The Pen Addict 698/transcript: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 20:46, 1 June 2026

From Relay, this is The Pen Addict, episode 698. Today's show is brought to you by Enigma Stationery and Factor. My name is Mike Hurley. I'm joined by Brad Dowdy. Hi, Brad.
What's up, Mike Hurley? How are we doing?
Good. I got thrown off today by a happy new year when I went to the gym.

New Year Small Talk[edit]

It's still in play, I believe. This should be the last week. We should be done after this.
If you haven't seen people since the calendars flipped through this week, the next time you see them for the first time this year, the statute of limitations has expired.
I heard somebody say on the podcast yesterday, it is acceptable in single digits in January, which I thought was a really good way of thinking about it.
So you've basically got one more day in which you can wish somebody a happy new year.
I think that's a good, good... I was going to just say randomly two weeks, but I like the single digits content better.
Yeah, it's pretty good.
Yep. It's still happening, Mike.

Price Increases in 2026[edit]

If there was a yearly theme for 2026 so far, it would be the year of price increases.
Would you like to kick it off?
I would.
As my notes say, the prices will continue to rise until morale improves, Mike.
That's where we're at right now.
And again, like I said last episode, we're going to talk about this a little bit more because everything hasn't been like fleshed out yet.
But so to a perfect example is Sailor released their increases last week or maybe earlier this week that go into effect February 1st.
So we have a link in here to a chart.
And like it's super bad.
Like I don't know what to say.
Progear Standard, which is one of the platform pens that if you're a Sailor fan,
this is the pen, this is the main line.
This is the one up pen.
I'll admit that, right?
It's not the Progear, like the entry level 14K when this is the upgraded, the 21K one.
But it used to be approximately 246 US dollars, which that price is actually a little bit low.
I thought they were a little bit higher than that.
At that price, that 250 price, I think great value pens.
This is the small one.
Actually, this Progear Standard is the small one.
Okay.
Nevertheless, in my opinion.
Still, I'm good at 246 US dollars.
What if I doubled that, Mike?
What if we had a plus 100% price increase and now that pen is $493?
I couldn't believe it when I opened this.
So this is a Reddit thread on r slash fountain pens.
And this is coming from basic currency conversions from Sailor Japan's new prices.
Yeah.
So we get the press release from Sailor.
It's all in Japanese.
So we have to do the model conversion to figure out which model is what based on the model number.
And then the price conversion, which is always fluctuating from yen to USD.
This is the most shocking so far.
That Sailor have essentially doubled the price of some of their pens and some of the most popular pens.
And pens that weren't like $20 to begin with.
Yeah.
Like they have the Profit Casual on here, which is a $56 pen.
That goes up by 25% to $70.
It's like, okay, that's a price increase, but fine.
But going from what is essentially $246 to $493 is...
I think the only word I can use is tragic.
This is...
I actually think this is a tragedy we're experiencing now, Brad, to the pen world.
I don't know what happens from here.
Like this is...
So I'm, you know, you know me, right?
Like I am in many communities, right?
I am in the tech community and the pen community.
And I also pay a lot of attention to gaming and Hollywood, right?
Like they're kind of the areas of interest that I pay attention to as a consumer,
but also as a person who likes to look at how the businesses run in all of these.
And every area is experiencing some kind of price increase.
Pens is where I am seeing the most.
Like these price increases are absolutely prohibitive.
Where in other areas, it's like, oh, that's not great.
But most people who are buying this thing can probably stretch to it if they had to.
So like, for example, Nintendo Switch, right?
People are going mental about the prices of Nintendo Switch and the prices of games, right?
Prices of games going from $60 to $80.
But I would say that by and large, most people that were buying $60 games on the regular could stretch to $80.
Like it's not great, but it's fine.
And also the value I think is still there provided that the game is good.
But $246 to $493, like that's actually just past the majority of customers' ability to extend.
Like I would not, would not pay this price.
Just wouldn't.
I would not pay $500 for a standard Pro Gear.
I wouldn't do it.
Even if I could afford it, I wouldn't do it.
And I think that is, this is, it's flabbergasting.
Yeah.
So, you know, we're going to keep seeing some of this.
It stinks because this is, I'm guessing that's their single most popular pin.
You know, if I had to, it's definitely the top one or two sellers.
Yeah.
And that one's just getting hit really, really hard with the price increase.
And it's just right there with the 3776 in my book with where it is no longer worth it to even consider that as an option to purchase.
So, yeah, it's, but we're starting to get, we're getting, we're going to get a little bit of a through line here in this episode as we, as we go through on to why maybe this is happening.
Got a little bit of insight.
Yeah.
On that.
But, you know, relative to this, I did get sent a link about sailors.
So we've talked about last week, we talked about pilot and platinum and how they pilot and platinum each have new and or refreshed slash upcoming entries in the 100 to $150 range that are steel nib pens.
The pilot NS, which has been around, but I think they're going to read, they're redoing it with those translucent barrels and the platinum Biso, which is just, I don't get it.

Sailor 1911 Large Casual Fountain Pen[edit]

Sailor also has this price range model from our friends over at Colt pens.
The link is called, I don't know if, I guess this is the official product name.
Sailor 1911 large casual fountain pen.
I love it.
I love this.
I love the name.
I love the look of this pen, Brad.
This looks fantastic.
We'll talk about the style.
What do you think the intention of casual is in this context, Mike?
It's for filthy casuals.
It's for people that aren't going to pay $9,000.
You don't have gold nib money, you filthy casual.
Filthy casual.
Now that is a video game term, by the way.
Yes.
People who play just mobile games, they're often referred to as filthy casuals.
It's a little tongue in cheek.
You don't have that gold nib money.
So this pen.
Does anyone, Brad?
Does anyone have that gold nib money?
No, that's the point.
That's literally the rest of this episode that we're going to talk about.
But this pen and what you're liking about this design is called the ringless model.
No, what I like is that he's a big boy.
Yes.
That's what I like.
The 1911 L, they make a ringless.
It's called the ringless model.
And it formerly just came with gold nibs because it was affordable when they launched it.
So it does not have the cap band at the end of the barrel.
Right?
So that's really the only change.
And that's the aesthetic difference here.
But it's an aesthetic that I like.
When it first came out, I was questioning it.
Questioning it.
The more that I got to see them in person, the more I did enjoy this style.
So this actually of the three, Pilot NS, Platinum Biso, and Sailor Large Casual.
Only because the name's great.
I actually think this is probably the best bet.
I'd be interested to try this nib.
Sailor's been all over the place with their steel nibs.
They've done so much better here in the past year.
And I want to see what nib is on this one and go from there.
So this one, I would actually be compelled to try.
I'd probably try the Pilot NS too.
But we'll get to reasons why I don't necessarily need to do that later.
I'm really intrigued for what this pen will be like.
I'm also, I like the colors.
It's funny to me really like looking at Colt Pens website specifically.
So this is a 94.50 pounds pen.
But they have 14 karat gold 1911s for 160.
We're going to get to that.
Yeah.
But it's a very funny, it's a very funny scenario to be in.
But this, I hope you try this new 1911 because I think that that is a good looking pen.
And I hope that it lives up to a 94.50 price.
Yeah.
And I didn't know they had this model before.
So I'm interested to see if this is a new model.
But your commentary there about the current listed gold nib prices.
Let's get to that now with these next couple of questions.

