I feel sorry for the people who only listen to the pencast. The real joy is just to watch the expression on both your faces your body language it is the greatest reason to watch you both every week. It really shows how much you both care about pens and each other you can't fake that. The greatest reason I watch is because each week for a couple hours I forget the troubles of the world. Gentlemen have a great week and I will watch next week for some more great relaxation. Love it!!!
Same. I got into fountain pens through gradually shifting my watercolor style from watercolor only to ink line-art with watercolor washes. And fountain pens were a gateway hobby to journaling and writing since I got into a habit of writing multiple pages everyday and slowly started to pay attention to what I was writing.
Same here. My fountain pen love started with my use for them for drawing. Now I’m happily swimming around the deep end of the ink pool. Inks are awesome for painting!
I have a friend who is a tax accountant. If he is primed with a beer or two, he will do ultra-dramatic readings of the tax code. It's absolutely HILARIOUS.
Pencast night is my favorite night of the week. You guys and your relationship (which i love even more than the actual pen content) are beacons of positivity. Please keep up the incredible work.
Having coffee with y’all is the best thing about Friday mornings,and something I look forward to all week. I’m so glad you leaned into the longer times. Re: trim colors, for me it’s absolutely pen dependent. Some colors just look better with gold, but I’m more often drawn to rhodium trim. Fountain pens themselves aren’t my hobby, but they are a part of every hobby I have. I draw, which is a hobby in itself, and often do it while watching horror films (another hobby) or playing Sims (another hobby). I also use them to keep track of info during the latter. I view pens and ink more as tools than a hobby, though I do have a pretty substantial collection of both. I guess it would be the equivalent of Brian’s tools used for woodworking/yard work/home improvement.
OH MY GOODNESS!!!! That’s me! Bethsbigplans!!! 😂 Thank you guys for answering my question!!! I love the caution behind your answers! I will probably air on the side of caution and not go too far with the cleaning of the 823. I must have been thinking Custom 74 and 823 and came up with the 723…🤷🏻♀️ you guys made my day! Thank you!!!
I see Drew is growing his Movember beard 🙂 I appreciate your honesty that you are, indeed, a business, and it is beneficial for your company to market these wonderful pens. However, you do keep it real, and entertaining as always. Appreciate you guys.
I wonder if you have ever thought about writing a book on the history and joy of fountain pens. I’m new to your Pencast but loving them, find them my go to when feeling stressed. Listening to you guys is real therapy 😊
BRIAN! You mentioned the running time of “The Matrix” as 2 hours and 16 minutes, almost like a pencast-and WHOA, check the length of this pencast. Spooky cool! 🔮
This was one of my favourite pencast episodes! Thanks for reading my comment, Drew, it made my day! Brian's forreign currency deep dive was very interesting, and there were so many fun moments throughout the show! Thanks guys!
The longer the better. I love that the pencast is published on Friday so I can watch it on my Saturday afternoon (NZ). Well done and love the deep dives
The smisbi wrench most definitely sorta possibly absolutely maybe fits the Pelikan to remove the piston assembly....... hypothetically, which should also not be done.....unless you want to, but still shouldn't. Too much takey-aparty is a surefire way to increase the risk of messing up a beloved pen. Keep the crazy inks for cartridge/converter pens which are simple to take apart.
Rather than a specific pen, I would use a library rental system to try out different nib sizes before I buy. I find there to be so much variation between brands, and even between models within the same brand too
Pilot Falcon black with gold trim is what I’ve selected as my first gold nib pen for my upcoming 50th birthday. I tried one and fell in love. Black and Gold (Old Gold) are Purdue’s colors (my alma mater). Regarding the debate between gold and rhodium, other than black and gold, I’d pick rhodium most of the time but like the Sailor Pro Gear Slim Summer Rain, Sasa, and Seri with the gold trim. Less expensive pens, I want silver/chrome/brushed and not gold “colored.” And no just no on gold plated steel nibs. Gold nibs are made for their metallurgical properties not aesthetics! I’m fairly new (about 1 year) to fountain pens, so why the Pilot Falcon as my first gold nib pen? One word FLEX. Drew, I watched your videos. I love flex pens. I have several different starter pens, and I reach for my Ahab or Konrad when I can. My Ahab is for fun shading, shimmer inks, and my tortoise Konrad for brown or orange inks. Brian and I may have the debater personality (ENTP), but I’m with Drew and brown inks and pens, unless green or turquoise are on the table.
