The Pen Addict 416/transcript

The Pen Addict Podcast Transcript
Episode:	416
Title:	The Purest Carrots
Release Date:	June 24th, 2020
Hosts:	Brad Dowdy Myke Hurley
Guests:	No guests this episode
Additional Information
Official page:	Episode 416
Audio File:	Audio Episode 416
Podcast page:	The Pen Addict 416
Length:	6363 min <br />1.05 h <br /> minutes
Previous Transcript	Next Transcript

Myke Hurley: From RelayFM, this is The Pen Addict, episode 416, and today's show is brought to you by Squarespace. My name is Myke Hurley, I am joined by Mr. Brad Dowdy. Hi, Brad Dowdy.

Brad Dowdy: Hi, Mr. Myke Hurley, how are you today?

Myke Hurley: I'm good, thank you. I'm very good indeed, how are you?

Brad Dowdy: I am very good indeed, as well.

Myke Hurley: We've got a lot of stuff going on today. It's a busy week for me. We've got WWDC going on, but that doesn't mean that there isn't more than enough stuff to talk about on this show.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah, so it looks like your WWDC events content is going swimmingly. You're probably tired and exhausted from doing all the content, so I'm going to make you talk about pens for an hour and take your mind off of it.

Brad Dowdy: Well, most of it's going to be a nice break, because this time I'm going to do a lot of the reading and let you slide, because I think we have some of the most follow-up to any episode that we've had in quite some time. We generally have some pretty good follow-up on all of our topics, and a lot of times we pose questions to our listeners, say, hey, we got this question, help us figure it out. And the question we had last week was, what's the best way to handwrite a note to your political representatives, right? So it could be your national-level type of representatives. It could be all the way down to your local representatives. And if you want to handwrite a letter to one of your representatives as a constituent, what's the best way to do that? And I got so many thoughtful emails that I'm going to read parts from all of these. I'm not going to read all of them. I'm going to do something here while I'm talking, and I'm going to vamp a little bit. I have all these pasted in a single Ulysses file, and I'm just going to see the word count for this group of emails is 1250 words. So we're not going to read the entirety of them, but I have some good stuff here. So the first one's from John, and this one is, and I'm going to try to say what each of these are related to because each person had a different context. So this one is related in the U.S. to your big Washington, D.C. political campaigns and representatives. So John says, I love the conversation about do's and don'ts about writing public officials. My personal observation from 20 years with a D.C. public policy group. So John's got some background here. Handwritten notes work great. Personally written, typed letters, and emails are good too. Anthrax events several years ago, I don't know if you recall this, Myke, but that used to be a thing. I sure do. I sure do. It forced most postal mail to public officials to be sent off-site and scanned. That's why I clarified that this is your big level D.C., right? Your local offices are not necessarily going to be doing this. But keep in mind, if you're writing a letter to someone in D.C., your letter is probably getting sent off-site, scanned, and usually the representatives only see the scan. The original letters are then shredded and incinerated. So he's saying, therefore, make your letter short, one-sided, and use dark ink because it's going to get scanned and destroyed. So the end reader is not going to see your beautiful handwriting or your bright green ink.

Ink Color Advice

Brad Dowdy: He says, as you both hypothesize, avoid those bright inks, like orange, red, or green, or anything too light to scan. He says he would avoid black because it can look like a robo letter, but it's probably fine. Dark blue would be perfect.

Brad Dowdy: So, and he says, just from a reading perspective, with controversial issues, public offices historically gauge constituent views by creating one stack of letters in favor and one stack against. And this is done virtually these days. And the stack, which is largest, usually gets the most attention. So he's saying, be clear up front with your issue because it's going to get sorted into the pros and cons stack or the for and against stack. And the stack, which is the greatest, will receive the most attention. He says cursive or printing, whichever is super easy to read, and personalize it as much as possible. So, you know, it's be sure to make it sound personal, like it's coming from a person and not like a robo printed type of thing. So that was most of John's feedback. Oh, right.

Myke Hurley: Like not like a form letter.

Brad Dowdy: Yes. So it's good. Like, so it sounds to me like, you know, one side, dark blue ink, start off with I'm writing because of this serious issue. And then at some point, maybe say, you know, I appreciate what you did at X event, right? So you can have a little bit of personalization into it as opposed to just robo type of letter stuff. So that was very cool. So that was John's feedback. This is Eric's feedback. And I really enjoyed this one because Eric has been a legislative staffer. He said, and he didn't say if this was at the DC level or at the state level or city level exactly. But he's saying, I've been in my legislative offices of staff. Any handwritten piece went to the member's desk. One page, two page tops stick with letter size or executive. I had one member that got a 20 page handwritten letter letter, but that guy is probably the only one I've worked for that would ever actually read it. Stick with white or cream paper. Though cream kind of pops in the office since most paper is basic, your basic white copy paper. I know you and Myke like colors, but stick with black, blue or blue black. So I think that's pretty much a given at this point. We're using probably blue.

Myke Hurley: I feel vindicated in that. Yeah. I said blue or black.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. I think we totally agreed on that. Yeah. And then obviously avoiding, you know, shimmers and smells and all that stuff. And he would lean towards a document archival type of ink, just in case the mail gets wet. Stylistically, this is from Eric, and this kind of goes with what John says. Keep the arguments tight. Don't meander. There's a lot going on in the office. So concise with a little pith may help keep things fresh in the member staff memories. If your handwriting is small, you know, make sure it's legible. And, you know, it's just, you know, most of the stuff we have already mentioned. He says, because of my profession, folks also often talk about contacting elected officials around me. And I always recommend a handwritten letter. I've deleted and shredded lots of form emails and letters. I have never not placed a handwritten item on the member's desk or in their read immediately stack. So that's a good point to take, right? Like the handwriting part really does stand out against the C, but you also have to take the handwriting part correctly. All right. Next one. And, oh, no, I forgot their name. They're going to kill me. I didn't copy it correctly. This one, Myke says, greetings from Washington. So this was another one to take into account writing like the big officials in D.C. If you're going to write a handwritten letter, you should be seeking to replicate a typed letter as much as possible. Organized, well-spaced, legible, professional language. Concise text with a specific ask. Like vote against this bill. Prioritize this issue. Dark non-shading, non-shading inks are perfectly acceptable. So this is the same type of idea.

