 4, the custom builder should be back up today as you're listening to this. As we're recording, Brian, the parts are going to be available hopefully today to turn back on the customizer for that.

Brad: You kind of failed though, right? Because it was National Mechanical Pencil Day yesterday. I don't know if you knew. You could have like engaged on Instagram. I don't have the... Content engaged, you know?

Myke: I don't have the nationaltoday.com calendar widget into my calendars to give me the list of, you know, national...

Brad: You just need it for Mechanical Pencil Day because you own a mechanical pencil company.

Myke: Right, right. So yeah, we did fail on that because I had no clue it was National Mechanical Pencil Day. So those are my two favorites. Those are on S tier. On ATA, we have the Uni Kurutoga Roulette. Very specifically, the roulette. Only the roulette, Kurutoga makes the A tier. It's the best kind of... You want to jump into a Kurutoga, but you don't want the basic plastic one. It's $13 and it's a metal grip section Kurutoga mechanism. It's the best. Like I think it's my favorite Kurutoga bar none. Then we have the classics, the Pentel, the Pentel Sharp, the P-series that everyone knows, and the Pentel Carry. Those are two very different styles of mechanical pencils, both very unique. And, you know, great designs, classic shapes. They just kind of set themselves apart in just how long they've been around. Like these are pencils that have been around for 30, 40, 50 years maybe in the Carry or the Sharp. One of them, I think, hit a 50 anniversary recently. So, yeah. These are great. And then a surprise entry in the A tier, I believe, is the Tombow Monograph Grip Shaker. This is a pencil that I reviewed that really stuck out to me because I didn't expect... It's one of those pencils that I didn't expect it to be this good that I just kept using and looking at going, huh, this is really special. Like it's really, really nice and a great, great design. Then in the B tier, I have the Uni Shift Pipe Lock, which is really a great pencil, one of my favorites. I think it's only down a tier because the upper barrels feel a little bit cheap. So, like it's a metal grip plastic top barrel, which is common in a lot of pencils. It just feels a little bit off sometimes in the Shift Pipe Lock, but in the way it works, in the way it looks, in the way it's designed. It's great. And the Pentel Smash is also in the B tier. It's behind the Pentel Sharp just because the Sharp has so many more options. They do a lot of fun stuff, more lead grades and things like that. But the Smash, it's borderline A tier, but I think that's kind of my just initial, hey, let's take a pass at this quick tier rating for National Mechanical Pencil Day. And I use these all the time. Like I'm a real... Here we go, Myke. This is what I want. You know what I want? I want a Pentel Sharp Ultum Mechanical Pencil. I think out of all the models that I've listed here, the Pentel Sharp, the P series that everyone knows, the P205, 203, 205, 207, 209, you know, that's a lead grade indicator. It's a skinny, lightweight mechanical pencil that would be perfect for Ultum. Like they're a plastic barrel. I want an Ultum Pentel Sharp. So there we go. So let's bring the Ultum conversation all the way around. So someone make that for me. Maybe we'll make it at Spoke. Who knows?

Myke: That's not a hint or anything. That's not a hint or anything.

Brad: That is a trademark infringement, you know? Yeah, that would look good, I think.

Myke: Yeah. That pencil and that material is the one out of this list. So what did I list? One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, like 10 pencils here. That's the one that needs an Ultum barrel out of all this entire list. Tombow could do it, but I think it would just be better in the Pentel. So it'll never happen, but a boy can dream and it would look great on my desk. I would be loving that if I could get it.

Brad: Pentel Smash is such a funny name.

Myke: I mean, it helps make the pencil, right? Like, it's a great name. It's technically accurate in what they design, right? So the grip section is made of these little rubber pillows, if you will. So you're really smashing down these little pieces of rubber in the grip section as you write. So that's the idea. And then they have, the way they do the knock is like a plunger style where they have, I don't know, it's like a little accordion rubber, so it looks like you're smashing it down. So they leaned into the name and designed a pencil around it, and it's really great. It's a really great pencil.

Myke: I feel like you would be a Pentel Smash fan. Like, for a non-mechanical pencil user, like outside the rotary, like that would be the next one I would recommend for you.

Brad: Huh, okay.

Myke: Yeah, it's just a weird little pencil that is technically, great. It's just really, really great. So it's good stuff. All right, Myke. In the two weeks since we've actually recorded a podcast, I feel like we have to talk about the conclusion, I say that in air quotes, of the TWSBI versus Narwhal saga. Did you have a chance to read the official statements put out that I linked in the show? We'll have in the show notes in case y'all haven't seen them.

Brad: Oh my gosh, I didn't. I'm sorry.

Myke: Well, that's fine. It's very... Should I just read them?