I’ve been anticipating the pencast since Wednesday! Thank you for keeping me company at work. I work in a one person office. (Like the Maytag Man) and the Pencast is a lifesaver. Please keep it going. Thank you!
I love the Goulet exclusive of the Lamy Vista BLACK! With silver converter and black ink, black special coating clip. I have to hold myself back from investing in another one. And, the "demonstrator" visibility of the in in the cartridge or converter is unique. Thank you for creating the Vista Black with Lamy.
Drew's face when Brian gets all the feels for the blue shade of the ringless Sailor 😂 And I ordered the Pilot Explorer as well as the Sailor Shikiori 5year. Love them both but that Explorer is new favorite! Thanks for all that you do ❤
I love it when the audio comes up the same time as the video. If I’m short on podcasts over the weekend I go to UA-cam instead of getting to listen like I usually do.
I wasn't able to do it with this one, because I didn't get the .mp3 file exported in time, but I think I'll be doing that going forward! Thank you! - Drew
Fountain pens are one-third of my main hobby. I journal so I hone in on paper, traveler’s notebooks, and fountain pens. I 1000000% call them part of my main hobby!❤
Hi guys, you need to know that Friday mornings i get up with a smile cause the pencast is coming!. I start off listening and doing something mindless but endup sitting and just watching and smiling or laughing! It’s my “time off”for the day, i even rewatch some sections cause i mist it the first time. Does that make you my hobby?? I make handmade books, boxes with pretty fabrics ; that takes up most of my time after fountain pens, and i study watercolor painting. My kids would probably think but not say that housework is what takes the least of my time! I’m retired after working hard all my life so my “hobbies “are what i enjoy most after the kids & grandkids. Drew as an old lady living alone i own 7 different kinds of saws, if i wasn’t so far I’d send you one! But kudos for building that inside gym, it won’t get your son outside but he will still get exercise! Take care and see you both next week!
Yes on the FWP Buttered Popcorn please! 🙏🏼 I’ve been seeing a lot of people on UA-cam talk about it and I’m waiting for Goulet to supply it so I can buy a sample. 😉
About the orb-y thing at the end of Pilot pens: I actually love it. it's really useful for pushing pens out of pen cases painlessly, especially if you have more fitted pen cases.
9:10 I’m getting to watch a lot of older PenCast vids now as I fell in love with these “full length” casts and I must say that I recently made my first 🎊 🎉purchase from Goulet Pens because I’ve binged on your videos for the past 2 weeks and reached a level of confidence to buy & get deep into the ‘hobby’ 😅! So I did buy 3 pens and a glass dip (Herbin) and lots of TomoêRiver paper exclusives …some inks and a bulb thing to clean with. Thank you! I appreciate and learn GREAT info and I laugh at how real you both are. Thank you for all the different segments of the Pencast as it is so inspiring and educational as well as entertaining! AND I LOVE THAT THERES NO RUDE (you-tube) COMMERCIALS INTERRUPTING THE VIDEOS!!!!! Thank you! Write ✍🏼 on! PS…You have great hair Brian! And this was the first time I ever saw it without gel 😅 Hard to believe that in your earliest videos you were basically hairless! And Drew…your 5 o’clock shadowing looks awesome 🤩 (y’all are both cuties!)
Thank you Goulet Team for another great Pencast 🎉 Y’all kept me entertained all through the pandemic (when I first got started with fountain pens early 2020) and now you guys have just become my favorite thing to watch/listen to on UA-cam. Keep up the great work, write on 😅
Great pencast. The new Benu pens look remarkable. Having just bought an Euphoria, Vodka on Ice, I believe you need to mention what great nibs Benu has. Also the clip with its spring loaded, divot end is really a great design, providing lateral stability in a narrow form factor. Obviously Benu pens are not understated, but they are great performers in the cartridge converter typology. I’ve been a Goulet customer from the beginning and a fan of your Utube videos for all that time. Your two-person gabfests are a hoot that I look forward to every week. Keep going.
Oh Good morning guys. Coffee and Goulet pencast is a perfect way to start off the weekend. Once again thanks for making things just a little bit better. Have a great weekend and wonderful week next week. PS just an idea but perhaps a new segment of the Pencast could be ‘Woodworking with Drew’. I laughed so hard at Drew telling about cutting a piece of wood. Thanks Drew, it was good to laugh again. And enjoy see your pack of Corgi’s grow. Thanks guys
At this point, I'd love to know how much (if at all) you take into consideration the pre-intro footage for UA-cam when you're getting ready to roll. It's just such a fun addition to the already awesome content of the Pencast, and why I will stick to the UA-cam version!