Brad Dowdy: And they are also talking about how there's downsides of sending physical mail because they don't necessarily receive it. It'll usually get scanned, put into digital forms. So they made the point that the lower down the political ladder you get, the less sophisticated mail operations are. And the more likely it is that your representative is dealing with mail manually. So keep writing to your state and local officials. So I appreciate that. And whoever sent that, I apologize. This one's got a link, Myke, that I did not put in the show notes yet, but I will because this one comes from a current submarine sailor in the United States Navy. I'm wondering if it's our friend that we met out in San Francisco.

Brad Dowdy: He's linked to the Department of Navy Correspondence Manual, which I will put into the show notes. It has some good tips that I've used in the past to write state reps, though it seems that the concern was to write the federal government. So this is a good form. I will add it into the show notes here momentarily. So look in our show notes for if you want to check this out. And last one on this topic. Thank you for everyone who sent in this stuff. And I think we're kind of all working on the same page. This one is from Catherine. I just want to point out that Catherine says, and a lot of people said, thank you for another fabulous podcast. You notice how I don't edit out those parts in these emails, Myke. I just, you know, we got to lift ourselves up sometimes. So she was glad to hear the question about writing to government officials. And let's see. She says, Emily Post is a great resource on how to address various public figures. The Corporation for National and Community Service has a handy PDF checklist for a traditional letter. Alternatively, the craftivist philosophy, which I hadn't heard before Catherine mentioned this, is to infuse a letter with care and personality in an effort to truly connect with the recipient. So everyone who has given us feedback is saying, you have to be personal. You have to be direct. And you have to be, make your ask. And you have to do it quickly, right? These are short notes that you really need to be sending, not long diatribes. Yeah.

Brad Dowdy: Oh, and this is a good point that she put in here. Regardless of stylistic choices, it's a good idea to share an image of your letter on social media to amplify the message and encourage others. So she sent me a link that she wrote to Mayor de Blasio in New York City, put it on, not only sent the handwritten letter, took a picture of that handwritten letter, posted it on social media and then tagged the office as well. So I thought that was a pretty neat idea. So what's your take on all these? I think we got, I think we have a pretty solid grasp of what we need to do based on all this feedback, wouldn't you say?

Personalizing Letters

Myke Hurley: Yeah. I think that something that's worth really like paying attention to is the personalized part of the letter. Because I don't know about you, but I see a lot of like, take this and send it type stuff where people create a template and you send that. And I understand why that, why people do that, because it's like we can flood the office and like that will make a statement. But if you have the ability to actually write something from the heart, something individual, it may make a bigger impact. Because it may then mean that it has to be read, where I would expect, as we've seen from what people are telling us, when you're sending in things that are of a template, it's only going to be counted in a pile. It probably isn't actually going to be read by the person you've addressed it to. Exactly.

Brad Dowdy: Exactly. So that's really, really good stuff. And I think some really good tips. And I really appreciate all of our listeners taking their time to send this feedback. And I want to continue into the next feedback topic, Myke, which is the rose gold conversation we had on that Santini nib, where we were curious about the composition of the gold. Yes. And how they were making it rose gold. As it turns out, Myke, what they were describing is the complete normal way to make rose gold. Oh. But it was, yeah. Oh, it was written as such that I feel like we got marketed to, right? Like, they did a marketing thing. Yeah. Here's our super special description of this really cool thing, except it's the completely normal and acceptable way to do this. So I feel like kind of embarrassed about that. So I got some feedback on that. But the exact same Catherine, who I just wrote, spent the time to write me a completely separate email saying, and she had a great joke here. This was email number two. It says, episode 415 was a gold mine. Ha ha. So she got to reply to both these things that she's experienced with. So she's a gemologist. So she knows about how all these materials work.

Brad Dowdy: And I think it's, here's the takeaway.

Brad Dowdy: Let's see. How should I put this? So she's saying for an 18 karat gold, so it's 18 out of 24 karats, right? So 24 being the purest karats, 18 being 75% gold. So because gold is usually the most precious ingredient in the mix, the amount it comprises determines the alloy fineness. So 75% is 750 parts per thousand. So when we see gold nibs stamped with 750, I'm sure you've probably come across that. Some, like Yovo will stamp, they won't stamp 18 karat gold. They'll stamp 750, you know, whatever that logo is. So what makes up the other 25%? This is Catherine continuing. She basically says dealer's choice. Different mixtures balance the benefits and weaknesses of the metal. Copper, nickel, and silver are frequently used in various proportions based on a metallurgist's priorities. Exact proportions are often trade secrets. However, I've worn an 18 karat gold, rose gold ring for 10 years and the ring hasn't oxidized, hasn't changed. You know, as with any kind of fine material, they can patina, right? So you can, you might see a little bit of that change in coloration, which is easily wiped off or tarnished that you can just like rub off with a cloth or something like this. So she was just basically saying, this is normal. And, you know, I got another ink from Eric, which I'll put in the show notes, the Wikipedia page of rose gold saying that this is completely normal. So companies like Montblanc use this type of formulation to make rose gold. You know, Aurora uses this type of formulation to make rose gold and all of these things like that. So that was just something. That's a reason why I love this show, because we're learning these things too, right? Like I didn't put it together in my head naturally that relating the gold quantity of 24 karats and taking the percentage out and mixing in the other material is completely the norm to make these like rose gold, for example. So you can make a true rose gold nib by these mixtures. And there's no issue with that period. Like it's just been done forever throughout history. And it was just something I didn't know. So it's cool to have this type of feedback. And honestly, Myke, it makes me want to have like a real rose gold nib in my collection.

Myke Hurley: I feel silly. I feel silly. In regards to this whole thing.

Brad Dowdy: I don't. I don't. Like people were like super nice. Like, oh, you big dummy. They're like, no, like the, hey, Brad, this is actually how rose gold is made. I'm like, oh. So I was looking at this Santini thing. And maybe there was just some translation issues. The way it was written that made it seem special. Right. That made it seem different to me. Like it didn't catch me.

Myke Hurley: Typically people don't go into the detail of explaining the composition. So if people just say this is a rose gold nib and we're just like, oh, rose gold plated. End of story. But the level that they went to and explaining it all. And I think also copper being the other part, which seemed peculiar to us as well, kind of ended up leading us down the garden path a bit with this one.