Listener Feedback: Tariffs, Gold Prices, and Retail Pricing[edit]

So we had two pieces of feedback sent in that I want to read both of them.
So this first one comes from Fergal who says, you're both suffering from very understandable
sticker shock from the increases that you're seeing in prices.
But I'm just wondering whether you're right to put all of the blame on the higher gold
prices.
I'm based in the UK and haven't noticed anything like the same jumps that you have.
For example, Colt Pens still has the base model 3776 at 180 pounds, including VAT.
So that's 20%, by the way.
So that's 20%.
So essentially, the price that we pay.
So you know how you might pay in the States, you get taxes added on to a sales tax.
In the UK, it is included in the list price, a 20% tax.
It's not added to a price.
So that is including our 20% sales tax.
Maybe retailers have just been slower this side of the Atlantic.
But perhaps this is more of a tariff or dollar thing than just gold.
And Matt writes in and says, regarding price increases for major manufacturers, are these
primarily because of tariff costs that the distributors pay and then pass along in the
retail price?
I didn't hear you mention tariffs during the episode.
So it has me wondering if maybe these increases are not related to that.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So let's take the last part first, then we'll circle back to the current pricing on Colt Pens.
So are these primarily because of tariff costs that distributors pay and then pass along in
the retail price?
So no, because these increases are coming from a corporate entity that has redefined their
product MSRP.
And if you're a retailer of these products, to carry this product officially, you must
abide.
The dude must abide by the MSRP, Mike.
And tariffs don't have any relation to that piece of the puzzle.
Now, where the tariffs might be part of the puzzle is unrelated to the price, but how the
distributors and retailers work together to determine whose percentage is what, right?
So those distributors and retailers are going to have a conversation of where costs get
absorbed that we will never see.
We're only going to see MSRP, which is dictated by corporate.
You know, the Sailor press release says our MSRP is $493 for the Pro Gear.
Like that has complete nothing to do with tariffs, right?
And so when you see that pin listed in the US at X retailer, you're going to see MSRP $493,
right?
There's no tariff involved in that piece of the puzzle.
I don't understand that, Brad.
What?
But like the MSRP is the price to the consumer, right?
Mm-hmm.
So the MSRP is the list price.
Yeah.
So there's variance.
But so why would that not include tariffs?
Tariffs.
Because the MSRP, so Sailor Japan says the price of my pin is $500.
How are they including worldwide tariffs into that price based on regions?
Because they know how much the pen's going to cost to get to America.
It's not.
They're not giving the America price.
They're giving the worldwide price.
So let me, if you don't mind me correcting you there.
Okay.
They didn't say it was $490.
They said it was whatever yen.
Right?
That's the same thing.
Pick any number you want to use.
If Sailor is issuing the MSRP price, that is tariff exclusive.
I don't care what monetary measurement you use.
Yeah, but.
If Sailor says my pin should be sold for 500 space credits.
Yeah.
The retailer has to legally, to be a Sailor partner, list that pin for 500 space credits.
I agree with you.
Tariffs does not hit that piece from Sailor to the price that I see.
Yeah.
Where the tariffs hit is the retailer is paying $250 for the $500 pin.
Yeah.
And then has to pay more.
So the retailer will then take a less percentage of their profit.
Or the distributor.
I agree with what you're saying.
That is how it should work.
And it's how, in theory, it does work.
The question that I would have is,
if Sailor corporate is aware of a large percentage of their product
needing to be more expensive,
they may increase the MSRP because tariffs exist,
because otherwise retailers will not buy from them.
Because if they don't increase the MSRP,
and that therefore would mean that with tariffs,
retailers will not make any money,
they will not buy from them, right?
Right.
I agree.
I understand what you're saying.
Yeah.
But what I'm saying is,
Sailor is not listing an MSRP accounting for a 30% worldwide variance
in what this pin might be sold for.
Why?
Because that's,
I don't think that's how business works for an MSRP model product.
But they can't,
well, they can,
but they're unlikely to say,
like, the MSRP is $300,
but, you know,
JetPens is going to sell it for $350.
Because that's what JetPens would, in theory, have to do, right?
They're not going to make any money from the product.
Right.
Hmm.
I don't know.
I see what you're saying,
but I get it.
So I'm not saying tariffs aren't in place somewhere,
but I'm saying,
if the manufacturer says,
here's my price,
we're not buffering in that price
to account for variance of,
you know,
180 different countries' import taxes and tariffs.
The thing is,
the 179 of those countries don't matter.
for how much the tariffs are.
Mm-hmm.
Right?
Like,
and also has been previously forecast.
You know what I mean?
Like,
yeah,
I don't know.
I don't know.
I see what you're saying,
but I raise an eyebrow at the idea that they might not take global economic conditions into account when choosing the prices of their pens.
Because they have to,
because they have to,
I don't know.
are you,
basically,
you're saying that Sailor makes,
Sailor is okay with making more from some purchases from retailers and distributors than others.
And then in the end,
it shakes out.
Absolutely.
That's what I'm saying.
Yes.
Okay.
Maybe.
I think,
I think it's possible.
Because I think it's what a lot of companies are doing.
Mm-hmm.
So then extrapolate that between Sailor,
Pilot,
and Platinum,
and you think they're all doing the same thing.
Yeah.
Yes.
So they're trying to protect the retailer so the retailer can sell more pens.
Because otherwise they sell no pens.
Okay.
If the retailers won't buy the pens from them,
there's no pens to be sold.
So if the retailers are communicating with Sailor,
like this MSRP means we make 1% rather than 25%.
Mm-hmm.
It basically means we will,
we cannot,
but we cannot afford to buy this product from you anymore at this MSRP.
So is that why we will then see different prices in different countries below the MSRP?
So we have a US price that we paid in the US X dollars,
and then the Malaysian price,
they paid X minus 20%,
so therefore the price is lower.
It gives retailers in other countries the opportunity to look like they're making bigger discounts
or make more money.
Right.
Yeah.
That would be my theory.
Mm-hmm.
Because if this was all gold,
it's definitely not all gold.
Nobody would sell at a different price to each other.
So back to Fergal's point,
are you putting all the blame on higher gold prices?
I don't think we're doing that.
It was really the only thing we spoke about last week, to be honest.
No, I thought about,
no, I thought,
but when you say gold is a much more standout statement than higher manufacturing costs,
right?
Yes.
I say higher manufacturing costs,
that's just a passive statement,
but that's part of the problem too.
But also manufacturing costs increase always,
right?
Yeah.
But there has been an outsized change in the price increase of gold,
and that explains why some pens are going up at a higher rate than others.
But my theory on this is it's all of these things.
It's tariffs, gold, and manufacturing price increases
that is pushing up prices on products across the board.
Yep.
So we have some insight from a Japanese retailer
that I'm going to read here in a second,
but the last point that Fergal's making,
I'm based in the UK and haven't noticed anything like the same jumps as you have,
but just wait.
Yeah, because they're selling stuff they already bought.
Yeah.
Yeah.
They're selling existing stock at the existing price they paid.
So just hang in there, Fergal.
You're going to get screwed here in a minute.
Or don't hang in there.
Buy now.
Yeah.
Because hanging in there might be the problem.
Oh, Lord, we coming.
So yeah.
Don't get too excited about that because that is short-lived.
If you go to, I'm based in the US clearly,
and I tend to just generalize my US experience.
You can go to different retailers right now,
and there's prices all over the place.
Yeah.
Until this all shakes out based on past inventory,
and then moving that into the current inventory that they've paid,
the new tariff-induced retail MSRP.
Yeah.