I just bought a Vanishing Point and was a little worried about the clip like everyone else. I found the cut out to be perfectly located, also I tend to have sweaty and oily hands so it helps with securing my grip on the pen and helps it from sliding and spinning while writing for a long time. Love the show guys. Fun conversations to listen to.
Clips matter a lot to me. I use them to secure the pen in a pen case, but also to keep a pen on my cardigan or something while I am at work. My standard work pens are Lamy Al-stars or Safaris and I love those clips.
The LAMY 2000 and Visconti absolutely make sense to me as to why people would want to "rent" one. I think they are probably the most loved pens with the most controversial reputations. If you're learning about fountain pens then you'll absolutely hear about the L2K and the VHS, but then you'll go to some youtube video or community site or discord and hear about quality control and nib inconsistencies and all this stuff, so people never pull the trigger on those pens even though they would honestly love to own one. "Renting" one of these pens would allow them to be at ease and to realize a lot of the controversy is way blown out of proportion.
I for one love the deep dives. I found Brian's explanation of the behind the scenes economics of running a pen business fascinating. Don't stop. Also loved Brian's hoodie. Appreciate the Nas reference.
I listened on audio a few times before I came back over here - not only, but a little bit because the videos release earlier than the audios. Also Drew’s legendary facial expressions are a very good reason for watching. But there’ve been times when I’d go on a weekend road trip and wanted the audio because I can’t download UA-cam videos to watch from the back seat, so… long story short, I prefer a same day release, but I also don’t consume the audio podcast a lot.
I like both rhodium and gold and I definitely go with whatever looks best on the specific pen. (Though, on me, I wear gold but my pens are more diverse!) Got my Sinclair today, in fact!!
Drew - After you responded to my query about your favorite Diplomat Elox, I happened to show an image of the Matrix pen to my wife. And being the wonderful person she is, she surprised me with it on my birthday this past week (EF nib). Looks beautiful in person (pen and wife!), and writes smoothly. And nothing matches the Diplomat cap snap. I am also now swimming in Black Cherry ink (my 2nd bottle).
On clips. The Chaos sword clip is very cool, and it's even spring-loaded, but it's just too pointy to use easily as a clip. It catches and doesn't extend too far. One of my favorite clips is the Pelikan beak clip. Upturned at the end and perfectly emblematic of the brand.
Some favourite quotes from today's pencast: 1. This could be a deep dive, but I don't know. 2. This ISN'T the deep dive? 3. And then you can fit that whole thing in your cargo shorts pocket. 4. Just this week, there was a record broken. 5. I like a hearty clip. 6. All toasty brown? 7. It's a lump, Brian! 8. The collet chuck is the chuck for you! P.S. Thanks for an entertaining and informative episode, guys!
I would want a library that carried all the nib options for a Pilot Custom 912 - I'd love to try writing with each for a week before (hopefully) buying my favorite.
Oh, how I loved hearing the power tool bedtime story. When my son was young and completely obsessed with Pokemon, whenever he would drone on about Pikachu (or whoever) at meal times, I would start listing the exceptions to the hearsay rule (party admission, business records, excited utterance, etc.) (I am a lawyer). He quickly got my point.
I have always associated pen clips for use in a shirt pocket. For some reason, I just love the looks of the clips that are found on the Aurora Optima and 88. They are graceful, sturdy, and functional in their elegant design and simplicity.
Totally agree. I never clip any of my pens in a short pocket. But clip design always interest me and catches my eye. I also like clipless designs on some pens. In general, cap designs on pens is a big factor in the overall aesthetic appeal of any pen to me.
Could we put some padding on the desk so that every time Brian gestures and bumps into the mic stand/base it doesn't cut out his voice due to the mic adjusting to the loud noise? :x Or possibly try to train Brain to gesture farther away from the mic/stand/desk? The bump sound is loud and then we lose some of his speaking while the mic auto-adjusts. Like around 1:46:38 when he bumps it multiple times within 6 seconds.
Great job on another pencast! I appreciate all the time and effort you both put into making this possible. Relating to the question about dealer exclusives..Has Goulet ever had an exclusive that didn't meet expectations? I’m sure most of them were successful…am I right? Take care.
I was hoping for your opinion on what, theoretically, would be my perfect daily pen: Pilot 823 - Mini. How possible or likely would that be? I mean, TWSBi makes a Vac Mini! In general, I wish Pilot had more small, gold-nibbed pens. RIP Pilot Stella.
