Editing The Pen Addict 327/transcript

{{Infobox podcast transcript
| name            = The Pen Addict
| number          = 327
| title           = Japan Can Help You
| date            = September 26th, 2018
| hosts           = [[Brad Dowdy]]<br>
[[Myke Hurley]]
| guests          = 
| link            = [https://www.relay.fm/penaddict/327 Episode 327]
| audiolink       = [https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/thepenaddict/TPA_327.mp3 Audio Episode 327]
| length          = 56
}}

'''Myke Hurley:''' From RelayFM, this is The Pen Addict, episode 327. Today's show is brought to you by Pen Chalet and Blue Apron. My name is Myke Hurley. I'm joined by Brad Dowdy.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I'm considering renaming the podcast, Myke. Okay. Sailor Addict. I mean, that doesn't quite have the same ring to it as Pen Addict. You know, it's more general, but we are all in.

'''Myke Hurley:''' On the sailor pens, aren't we? I definitely am. Would you like to know the goings on of this week?



== Sailor Pens Discussion ==


'''Brad Dowdy:''' I would. I would. I mean, it's at the top of our list, and I put it there for a reason. You got more stuff. I want to know what it is, especially the purple one.

'''Myke Hurley:''' All right. So I got my last two orders from Pensachi. They arrived yesterday. These include, then I'll be linked in the show notes for these, the Pro Gear Demonstrator, which is gold trim, but purple body, which is really wonderful. And I also got the 150th anniversary port of Kobe stainless steel fountain pen as well. So that one was a cheaper one. It was a limited edition one. And I think they're both limited edition, but the port of Kobe was for a reason rather than just a color limited, you know?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Right. Yeah. It was a different model.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah. So I've inked up the purple one with KWZ Raspberry, which I think might have been a bad, just a bad choice. I don't remember the fact that this ink has a very distinctive smell to it. Some of the KWZs do. And I really don't like it. It smells really sweet, and it's not a nice smell. So I'm probably going to dump that out within the next day or two. And I filled the port of Kobe with a Roshizuku Konpeki, which has made a triumphant return. I don't have any other pen inked up with Konpeki right now. I kind of forgotten about that beautiful blue. And it works perfectly with the blue and white of the port of Kobe. That one is an interesting one to me. This port of Kobe doesn't feel like any of my other Pro Gears. It does feel like a cheaper pen. It is a cheaper pen. It feels like a cheaper pen.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' It's the L'Akoum model, I believe.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah. So, you know, it looks enough like a Pro Gear, right? Like it follows a lot of the same design cues. But it is, you know, the nib is stainless steel, but it works fantastic. It's one of my favorites. Honestly, one of my favorite stainless steel nibs that I've ever used. But there's things like the threads aren't as nice on the cap. Like it just doesn't have, it's not as smooth and it doesn't have the pronounced gold band. But it does have a really cool, what is the wheel on a boat called? What is that called?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, we've done this before. We've done this before, haven't we? Yeah, we did not get a clear answer. We basically just think it's the steering wheel.

'''Myke Hurley:''' So the wooden, the ship's wheel, just ship's wheel, the ship's wheel icon on the top is fun because it kind of contrasts the anchors that are on top of all my Pro Gears. Right. So yeah, I, again, super happy. Need to change that ink out desperately, I think, but super happy with these. That purple Pro Gear. Oh boy. That was the one that I originally fell in love with and made the original Pensaccia order. It got cancelled. It was this one. The purple and gold, that is strong. This is the Lakers pen. Look at me. I know I get references. It is, but yeah, I don't have any demonstrators of any Pro Gear demonstrators. And this is a great color to add to my collection. I have also been rearranging my pen storage. I reckon by the end of the year, I will have an entire block of 12 pens, which are just sailor pens.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Nice. I didn't realize that was your first demonstrator.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah, the rest that I have are solid color.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Interesting. So is the purple the best of all the sailors or the best of all the sailors?

'''Myke Hurley:''' I don't know if I could pick a best one right now, honestly. That purple one is very high for me, but it's really hard for me to not absolutely love the fifth anniversary rung walks. Yeah, yeah. The gold with the metal black, I think that might be my very, very favorite, but this purple one is super close up there with the pink love or whatever, you know?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' So I am very cautious when I go into buying a gold trim pen, right? It's not normally my thing, but it's more just the traditional black and gold. I feel like that's been done. But when you do it with purple or orange or green or brown, those shades with gold trim always look spectacular. And this looks the most spectacular of them all, Myke. I'm jealous. This one looks great.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yep.



== New Pen Releases ==


'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yes, very exciting. So that brings us to the next one in your list. Did you see the Key Lime launch? Yep, I did. Or I guess this is, is this called US Limited Edition or North America Limited Edition? I think they did it in North America is how they worded it last year when they did, I think it was Fresca was North America or was it the gray one? I forget. So anyway, this is the, the, the pen for this side of the world as opposed to like all the Japanese Limited Editions. We get the Key Lime kind of like the Tangerine was, I guess, as well. So what do you think about this one? Are you, is this one on the way yet? I need to see this.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I don't know about the color. I don't know if Key Lime is vivid enough in color for me. Like I want a color, which is like the Tangerine was. Right. Which is like this wild color. And I've seen some pictures seem to make it look brighter than others. So it's a bit difficult right now. So I would even need to see it or have somebody explain to me, like, how does this color look? Yeah.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. Yeah. So I, here's my problem with this one is that it's going to match and like go along with the Tangerine pen very nicely. So I'm going to have a hard time. No matter what I say about getting this pen, I'll probably end up with one because it pairs so well with the Tangerine in color.