Japanese Market Context and Inflation[edit]

All right.
Context, which I have gotten from a couple of different sources have mentioned this to me.
And we might just throw out all the conversation we just had,
but I think it was a good conversation to have.
So this email is from Josh, who is a small fountain pen maker,
like what we consider makers in our business,
say like a Carolina Pen Co., that type of maker in Japan.
So let me give this perspective from someone in Japan that might help with all of this.
I was listening to episode 697 in the sticker-shocking segment
about the price increases from Platinum and Pilot,
and I can help you understand some of these price increases.
I have a small business making fountain pens based in Japan,
so I can provide some direct context towards the cost of doing business in the country.
As you say, the cost of basic materials such as gold has risen,
which naturally affects the price,
though the amount of gold in a pen is pretty small
and won't account for the kind of huge price increases we see.
The reason for the price increases of this magnitude
is years of inflation all striking at the same time.
For decades in Japan,
inflation has been something that actually hasn't occurred very much.
The banking and currency has been extremely stable,
as has the cost of housing, food, utilities, etc.
This also means wages have stagnated with no inflation to drive them.
This was pretty much all fine as it goes until COVID hit.
It seems like after the blow to tourism and industry in general,
Japan has no longer been safe from inflation.
Utilities, housing, food,
the cost of everything is rising notably.
And employers are going to have to start raising wages again soon as well.
All of this increases the final cost of the pen
because the companies have to maintain a certain amount of margin.
The issue is that Japanese brands generally resist small incremental price increases,
preferring to wait to see if the cost stabilizes
and eating some of the overall profits for a short while
because they really don't like to make and announce price increases.
Seriously, brands here have had press releases in years past
for raising the price of a bag of chips by 20 cents
where members of the board have bowed deeply in apology to the public.
It's seen as bad press.
So the Japanese pen brands have mostly resisted raising the price too much,
but now we see reality setting in.
Man, are they bowing now then?
I don't know what they're doing right now.
Nobody has stood up at Sailor last week.
No.
These price increases are the result of several years of backlog
of inflationary price increases
and likely have a couple years of future inflation built in as well
because they don't want to announce another price increase six months from now.
Except for Platinum, who did that in 2025.
This is all coupled with the weakening yen.
These companies have to do business internationally
and their money simply is not going as far as it used to.
Lastly, in my opinion,
some of the pens you're talking about have been historically undervalued
to attract more buyers, especially pilot pens.
The 823 is simply an amazing pen.
The filling system and nib are top-notch,
and at its former price point, pound for pound,
it's smoked pretty much every other pen in its price bracket.
Even at its current price, it's still a very good pen,
but of course, if we're used to paying a lower price,
then we don't want to pay a higher new one.
As far as the disparity between the Platinum versus Pilot cost increases,
like you say, that's a strange mismatch,
and I couldn't be sure.
Like you, I'm a big fan of these brands
and audibly gasped at some of the price increases,
but unfortunately, it does make sense.
I can only hope secondhand and vintage dealers
won't raise their prices commensurately too much,
but time will tell the tale on that one.
So thank you, John, from Motome Collection.
We'll get a link in the show notes to John.
This was very good.
Very good context.
I have been told this from different sources that the...
So broader, what we've been talking about
the past two or three episodes
are the big three Japanese companies, right?
We've been basically having a Japan exclusive conversation,
and they're being hit with different financial ramifications
more than just, you know, price of gold go up.
We charge more, right?
So they're having to allocate for many, many different reasons
for increasing the price,
including being conscious enough
to purposefully not raise the price
and eat some cost,
and hopefully it goes in the right direction.
And then when it doesn't,
they put the big number on it,
which is what we're seeing now.
I would say that the conversation we were just having
about tariffs and stuff,
I think that all fits in this.
Like, in the sense of like,
it's not just gold.
It's not just tariffs.
It's definitely not just gold.
It's not just inflation.
Like, it's...
All of this stuff is happening at once.
And from that context,
which is very good context from Josh,
you can see why it seems most shocking
if you've been resisting needed change,
and then it's gotten to a point
where you're clearly not going to restore the prices,
so they've just gone for it.
In the hopes that...
But what this does suggest to me, though,
is something that I was worried about
and was hoping would not be the case,
but now I think it will be,
that these prices will not go down.
Right.
I mean, in...
Yes, they're not going to go down.
I was trying to be...
I was going to say something hopeful.
In like, maybe five or ten years,
we see like a reset or an introductory...
Maybe they'll just, you know,
recycle the product line, right?
You know, maybe we'll have the Sailor 1911
large, big, sexy 14K gold nib at $240.
I don't want them to call it that.
In 2032, right?
They're just reversing like some of the damage, right?
And reintroducing a lower price point pin.
That could theoretically happen, but...
Or they hold further price increases
for a longer period of time,
so inflation kind of catches up.
But yeah, my...
Yeah, but I don't think anyone thinks
prices are ever coming down with these companies
because they're publicly traded companies
and that's not how stock price goes up works.
My hope was if it was truly a gold problem,
that if gold price is stabilized, you could,
but I don't...
I feel pretty confident that that is not the case.
It's going to...
That would end up being a lower percentage
of the overall increase.
So I don't...
I now feel like I understand less
about what the future is
and this probably is going to look like
if these are going to just be the prices.
Yeah.
Not great, Bob.
Not great.
$400 and $500 entry-level Japanese gold nib pens.
Not great, Bob.
Not great, Bob.

Sponsor: Enigma Stationery[edit]