Brad Dowdy: Right. So it's great we have listeners that are, you know, willing to give us this feedback and say, hey, here's why this is a completely normal thing. So I thought it was great. And I appreciate everyone that chimed in. And hey, we learned something today. We learned something today, Myke. Right.

Myke Hurley: We sure did.

Brad Dowdy: I learned how to sharpen a pencil. Myke, did you know that?

Myke Hurley: Congratulations.

Brad Dowdy: Thanks, buddy. I appreciate that. I knew your day would come. Oh, man. It's been a long time coming. But no, I wanted to follow up on the Blackwing one step long point sharpener issue that I had when I did my review. And we talked about it on the podcast last week. And my review was from last week's review as well. And about how bad of an experience I had with the sharpener and that Blackwing was going. That Blackwing saw some QC issues with a certain batch of sharpeners and were going to send me a replacement. So before I tell you how it performed, I think it's safe to say you can assume how it performed. And I want to bring this up because our good friend Myke at Ink Dependence, one of his favorite soapboxes to stand on to explain the products that reviewers get is the false notion of that the reviewers get the best products. Right. So, you know, that people who send us products to review are going to ensure that we get the best of the best. And on something like the Blackwing, where I've actually just gone through like a retailer and, you know, who knows, like it's just going to get packaged and sent or whatever. They're not necessarily, they're just going to send the product just like any other order. Right. So my original Blackwing was just ordered. My second Blackwing sharpener was hand tested before it was even sent to me.

Myke Hurley: Of course it was.

Brad Dowdy: Of course it was.

Myke Hurley: Because they would be stupid to do it otherwise. I mean, it's like, look, I get this argument. It is perfectly valid that like you've got to take it with a grain of salt. But, okay, so here's the thing with this, with that point. Blackwing believe that the product should work the way that they have given it to you. Right? Yes. So if your experience does not match that of a reviewer, then you know something's wrong with it and you can contact the company. Right. Right? If you just reviewed it the way that you reviewed it and then people bought it and they had a better experience than you, like, I had no problem with it. I don't know what Brad's talking about. But if they have a similar problem to the one that you did, they'll be like, oh, this is as expected. So that doesn't help anybody. Right? Right. But, like, if you can provide a reviewer with, like, this is how we expect the product to be, then people, they've got, like, a yardstick to measure against of how it should be. Now, obviously, the issue with this is if the company is disreputable, then they've done this in a way to make sure that they can trick people. So you've always got to remember that. But that comes from buying any product. Right? Like, you need to have an element of faith in the company that you're buying it from. But, like, that's kind of the point that I'm making of, like, actually, there is a benefit to everyone in making sure that reviewers get what is the intended experience of a product. Because then that allows people to, one, make their buying decision with all of the information given to them. And, two, if they have a problem with the product when they receive it, they can see that there is a comparison that they can make.

Brad Dowdy: Yep. Yep. So my second one works perfectly. Of course it does. I don't think that should come as a surprise. Because it's the very first time I use it, it's a completely different experience.

Myke Hurley: But this is positive to know. Because it means that, like, this product is supposed to work and can. So now, you know, people that also have this and have the same issue that you did can be like, oh, I'm going to contact Blackwing or I'll contact the company I bought it from. Because clearly mine is defective. Right.

Brad Dowdy: Right. Because I was actually surprised at how many people reached out and saying that they had the same experience as me. But on the same token, like we mentioned last week, there were so many people reading this going, I don't know how you're getting that because I don't see that at all. Yeah. So the takeaway in all of this is that Blackwing is reputable and taking this seriously. Right. So that's the takeaway. Even though I had a bad experience, I can only share the experience that I had. So now I'll go in and update that review with, you know, more pictures saying, hey, here's the difference in these two pens. And it's glaring. I mean, pencils. It's glaring what the difference is, just the feel and the results of the pencil. So I'll go in, say, Blackwing made it right. And look, if you had a problem, you need to go back through your retailer. And Blackwing is going to replace them. But they want to go through the retailer so they can try to track which group has this QC issue. Because, you know, they want to make great products. They want to make everyone satisfied. This is a premium sharpener product. Right. It's $20. It's not a cheap sharpener. So it's in their best interest to figure out what the source of the problem is. And I know that this is a good product now, not, you know, the experience that I had. And Blackwing is willing to just, you know, make note of it and accept it and try to fix it. And, like, that's the best outcome you could hope for in a situation like this, in my opinion. So, yeah. I, new sharpener, great. Someone asked me when I was doing this on stream, well, I want to buy this sharpener, but I've been holding off because I don't know if I'm going to get a bad one. Here's the one time I think I've ever said, don't buy from my sponsors. Don't buy from my advertisers. Buy it directly from Blackwing. Because they have the ability to manage the inventory batches better than retailers. Because retailers, they receive a package and then they sell the package. They don't know what range or what batch or anything. So they're just going to sell you the product. Blackwing should be able to do more on the front end to ensure you're getting the best product. Does that make sense?

Myke Hurley: And if you do have an issue, provided Blackwing's customer service is half decent, you will probably get a faster response. Because the retailer may have to contact Blackwing, wait for Blackwing to get back to them before they can get back to you. There can be some benefit there. But, like, the thing about all of this, though, is what these situations do highlight, which is important as well with a product like this, which we now know, which we wouldn't have before, this is a buyer beware product. Now, if you would have gotten a perfect version, that wouldn't have been the case. But, you know, so there is a slight benefit there. But honestly, for me personally, I think my original point stands that, like, just know that the reviewer always has a hand-picked product if they state that it has come from the company. And then keep that grain of salt in mind always and then move on from there.

Blackwing Point Sharpener Follow-Up

Brad Dowdy: Yep. Yep. So, and this is also why we support companies like Blackwing who are willing to say, hey, it looks like we have a problem. Here's how we're going to fix it and move forward from there. So I always appreciate that when I'm working with companies.

Myke Hurley: I feel so bad for all of our listeners.

Brad Dowdy: Because of what we've already said or for what you're about to say?

Myke Hurley: For what I'm about to say.

Brad Dowdy: Okay, good. Because I was thinking, like, wow, did I do that bad a job on all of the setup until now?