'''Myke Hurley:''' If it is vivid, if the color is vivid, right, then I will 100% want one of these, like without a shadow of a doubt. So there's Glenn in the chat room saying I'll buy it in Toronto. If they have it in Toronto and I like the look of it, then yeah, this probably will be a Toronto purchase. Because I cannot be stopped. Yeah, I've already got a shopping list. My God, what is wrong with me? Oh, gosh. Well, just wait till they hear what we ordered. Shh, don't tell anyone. We have a surprise for sometime in the next couple of weeks. We did something. We did something. But I can't be stopped. I have a real sickness right now. I'm absolutely addicted to these beautiful pens with their anchors on them. I can't. Yeah. I love them so much. I don't think I've ever had an affinity for a brand like I do for Sailor. Like, look, I love me some Retro 51, right? But my Retro 51 purchases, they feel a little bit more sensible in a way. Like, I found a brand that I really loved that had lots of variants, but they were like $25 or $30 pens, right? Right. But this feeling I have for Sailor, it's like completely bucking with any kind of sense, right? Right. I can't stop myself buying these $200 pens. It's wild. Yep. Yep. But they're so good, though. That's the problem. It's like they 100% back up the price every single time.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, that's the kicker, right? Like, it's been worth it to you to purchase them because you enjoy them so much and they live up to everything that you wanted and you feel like you're getting a good bang for the buck.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yep.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yep. So, I participated in this upcoming thing that we did. Well, we're just going to keep teasing that until Myke's arrives. But needless to say, they have crossed my hands so far.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah, we both did something. It's not just me this time.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yes, yes. Myke roped me in, even though it was my fault. Speaking of roping, Myke, I'm going to be roping some cow pokes there in Dallas next week. I think that was an inaccurate statement. I don't think I used those words properly. But anyway, I'm going to be in Dallas, Texas. Yeehaw. Oh, my God. Next, this week. This week. Tomorrow. I leave tomorrow. I am beyond excited to get to this show. I don't know why. Like, I've never been to Dallas, to the Dallas Pen Show.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I have heard lots of great things about it. I have not been to a Pen Show for a couple of months, so I want to go. I'm bringing Knock. I will have the Knock table there. And to note, anyone who's never been to a Pen Show and is coming to Dallas for the first time, it's a Friday and Saturday only show, which a couple years ago, I was like, well, I don't know that I want to commit to just a show where I can just only do two days worth of work. If I'm going to commit to the travel, I'd like to get three days worth of work in. And I think we're going to be so slammed on these two days. At least I'm hoping that way. We'll see. I could be making these things up in my head as I go along. But, like, the show goes from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday. Like, I'm going to be a dead man walking by the time 8.01 happens. And then we're like 9 to 5 on Saturday. And then it's done. Like, that's it. It's like, wham, bam, thank you, ma'am, in this show. And I'm kind of excited to see how that goes business-wise, exhaustion-wise, trip-wise. But I couldn't be more excited about getting to this show.

'''Myke Hurley:''' So, are you bringing anything different? Like, how much stuff are you taking with you?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, that's the thing. I'm trying to figure that out. Like, we're bringing, like, what we bring to a normal show. Like, DC, we made sure to, like, super overpack, right? Other than that, I'm just bringing, like, what I would consider, like, a normal show. Like, if I was going to Baltimore or Chicago or, you know, anywhere else that I have to travel to bring. So, I'm interested to see. Got a new bag to carry the cases in because our last one has been destroyed over this year. It's a little bit smaller bag, so I had to pack a little bit tighter. So, we'll see what the quantities are that I came up with and if they're correct by the end of the show. Because I don't, I mean, who knows how this is going to go for us. But I just keep hearing positive things. And the show promoters did this thing where they actually communicated, Myke, with the vendors. I got an email from them, I don't know, a few days ago, with 11 bullet points, numbered details. Like, if when you arrive on Thursday, go to the Ebony Room to pick up your packet with name, tab, and table assignment. If you do not arrive until Friday morning, you can pick this up at the welcome desk outside the Cypress Room where the show is held. On and on and on details. Hallelujah. Can I just say thank you to the Dallas show promoters who I don't even know? I hope to meet them. But, like, they have all the hours, all the details. There will be an order form for ordering lunch at your table on Friday and Saturday. You know, the Garden Terrace will have a security guard present at night from Friday from 9 p.m. until 8 a.m. The room will be locked. The other room will be locked. So, just on and on and on and on.

'''Myke Hurley:''' All this stuff seems super basic, but this is just not stuff that you get at other shows, right?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' It's shocking when you get this. And it should be the norm. Like, this should not be a bullet point in our show notes, right? It shouldn't be a thing that we're excited about this, but I am excited about this because I don't have to walk down to the ballroom areas and go, what do I do now? Like, they've already given me all the instructions to make it chill, make it calm, make it a good experience. And if the promoters are this much on point, I expect the rest of the show to be really, really good. So, can't wait. If you're in Dallas, come see me. I'll be there all day Friday and all day Saturday. And according to the email that I got, I cannot leave early, Myke. I need to be there the entirety of the open hours, which I appreciate. Hey, let's do it.

'''Myke Hurley:''' That's what you're all about, man.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' That's right. If there's people there buying, I'm there selling.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yep.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' But hashtag businessing.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Business Brad.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Mm-hmm.