All right.
You know what is great?
I was going to say,
one of these episodes,
we don't have to talk about this.
Hopefully soon.
But you know what is great, Mike?
Tell me...
Tell us all about what is great.
Our friends at Enigma Stationery
who are bringing this episode to you.
Enigma Stationery offer unique items
made from in-house designs
along with top brands
and hard-to-find imports.
The unique items that you will find
at Enigma Stationery
is to me what makes them so special.
Both Brad and I were poking through today
and I wanted to mention two things
that I found
when I was looking through
Enigma Stationery's current offerings
that I thought were really fun and different.
One was a Kirby fluffy pen case
which just looks excellent.
Just Kirby pen case.
Can't beat that.
And also the Kodomo No Cow fountain pen stamp.
So this is just like an ink stamp
that looks like a fountain pen.
I need to see that.
I haven't stumbled across that one yet.
You can put that in your journal or whatever.
Yeah, I'm big into the stamps.
I want to see that one.
So that's super cool.
I want to see that.
I love Risagraph style printing
to where you get to see all the different colors
and layers of colors
and how things get printed.
And there's a Risagraph wall calendar for 2026.
It's not too late.
We're just a few days into January.
And it's just super cool.
I love looking at this type of artwork.
So this is called the Butterfly Days 2026 Risagraph wall calendar.
We'll put a link in the show notes to that.
I think that's just a really cool thing to have around.
Like I like being surrounded by cool things.
Yeah.
And like seeing that like on my wall
or near my desk every day would make me happy.
And then you know what makes me even more happy, Mike?
We're staying in the Risagraph category.
Everything is possum.
Risagraph card, Mike.
Like apparently this is a Tegan and Sarah song.
You might be familiar with Tegan and Sarah.
This is great for the Tegan and Sarah fans.
I'm a Tegan and Sarah fan.
I'm not familiar with.
Oh, everything is possum is the take on the everything is awesome
is what you're telling me.
Yes.
Nice.
But I guess maybe Tegan and Sarah have this in better context.
Anyway, this is an A2 card.
It's made, you know, like a thank you card
or, you know, some kind of note card
that you can send to someone.
There's also a sticker.
Oh, nice.
Bromstad Printing Company.
Yeah.
They're doing this cool Risagraph work
that I'm just a fan of.
There's, you know, hot dog, you know, dog print.
There's, oh, the skeleton cat in the sticker chair.
At some point, we're just going to have to end this ad
because I'm going to keep looking and giggling.
Okay, here's the everything is possum holograph sticker.
Oh, my gosh.
There we go.
I feel like you specifically need this sticker.
I do.
I do.
So, yeah.
This is one for you.
So, to a broader point, which we can get to after,
you know, our ad from our one of friends over at Enigma.
These are things I'm looking at this year.
I have one more thing for you.
This is what's getting me.
Okay.
The Decol Harapeko Animal Pen Stand in the Shiba Inu.
It's essentially just a Shiba Inu with a really big mouth
that you can put things in.
Like the fish case.
Yes.
Well, but it's just a stand.
So, it just looks like you have a dog with a huge mouth
that you're putting things into.
Oh, my God.
Okay.
Yeah, this is going to be a problem.
Pretty good stuff.
All of these products and more, including just more traditional pens.
Oh, my God.
See?
Told you.
He's got paper clips falling out of his mouth.
He knows what he wants.
If you want $10 off on orders of $50 or more,
go over to enigmastationary.com slash penaddict
and use the code TPA26 at checkout.
That is enigmastationary.com slash penaddict
to get $10 off on orders of $50 or more
by using the code TPA26.
Our thanks to Enigma Stationary
for their support of this show and all of Relay.

Shout-out of the Week: Carolina Pen Company[edit]

All right, Mike.
We got our shout-out of the week.
Shout-out of the week.
Did this surprise you when I put this in here?
I think so, actually.
We're shouting out today
our good friend Jonathan Brooks
at Carolina Pen Company.
And there's a lot of reasons to shout-out Jonathan, right?
And this is one of those things
when you know somebody extremely well,
you tend to forget to, like, you know,
give them, like, the love and praise
because you just always, you know,
respect them so highly.
Like, every day, it's like you forget.
It's like, maybe I should shout them out
a little bit extra.
Yeah, I mean, that's why it surprises me
because it's like, you know,
you're shouting out, like, the don, you know?
Right.
Yeah, exactly.
But there's a lot of reasons
in, we're going to talk about
a lot of context today.
There's a lot of reasons contextually
that I want people to be thinking about,
like, especially, again, in the U.S. market,
but this counts as in the worldwide market,
the maker pens
that we all see, like, at pen shows
and at different retailers.
Like, Enigma, I know,
works with a bunch of different people
to, like, make pens for them.
And smaller makers making,
you know, in Jonathan's case,
making beautiful materials,
hand-turning wonderful pens,
being super creative,
being, you know, basically the leader
or one of the leaders in this industry
for small manufacturers
and being so helpful to the industry as a whole,
to just being an open book.
Jonathan's an amazing person.
They do great work.
And, you know, I wanted to give a special shout out.
What reminded me to do this
was not only that I want to talk about maker pens
here in a minute,
as, you know, what we're going to do
in relation to all these rising costs
of a lot of my favorite Japanese pens,
is go through,
we have a wonderful author at the Pen Attic
named Caroline Foti,
who has a series called Meet Your Maker.
And we have a tag,
the Meet Your Maker tag,
and you can go read about these people
that are making the things.
And I think that's going to be
an important focus going forward.
Not that it already wasn't,
but I think we'll have an even more,
like, laser focus on the personal connection
to the people making the thing
that I use every day, right?
And I think that's just a great thing
to be thinking about.
And if you're not familiar,
go read all of these articles
because Caroline basically does origin stories
and up to current dates
for all of these makers.
And you just learn so much
and how, you know,
people like Jonathan came from,
you know, wood turning bowls
to, like, solving problems
on how to make these beautiful materials
that we all get to see and love and use.
So definitely go give Carolina Pen Co a try.
Go read this article.
And then when you're done with that,
click on the Meet Your Maker tag
and just go discover
all of these wonderful people
making things in our community.
Yep.

Maker Pens and Community Focus[edit]

And yeah, it's,
I think that's going to be important, Mike,
because we can transition
right into this topic.
I call this topic
Now is Our Time to Shine.
And I don't,
I'm not saying you and I,
I'm saying as a community.
Not you and I.
So, sorry,
I didn't want to knock you down
a little bit there, Mike.
Not you.
Not you specifically.
But no,
what my point is,
and I think you'll agree,
is now is the time,
especially for us
that have been in this hobby
for more than a few years.
Now is our time
to really define
what we like
and what we use
and what is the most important thing
in this hobby, right?
Because this is a luxury hobby, right?
Even your $5 gel pens,
like,
no one needs that, right?
So, we're all spending,
like, this luxury hobby money
that has gotten,
that budget's gotten lower and lower
for a lot of people
over the past few years,
for sure.
And so, now's our time
to think about
how we're using things
more than ever,
to focus on
the most important stuff
that you like,
and just really, like,
dig into those types of things.
You know,
I know a lot of people are,
and this is a consistent thing,
like, when
New Year's rolls around,
okay, this year is,
I'm going to have a no-buy
for pens,
or this year,
I'm going to shop
my own closet, right?
Those types of concepts.
But,
even a little bit broader
than that,
I think
the market overall,
with these
huge, huge numbers
of price increases,
we're going to see
a larger focus
on maker pens,
right?
because now I get to go
not only acquire
a fun,
new,
cool pen,
I get to talk
to the person
that makes it.
I can maybe have
some input
into making this product
more personal for me.
And,
you can really have
this connection
that sometimes
gets lost
in just the,
the,
in the mass
market type
of situation,
right?
And,
I'm not saying,
you know,
that stuff's bad,
this stuff's good,
that's not it at all.
But,
I'm saying is,
now's the time
to be thinking about,
you know,
what's really important
to you,
what do you want
to see,
and does that exist
out there from
a maker?
And,
it could be a pen maker,
it could be a sticker maker,
it could be a notebook maker.
There's so many individual
makers in this space,
and small goods manufacturers
in this space,
that we are not
spoiled for choice.
We have it here.
Like,
it's crazy,
crazy good stuff.
So,
yeah,
I think the maker space,
and I didn't want to be,
I've gotten a couple comments
over the past couple weeks
about talking about makers.
I think I just,
I more did it in passing
as just an assumption
that that should be the focus.
And,
I just wanted to
just correct and,
correct that
and just be very direct
on what I think about,
you know,
individual makers.
You know,
I bought a pen case yesterday
that I'll put a link
in the show notes
because it's one of my friends
working on a design,
creating their art,
and,
you know,
collaborating with Rickshaw
to get their art
on a Sinclair,
and that's the thing
I want to buy.
Yeah.
Right?
So,
that's important to me.
So,
we'll put a link
into the Cloudy Desk
cases that she's doing
pre-sales on.
So,
like,
that's the stuff
that's important to me
is supporting my friends,
supporting the community,
and just making sure
that,
you know,
we don't have to be,
like,
super down
about these price increases,
right,
where we can kind of look
inside ourselves
a little bit more
and supporting,
like,
other makers
in the community.
Yeah.