Myke Hurley: That whole segment sucked. I feel terrible for people having tuned in. No, I feel genuinely very sorry for our listeners. Because they can't own what I own. Which is this Jonathan Brooks customized Arushi Safari.

Myke Hurley: This pen, it arrived a few days ago. Words cannot describe how incredible this pen truly is. It feels fantastic. It feels like an Arushi pen because that's what it is, right? But like that, if you've ever held an Arushi pen that's like, it doesn't feel like plastic.

Myke Hurley: But it doesn't feel like metal. It's got like a hardness to it, but a softness at the same time. Like, the feeling of an Arushi lacquer on a pen is quite a special thing in the first place. In this shape, like, in the Lame Safari shape is like so weird in a beautiful way that makes it quite special. But this pen that I own, it's absolutely stupendous. Like, every inch of it has got rotten, right? Like every centimeter of it, there's like abalone shell buried into this thing, cut in these perfect discs. So turning the pen in my hand creates this almost disco light show.

Myke Hurley: And I cannot believe how much of a Lame Safari it actually is. Like, it is still a Lame Safari. Like, that hasn't changed. Nothing has changed about that, right? It looks like a Lame Safari. It has all of the characteristics of a Lame Safari. Oh, but also I have finials of pure rotten.

Myke Hurley: I love this pen. I love it so much. I can't even begin to understand how, like, the cap still fits. I don't know how Jonathan was able to do that. To the point that, like, the mechanism is unchanged. It's still, it friction fits, right? Like, I don't know how he did it. Like, I cannot understand how he did it. Honestly, the only place where I notice any difference is the threads are tight. Yeah. Because there's a Rushi on, like, in it, I assume. I don't know exactly why, but the threads on the pen are tight. But that is not a complaint. That's just a thing that is true. I adore it. I absolutely love this pen so much. I'm so happy. It's an absolute prized possession. I've decided that I need to somehow, like, I haven't spoken to Jonathan about this yet. I figured I would give him a break first. But I would like a matching stand for this pen of some description.

Brad Dowdy: Now, that would be a lot easier job than doing what he did. I have no doubt about that.

Myke Hurley: But, yeah, this, I put my left-handed Lamy nib on it. Oh, nice. Do you remember that? I bought it, like, a year ago in San Francisco. I'm still getting used to it. I can tell it's definitely different. But I can't really tell you in which ways it's different. But it is different. I'm still getting used to the feeling. Like, I have to be, it's comfortable to use, but I've found in some instances it, like, it skips on me a little bit. Sure. Because it, I mean, it's ground differently. So, like, I'm just trying to get my head around that. But it felt like I wanted to put something special on the pen. I'm using Lamy Petrol. Oh, nice. That fits. And that's the color. I think that might, I mean, we were talking about this, right? That each of our colors fit one of the ink releases. And mine definitely fits Petrol.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah, so I put Dark Lilac in mine. Yeah. I'm excited for you. I'm glad this made it safe and sound. That's a, that's an uncomfortable shipment to make when you have to send a one-of-a-kind product across the sea when we're, like, having, like, shipping issues to begin with.

Myke Hurley: It hit customs and had a small customs charge. But I was, yeah, just the bare minimum one.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah.

Shipment Details

Myke Hurley: Which happens sometimes. But honestly, I was happy for that because that meant it was going into, like, a different channel to regular mail. Because I paid for it. It was safe at that point. Yeah. Because when you pay for customs here, you select a delivery date. Gotcha. Like, that's one of the things that they give you. So, I was very pleased about that because it meant that I knew it was in the system and I knew when it was going to be delivered. So, I could keep an eye out that day, right? Like, even more than normal. So, I was very pleased for that. But it was, like, I don't know, like, 12 pounds or something, which is, like, the basic customs fee and handling fee. So, yeah. I absolutely love this pen. I'm overjoyed. I messaged Jonathan about this, but, like, this is a prized possession now. Like, without a shadow of a doubt. I absolutely love it. It's just sublime.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. See, that pen, you're not going to be able to leave that one in the studio. No. It's not going to happen. No.

Myke Hurley: There's a couple of pens that will stay at home. So, you're going to have to rethink this travel situation. That will stay at home. For sure.

Brad Dowdy: I don't know. You're going to want to use it. Like, if you're at the studio all day, you're going to have a travel setup. I guarantee it.

Myke Hurley: All right. Well, we'll see. But, like, it's like over anything, though. Like, all right. Well, I'll leave it at home. Why is my home more safe than the office? I know. I know. Nothing. You know. I agree. I actually have a much better security system at the office. Like, we have some of the security cameras here at home. But at the office, I have, like, sensors and all kinds of stuff. Yeah. All the good stuff. So, honestly, there's more security there anyway.

Brad Dowdy: Yep. Yeah. Absolutely. But you'll be thinking about it while it's there and not with you.

Myke Hurley: That's true. That's true. That's true. I haven't got to think about this for a while anyway. Let's be honest. Let's be perfectly honest. Oy.

Brad Dowdy: Well, good. I mean, I knew you were going to love it. So, I'm glad it's finally there.

Myke Hurley: Yay.

Myke Hurley: Should we take a break?

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. Let's take a break. And then we have a slew of new product chat I want to hit up.

Sponsor Introduction

Myke Hurley: All right. This episode is brought to you by Squarespace. Squarespace lets you easily create a website for your next idea or project. And they give you all of the tools that you need to make it work perfectly. Whether you want to create an online store, a portfolio, a blog, no matter what type of website it is, you'll have all the tools that you need. You'll be able to register a unique domain name with Squarespace directly. So, your website will have the brand that you want it to. And it's going to look fantastic because they have beautiful templates which are easy to customize. They come with a bunch of presets and page stuff that you can adopt. And they give you suggestions for the types of pages you might want on your site based on the template. But you also have complete flexibility to make as many amendments as you want to it. But building on top of something which is fantastically designed rather than needing to start from scratch. Squarespace is an all-in-one platform that will let you build just about any website that you want for whatever reason. You know, maybe you have a society or group that you need a website for. You can build it with Squarespace. You can build a personal blog with Squarespace, business site, no matter what it is. They have everything that you're going to need. And their commerce platform will let you sell physical and digital goods as well, all built into Squarespace. They have so many different elements of functionality. You will be able to get what you need from their wonderful platform. They also have award-winning 24-7 customer support as well to help in case you need any assistance. You can go try out Squarespace for yourself right now. Go to squarespace.com slash penaddict and you can sign up for a trial with no credit card required. Their plans start at just $12 a month. But if you use the offer code penaddict to check out, you will get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain and show your support for this show. That is squarespace.com slash penaddict and the code penaddict for 10% off your first purchase. So thanks to Squarespace for their continued support of this show and all of RelayFM. Squarespace. Make your next move. Make your next website.