== Sponsor Break ==


'''Myke Hurley:''' Talking about business Brad, let's take our first break. Let's. This episode is brought to you by our friends over at Pen Chalet. Pen Chalet is everything that you're looking for, prices you want with the satisfaction that you desire. That is what they're all about over at Pen Chalet. They have everything you're looking for, from rollerballs and fountain pens to pen cases and ink. They have it all. They do great special discounts twice a month. They have closeout specials every two weeks. Pen Chalet are always adding new style of pens. Whenever I see a new fancy pen come out, Pen Chalet have always got it. Like that key line we were talking about, you can pre-order it at Pen Chalet right now. When the Retro 51s came out, Pen Chalet had them. They do free shipping on orders of over $50 in the United States and they sell internationally as well. And they have great shipping rates for that. And I've experienced that many times. They ship to me quickly and securely. I love it. Pen Chalet has low prices on high quality pens and they offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee. So go to PenChalet.com right now. P-E-N-C-H-A-L-E-T dot com. Click the podcast link at the top of the website and enter the password Pen Addict. This way you'll get your hands on this week's special offer and to get the code that you need to save 10% on anything at Pen Chalet. So Brad, I understand. Ron told me. He said we have a wide array of special products this week. Would you agree with Ron's assessment?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' It's like all the things. So one of the things that you'll notice from other sites is that if they have a special offer page, they'll put something awesome at the top to catch your eye. And then the rest is kind of like, well, let's sneak this stuff in here because we don't really want to get rid of it. What Ron does is continually sneaks awesome stuff into the more you scroll down the page, the more awesome it gets. A lot of times, like you find these things, these buried treasures hidden in there, like he's leading off with an awesome deal on Myke's favorite KWZ inks, which I'm a huge fan of. Myke, not so much, but I love my KWZ inks. The Fisher Space Pen Infinium, which I have not broken down and bought, but I want really badly. It's like the titanium barrel Fisher Space Pen, and I'm a Fisher Space Pen fan. And the Aurora Optima Flex, which is on sale, which you don't normally see. Whoa, that is a price. Yeah, that's quite a price. And then he sneaks in the metallic vanishing points down here, the platinum 3776. It's just like, Ron's a sneaky guy in the best way possible, right? Like, he's always got the good deals on the Pen Addict show page, and you should always go check it out and scroll down the entire thing, because he's dropping some bombs in there for you.

'''Myke Hurley:''' So that's penchalet.com, P-E-N-C-H-A-L-E-T. Click that podcast link at the top of the website to get your hands on these offers. Thank you so much to Pen Chalet for their continued support of this show and RelayFM.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' All right, so we got a big, this was a big list of topics, but I wanted to make sure, Myke, that we got this in. Our good buddy Jim Rouse, who passed away earlier this year, Franklin Kristoff, has the remainder of the special nib grind that Jim did called the SIG grind.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' What was it called? Soft italic gradient? Stub italic gradient? Something like that. I don't know. Anyway, it's an awesome nib grind. And there's, where's the number? There was like 60 of one type of nib and of the steel nibs, and there were some gold nibs. Anyway, so Franklin Kristoff put all these nib grinds that Jim did into a collection. They are going to raffle off the opportunity to buy these nibs with all of the proceeds to the raffle and the sales of the nibs going to funds for Jim's grandkids. Education. So we have the link in the show notes. It's $10 per ticket. So you put in however many you want to buy into your shopping cart and make the purchase, and then they will draw names to buy these nibs. Or to, yeah, to buy these nibs. So it's just a really cool thing to do for Jim's family in memory of Jim. And, you know, if you're wanting to get one of these great nibs, you should also try to do it too. So it's very cool. We'll have the link in the show notes to go check out all the details, what nib sizes they have available, and all the other details. So get on that.



== Negative Segment Transition ==


'''Brad Dowdy:''' Now, that was a nice segment, Myke. I'm about to have a not nice segment, and this is on me. This is on me. So the – well, it's on YouTube because your name's on it. The Pen Addict Kickstarter, Myke. Like, we had a problem with the remaining Tallulah cases. There's about 150 cases left to ship, and I'd been waiting on those for a couple of weeks from our manufacturer. And I got an email saying we found a problem in the manufacturer of the cases. Like, all the cases were made. They were done. They were going through quality control. And I'd been told that twice. I was like, well, what's the delay? That usually takes like a day or two, right, just to finalize the cases, clean them up, audit them, make sure everything looks good. Well, they found a wrong measurement in this batch of cases. How that happens boggles my mind because these measurements are fixed. You've sent me 400 of them that were perfect. Why are 150 of them not perfect? And it boiled down to the hem measurement, which is where the pocket – the pen pocket is and the card pocket is. That stitch below the bottom of the pocket was too wide. So they failed inspection. The only good thing is they failed inspection before they arrived to me, right? Like, they caught them, which, okay, fine. I appreciate that. But I was not happy, Myke. So I put a link in the show notes. I wasn't even going to mention it. But are you familiar with Retsuko, the panda, the cartoon? Yeah, it's from the Hello Kitty company. Yes, in Rio. So Retsuko has a, I don't know, a bit of a drudgery day job. And she gets annoyed at work. And then she takes it out at night. She goes full metal into Agretsuko. I feel like her. Like, she goes to karaoke and, like, rages every night. It's like, I need to go to karaoke and rage over some of the manufacturing stuff that we deal with. So I apologize to our backers who have not received their Tallulah pen case yet. It sucks. There's no bones about it. I'm not going to mince words. It's like, this should have been done in August. We're going to be, you know, hopefully in October we're going to be done. And that's just not acceptable to me. And it's frustrating. And I don't know. I just, I try to keep it as open and honest as possible when we do these projects. And sometimes that's bad news, right? It's just, I'm not going to, I'm not just going to blow this off. I'm going to let you know that sometimes things go badly. And this is one of those cases where some people have received goods and some people have not. And that's not a good experience for those people who have not received their products yet. And I apologize for that. So we're working on getting them fixed. I don't know the shipping dates yet. But obviously it's like a fire drill now to get these, get these done. So we're working on it and now we'll put out an update once we get these in and get it shipped. Because that should fulfill the project completely once we have these cases in.