Brad: Should I read it?

Myke: No. Okay. Because it's very legal-ese.

Brad: Oh, I did read this. I didn't read this today. I read this when it came out. Two weeks ago. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sorry.

Myke: I thought they were new ones. No, no, I read this.

Brad: I read this. Yeah.

Myke: Okay. I figured as much. I was just going to let it go, but yeah.

Myke: TWSBI essentially backtracked everything. Yeah. I'm going to assume under legal pressure, the way this is written. You know, I talked to some lawyer friends of mine. I was like, is this like, what do we have here? Did this like go through lawyers? And they're like, yeah, this is like a pre... I'm going to go through lawyers. Yeah. Yeah. This is like a, let's settle this before it goes any further type of documentation. Um, okay. TWSBI, like it's, it's okay. Like I'm glad we're done. Okay. That's, that's the big takeaway because TWSBI didn't have a leg to stand on from the jump. Everyone seemed to know that except TWSBI.

Myke: And then TWSBI doubled down by saying, Hey, we're going to pull, um, you know, we're going to pull our products or we're not going to allow you to purchase future products. If you continue to carry Narwhal. And that just made things worse. So TWSBI does come out of this with, you know, they did not come out unscathed in the court of, you know, public perception. Right. Um, Narwhal for their stance, basically were put on the back foot, just having to defend themselves. And I'm assuming, you know, instigated these conversations to, for lack of a better term, make it stop. Like whatever TWSBI is doing, like needs to stop because it's just uncalled for unnecessary. Um, turns out, you know, TWSBI doesn't have a leg to stand on shocker. Um, and we're kind of done. Like, I think it's just kind of a wrap. So if you're not familiar with this or need, you know, an update to the conclusion or hadn't seen these statements, we'll link the statements in the show notes, but they're, they're not necessarily worth reading other than TWSBI had some retractions, kind of apologized and took everything back basically. And Narwhal's like, yeah, like they pretty much had to do all that. And so we're back on to where everyone can order TWSBI and carry Narwhal. And, you know, we're definitely, I'm sure those two companies aren't one big happy family now, but at least like in the greater consumer and retailer space, it's done.

Brad: Honestly, this is the best way it could have ended.

Myke: Yeah. Aside from never starting, this is the only way.

Narwhal Controversy Resolution

Brad: That's why I was very particular about what I said, right? Yeah. This isn't the best thing to have happened. This is the best way this situation could have gotten resolved because now it's just like, look, they done messed up, right? I don't know what was going on at TWSBI. I still say like they believed it, you know, right? Like I'm not saying obviously it wasn't right to believe it because now they've agreed that, but they believed it. Like to them, it meant something. And like they were on one about it, you know, like big time. Right. But it was clearly. Yeah, they were on one is a great way to put it. It was stupid, right? And now they've eroded goodwill that they have for kind of for no reason now. And so.

Myke: Yeah, I think that's a good way. That's the terminology I was looking for. They've eroded whatever goodwill they had. And some people didn't like them anyway just because of, you know, you know, existing, you know, manufacturing issues or whatever that I think have been resolved. Like I'm a super huge TWSBI fan. And like now I think of them differently. Like I'm a little bit agitated like that this whole thing happened that didn't need to happen. And like, you know, I'm going to still use TWSBI's and, you know, still review TWSBI pins and things like that. But it's like, man, I wish we didn't have to do this. Like, you know, no one likes this stuff. Especially when it was essentially like completely unfounded. Like what happened didn't have to happen. So to wrap it up, let's talk about two new products from one from Narwhal, one from TWSBI. That's coming up soon. One out now from Narwhal, the School Kill. I think that's how you say that. This is a model that Narwhal's had. And I didn't realize they did an annual edition, you know, like a big run. But like for the year, like the 2022 limited edition. And it's like 2,000 units that like all the retailers get. This is a really good looking pen and a good quality pen for $60. This is the Dragonet Sapphire mic. Is this year's edition.