Secondhand Pens, Vintage, and Mid-tier Steel Nibs[edit]

And I think it's,
you know,
it's just going to be
a big year for that.
It's going to be a big year
for secondhand pen buying.
Yeah.
You know,
I think that's going to be
a common thing.
I still,
I've said this since
these price increases
started coming in,
I think the vintage market's
going to do well.
You know,
I think this is going to be
a big using,
not acquiring year.
Like,
people have to see
how this shakes out
because it's not just
the prices are going up,
which we talked about
this weeks ago.
It's not only the prices
are going up,
our ability to spend money
is going down
because we're having to
spend it on necessities
in life,
not hobbies,
right?
And then lastly,
which I think is maybe
going to be my focus
this year,
I don't know yet.
What I do with the pen
attic is kind of too broad
and I kind of want
to stay that way.
We definitely touch on
a lot of price points
and a lot of ranges,
but I think the mid-tier
steel nib pens,
like below,
like these $100 pilot
platinum and sailors
we're talking about,
like I think are going
to be more important
and we're going to talk
about my conversation
around the Pilot Pereira
real quick.
And like the context
around some of these pens
has changed.
Yes.
And that was the purpose
of my article.
It's not as specific,
the article was based
on the Pilot Pereira
because that's what I use
and that's what I like,
but it's more,
it's not the Pereira
specifically,
right?
It's more the concept
of these pens
that cost between
like $30 and $60
to where I could see
that range being
like the new end game
for people
because there's no reason
to go from $60
to $400.
Like it just defies
all logic.
Like maybe eventually
where before there was
like this nice step escalation
if you really love the hobby
and wanted to learn
about new things
and wanted to explore
and wanted to try
your first gold nib,
you can do it
without breaking the bank.
Well now,
I think people might
just stop,
right?
Like would you buy
the Pilot Pereira
at $64
or the Pilot NS
for $110?
Well,
you're going to start
realizing like things
we've realized in the past
about the very entry level.
There's not a lot of difference
in those pens
except the privilege
of paying $50 more for it,
right?
Yeah.
So I think that's going
to be a big
kind of running theme
for me this year
is understanding
the context
of how good
some of these
sub $100 pens are.
Like the Lamy Studio,
like some of the Kawekos,
like this Pilot Pereira,
which I'll freely admit
is like it's too much money
for what it is,
but the context around
it has changed.
Right.
To where I'm not saying
now it's a value,
but I'm saying,
wow,
this is a great pen
and in the broader context,
I'm fine with that price
more than I used to be
because I've always been
very tough on the Pereira
because it's been
one of the more
out-of-line priced pens
in Pilot's lineup.
Not anymore, Mike.
No.
No,
my thought is that
what these,
you know,
price increases
like we were talking about
at the start of the show,
what they end up creating
is holes
in the product line.
Right.
And so my expectation
is over the next
couple of years,
we're going to see
significantly more
steel nib pens
claiming different benefits
from a writing experience
that are filling
different price categories
because it doesn't make
any sense to go
from $60 to $250
or whatever.
Or like what?
Would it be like
probably $90 to $500 now?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So you've got two,
you know,
two or three
price brackets
that you could hit
within that gap.
Yeah.
And I expect to see
pen manufacturers
start to fill those
and potentially start
to remove some
of the top end
that's just not
going to sell anymore.
But the problem is
it's not a problem
for them.
This is,
this is again
the 1% problem
that we talk about
on this podcast
of like the super nerds
like us.
Like I've basically said
with that,
that sailor steel,
steel pin
is that essentially
they're telling
on themselves,
right?
Because like that barrel
is the same barrel
as their gold nib pen
and you're paying
like a fraction
of the price.
like the cost
is never in the barrel
and it just makes,
it makes that $116 pin
look outrageously expensive
even though sailor
will sell a lot
of that pin.
Yeah.
I believe.
Yeah.
Right.
So good times,
Mike.

Nib Materials: Titanium, Gold, Steel, and Palladium[edit]

So let's hit this,
let's hit this feedback
from Scott
because this is something
more to talk about
that we,
that's another
recurring theme.
Regarding nibs
and their metals,
you guys touched
on titanium
quite a bit.
It's not just
that the metal
is more springy
than others,
it's also how it's used.
For example,
see Schoen's Monarch nib
which is a pretty hard
as a nail nib.
Likewise,
gold isn't always
springier than steel.
Like platinum's nibs
are usually fairly hard
save for the soft,
fine and medium models.
Aside for Sconti's use
of palladium
was a big outlier
but even palladium
is an expensive metal
though it's a third
of the price of gold.
Yeah.
It's not that,
it's basically
what Scott is saying.
It's not the material,
it's how you use it.
Yeah.
But when you compare
a stock titanium
like say a Bach
titanium traditional nib
to a Schoen Monarch nib,
those are so far apart
in what they are.
It's like comparing
like a Honda Civic
to a Lamborghini,
right?
That's,
so you don't say,
well we should use titanium
and make more Lamborghinis,
right?
That doesn't necessarily
help the market.
I want to see,
Schoen has his market,
I have a Monarch
and I love it,
I think it's one
of the coolest things ever
but no one needs
a $500 nib,
right?
And we're already
getting just
dinged so hard
on,
you know,
the pins with gold nibs,
like I don't know
that having $500
titanium nibs,
while I want that
to exist as a concept
in our space,
that doesn't alleviate
anything that we're
talking about,
right?
That's a specialty item
and those kind of stand alone
in their uniqueness.
Does that make sense?
I think so.
Yeah.
But I do understand
what Scott is saying,
which there is something
that's interesting to me
and kind of exciting to me
in that different people
can have different,
like,
outcomes with the same material
depending on how they use them.
And so my hope there
is that there is room
for different materials
to operate in different ways
and fill different roles
because this is my thing,
right?
I just feel like
there has to be something
other than gold
to get a really good experience.
Sorry,
I keep interrupting you.
No,
no,
no,
it's okay.
I was just going to say,
I was going to agree
with Scott's point here
is we want people
to keep experimenting
with stuff,
whether it's the basic nib
or the Lamborghini,
right?
We want people
to keep going
with other materials.
So to that,
I totally agree
with Scott here.
It's possible
that there has been
kind of like a lack
of a need
for development,
like research development
and that this may push
some of the
more traditional brands
to do a bit more of that.