There's a lyric that goes "Driving down a corduroy road" in a kind of famous song by Canada's most famous band, the Tragically Hip. Thanks for teaching me what that's all about, Brian!
One way to loosen the TWSBI clip is to slide the clip over 8-10 index cards and leave it over night. It doesn't bend the clip too out of shape, but it does make it much easier to slide into a case or shirt pocket.
I was so excited when you said that as of the time the podcast was coming out the new exclusive Benu pens would be available! But alas, no they were not. Site still says" coming in October". I am dying to get my hands on the Iced Caramel Latte one. Which is so unlike me if you know me, because I can't stand coffee, and my least favorite colors are brown and orange and gold. To me, that pen is proof that four wrongs do make a right.
First off, thank you both for what you do. Like many of my peers to be sure, your company/pencast helped reinvigorate the hobby after a long hiatus. I returned back to it during covid and it’s here to stay. Helped me through retail therapy, helps me through ritualistic fun me time, and it helped me reclaim my creative power. Went to the LA pen show this year, plan on going to the SF one next year and maybe the DC one the year after that. Hopefully I bump into one or both of you one of these times. Cheers. Secondly, it would be really cool to participate in some sort of giveaway that Goulet would put on. Like a mystery box raffle type deal. Even if it’s some small trinkets or something. Just a fun random thought. You guys already do amazing work at making people happy, I figure if any place would have that giving spirit to connect people it might be you guys. Seee you next week friends!
On trim colors, it was very interesting to hear you dig into the Falcon sales numbers. I personally enjoy both, but I find gold really adds some warmth with certain colors. Green goes great with a gold clip.I am also a big fan of two-tone nibs, which generally only come with gold trims. But those are a vanishing breed.
I noticed Brian's sweatshirt immediately and was surprised! I'm glad the weather is more comfortable for you all at the moment. One of my favorite clips is the Benu Euphoria. It's a spring sword-shaped clip that opens by pressing near the top. There's a knob on the underside that fits into a groove cut into the resin cap so that the clip rests evenly against the pen. I would never have noticed it, but Kerry of Pens & Tea pointed it out, and now I can't stop fidgeting with it. Good design! I prefer rhodium trim over gold trim, and I will generally choose rhodium over gold with pens if there's an option. I love the pen check-out question! I need to get on Instagram more often. My first thought is I'd love to try a Visconti Homo Sapiens in person. I'd also love to try a Pilot Custom 823. I love the bonus bits at the beginning and end of the video! So fun!! I have to add that this is THE only long video I watch regularly; for anything else, I usually stick to around 5 to maximum 15 minutes. Thanks again for another great Pencast!
A baller i am then hahah. My first pen was the custom 823 because i instantly fell in love with it, people call me crazy (non pen people of course) for buying such an expensive pen, but they don't get it. My second pen is the Lamy 2000 which is my fav workhorse it just writes ... no words, the smoothness. Woooshh I don't have a favorite because i love them both a lot. And i thank you, because it's because of your videos that i chose those 2 and i have 0 regrets buying them.
Nice show and a lot of interesting and funny things have been mentioned. I'm always looking forward to the Pencast; sometimes it's a bit like two friends in an engaged conversation and me, sitting at a table next to them, following their exchange of thoughts and personal stories. ( Of course we all are in a not to busy pub/bar situation.... and I've just got my Friday-End of the week-Relax-drink...) I'm sure, Brians kids will always remember the exiting bedtime-stories about those special tools and machines.... Things like that are special and will become memories whitch will be brought up at bithdays or other festivities, when they are adults. And Drew: I think, you should set up that "put-mony away-app" for a nice set of tools. Just don't tell Brian about it, otherwise you're in for some deepdives, whitch would take longer than putting the right amount of money aside.... BTW: What about a small part/section in the pencast mentioning "the brown pen of the week". It could be any pen, you would like to talk about, it only has to be brown...
The pen I waited to try first before buying was the Vanishing Point. Wasn't sure about the clip, and wasn't sure whether to go with the regular size or the Decimo as I have small hands. The clip was fine and surprisingly I went with the regular size.
I'm so glad my spouse bought both a VP and a Homo Sapiens! I now know the VP won't work for me (clip) and that the HS will, but I may want to get a resin one so it doesn't dry my skin out as much. (Or let him use the HS for a few years then adopt it.) FWP Buttered Popcorn is my favorite yellow ink!