Brad Dowdy: All right. Our good friend, Michael, Mr. Dan Provost and Mr. Tom Gerhart from Studio Neat launched the Mark II yesterday on Kickstarter. There is a new episode of Thoroughly Considered, which I just caught this morning. I'm about three quarters of the way through. So definitely go and give a listen. I love hearing y'all talk about like when products happen. You know, that's like my favorite. That's like, that's my jam. Like I want to hear all the nuts and bolts.

Myke Hurley: I like being able to do those episodes of them when they have something new and I can ask them, why did you do this? Why did you do that? Like, I like, I mean, that's one of the reasons the show exists anyway, because I like talking to the two of them about how they design their products. And for me, my favorite episodes are when they have new campaigns. And as well, it's like, you know, I know a lot of this stuff, but I see the whole product development that we talk about this in the show. But the Mark II has been in development for over two years. It followed along from the Mark I very quickly and has since taken some interesting twists and turns in the way that the pen has ended up being. So it is a pocket pen, which when extended, when you post the cap is as long as the Mark I, which is kind of incredible. And there's a lot of really smart engineering into what's made them get it to this point. It takes either the Fisher Space Pen or the Schmidt 8126, which is the mini. I was going to say, it's the one we love, but small. Now, I had never heard of the mini 8126 until Tom told me about it. I didn't even know it existed. I've not seen it anywhere before. So this allows for the same experience that you'll find in the Mark I and the Retro 51 and many more, but will allow for smaller pens because it is a smaller version of the refill, which I'm super happy about because I hate the Fisher Space Pen refill. So I'm super pleased that this product takes that because it would have been a harder sell for me. Like my Apollo Mark I, I immediately threw the Fisher Space Pen refill out and put in a Schmidt 8126. And so I was really super excited when they told me that they found this refill. And it's like, they're a supplier, right? Like they work directly with the supplier. They even supply their own, right? Like, and I'm sure they'll be doing that for this pen too. Like you can buy refills directly from Studio Neat. And I think they're branded Studio Neat the same as Retro 51 brand them as well. And so they were able, they were able to find out this product and they helped, it really helped them kind of like finalize the plans for the pen. It's got a clip on it, which a lot of people really wanted in the Mark I. And there's something that's on this pen, which makes, I think, a lot more sense for a pocket pen. And I think the product wouldn't have been a good without it. It's like an important thing for people that care about pocket pens. And the other thing is this one is made fully of stainless steel, which is different. Cerakoted on the cap and then either polished stainless steel or PVD coated stainless steel. And it's a more expensive pen. Starts at $85 or $105, depending on whether you go for the black and silver or the black and black model.

Brad Dowdy: It's great. I've had a prototype of this. We're trying to figure out before the show how long I've had it. It's got to be. So jealous of you. There you go.

Myke Hurley: That's it right there. Yeah, thanks. Right there. Yeah, it's great.

Brad Dowdy: Since late last year and Dan sent it to me and then when I received it, we chatted a little bit about it and he kind of broke my brain on how they did the tapering on the barrel to where it sleeves in, you know, three quarters to seven eighths of the way when you have it closed. But then when you go to post the cap, it only sleeves in halfway. And Dan would just giggle when I'm typing to him, like, because you can't visually see it in the barrel. And they talk about this on Thoroughly Considered. They talk about how microscopic that taper is. You can't see it visually. And as someone who is involved in making things, like you see things like that. And I would just stare at the pen and flip it over. It's like, is this, is there something inside the cap that is stopping this? How does the front end go further than the back? But whatever they did, it's like a little magic. It's like a little magic trick that makes it work really well, which is why, you know, I like their products to begin with because they do such a good job. It's a great size. It's cool looking. It's well built. I mean, it's studio need. What do you expect? And the refill, the refill, I'm with you guys. I was not aware this refill existed. And I haven't gone into research to see if it's new or old. I'm guessing it's old, but just never used. Right. So the funny thing about this refill, so it's the 8126 Mini. Next to it, it says Private Reserve Inc. And I don't know what that means. I haven't seen, I don't recall seeing that on other Schmidt refills. Maybe I just haven't paid attention to it. No, I didn't. But it was weird. So not that it means anything. It writes just like the 8126 that we both love and expect. So it's great feeling, great looking. I've backed it for the black PVD barrel. Me too. So the black on black.

Myke Hurley: Because this, in case you're wondering, this is very similar to the Apollo Mark 1, the black PVD coating. And also it's also made of stainless steel, the same as the Apollo Mark 1. So that was why, like, for me, this was easy. It was easy. I knew what color I wanted and I knew I wanted it because the Apollo Mark 1, the more I've used it, like, that has become an absolute favorite pen of mine. Because it's just wonderful to use. The weight of it is incredible. So it was, you know, this obviously isn't going to be the same. I expect it will be much lighter. But I'm super, yeah, I'm super excited about this pen.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah, I went into the campaign thinking it was just going to be, like, the black and stainless, which is great. I think it's an awesome look. And I love pens like that. Then I scrolled down. I was like, oh, look at this one. I was like, oh, yeah, the PVD coating. Yes, I know it's more expensive. But, man, it's so good. And it just matches the Apollo like that. And I just think it's really cool. So I'm excited to see how this progresses because I love what they did already with this model. And to see, like, I think this is a really, really early on prototype. Like, I wouldn't ever review something like this early on. This is, like, alpha or pre-alpha level prototype just to kind of get the concept down. And it was great then. So I know the final result is going to be equally as nice.