Cleaning Fountain Pens[edit]

I love cleaning fountain pens,
Mike.
You sure do.
They spark joy.
They do spark joy.
I think it's just
an innate thing with me,
which is kind of
what I talked about.
So I wrote an article
on Monday
or posted it Monday
and this isn't a
101,
you know,
how to clean
your fountain pen 101,
but it gives you
just a general concept
of how I do it
to show you
it is really
not that difficult,
right?
That was my point
in this,
was not to like
step-by-step walk you
through any of this,
but to show you
like what I do,
the few extra tools
I use,
and how easy
it is
and how drama-free
it is
to just spend
the time to do it.
I think I cleaned
seven pens
in about 20 minutes.
That's like nothing.
And these,
I keep my pens,
I'm very particular
about my pen cleanliness.
My pen hygiene
is very high
just because
I don't want
any question
when I go to fill a pen,
right?
I just want to
pick an ink
and throw it in a pen
that I knew
that I cleaned
great the time before
and I don't have
to worry about anything.
No drama involved.
So anyway,
I really don't have
a ton to say
other than if y'all
have some feedback
on this
and have any specific questions.
Since I didn't do that,
you know,
step one through ten
breakdown,
if you do have questions,
it's definitely open
for that.
So just feel free
to reach out.
It's honestly,
it can be overwhelming
until you start doing it
and then you go,
oh,
that wasn't too bad
and I'm much happier
that I now have
these clean pens
and I can go ink up
something else
and yeah,
that's just a few tips
on what I do,
how I do it
and I'm going to
keep doing it this way
because I want
clean pens
to use the next time
I go to fill them up.
Yeah,
I liked some of the tips
that you had
like one of them
that was,
two that I liked
specifically
was one is just like,
it's kind of a reverse tip,
don't clean your pens
in a porcelain sink,
right,
because that could stain it
for sure
and then also
if you're going to start
taking things apart
like the feeds
and the nibs,
put them in a little bowl
in the sink
so you don't lose them
in the drain.
Yep,
yep,
it's lots of little things
like that
that you'll get caught out
the first time doing it
when you go to,
you know,
if you're just starting
and learning how to
clean fountain pens,
all of a sudden
something jumps off the barrel
and it's gone
or tomorrow
you have a blue stain
on your sink
and you have to explain that
to your family.
You know,
there are a couple
little things to think about
so yeah,
it's fun stuff.
I'll always love
talking about cleaning pens
because it's really
pretty simple.

Ultrasonic Cleaner Tips[edit]

On this topic,
Tim wrote in and said,
I also love keeping
my pens clean
although I'm not as diligent
as I should be.
I'm wondering about
the ultrasonic cleaner
you mentioned.
I don't have one.
I don't think I need one.
I get most of my pens
clean with water
and the rest with flush.
About once or twice a year
though,
I have something
that gets really stubborn
often after an orange
or red ink
and it takes me forever
to clean it out.
Could you give a rundown
to how you actually use
the ultrasonic cleaner?
Maybe,
you know,
do I just chuck in the nib
and feed unit
into the water tank,
mash the button
and wait for a clean pen?
Is there anything
else I need to do?
And can it clean out
cartridges or my
Toosby Ecos?
Yeah.
See,
this is an awesome question
because there's lots,
all of us do things
a little bit differently
or have different
problems that we're
trying to solve for.
So this is a great question.
One,
I wanted to point out
that Tim mentioned
really stubborn inks
and specifically called out
orange and red ink.
There's a reason
why they're more stubborn
is because
whatever chemical,
whatever the yellow is
that you see
in a lot of
this range of inks
can be like,
or just like
an aggressive,
I don't know,
aggressive type of ink
once it gets into your feeds
and kind of-
You get crusty.
You get crusty
and things like that.
So this is a common thing.
So Tim,
don't think you're doing
anything crazy.
It's,
it's that chemical
in that yellow,
anything that's using
like a yellow
to brighten inks,
you're going to see
sometimes get more crusty
than other pens.
And that's,
it's not like,
there's no damage,
there's no problem,
but you do need to clean it,
right?
So if Tim is in this situation
and the pen flush
Tim mentioned
he has doesn't work,
I do think
an ultrasonic cleaner
is good for this.
And what you would do
is you would take
your ultrasonic cleaner,
fill it with water,
and then you would take
a jar or a glass,
okay?
And then put your pen flush
in that glass
and then put your nibs
and feeds
in the glass
inside the ultrasonic cleaner.
Because you want to use
the flush
in the feed,
right?
And to clean all this stuff out
and then have the
vibrations of the ultrasonic
to do the work.
But keep it,
obviously you don't want
to pull over the flush
straight into the
ultrasonic cleaner.
You could just throw
the nibs and feed
straight into the
ultrasonic cleaner
with water,
distilled water.
I do that fine.
But if you really want
to kind of like double up,
you put the flush
in a glass
or a dish
inside
the ultrasonic cleaner
and put your
parts inside that.
So it's kind of like
a little separator
that way because
pen flush,
which I had to learn
the hard way,
is essentially
a recyclable component.
You're not supposed
to throw out the flush
when you're done with it.
You're supposed to keep
using it until it's
just too yucky.
So that was news
to me.
So yeah,
so you can,
a lot of times,
you can just chuck
the nib and feed
into the water tank,
which is one of the
things Tim mentions.
And then sometimes
you have to run
that three times,
right?
You run it once
on its cycle.
Some of the cycles
are like 10 minutes
maybe or three minutes.
I can't remember
what it is.
Run that cycle
and check and make
sure everything's clean.
If it's not,
you do it again,
right?
And yeah,
it can clean out
cartridges and TWSBI
because I don't see
why it couldn't
clean out almost
anything,
right?
So I would just
make sure like
if you're cleaning
out cartridges,
you go ahead
and clean them
out as much
as possible.
Then you fill
them with water
so there's actually
water inside
the cartridge
and then put it
inside the water
inside the
ultrasonic cleaner
if that makes sense.
You don't need
like a floating
cartridge on there.
And yeah,
I think it's
pretty straightforward
honestly Tim,
if you had an
ultrasonic cleaner,
you could use it
for more extreme
situations.
Just like people
will take the
ultrasonic cleaner
for a shimmer
pen,
don't want the
shimmer all inside
the ultrasonic
cleaner and use
that same glass
theory that I
just mentioned
before where you
put the shimmer
pens inside a
glass inside the
ultrasonic cleaner
to keep it all
together.
So yeah,
it's a good
option.

RSTPA: Secondhand Pen Buying[edit]

Do you want
to do a couple
of RSTPA
questions before
we finish out
today?
Let's do it.
First one comes
from Robert who
says,
when I went to
a flea market
in Lisbon,
I managed to
pick up a
beautiful Waterman
Concorde with
only a hairline
crack and broken
converter for just
15 euros.
I was wondering
if you've had any
success or horror
stories of buying
pens secondhand
from markets or
any tips on how
to do so.
Yeah,
I really don't
because this is
not my category.
Like,
if me and
Robert are going
through the flea
market in Lisbon
and there's a
beautiful Waterman
there with a
hairline crack and
a broken converter
for only 15 euros,
I'm going to say
knock yourself out,
Robert,
because I don't
want to deal with
whatever comes next
with that.
Yeah,
I'm in agreement
with you.
If I'm buying
from vintage,
I want to buy it
from someone who's
already taken the
time to take care
of it for me.
I am more likely
to buy that pen
for $150 that
now works and
someone else
handled it for me.
That's just me
being bougie.
That's a good
project, right?
Like,
if you think you
can deal with it.
If that's your
thing,
then you just
go for it and
now you have a
project to learn
how to repair
these things,
right?
That's a great
thing to do.
Again,
this is back to
that context,
right?
Hey,
maybe I can get
some lower
price,
somewhat non-working
pens that I have
to clean or have
to replace the
sack on the
internals,
replacing parts,
and now I have
a project to learn
how to do that.
That's awesome.
So I don't have
any success stories
or horror stories
from that other
than if you're
committing to
that and learning
to repair and
fix these pens,
that's just
awesome.
Like,
you should buy
all of them.
But I don't have
any specifics because
I don't personally
do this.
And I'll admit
that I will
probably never
do this.
The vintage pens
that I have and
use have all
been restored by
professionals,
which I am not
one.