'''Myke Hurley:''' All right. It's the best we can do, right? Yeah. You're trying, you're getting up front. And everyone knows by now that these things happen.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. But they just seem to happen to us a lot. Like, it's hard.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' It's like, we plan for bad things to happen. Like, I have planning in place for delays. So I have to plan for that like 100% of the time now, which is frustrating. All right. That's enough of that, Myke. Let's get on to something that launched this week that I cannot wait to talk to you about. Because I have no idea what you're going to think about the Field Notes End Papers Edition. So, in the past, we've played a game on the new Field Notes launch day. Every quarter, I'll guess what you think about this edition. And you'll guess what I think about this edition. Right? And I'd say mostly we're, you know, we know what the other one's going to say. For the most part. I'm not sure about this one. So do you want me to go first on what I think you're going to say?

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah. I want you to go first.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Because I still haven't come up with an answer of what I think you're going to say. I think you're going to like it, not love it. You probably don't want some more of it. But I think once you get it, I think you will really enjoy it, even though the format's different. I think this is solidly middle ground for you.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Okay. So I would say for you that you're a big fan of the inside and the binding and all that kind of stuff. And that you really like this format, like this kind of like long pocket format. I don't imagine that you either will buy a bunch of these and that you are probably also in the like category. Am I right?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I think you might be a little light, but generally right. Am I right? By and large, yeah, you are, yeah.

'''Myke Hurley:''' This is like an interesting... This is like the minimum that I want, right? Like if in a Field Notes edition, you know, because there's usually one in a year which I don't like. And I think that they have not done that this time. I think that this year, this past year of additions. So we're looking at like spring, summer, fall, right? Would that be right?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' So that's... It's coastal. The space one. What's it called? Yep. Three missions and endpapers. Three missions and endpapers. So coastal, three missions.

'''Myke Hurley:''' So far, it's like a three for three on stuff that I like. Now, I will say that last... Well, last time... Last year's wasn't as hot for me, right? So like, what? Utility, Campfire, Dime Novel, and Resolution. I liked Utility and Dime Novel. Wasn't a huge fan of Campfire or Resolution. So this year has been a more successful year for me. This is like... You kind of hit it, right? Where it's like, I think these are really nice and I could maybe use something out of it.

'''Myke Hurley:''' But... This is not the format that I really am too massively keen on. The video, though, is one of my favorite videos they ever made. It's absolutely stunning. And I'm excited to see the inside prints. And I love the way that they kind of embossed it on the side. I think all that stuff's really nice. I think this is going to be like a really nice book. But this isn't one that I'm going wild for. And honestly, I think that that's how they're setting this up. Of like, this is a really nice one. But we don't necessarily think that it's going to go berserk.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Like... Mm-hmm. So... This is the best year so far of Field Notes, in my opinion. I think you're right. Coastal. Yep. Coastal was the technical addition, right? They used their technical skills to do something different with the covers. And with the stamping and the continuation of the design. Going throughout the process of building a very probably tough design. To make... The three missions was the Americana release, right? The retro release. You know, your campfires. Your national crops. You know, tradesmen. The throwback edition. And then... This one. The... End pages. Is the process edition, right? They are huge on printing processes and techniques. So this is the process and technique edition. And I love it. Like, I just... I think it's fantastic. I don't know that I'm going to necessarily use it because it's lined. But that doesn't take away from what they've done design-wise. And the way it fits in with the rest of the editions throughout this year. I love the format of it. The tall, skinny format. Three and a half by seven. So, same with a taller page.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I don't know. I think it's going to do really well. I've pinned this down as the Shelterwood edition this year. Where Shelterwood was hugely popular for some people. And took forever to sell out. It's like the... It's kind of like the underdog that everyone always praised. Like, the Shelterwood. I think that's going to be the case with this one. Where Coastal is like an eye-popper. You know? Like, you see that and you're like, Whoa! Look at this case. Or look at this notebook. And Three Missions is like, Oh man, this is a throwback. Look how cool. Space stuff. And I can make space capsules. And then this is just like a love story to the process. Right? And these don't always sell the best. But I think they get a lot of respect for what they are. And I think that's what's going to happen here.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah. I mean, I'm 100% in agreement with you. Especially on the point that you made at the beginning. Which is saying this is probably the best year ever. It has been the most consistent year. I mean, like, we're putting a lot of pressure on them now. Because I've got one more to go. So, but so far, like, they've done a really great job of interesting processes. Hitting right in their sweet spot. And doing different formats. I do believe at this point that it is really important for them to break the format at least once a year. Yes. Because I think that that is really interesting. It shows growth in their process and in their confidence. And I think it also helps bring new customers in. Because they might see something they hadn't seen before. So, I think that they're doing the right thing. And I think that the End Papers edition is really cool. Because, again, it's like a format that they've done before. And I might really like it. Like, it might arrive. I'm like, oh, this is perfect for X. Right. Like, as I'm looking at it now. Like, maybe that would be really good for a backpack. Like, it would go in like a big, like a side pocket in a backpack quite nicely. Like, I'm sure that there are a bunch of different uses for it. But, you know, as you said, it didn't blow my mind. But I don't dislike it by any stretch. Right. I didn't want to notice a thing that had come by my way a few times over the last week. There is like a Dieter Rams exhibition happening right now. Because there's this movie. There's a documentary movie. And there is a Field Notes Rams edition that's available at this screening somewhere. I'm not 100% sure where it is, in all honesty. But I keep seeing Instagram posts of it. So, yeah, that's just like a sweet spot for a bunch of people. I bet.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, for sure. I've seen those around Twitter. I'm not going to go out of my way to order them. If for some reason I need to order something from Field Notes, which I think I'm pretty covered up right now. Like, I might throw in a pack or something. But, like, I'm not going out of my way to get those. And they look great, though. And I love the basic design. I just want one more comment on just Field Notes as a whole. Well, I'm glad they raised their prices because we wouldn't be getting the things we've got this year if we didn't. I agree with you. So, that's when I understand price increases.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Oh, you could just buy these Rams ones. I didn't see that. I've just been seeing Instagram posts. Like, as if you could just pick them up at a place. But, no, you can buy them from their website. Okay, cool, cool, cool.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, it was just my point of, like, not... There's reasons, you know, businesses have to raise prices. There's lots of different reasons. Field Notes, I think, has lived up to that price increase in the past year or more that they've done that. By putting it into these additions that we're getting now. Like, this is the most consistent, like, high-end wow additions that we're getting. And they still feel underpriced to me. Yeah. So, that's just my personal perspective. I don't know that everyone would agree with that.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I totally agree, right? It's like, you can see it. You can see where the money's going. Like, it's not just that they raised prices. Like, you can look at these additions and see where the money went. And so, like, you know, like, three missions, there's no way that that was just, like, a simple $12.95. Like, there's just no way. You know what I mean? Like, even in that price range, it looks to me like they are kind of moving their margins around. You know? Like, it's like, okay, we're going to make this much on this one and this much on this one and this much on this one. And I think that that's really cool because they are a company of creativity, right? Like, it's like, this is, like, a lot of how I see what I do, which is, like, sometimes you want to do something just because you want to do it, right? Like, you have a thing you want to do and you want to do it because it feels right. Like, or, like, I will do this thing because it allows me to express myself creatively. But at the same time, I also need to make a living. But I'm not interested in making the most money I can. I'm interested in making enough money to allow me to continue to do things creatively. And I think this is one of the reasons I feel such a kinship to Field Notes is from the outside, it believes, like, I believe that that is how they look at things, too. It's like, they are a company that needs to make money because they have employees and need to pay them because people need to live. But they could make a lot more money in other ways. But they constantly push it and do things differently. Like, you know, they could set up a machine and do, like, a bunch of different interesting foil colors and have that as an entire year, like, four different ones over a year. It would be cheaper for them because they set up this machine. But instead, they, like, have new processes and new inks and new everything every single time. And that's just going to be more expensive. But it just feels like that they, that that's how they like to be. Yep.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' 100%. Couldn't agree more.