Myke: My hang up with Narwhal, and this is going to be my consistent hang up until it changes, is I don't love their nibs. I like their nibs. I will use the pens. I don't love them. I think they could be better for me, for the way I write. They have very large tipping, which makes the finest nib that they sell a fine. And then even the fine kind of writes like a medium, right? And on upwards, you know, the medium writes like a broad. And it's great. Like if you like that type of ink on the page, knock yourself out. You're going to like these Narwhal nibs. For someone who likes extra fine nibs, this is a tough sell for me to even go with the fine. And, you know, I could always get it modified. I understand that. But in general, I like Narwhal's pens. I think the real interesting thing that Narwhal does is the ebonite barrel pens, like the more expensive pens. They have done some interesting designs. The Nautilus, for example, has an interesting ink window. It's like a round porthole ink window. I think they look kind of cool, rounded ends. And they use some different materials, different acrylics, different ebonites. They're much more expensive. Like they've been willing to just dabble up front with more expensive materials than like TWSBI ever has. Outside of a few like rare limited ones. I think those might be more compelling for me to buy and get a nib grind done and say, hey, this is my Narwhal that I use that I like. So like the Nautilus Grand Rhapsody that I'm looking at at our site sponsor, Pen Chalet. Anyway, it's this beautiful, it's this beautiful material. And like, I don't know. I would probably really enjoy this pen. Except I'm hesitant on the nib and that I can't even just start with an extra fine. So I do like them. The School Kill, the Dragonette Sapphire is really, really pretty. I'll probably end up with one of those at least to review and check out. TWSBI did a really smart thing, Myke.

Myke: They, after they announced the, had their, released their statement on, okay, we're finished with this Narwhal stuff and we're retracting everything we've ever said. And they promoted maybe the single most popular pen they could ever promote. And that's the TWSBI Diamond 580 Iris.

Brad: We got a way to make you forget.

Myke: Yep. I mean, if this doesn't make people forget, like the past few months, like, I don't know what else they could do. Maybe bring back Micarta or something like that that everyone loved.

Brad: Or the, they'll do like, you know, they did the Republic of China, which they then made the U.S. edition. They do it in like France or something, you know.

Myke: But yeah, I mean, like this is the way to, this is the Monday release after the Friday afternoon press release. You know, bad news on Friday, Monday, let me show you all the new fancy stuff we got. So that's pretty much what this was. So that, I mean, the TWSBI Diamond 580 is probably going to be the most popular TWSBI that TWSBI has ever made, right? Like it's, I don't know that the 580 is the most popular model. I, I'll never be able to know. I mean, I would argue it's probably the Eco just from a price point perspective. But for what this pen is and how much people have enjoyed the Iris VAC, I mean, this, this is how TWSBI gets right back into the good graces, right?

Brad: What is, is there like a, like a general consensus of love of this pen? Like why, why is this, why are you so?

Myke: It's the, it's the, the finish, the Iris finish. So the, the coating, the rainbow prismatic coating, like that's gonna, that's what sells these pens. Just like we saw the, like the Leonardo Memento Zero that Stilo and Stilae did. You know, these little prismatic touches throughout a translucent barrel really pop off the page. And, and people really, really enjoy this stuff. Like this type of anodizing, the rainbow anodizing and, you know, the nib and all the different parts poking through. It, it just makes for a big seller, makes for a big seller in pen. So that's, that's why I'm saying that. This one will be extremely popular.

Brad: Yeah. Okay.

Myke: So, yeah. So that one comes out, I don't know, a couple of days from now. No, next week sometime, next week sometime, like the 15th, I think. Okay. There you go. So now we can go back to talking about TWSBI pens and Narwhal pens, maybe. Who knows? But that's a couple of their latest releases and their beef is over with.

Brad: Hooray for everybody involved.

Myke: Especially us.

Brad: So we don't talk about it anymore. I don't want to talk about this anymore. So I'm really happy. Yes. Yeah. We can officially confirm that it was Brad and I who brought the parties to the table. Oh, yeah. And dealt with this. So we didn't have to talk about it on the podcast anymore.

Myke: Yeah. Yeah. We got them all in a room, said, y'all hash it out because we don't want to talk about this anymore. Sick of this conversation. We were the mediators, the arbitrators.

Brad: Brad rifled through TWSBI's product library and was like, you're bringing this one back.

Myke: Yeah. Then I put on my PR hat. So we went from legal mediation into PR and said, all right, this is how you get out of this hole. Negotiate PR. Rainbow anodization.

Brad: So it works around here. All right. Let's do some hashtag RCTPA episodes, questions. We'll do a couple and we'll finish up today. This comes from Andrew. Do you expect the bot compatible steel number eight nibs made by Magna Carta to take off or fizzle out?

Myke: So I've held this question for a while. Yeah. Because I wanted to talk about it. And the answer is neither. Right? This is a specialty product. Right? So this is what I wanted to kind of address with the question. It's the posing of the question. Are they going to take off or fizzle? Like the number eight nib, let's just say the number eight nib, not necessarily from Magna Carta because Magna Carta is making these pens. Other makers make number eight size nib options. Are they going to take off or fizzle? And the answer is neither. Right? Because they're a specialty product. So they just by law, they neither take off or fizzle. Right? The people who want them will get them and enjoy them. Is it like they're big? Right?

Brad: I guess is the thing. They're like big. Okay.