Brad Dowdy: Another product, Myke. I get all the sneak peeks, Myke. All the sneak peeks today. The analog productivity system from Ugmonk. So Jeff Sheldon with Ugmonk, we've become friends over the past year or so, just talking about some, you know, different analog tools that he makes through his company. And he wanted to send me a set of the analog card that just launched on Kickstarter yesterday as well. So big day for the Kickstarter in our realm yesterday. And what this – I'm, of course, very interested in any note card index card system. And that's what this is. So Jeff built a note card system that will allow you to track your daily tasks, your weekly, monthly, or future tasks, and then your long-term tasks in one set of note cards. So each pack – I don't know the exact quantity in these, but your daily cards will last you. There's probably like – I don't know. Is there how many?

Myke Hurley: Every pack that you get includes 35 today cards, 10 next cards, 5 someday cards.

Brad Dowdy: Okay. So there's 35 cards. Your today cards are essentially your daily cards, right? So they have spots for – they're lined with little circles for you to fill and complete your tasks. You can mark them complete and progress, delegated, you know, anything you want to do to work on those. And you can put a little date. It has – I really like the little three circles in the corner. You can kind of denote different things like completion levels and different things like that. So, like, I'm not a system person, right? So I don't really go for analog systems. I like my digital systems. Like, if I'm going to do tasks or to-dos, I don't use a system. I'll use just like a general – a basic note card or a basic notebook or an app. But I like what he did with the storage of this kit. So it comes with – or you can order separately a little note card holder. And it will hold like a full pack of these cards. And it will allow the primary card, say the today card that you're using, to have a vertical orientation. And I think as someone who makes note cards and someone who believes in note cards, that the vertical orientation is way underused. And you will see me live that. Like, the way I use note cards. They're – I can't tell you the last time I've used a note card horizontally. So I just think they're built for vertical use. And Jeff has built this into the little stand for these cards. So I think it's pretty cool. The biggest question people will want to know from me is, are these fountain pen friendly? Which is Jeff's and Ugmonk's probably least important question. And I have to say, they're really good, especially the today cards, right? The most common card you use, the today card that has the most cards, they work great for fountain pens. So I'm happy to say that. But the next cards are not as good for fountain pens. And I relayed this to Jeff in the feedback. They are fine for fountain pens, but they do feather a little bit more. The someday cards, which I thought were going to be very poor, which they're the craft color ones, they are excellent. Like, I really enjoy using the someday cards. But look, the colors of the ink show up well. There's actually sheen on the inks, which means that the ink is not getting into the fibers of the paper. So overall quality, I'd say they're very good for fountain pen users. You know, you might see some, a little bit of issues with wider, wetter nibs. But I think overall, they're pretty good. And let's be clear, that's not Jeff's customer base, right? As our fountain pen fanatics, right? They're mostly going to be using every other pen but a fountain pen, which they all work. I'll put some photos. I sent Jeff all my ink tests pictures. So I'll share these pictures now that the product is launched. I'm allowed to share this stuff. So I'll put some pictures up on Instagram of just all my ink tests. And when I did this, so this was on, I put the date on this. This was 3-9-2020. So in early March is when I sent Jeff my tests of the paper quality. And yeah, overall, I think it's a cool product. So again, I've backed this mostly for the stand. And I will probably, honestly, when they come in, I'll give away the card packs. Like we'll do giveaways because I'm not going to use the system. Like this, I am not a system person. Like I think that's just abundantly clear. But the idea of this is great for someone who would like to track their information these days. I just tend to do it in even a more simple manner than this. That works well for me. So there you go.

Productivity System Discussion

Myke Hurley: I think this is very attractive. But it's not what I want to do with my tasks. I am a use pen and paper to review the day person more than a use pen and paper to write down what I want to do in a day person. I want my tasks in a digital tool because I don't want to lose them or forget them. And I want to be able to sort them and categorize them. And I get that a lot of people will use a digital tool with this. And then they'll sit down in the morning and they'll write down what they want to do every day. That just doesn't gel with me. Like I don't even work from one desk, right? Like I work at different desks, different places in the home. It will be the same way in the studio. So I'll be picking up and taking this piece of card with me everywhere. It doesn't gel with me. Also, again, very beautiful. I know where they did it. I really don't like that they have three different types of card. I think they could have done something about potentially if they wanted to, either doing design or coloring the cards differently, but using the same paper stock to give a similar consistency in the way that pens work on the paper.

Brad Dowdy: I think, honestly, let me interject. When I talked to Jeff about it, it is supposed to be the same paper stock with different finishes. So he was actually a little bit confused on why I was seeing what I was seeing.

Myke Hurley: Well, finishes is the issue, isn't it? Yes.

Brad Dowdy: So you can have the same paper stock and finish them completely differently for the effect.

Myke Hurley: Yes. Well, then, what I would want to see is that they're colored differently.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah.

Myke Hurley: So your point holds. Yeah. Yeah. But okay. Because I just figured by looking at them from the way you described them that they were three different types of paper.

Brad Dowdy: That was my expectation too.

Myke Hurley: Because I know that you can get a brand of paper and not only does it come in different weights, it also comes in different finishes. Right. You know, like you can get like, even, and again, there's another problem is you can get one type of paper, two different colors, and they operate differently. They feel different. Yeah. Because of the chemicals.

Brad Dowdy: As Myke and I know from people dealing with printers and paper samples, the menu selection for a single sheet of paper is like, it's like the Cheesecake Factory menu. It's insane for a single sheet of paper. Listen to this.

Myke Hurley: I don't know if you can understand, but that is a packet of like 40 pieces of paper that are all technically the same paper. Right. So it can be strange.

Brad Dowdy: Yep. So anyway, I've backed this because I want to use the little box, even though it's not the total storage system that I want. It's not a large storage system, which is what I'll eventually want, which I just haven't bought for myself yet, like a card catalog type holder for the way I use my cards. I wanted that. And then I will probably just pass on the note cards because again, while the note cards are technically great, I just don't, I'm not going to use that system like you. I use my system differently. I'm not going to change my system to fit these cards because like you said, it just wouldn't work for me.

Myke Hurley: We have new field notes as well.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. That kind of caught me by surprise. I'm kind of off the scheduling bandwagon. Like I don't totally, the timing in my head is not, is not as synced up as it used to be, I guess, because I'm not subscribing anymore. So what do you, tell me, tell me what we've got here.