'''Myke Hurley:''' So that's why we love them.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yep. Another new product launched this week, the Blackwing Volumes 33 and a Third Edition. Love the name. I was very excited for this edition. And it was a massive letdown. So I'm just going to cut right to the chase. I'm not going to make you, make you think, make you guess what I think about them. Because you don't, you don't have the full, the Blackwing passion that I do with them.



== Blackwing Volumes Critique ==


'''Brad Dowdy:''' This, this is not a good release for them. So the 33 and Third. I don't want to beat around the bush.

'''Myke Hurley:''' It's, it's referring to vinyl, vinyl records.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yes. So the vinyl record, speed, right? Mm-hmm. Speed, speed that they play. So a little bit of history on this, the volumes as a whole. So what they did with this, this is an all black pencil and this is their second all black pencil. So you cannot discuss the 33 and a Third Edition without relating it to the 24 Edition, which was the Steinbeck Edition, which was an all black pen pencil. And there's not enough difference in this one. Actually, there is enough difference to make this one worse than the 24 Edition for me. In that, like, the lead is, so the 24 introduced the Extra Firm core, which was a brand new core for them. This has the standard Blackwing core. This is the balanced core. So the one that comes in the black pencil. That's their stock pencil. So there's another black pencil for you. But there's nothing about this design that's impressive to me. I think they've, they kind of dropped the ball on this one. It's too close to something they've released too soon, too recently ago. And it's not special enough to separate itself from that. And you set yourself up to be compared to something you just did, you know, like within the past couple of years.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' And it's just, it didn't deliver on the story of the 33 and a Third. So it's supposed to represent the black vinyl. The best thing about this was the subscribers got a pelletized bottle of a vinyl record.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah, it's got a record and a bottle. That's really cool. So the pellets that you need that you melt down to make an LP, they got a jar of those. And that's really fun.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' That put a huge smile on my face. You know, like I love the little tchotchke things like that. So that's awesome. I love that. I'm not going to use these pencils.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I guess like for me, I just think, because the way that they tried to make it look like a record is by printing these like thick lines around it. Right. I think that's what they're going for. Yeah. It doesn't seem to me like what I would want. Like I would want a pencil with a really thin texture of the whole way down, which looks like a record. This doesn't.



== Design Failure Discussion ==


'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. So that's exactly what I was going to say. This is a fit design failure. If you're going to do these ridges, I'm going to have them sharpened off. Yeah. And, you know, four or five sharpenings. And then it's going to be a black pencil. Yeah. This needs to if you're going to do the entirety of a record, it should go from the ferrule to the tip of the pencil the entire way. I am very confused at this.