Myke: Yeah. So like they're limited in their options. So, you know, you can use it with like Bach fittings or you can buy it with like these Magna Carta pens. Like the pens look great. Right? I think like the pen looks great. The nib looks great. Like everything about it looks great. And, you know, they have like the nice, nice ebonite feeds and everything about them is really, really cool. But that doesn't make them like a crossover success. Right? Because they're just too big for a lot of people. Right? So that prevents them from taking off. But they'll also never fizzle because they're technically great. Right? Like what they've created is awesome. It's kind of like Ultim. Right? The Ultim is more of a takeoff than a fizzle. But it's capped. Right? You're capped in how many of these you can sell. So that keeps it from like rocket to the moon type status. But it sure as heck not going to fizzle because the people that are into this stuff, it's like are fascinated by this. Right? Like it doesn't speak to me because I generally the smaller the better for me in pens, nibs, everything. So if I'm buying a big – if I'm going to use a number eight nib, generally that means I have to have a pen that's going to fit that. And that just makes everything bigger. And that's not what I enjoy writing. Yeah. And I think that's common. And I think that's common.

Brad: It's saying that they checked – they actually were there. They had them at the Baltimore show and none of them would fit inside of their shown Ultim number eight section. Okay. So I have one of those as well.

Myke: Yeah. Yeah. So maybe you're just having to buy Magna Carta pen barrels or having something made around these nibs, which I can see happening. Like I've seen like Edison, I think, make some number eight nib, some barrels to fit these nibs. But I could be wrong on that. I think it's just something I saw in passing. But, yeah, like they will neither take off or fizzle their specialty, right? And so the specialty connoisseurs will love these. And it's good to see. Like you want to have specialty goods in like a really like particular hobby like ours, right? You – if everyone – that's why we have so many makers, right, that are making so many unique products is to fill all these little niches and needs that we want to test out and enjoy and see if we can make the perfect thing for us. And this is going to be the perfect thing for a lot of people. But it's not going to go gangbusters nor is it going to drop off the map. It's just going to be good for the people who want it.

Brad: And Andrew asks, what is the closest thing to the Nocco Tallulah? I've been really enjoying just tossing this in my backpack. But I've been wanting to have two ready in case I want to have different setups on my day. I don't want it to be leather. I want it to be canvas or nylon or whatever material that was made for the Nocco Tallulah with zippers. Is anything close that you would recommend to this?

Myke: He says, pretty much I want another Tallulah. Yeah. Which I think is just a great way to end it. Yeah, good luck because the only thing I could even remotely suggest was leather, which isn't even fair to answer this question. But this is a product I own and a product that kind of reminds me of the Tallulah, but it's not really that way. It's a superior labor leather pen and wallet case. They really call it their wallet case. It's zippered. It holds like three pins on the inside. And it's a little bit bigger and wider than the Tallulah. It's also extraordinarily more expensive than the Tallulah.

Myke: Yeah, I don't know. So there's been some poor designs. Oh, gosh. I can't think of the company that made a really terrible Tallulah-looking case, just like a two-pin zip fold case. And a bunch of people bought them, and they were kind of falling apart, and they didn't go really well. Yeah, outside of that, Andrew, I apologize. I don't have a great idea for this. And so if anyone has ever come across anything like that with the zipper, the Tallulah is a very specific design that we made at NOC, and it was great. Like it was one of those, again, it's one of those designs I genuinely wasn't sure it was going to work until I made it and started carrying it. And then I was like, oh, this is, I think people are going to like it. And so, you know, it was always been one of my favorite cases, and I appreciate that you like it so much, Andrew. And I wish I had a better recommendation for you. Like I've seen some slim cases. They just kind of never add up to, like, the exact kind of thing that the Tallulah brings. So I don't know, maybe one day I can work my magic with someone, and we'll bring that back. But until then, man, who knows?

Brad: Thank you for listening to this week's episode of The Pan Addict. If you have a question of your own that you'd like to send in for us to answer, just send out a tweet with the hashtag RSTPA. You can use question mark RSTPA in the RelayFM members Discord, or you can email it to hello at panaddict.com. Go to panaddict.com, and you'll find the wonderful writings of Brad and his many wonderful writers that we have over at The Pan Addict. So you can read some wonderful articles. You can go to spokedesign.com, where I believe by today...

Myke: Allegedly. Allegedly.

Brad: You can get yourself a wonderful mechanical pencil to celebrate yesterday's National Mechanical Pencil Day. Brad streams on Twitch three times a week, twitch.tv slash panaddict. Brad is at dowdyism on Twitter, panaddict on Instagram. I am imike, I-M-Y-K-E. Thanks to Squarespace for the support of this show. And we'll be back next time. Until then, say goodbye, Brad. Goodbye, Brad.