Myke Hurley: So it's called the Heavy Duty Edition and they are spiral bound on the top, like wire bound, like flip over. It's almost like a kind of squat, like a stockier reporter's notebook. And it's effectively like a work person's edition and they're considered to be tough and rugged. They have one lined with a faint grid in the middle of the line, which is interesting. And then another, which is just a grid.

Brad Dowdy: That's the front back of the page.

Myke Hurley: Oh, is it? Okay. Yeah.

Brad Dowdy: That's why you see the faint. That's why you see, I had to double check. Oh, right. I thought there was one of each, but that's a front back to where you can see through.

Myke Hurley: That's an interesting way of doing it. Like I was initially quite turned off of this because I would only want 50% of it, like of the notebook for two pack, because I don't want lined. But doing like, you know, that makes sense. Like, yeah, fine. Like I wouldn't, in a book like this anyway, I wouldn't find myself writing on the back page very often because of the way that you operate the book. Like, this is the first field notes that I, that have been released since my subscription lapsed. And I'm fine with that.

Myke Hurley: These are, this is a great addition because I imagine it is an addition that people really want. And they said it, like it's like a format that they've been thinking about for a long time. I think it's a clever, I love, you know, we've always said, I love it when they do new formats because it's, it can be interesting and weird and cool in different ways, but it's just not really one that I want. It's just not a format that I need.

Brad Dowdy: So I have a lot of thoughts about this.

Brad Dowdy: It is, I imagine that it's going to be a pretty divisive issue, a release for them. But I think the thing that they nailed in this release is that they made it three and a half by five and a half, which is the standard size of their pocket notebooks, which the pictures don't show that. The pictures make them look full size steno book, which they've released in the past, which they stock normally, or closer to your reporter style notebook. That's not what this is. And it's exactly what I want. I want the small top bound notebook. That's why Nock made the top bound staple bound notebook. It's not wire bound. It's just staple bound. I like vertical orientation. I just said it with the index cards. Give me things that I can use in that orientation. And that's what this is. I imagine the size is going to be a problem for people, but I think it's the exact size this product should be.

Myke Hurley: Yeah. 25,000 packs, which is the smallest edition since byline.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. Yeah.

Myke Hurley: So that makes sense. I think they know. I think they know that this is like, it's different enough that it might not be for the faithful, you know, but is going to attract different customers, which is always good. So here, and yeah, go ahead. I was just saying, there's only so much you can do with the standard notebook size that they have. So I've always appreciated it when they've gone outside of the comfort zone.

Format and Paper Discussion

Brad Dowdy: So I, here's my, it's not a complaint. It's a, it's an idea. I don't think they went outside the comfort zone enough. I think if you're going to build this edition and call it the heavy duty edition, it has to have Yupo paper in it. This is tailor made for Yupo paper as much as people might hate it.

Myke Hurley: That might be, I get what you're saying, but I feel like the Yupo paper is, is too much.

Brad Dowdy: They obviously agree with you, but that's what this edition needs. It needs to be the nuclear strength post-it note that we see that's indestructible, right? If you're going to say, this is my heavy duty notebook, don't give me destructible paper in it. I would have, I would have loved to see it and it would have been a nightmare for them. They would have gotten, people would have crushed them for it. I think it would have been the right decision for this edition to, to do a Yupo paper for what they're, what they're positioning this notebook as. Just a thought I had, like, I understand what you're saying. Because I ran down to the specs to see if it contained waterproof paper and it didn't. It was just standard paper, which is great. I mean, but I would, my initial thought was, oh, cool. This is going to have some type of protected paper in it because of how they're positioning it. And it's just, it's regular paper.

Brad Dowdy: So there you go. That was just a, just, that was immediately what ran through my head when I saw this one. Yeah. I understand what you're saying,

Myke Hurley: but I don't agree. I just think like, yeah, there are many, there can be many interpretations of heavy duty. I don't think that, I know. It also needs to include an inferior paper for most use cases.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. It's at least a 70 pound paper, which is thicker than the 60 that they normally use. So this is a, this is a me product. Like I, I like this edition.

Myke Hurley: Yeah.

Brad Dowdy: Are you going to get it?

Brad Dowdy: I don't know. I'm not using pocket size notebooks. I can't tell you the last time I've used a pocket size notebook. And that's essentially what this is, right? If I want this as a desk notebook, it's too small, right? If I'm doing this, I'm using an a five top bound steno. So it, it would, it's essentially just a pocket notebook. Like I, the only reason I would get it is to get it, not to use it. So that's usually the decision right there that I don't get it.

Transition from Heavy Duty Edition to Papier and Plume Limited Edition

Myke Hurley: What about the Papier and Plume number 13 limited edition?

Brad Dowdy: This is going to be harder not to get. So they, they did the thing that field notes did years and years ago when they did the unexposed edition, right? That was at the height of field notes collectability. And it was almost them mocking the collector saying, and we're going to send you a pack of notebooks, but you can't see what's inside. And we're not going to tell you in, you know, until they get out out in the wild and then everyone's show it shares what it is. Papier Plume. I thought when they announced it, that they would reveal it like at the end, but no, they're never revealing it. Like it's a mystery bottle. Now I've been sent, you can go through my Twitter feed and you can see people who have sent me messages and see what the color of it is. And I will say that it's, it's a color right up my alley. Um, but it's pretty cool. Like they're just not saying it and they're not putting it on their website. It's a black and white photo. So you can't see what the color is and that's it. Like they're just going to ship it to you and it shows up and then you enjoy the ink. So, um, our good friend, David Parker fig boot did a cool video. Did you have a chance to watch this by, by, by chance before the show?

Myke Hurley: I've had no chance to do anything.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. I've given you late. I gave you late notice of it and you've been a little bit busy. It's, it's a really good job by David doing just like this old retro.

Myke Hurley: Oh, this is beautiful.

Brad Dowdy: Like, yeah, it's like an old, um, detective, um, set up. Like he does the voice and everything about the, in black and white with like the, the film, you know, grain and all that stuff. So he did a super good job. So I just wanted to give him a shout out, put that link in the show notes for those of you hadn't seen it. And you're not going to see the color reveal in there. He holds to poppy a plumes mystery by filming the whole thing in black and white. You never get to see the color.