'''Myke Hurley:''' You know, this honestly feels like that when I look at this, I mean, and the only way I can see this logically is they had an idea that they couldn't execute. But they had already kind of set the wheels in motion. So they went with something different.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Agree completely. And we've talked about this. Field Notes has been caught with their pants down before. Right. This is the emergency fill in edition when you're when you're crazy, technically challenging edition.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Well, I mean, honestly, I was thinking that like they wanted to do something different to make a vinyl record edition. Right. But like that idea fell through. So they just printed ink on the black pencil.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. I think at a minimum, I need a continuous I need a continuous line or continuous grooves throughout the entire barrel. I need it to be something that's going to separate it from me wanting to choose the 24 every time over this pencil. I have no reason to pick up this pencil. And that's what I want in a product. I want a reason to use the product. And I didn't get that this time with the volumes like it's going to sell extremely well because it's all black. It's going to sell extremely well because they didn't have many subscribers when the 24 dropped. That was like the second or third release. I think it might have been number two. So a lot of people didn't get the 24. So this is going to kill. I mean, they'll sell straight out of this. I mean, it's black. Everything anything black sells. But from someone who's been a volume subscriber since the beginning, this is just an extraordinary letdown of a product for me. So there you have it. Like, it's perfectly fine. I will never use it. I just I don't I don't get it. Like there's so many things could have been done differently with this product. So that's that.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' And it will sell out completely.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Well, I mean, a lot of it's because it's pre-sold as well. All right. So like people are just going to get it. But yeah, it probably will. Today's episode is brought to you by Blue Apron. Skip meal planning and get straight to cooking with Blue Apron because they will deliver to you fresh pre-portioned ingredients with step by step recipes. And that will arrive right to your door. Blue Apron offer 12 new recipes each week. And you can choose two, three or four recipes based on what best fits your schedule, your needs and your family. Let Blue Apron do the meal prep for you, making back to school easier than ever, is you'll be able to cook incredible meals in the evening at less than 20 minutes. It's going to be super fast. They have a bunch of these for you. So like you can go in and get some quick meals so you can still have good fresh food every day. But it's not going to take up a ton of time. The Blue Apron menu changes every week based on what's in season. You can check out their menu for chef design recipes and exciting partnerships like Bob's Burgers and Whole30 Approved Recipes. Right now you can cook stuff like crispy chicken tenders and mashed potatoes with butter lettuce and ranch dressing. Or pasta and creamy tomato sauce with summer vegetables as well. Look, the great thing about Blue Apron is that you're getting great food and you're getting some skills. So you're going to be eating great food every day, but you're also going to be learning some cooking skills. Trust me, this is super awesome. I love to cook and my love to cooking is because of this type of stuff, right? Because you get these things, you get these boxes sent to your home. They've got ingredients in them that might be new to you and you learn how to prepare them. And if you do it enough, you're going to learn these skills that you can just apply to whenever you want to stand in front of the stove. It's really awesome. Check out this week's menu and get three meals for free at blueapron.com slash penaddict. That is blueapron.com slash penaddict to get your first three meals for free. Blue Apron, a better way to cook. Thanks to Blue Apron for their support of this show.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' So my son, Tyler, needs to be the Blue Apron spokesman for this show. I'm having a tough time with words. You got me up an hour early, Myke. But Tyler is always wanting Blue Apron. What are we having Blue Apron? He's like, he doesn't even care what it is. He just knows when I make something from it, he likes it. So that's a pretty high praise.

'''Myke Hurley:''' As a parent, I'm sure that that is quite a good thing to have, right? Like, oh, he will eat this. Brilliant.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' So I got another Kickstarter I wanted to put in the show notes because I've got a couple of emails on it. And I feel like I should have some, one, mention of it, and two, some disclosure of it. So this is the box, too. So this pen came out, the first one came out, I don't know, it's been a couple years, where it was a metal barrel for the big stick ballpoint. Which I love taking, like, the classic pens, especially good ones, like the big ballpoints are always good. And making a metal barrel for them and making it reasonably priced. I think the first one was, like, $10 or something like that, or $12. This is the new upgraded aluminum barrel, anodized colors, different grips, and etched on the barrel edition of the box. So it's the box two. And this is the same guy that, this is Brian Conte that does the spoke pencil that I speak so highly of. Myke, you know that one, that pencil that I love? The one that I have right here in my hand? Yep, yep. So this is the same guy.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Huh.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' And, and, Brian and I are working on a project together for something else. So I wanted to throw all that out there. That, one, I have a bunch of these box pencils on my desk. Pens. Because me and Brian, oh, pens. Like I said, bad words today. That, uh, Brian and I had lunch together a couple weeks ago. Handed off some box pens to me. Which, they're fantastic sitting on my desk right now. I need to get, I want to see if he can do some orange pen adequate ones. That would be kind of cool. You know, maybe down the line, do a special run. Uh, plus these only, like, you could buy three of them for 27 bucks and you get, um, uh, you know, a really, really neat upgrade. If you're stuck with Bix at work, you can sneak one of these in and, uh, get a real fancy upgrade. So, I wanted to throw that out there. And also disclose that I am working with Brian on a project. So, take those words, uh, for what you will.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Let me just say it in that I don't understand this. I don't get it. I don't get it. The box? Yeah.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, yeah. It doesn't make sense to me. The first one, it went really well and he just wanted to try to, to upgrade it a little bit more and make it more specific. He's kind of, like, targeting artists more than, like, office workers, if you will. So, like, a lot of artists use Bix pens for art. So, that's kind of the thing for that.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I can get that. You know, I actually think it is, uh, because it has a lot of, um, showing different, like, ways of customizing it and buying them in bulk. Or whatever. Like, I get it for that. This would be, like, a fun little gift for an office thing. Because it's kind of silly.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' As opposed to a Kickstarter.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah. But I, I don't understand this as, like, an individual, like, wanting to buy an aluminium barrel to put around a Bic pen. It just seems strange to me, like, that anyone would really care about the Bic pen enough. Like, en masse, right? But, I mean, he's met his funding goal, so, like, more power to him. Like, if people clearly want it, so make it. Yep. But it's just something that doesn't make sense to me because I have literally no affinity for what goes inside of this pen.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Exactly. You would have to be some form of frequent Bic user to even consider something like this. For sure. You wouldn't say, oh, I love pens. Let me try this. Most likely. Right?