RSTPA: Mechanical and Wooden Pencils[edit]

And Gregory
asks,
in episode
697,
you were talking
about price
increases.
Were we?
Maybe moving
people over to
vintage pens and
pencils.
I moved over to
both in 2025.
Mike mentioned
that he has
recently taken
an interest in
mechanical pencils.
I would love
to hear what
he likes.
And what are
your guys'
favorite mechanical
and wooden
pencils?
So I have
four mechanical
pencils.
I use one of
which every day.
Studio Neat Mark
3 is actually
the product that
sent me down
this rabbit hole.
I absolutely
love that
mechanical pencil.
It just feels
so good.
And then this
was reinforced
by the Leuchtturm
Driggerfeld
number 2,
which is just
maybe the most
beautiful mechanical
pencil I've ever
used.
I just think
the design
speaks to me
so well,
even though it
doesn't actually
feel as nice
to use as the
other ones I'm
going to mention.
I have the
perennial spoke
Model 4.
I think I got
the Model 4.
I can never
remember what
model number I
have, Brad,
but I'm pretty
sure it's the
four.
It is.
That's the
classic OG
that we have
now updated.
So the Model
7 is kind of
the updated
Model 4,
but the same
concept applies
to how it's
designed.
And then the
Unikurutoga
I love
the Kiritoga
like most
people do.
The ones that
I use,
I bought these
years ago.
I have like a
set of Disney
themed ones,
like Disney
character themed
ones,
and they're just
like really fun
and good looking
pencils,
and I enjoy
using them
all the time.
What I use
mechanical pencils
for now,
these days,
is either
scribbling,
like I do a lot
of scribbling,
like when I'm
recording and
stuff,
I draw little
patterns on my
sidekick notepad,
like just as a
way to keep my
eyes and hands
occupied while
I'm listening to
someone.
I'm twisting a
pencil in my
hand this whole
time,
this whole episode.
Yeah.
Or if I want to
jot something down
super quick,
like if I'm
sitting down to
write in my
journal,
I'm not using
mechanical pencil
for that.
Correct.
But if I'm on
a call and
someone mentions
something,
then I will do
that, you know?
Yep, 100%.
I'll agree with
pretty much everything
you said across
the board here.
The Dregor fell,
I still don't
have a complete
understanding of
why I think this
is such an amazing
mechanical pencil
because it
technically should
not be, I
believe.
But it is.
It's elite.
It's an amazing
pencil.
And I'm still,
like, the way I
think about
products, like,
that one still
kind of flabbergasts
me a little bit
on why I
appreciate it so
much.
which, obviously,
the various
spokes that I
use, again, the
Model 4 has
been my most
used.
I haven't, since
we just launched
the Model 7s and
8s in November,
I haven't really
used much because
I don't want to
take any from the
inventory.
But I'll eventually
start probably using
a 7.
But people are
loving the 8.
The 8 has a clip
on it.
And people are
loving, like, the
different grip
sections we have
on those.
So I might try
to go into the
8 and test that
out, even though
the 7 is more
my style.
I love the Uni
Kuretoga.
I also never
use the Kuretoga.
So if I'm going
to use a pencil
on my desk that's
not a spoke,
I'm probably using
a Pentel Sharp,
which is the
Pentel P series.
You'll see them
205, 203, 205,
7, and 9.
It's a classic
50-year-old
mechanical pencil
that is still
just as good as
it was when it
was introduced
all those years
ago.
And then
sometimes I'll
grab my
Rotring 600.
Oh, yeah.
You know I need
to take mine
out.
Yeah.
I know where
that is.
It's at home
in the attic.
I have the
storage up there.
I need to get
the Rotrings
out.
So between
the 600
and the
Pentel Sharp
series, anything
in that category,
that's like my
go-tos on my
desk if we're
accepting the
spoke stuff that
I'm involved
in.
Yeah, because
I bought those
a long time ago
before I had my
obsession.
And really, I
was buying the
pens, but also
just getting the
pencils because
why not?
Like I bought a
couple of sets or
whatever, but yeah,
I need to break
out the Rotring.
I will say about
the Kuretoga, the
new wood grip
version that came
out last year,
that actually is a
very highly rated
pencil on my
desk.
Like that's the
Kuretoga I would
use on the
regular.
For just a quick
shout on the
wooden pencils,
the Mitsubishi
9850 is probably
my number one.
It is just an
all-around
wonderful core,
and it's
insanely cheap,
relatively speaking,
to a lot of
other pencils on
the market.
So that's my go-to,
the Tombow
2558.
2558.
Those are both
the low end of
each of their
product lineups,
but surpass pretty
much everything else
they do.
Even some of the
higher end stuff,
they're just such
high quality good.
They're essentially
like literally the
9850 says office
use on it or
something like that.
I don't have it in
front of me, office
pencil or something
ridiculous.
Like these are not
made to be like
your fancy pencils,
but they're that
good.
And then I do
like the black
wings.
I like all the
cores except the
very softest.
I don't always use,
but I'm always
surprised when I use
it.
So I like the two
mid-range cores,
the 602 and the
I forget their
names, the
balance I think
is it's called.
So yeah.
But yeah, I would
start if you want
to just go grab a
pencil that will
help you learn what
a good pencil core
is like and what a
good pencil build is
like.
Get the 9850.
It's a dollar and
it's as good as any
other pencil you'll
ever buy.
Love it.
So that's the
Mitsubishi, right?
Yep.
Mitsubishi 9850.
I'll put a link in
the show notes to
your review of it.
Yep.
And I have a, I
think I have a
review of the 2558
too.
Those are, those
are people, those
are the two
inexpensive upgrade
pencils that people
are, people will,
they're usually either
a 9850 or a 2558.
Those are like the
one and two in that
category.
And the 2558 is the
Tombow.
Yep.
They're both in the
show notes.
Yep.
Which you can find in
your podcast app of
choice or over at
relay.fm slash
pen addict slash
698.

Closing Remarks[edit]

Oh, Brad, it's just
around the corner.
Oh, no.
What?
Oh, man.
Right there.
Right there.
You think we'll talk
about price increases
in the next 700?
Yeah, why not?
We should, moratorium,
episode 699,
moratorium after that.
In memoriam of
pens.
Yes.
That's what episode
799 will be.
R.I.P.
pens.
R.I.P.
pens.
We'll be the
price addict now.
One of these days
we'll talk about
other stuff.
I guess maybe we'll
be in recovery at
that point.
Like, that's where
we are.
We're going to
re-app.
In just a week
from now.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Maybe.
Maybe.
The way this
episode went,
maybe.
Yeah.
Maybe.