Myke Hurley: The biggest troll will be if it's just black ink. God, like whilst I want people to be happy with their purchase, there's nothing I want more than for like them to have just made a black ink.

Brad Dowdy: Oh man, that would have been great. And I say that knowing that I can say that wouldn't that have been great because it's not black, but that's pretty funny. Oh my God, Brad, I would love that so much.

Ink Color Troll Idea

Myke Hurley: I wish I would have thought of this and I could have just done it myself.

Brad Dowdy: That's great. Well, maybe we'll have to do a surprise ink one day and just make it black, except we've, we've spoiled it now.

Myke Hurley: Spoiled it now. But now if we do do it, people will think it's going to be black and it's like, make it white.

Brad Dowdy: I've already told them I'm people I'm working on a blue, black ink. So to, to work on a second ink when I don't even have the blue, black solved is like, that's years away. So that maybe they'll forget by then and we can do it.

Myke Hurley: Should we finish up today? I have a couple of us TPA questions about ink colors.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah, let's do that. And we have a bunch more as TPA. We'll start picking them up next week. I got a bunch of new questions. Yes. Ask for questions yesterday on Twitter. So we have all those saved and we will get to those soon.

Myke Hurley: All right. The first one comes from beat up. Smitty. You asks, what are some of your favorite blue, black fountain pen inks?

Brad Dowdy: I mean, this is my jam, right? Like I, it's gotta be pilot or Russia's Yuku Shinkai has to be the top of the list. It has the most character of any blue, black ink, blue, black inks. And people who've listened to this show have heard me say the same thing over and over and over again there for something that seems so basic. Like they're really hard to get exactly right. And you can get too dark. You can get, you know, too gray. You can get too blue. You can get too black. Like it's been figuring out what you like in a blue, black ink is really hard. Like I say, a Roshizuku Shinkai is my favorite. And then I can also say I like sailor, blue, black and pilot, blue, black. And those three colors are extremely different from each other. Despite all being blue, black inks, right? So I, as someone who uses blue, black religiously, those are three completely different inks. Like sailor is dark and has some red sheen pilots. Blue, black is more blue than both of these. So there's just all these different ranges. So the blue, black, I do have a list on the top five pins pages of my top five blue, black recommendations. You'll find all three of those there. And I can't remember the other two that I've put on that list, but they're probably there. As well. So yeah, if I'm going to go, if I know I want a very cool, fun to use blue, black ink, it's going to be Shinkai pretty much every time.

Myke Hurley: And we also have a question that came in from the inky side who asks, what are your, some of your favorite pink inks and some of your favorite green inks in the pink column? I've only ever really tried diamine hope ink, which is bright, but still quite readable for greens. I have loved brother. Oster jade, diamond, show with green and Montblanc Irish green.

Brad Dowdy: So hope pink is very, very bright. And I'd say pretty traditional pink, but extremely bright. I tend to lean towards the darker pinks are some of my favorites. So the, the most recent one that I've fallen in love with is sailor manio, a Kibi and a K E B I. It's more magenta and rose colored than your traditional pink. Um, you know, that's one of my favorites. Califolio and Janopal, of course, that Myke and I have talked about a million times. Yeah. I absolutely love it. Yeah. That's even darker than a Kibi. So I don't know if these are too magenta than the traditional pink. And then one I've used recently, which I reviewed recently and I love is the, um, Tono and limbs, Fukuoka fidelity. It's more of a strawberry watermelon, which leans towards red, but it's definitely kind of pink. Sherbety too. I don't use just like the green question that I'm going to answer here in a second. I don't use the, I guess you could say the canonical version of pink or green, right? When you say pink, it means a color, but in fountain pens, that range is enormous. So like hope pink is not in my range of pinks that I use, but I use colors adjacent to that on the darker side of the scale and you can go darker and lighter all in there.

Myke Hurley: So the Tono and limbs one looks really nice.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. It's a cool, it's a really unique color. Um, it leans more red than pink, but it's definitely has a lot of pink undertones and it's lighter and not as like saturated as something like the, a Kibi or, um, the Andronople and Ackerman, uh, Mauritius magenta is the, is the same way. All three of those are what I consider my pink inks, even though I understand that they're not very traditional pink inks. They're more magenta greens the same way. So like Montblok Irish green, Diamine Sherwood green, those are straight up green. Like if you open up a dictionary and say green, that's the color you would expect. And I don't use that color in fountain pens. I like the bright greens mostly. Um, which is one of your favorites, Myke is the Ackerman number 28 half courtier grown. So it's, I like my greens with yellow in them. So that's different than the pink pinks. I lean darker greens. I lean lighter. So, um, there's a green that's closer to traditional green, but it's still really bright and sharp that I've really enjoyed, which is a graph on Faber-Castell Viper green. It has those traditional green ink color qualities that you would think of, but it has a brightness without having a lot of yellow in it, like a Ackerman number 28. And I think it's a really, really sharp looking green. So those are my two favorite green inks and, um, neither of them I would consider the graph on Faber-Castell is close to a traditional, what you would think of a traditional green. The Ackerman is not anywhere near traditional green, but it's one of the best inks on the market.

Myke Hurley: And of my favorite greens is I mentioned it all the time. The Monteverde sweet life key lime pie. Yes. Green is wild. Right. So that's like luminescent.

Brad Dowdy: Yeah. So that's on the yellow side of the ledger as well. So it's really, really cool.

Myke Hurley: All right. If you would like to send in a question for a future episode, you can just send out a tweet with the hashtag ask TPA and it could be included into the future. Or you can send an email to hello at pen addict.com. Pen addict.com is also where you'll find all of Brad's work. Brad and many of us, many contributors to the pen addict, putting out great reviews all the time. You can also find Brad's products at knock.co. He's on Instagram pen addict. He's on Twitter at dowdyism. And you can also find Brad streaming live on Twitch Tuesdays, Thursdays, 10 a.m. Eastern. You're at home. What else have you got to do? Go watch Brad, unbox some pen stuff, do some shipping, have some chat. That'd be great. You can also find information about this episode over at relay.fm slash pen addict slash four one six. I am I Myke. I am Y K E. Thanks to Squarespace for their support of the show. And we'll be back next time. Until then say goodbye, Brad. Goodbye, Brad. Brad. Brad. Brad.