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah. It's just this. It's very specific because you've got to love the Bic enough. And you've got to love it more than wanting literally anything else. It just seems strange. It gets strange to me. But it could be a fun little gift, like, a business-y thing. I get that.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Exactly.

'''Myke Hurley:''' But I do love my Spoke pencil.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I know. I love that thing.

'''Myke Hurley:''' It's on my desk all the time.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Same here. Same here. Such a good pencil. Oh, and he did. I think he launched, like, the Spoke 5. Like, that's just on the website. I just saw that.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Very nice, actually.



== Listener Questions ==


'''Brad Dowdy:''' Very, very nice. Yeah. All right. Shall we ask TPA, Michael? Most definitely. We've got some good questions this week, as always. And if you need to get us, just hit us up on Twitter with the hashtag AskTPA. Send me an email. Hello at PenAddict.com. Write me a letter. We'll have the address in the links here for you. But this week, we have YLAM asking, I love pens like the Pigma Micron, but love to have a nicer body that I can refill. See, Myke, there are people that want fancy barrels for their basic pens. Are there any plastic tip refills, body combos you would recommend? Thanks. So, not for the Micron. The issue is those are not refillable. And what you need for a good barrel is to have a refill to insert it into. So, the Micron, I don't even think they make things like the Sherpas that go over the Sharpies, things like that. The best option is to switch brands and go to the Copic Multiliner SP, which is an aluminum barrel. It's very nice. It's refillable. It's tip replaceable. But I've never seen anything for the Microns, which I'm a huge Micron fan and I'm a huge art and drawing pen fan. I've never seen a replacement barrel for those because they don't use refills that can easily be, you know, manufactured around, if you will. So, Copic's the only one I know that does that. And you pay the price for them. Like the Copic Multiliner SPs are like around $8 or $9 a pen. But they're made to be refilled where the Microns are around $2.50 or $3 a pen and they're made to be disposed of. So, that's pretty much the only option. If there is something out there for the Microns or other pens like that, I would love to know because it's a great pen. So, Myke, I thought of you when I saw this question. Okay. So, Catherine P says, let me read through this email. We're basically going to help her pick out a pen. So, she says, my pen choices for the day. And she sent a link to us on Twitter, which we'll put in the show notes. She's a doctor and she has a wonderful pocket full of pens. I see two sailors. I see a Mont Blanc. And I see the Caran d'Ache 849. Looks like the Nespresso one. So, she says, my pen choices for the day. What pens and inks do you recommend for use on copy paper that do well in my pocket? Bonus if they go with our colors of blue and green. I like sailor nibs, but I want to make sure I'm not missing out on the perfect doctor pen. My white coat has ample space, but often can have many other things. So, I want a pretty scuff-resistant pen if possible. Finer nib because of the paper. And then she has her logo, which she also sent out here, which is really pretty like blues and greens and darker blues, like a navy or oceany blue, which might lead to my answer there. So, let's see. So, I want to find the perfect fountain pen. Silver trim is better because my stethoscope is green and silver. Another one of those workplace pen questions, Myke. So, can we help Catherine out here? Like, the first thing I thought of before I saw the pocket full of pens was one that was in the pocket full of pens, which was the sailor fresca. But I have another choice. Do you have any idea?