Contact and Outro[edit]

If you have a
question you'd like
to ask us for a
future episode, we want
to do more RSTPA.
We didn't do more
today, really.
We did too.
I said last week we're
going to do it.
We're going to do it,
but there's just so
much little stuff that's
just popping off right
now.
So, we'll get to it.
Go to penaddictfeedback.com
and you can send that in
there, along with a
follow-up.
So, people that sent in
follow-up about last
week's show, that's where
it came from.
So, except Brad's really
long email, but that
came in via the feedback
form, which I really
appreciate.
Yeah.
That's where you want
to send the long
stuff because you are
character limited on our
website.
But you can always
email me, like you
said, hello at
penaddict.com with the
500-word emails, which
I love.
It was such good
content.
But I don't, which is
why the form is
character limited.
Yeah.
Mike limits how much
people can yell at him,
and that limit is 250
characters.
No, if that was the
case, then there would
be a limit on how many
times people could
write in.
Thank you so much to
Factor and Enigma
Stationery for their
support of this episode.
But most of all, thank
you for listening.
Find Brad online over
at penaddict.com,
spokedesign.com,
twitch.tv, slash
penaddict.
You'll find me at
cortexbrown.com,
theenthusiast.net, and
here at Relay.
We'll be back next
time.
Until then, say
goodbye, Brad.
Goodbye, Brad.
Bye, Brad.
Bye, Brad.

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 * What's up, Mike Hurley? How are we doing?
 * Good. I got thrown off today by a happy new year when I went to the gym.
+== New Year Small Talk ==
 * It's still in play, I believe. This should be the last week. We should be done after this.
 * If you haven't seen people since the calendars flipped through this week, the next time you see them for the first time this year, the statute of limitations has expired.
@@ Line 9: / Line 12: @@
 * Yeah, it's pretty good.
 * Yep. It's still happening, Mike.
+== Price Increases in 2026 ==
 * If there was a yearly theme for 2026 so far, it would be the year of price increases.
 * Would you like to kick it off?
@@ Line 93: / Line 99: @@
 * So we've talked about last week, we talked about pilot and platinum and how they pilot and platinum each have new and or refreshed slash upcoming entries in the 100 to $150 range that are steel nib pens.
 * The pilot NS, which has been around, but I think they're going to read, they're redoing it with those translucent barrels and the platinum Biso, which is just, I don't get it.
+== Sailor 1911 Large Casual Fountain Pen ==
 * Sailor also has this price range model from our friends over at Colt pens.
 * The link is called, I don't know if, I guess this is the official product name.
@@ Line 157: / Line 166: @@
 * But your commentary there about the current listed gold nib prices.
 * Let's get to that now with these next couple of questions.
+== Listener Feedback: Tariffs, Gold Prices, and Retail Pricing ==
 * So we had two pieces of feedback sent in that I want to read both of them.
 * So this first one comes from Fergal who says, you're both suffering from very understandable
@@ Line 389: / Line 402: @@
 * the new tariff-induced retail MSRP.
 * Yeah.
+== Japanese Market Context and Inflation ==
 * All right.
 * Context, which I have gotten from a couple of different sources have mentioned this to me.
@@ Line 548: / Line 564: @@
 * Not great, Bob.
 * Not great, Bob.
+== Sponsor: Enigma Stationery ==
 * All right.
 * You know what is great?
@@ Line 670: / Line 689: @@
 * Our thanks to Enigma Stationary
 * for their support of this show and all of Relay.
+== Shout-out of the Week: Carolina Pen Company ==
 * All right, Mike.
 * We got our shout-out of the week.
@@ Line 762: / Line 784: @@
 * making things in our community.
 * Yep.
+== Maker Pens and Community Focus ==
 * And yeah, it's,
 * I think that's going to be important, Mike,
@@ Line 953: / Line 978: @@
 * in the community.
 * Yeah.
+== Secondhand Pens, Vintage, and Mid-tier Steel Nibs ==
 * And I think it's,
 * you know,
@@ Line 1,190: / Line 1,218: @@
 * So good times,
 * Mike.
+== Nib Materials: Titanium, Gold, Steel, and Palladium ==
 * So let's hit this,
 * let's hit this feedback
@@ Line 1,334: / Line 1,365: @@
 * more traditional brands
 * to do a bit more of that.
+== Sponsor: Factor ==
 * I don't know,
 * Mike,
@@ Line 1,490: / Line 1,524: @@
 * of this show
 * and relay.
+== Cleaning Fountain Pens ==
 * I love cleaning fountain pens,
 * Mike.
@@ Line 1,641: / Line 1,678: @@
 * because it's really
 * pretty simple.
+== Ultrasonic Cleaner Tips ==
 * On this topic,
 * Tim wrote in and said,
@@ Line 1,881: / Line 1,921: @@
 * it's a good
 * option.
+== RSTPA: Secondhand Pen Buying ==
 * Do you want
 * to do a couple
@@ Line 2,014: / Line 2,057: @@
 * which I am not
 * one.
+== RSTPA: Mechanical and Wooden Pencils ==
 * And Gregory
 * asks,
@@ Line 2,427: / Line 2,473: @@
 * pen addict slash
 * 698.
+== Closing Remarks ==
 * Oh, Brad, it's just
 * around the corner.
@@ Line 2,473: / Line 2,522: @@
 * Yeah.
 * Maybe.
+== Contact and Outro ==
 * If you have a
 * question you'd like

The Pen Addict 698/transcript: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 20:46, 1 June 2026

Contents

New Year Small Talk[edit]

Price Increases in 2026[edit]

Sailor 1911 Large Casual Fountain Pen[edit]

Listener Feedback: Tariffs, Gold Prices, and Retail Pricing[edit]

Japanese Market Context and Inflation[edit]

Sponsor: Enigma Stationery[edit]

Shout-out of the Week: Carolina Pen Company[edit]

Maker Pens and Community Focus[edit]

Secondhand Pens, Vintage, and Mid-tier Steel Nibs[edit]

Nib Materials: Titanium, Gold, Steel, and Palladium[edit]

Sponsor: Factor[edit]

Cleaning Fountain Pens[edit]

Ultrasonic Cleaner Tips[edit]

RSTPA: Secondhand Pen Buying[edit]

RSTPA: Mechanical and Wooden Pencils[edit]

Closing Remarks[edit]

Contact and Outro[edit]

Navigation menu

The Pen Addict 698/transcript: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 20:46, 1 June 2026

New Year Small Talk[edit]

Price Increases in 2026[edit]

Sailor 1911 Large Casual Fountain Pen[edit]

Listener Feedback: Tariffs, Gold Prices, and Retail Pricing[edit]

Japanese Market Context and Inflation[edit]

Sponsor: Enigma Stationery[edit]

Shout-out of the Week: Carolina Pen Company[edit]

Maker Pens and Community Focus[edit]

Secondhand Pens, Vintage, and Mid-tier Steel Nibs[edit]

Nib Materials: Titanium, Gold, Steel, and Palladium[edit]

Sponsor: Factor[edit]

Cleaning Fountain Pens[edit]

Ultrasonic Cleaner Tips[edit]

RSTPA: Secondhand Pen Buying[edit]

RSTPA: Mechanical and Wooden Pencils[edit]

Closing Remarks[edit]

Contact and Outro[edit]

Navigation menu

Search