I think the big danger with the Custom 823 is someone over-torquing when re-assembling the pen. Very easy to do with thinner plastic threads. Especially if you were using a wrench. I imagine Pilot machines used for assembly are calibrated for the necessary torque and no more. Anyone (like me) who is more familiar wrenching down metal bolts and nuts or screws may not adjust correctly to the lighter touch needed for thin and more delicate plastic threads and pen body. I could easily see myself wrecking a pen that way too. Edited to add: Cap bands on resin/plastic pens are probably more than just decorative. They help reinforce the cap right where the threads are when capping.
For clips and how to keep a pen safe... If it's not a top pocket, the Lamy Safari clip goes inside the sleeve cuff of your hoodie and stays there really well. Aesthetically the Safari clip is a bit weird, but functionally it's 12/10. For this reason the Safari is much more likely to be my EDC.
Right now, pens seem to be my biggest hobby, but I rotate hobbies, so at a certain point, I'll shift to one of my others for a while. Like many, I got into fountain pens because of the pandemic. Gotta say, Brian and Drew, your pencasts and Goulet Pen web site (my favorite pen retailer website, but, isn't it everyone's?) helped get me through. Great to say "hi!" to Drew at the S.F. Pen show! (And laugh to myself at all the young, star-struck fans hanging on his every word. So adorable!). Thanks for all the fun and information you provide, guys! I'll keep coming back for more, for shore. Ha.
The question of "Are fountain pens your number one hobby?" Is interesting. In this case I agree with Drew. I don't think of playing video games as a hobby generally speaking. If you were to get into retro video games or a specific genre I might start counting it as hobby. So with that in mind Fountain Pens are my number one hobby with Crochet being number 2.
Honestly you two are just the best. I'm in bits with Brian reading from his Woodworking Catalogue and Drews saw problems. Do keep us informed about the Pumpkin 🎃 patch. Look forward to this every week. All the best from Scotland.
Halloween tree? Archer’s got the right idea! Christopher Radko ornaments at places like Macy’s are available in the same style as the Christmas ornaments-which I have and love-but in Halloween colors. Silver with black/orange/purple stripes and they look really cool. If I had space I’d probably have a Halloween tree myself.
Talking about forceful flushing, why not use a waterpick? It’s a fine forceful stream that you can scale back or intensify. But do it over the sink in an old shirt. 😜
I agree with Drew. As a software engineer, playing a game and developing a game are completely different. Brian's argument is saying anyone who uses the internet is a website developer.
Funny that of all the ways of taking the 823 apart I ended up settling on the one that is considered to be the worst of them. I had heard that it was a delicate pen so I tried to only use pump action until it came out clear, but eventually I got a few Pilot Custom 743's which are very similar in shape and you have t unscrew the section to get to the converter. Long story short I thought that I was unscrewing one of my 743's but it was the 823. It still had residue ink inside and I made a mess, but I already had it separate so I squirted inside with my cleaning syringe and it was a lot easier and faster than what I normally do so I have continued to do that for the last year or so without issue. Maybe it will eventually crack, but I am saving too much time that way and I don't think that I would care too much about a crack as long as it is not leaking. I have read people talk about their 823's online and it has made me think that it is an older one, so it may be due to that that it has not cracked. In particular the thread for the pump seems to crumble with use, so I just leave it unscrewed all the time. I have only heard people bring that up for older 823's and the same people also mentioned that theirs were not cracked. My theory is that at some point Pilot changed the 823 which fixed the pump-thread issue, but made the barrel more delicate. But that is only going off of a few comments online. I should really research it better at one point.
The list for the survey all makes sense. Most of them are either expensive and well-known or are polarizing. Vicsonti Homo Sapiens, pilot 823, expensive and well-known. Montblanc, Lamy 2000 and Pilot Vanishing point are polarizing. People like them or they hate them. These are all ones I would like to try before buying them.
Treehouses are the best!! I don’t know how my neighborhood kids and I survived our treehouse phase. We knew nothing of construction but we sure built a lot of treehouses! We had a whole neighborhood of them in the woods behind my house. We rigged pulley systems to pull up snacks and games from the ground. The more experience we gained, the higher we built. We messed up when we left a borrowed extension ladder in the woods and one of the dads came to retrieve it. Seems the height of that final treehouse scared him. He and the other fathers tore down all the treehouses more than 10 feet off the ground. We were so sad.
i think for the retailer exclusives it gives the manufacturer the opportunity to test new techniques and materials, or use ones they have little of, being able to see if a small batch idea works, especially ones that could be expanded and altered to go to a wider market
I've used fountain pens since high school (I'm 43 now) but got more seriously into them when I started an altered book project before the pandama and it kinda got out of hand. I've kept a plant journal since 2018, and dusted off my watermans in 2019, and JUST needed some purple ink. BOOM 25 watermans, 4 MBs and at least 20 others....