'''Myke Hurley:''' To match those exact colors, I don't think I'm necessarily going to have much of a better shot than you.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I mean, I'm sure. Like, the fresca is in her pocket right now. Yeah. And what I would have picked if I didn't see what was in the pocket already, the sailor ocean is going to fit in there perfectly. And it's a pro gear, and she already has those. Because I don't know that you're going to find a better match than what sailor is doing right now with some of their colors. Like, the fresca you've nailed. I think the ocean is a perfect match, and it's still available. It's kind of like if you kind of mashed up all three of the colors in the logo, I think it probably comes out into that ocean green color. So, I think those are really, really nice. You know, other than that, like, I think you've done such a good job. It's really hard to do better than what you've done on that unless you want to go with, like, a ballpoint or something like that. Which you have the caran d'ash. Looks like the Nespresso in that colorway. Which looks like another perfect match. So, I don't know, Catherine. You've kind of nailed it. I think you actually need to be the one that answers all of our questions about the workplace matching the pen. Because I really think you've got it down. But about the only other one I'd look at is the pro gear ocean. And I'm not sure that's going to be different enough from what you have to do much better. If I think anything else, I'll let you know. But, you know, I couldn't get my head off the Fresca. And you already have that. And that's kind of the perfect pen. So, there you go. Maybe look at, like, a hard, fine nib. Yeah. You know, would be the only option.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah. Yeah. Like, you could get, even in this, you know, you could just get a new nib for the sailor. Like, you can, if what you need is a finer, harder nib, like, Japan can help you. Right? Like, they have those. Like, definitely.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Listen to you. Japan can help you. It's true. That is my life story.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Like, if you want a fine nib, like, sailor, they have got those, right? Like, you can get those. And it's a Japanese nib that you're going to want. So, maybe you need a different nib for your current 1911. But color-wise, like, that's perfecter.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. Like, I'd love to tell you the Pilot Custom 912 with the PO nib, but it's a black pen with rhodium trim. It's a stunner. It's beautiful. But it's not colorful. It's basic. You know, it's got an off-the-charts nib for writing on, you know, basic paper and prescription pads and things like that. But as far as style goes, it's really lacking. So, you know, I would actually probably stick with the Sailors over some of the, like, the Platinum 3776s as well, because I think those hard fine or hard medium Sailor nibs would do better for that type of paper than the Platinum's nibs. So, that was a tough question. Tougher than I thought it would be, because I think she's got a lot. I think she's like 95% of the way there, right? Like, I think she's on this. All right. Here's a tougher one, Myke. So, TBC PRW has a few fountain pens, but this 10-yen Pilot desk pen with an extra fine nib that I picked up in Japan is my favorite. Is there a different pen with this nib and same type of smooth connection point between the barrel and nib? I'd like to find one I can carry with me. What you need to do is go on eBay and find something called the Pilot Elite. And they have a current Elite with a gold nib that's about $125, $140. That's the pocketable size of this. But because of the gold nib, the price is very high. You can find a vintage Pilot Elite. I guess the new one's called the E95. Search for the Pilot Elite. And you should find one in like the $40 range with the same nib and style. And it's pocketable. And it's fantastic. It's one of my favorite like mini pens. I don't carry it enough. I have a couple of them sitting in the closet. It's super cool. It's exactly what you're looking for. So, do a search for the Pilot Elite. And you should come up with something. And don't rush to buy the first one you see. They're a fairly common pen. Even though they're not currently made anymore. You should be able to find one pretty easily. I see them with regularity. And don't overpay for one. You know, I'm thinking like $40. I haven't looked at them in a while. But I didn't pay very much for mine.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' All right. We got an email in from Josh. He loves the show, Myke. We appreciate that, Josh. We love you too. I just got into fountain pens earlier this year. I've gone from a single Pilot Metropolitan to almost a dozen in six months. I have an ink recommendation question for you, though. I've been trying to find an orange ink that I like. Well, you're in the right spot, Josh. Just let me tell you. And works well in Japanese fine and extra fine nibs. I have the Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyugaki, which I like, but is a touch too red. I have also tried Noodler's Apache Sunset, which is way too yellow. Coming out of a fine nib, it doesn't look orange at all. What I'm really looking for is a bright, almost garish orange. Since you are from Georgia, Brad, I'll risk admitting that I'm a Clemson fan. So that's the sort of orange I'm looking for. Hopefully that doesn't get this email deleted. No, I respect Clemson. No problem there. I mean, orange and purple, you can't go wrong with Clemson colors. Thanks so much, guys. I think it's pretty much down to two inks for me. And there's lots of other similar ones to these, but it's the Ackerman 16 Orange Boven and the Mont Blanc Lucky Orange. They're almost identical inks. They are purely orange, meaning that there's no yellows or reds, at least to the naked eye. Maybe in the chromatography there is. But they are vibrant. I mean, they are really, really orange. I think they're oranger than Clemson orange and brighter than a basic orange and less yellow than a Sailor apricot and less red than a Fuyugaki or less brown than Apache Sunset. So those are the hottest straight-up oranges. You know, there's some Diamines that I haven't used, but I know like Pumpkin, I think, gets some recommendations for just like this really, really hot orange color. But Ackerman 16 and Mont Blanc Lucky Orange are almost interchangeable for me. I actually have better luck with the Ackerman than the Mont Blanc. One of the Mont Blanc's cartridges gunked up my pen. I was surprised. So there you go. Not Fuyugaki.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Fuyugaki is great, but it's not garish. I was going to say, I have an Oster, Robert Oster something. Maybe Orange. It's Orange Sunset? No. I have an Orange ink of some Robert Oster orange, which is quite nice. But I don't remember.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Lamy Orange would be nice. Lamy Orange would be nice if they ever made it. It's exactly like Orange Boven, though. Those inks are exactly the same in that they're just this really, really vibrant, crazy orange. Like the orangiest orange inks. And that are kind of like a pure orange without any browns or yellows or reds. So very cool. Yeah.

'''Myke Hurley:''' So there are, yeah. I never remember the Robert Oster names.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Oh, I don't either.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I have A Orange, which is nice.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' The only one I have is the NG Special, which that one always confuses me because I don't know what that means.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Fire and Ice, I can't remember.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yes. Fire of Ice, Lake and Fire, Blue Water Ice.

'''Myke Hurley:''' That was also like his first one, though. You know, like that was, you know, that was the one that put him on the map. That was the entry point. Yeah. Yeah. All right. So if you want to catch our show notes for this week, head on over to relay.fm slash penaddict slash 327. You can find Brad online in a bunch of places. Go to penaddict.com. You can go to knock.co, twitch.tv slash penaddict. He's penaddict on Instagram. Dowdyism on Twitter. You can find me on Instagram. I am imike, I-M-Y-K-E. Thank you so much to our friends over at Blue Apron and Pen Chalet for their support of this episode. We'll be back next time, won't we, Brad? We will. So if you're going to be at the Dallas Pen Show, make sure you go and say hi to Brad. And I guess next time we're going to learn all about it.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' We are. We are. I'm so excited. Good. Let's go.



== Upcoming Events ==


'''Myke Hurley:''' And we are about to approach October, which means it's nearly time for us to be together again. So got a lot of exciting things coming your way.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. We'll have Anna on the show to pregame our trip to New York City and Toronto. So I can't wait for that.

'''Myke Hurley:''' That's going to be very soon in the next couple of weeks. All right. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back soon. Very soon. Say goodbye, Brad. Goodbye, Brad.

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