My 823 spontaneously unscrewed at the piston section in my Rickshaw case and spread ink all over it (luckily it washed out of the bag pretty well). I took the opportunity to clean it before applying some silicone grease and re-assembling, and wanted to flag that the feed also has a little insert in its core that seems to act as a valve, which comes out easily from backflow if you use a bulb syringe to push water through the feed from the back. Something worth flagging for 823 owners who are willing to take a risk. Luckily, it is not too hard to re-seat it if you are careful.
I feel sorry for the people who only listen to the pencast. The real joy is just to watch the expression on both your faces your body language it is the greatest reason to watch you both every week. It really shows how much you both care about pens and each other you can't fake that. The greatest reason I watch is because each week for a couple hours I forget the troubles of the world. Gentlemen have a great week and I will watch next week for some more great
relaxation. Love it!!!
That's super kind of you to say, Robert! Thanks for joining us! - Drew
For me, fountain pens are like a tangent hobby to the more primary hobbies of drawing and journaling. A hobby-enhancing hobby, if you will.
Yes!
Took the words right out of my keyboard. Reading is my primary hobby.
I'm similar, but as drawing is the main thing I do each day, it seems like more than a hobby.
Same. I got into fountain pens through gradually shifting my watercolor style from watercolor only to ink line-art with watercolor washes. And fountain pens were a gateway hobby to journaling and writing since I got into a habit of writing multiple pages everyday and slowly started to pay attention to what I was writing.
Same here. My fountain pen love started with my use for them for drawing. Now I’m happily swimming around the deep end of the ink pool. Inks are awesome for painting!
I have a friend who is a tax accountant. If he is primed with a beer or two, he will do ultra-dramatic readings of the tax code. It's absolutely HILARIOUS.
That sounds amazing! - Drew
I am in the camp that Loves Brian's deep dives! I love to learn and usually do during the most educational 2 hours of my week!
Drew! That shirt is fanTIEstic. Love it. Your star wars game is on point. The force is strong with you indeed!
My heart sings because another pencast episode is online! You guys are amazing!
Pencast night is my favorite night of the week. You guys and your relationship (which i love even more than the actual pen content) are beacons of positivity. Please keep up the incredible work.
Truth.
Having coffee with y’all is the best thing about Friday mornings,and something I look forward to all week. I’m so glad you leaned into the longer times.
Re: trim colors, for me it’s absolutely pen dependent. Some colors just look better with gold, but I’m more often drawn to rhodium trim.
Fountain pens themselves aren’t my hobby, but they are a part of every hobby I have. I draw, which is a hobby in itself, and often do it while watching horror films (another hobby) or playing Sims (another hobby). I also use them to keep track of info during the latter. I view pens and ink more as tools than a hobby, though I do have a pretty substantial collection of both. I guess it would be the equivalent of Brian’s tools used for woodworking/yard work/home improvement.
I am of the same mind.
OH MY GOODNESS!!!! That’s me! Bethsbigplans!!! 😂 Thank you guys for answering my question!!! I love the caution behind your answers! I will probably air on the side of caution and not go too far with the cleaning of the 823. I must have been thinking Custom 74 and 823 and came up with the 723…🤷🏻♀️ you guys made my day! Thank you!!!
Yay! Thanks for the great question, Beth! - Drew
I see Drew is growing his Movember beard 🙂
I appreciate your honesty that you are, indeed, a business, and it is beneficial for your company to market these wonderful pens. However, you do keep it real, and entertaining as always. Appreciate you guys.
I wonder if you have ever thought about writing a book on the history and joy of fountain pens. I’m new to your Pencast but loving them, find them my go to when feeling stressed. Listening to you guys is real therapy 😊
You meet the Nicest people on the show .
The comments are always upbeat and educational.
BRIAN! You mentioned the running time of “The Matrix” as 2 hours and 16 minutes, almost like a pencast-and WHOA, check the length of this pencast. Spooky cool! 🔮
Spooky indeed! Great observation and thanks for sharing. Mind. Blown.
We need to do a simultaneous watch of this pencast episode and the matrix. I'm positive there's going to be some kind of synchronicity there.
This was one of my favourite pencast episodes! Thanks for reading my comment, Drew, it made my day! Brian's forreign currency deep dive was very interesting, and there were so many fun moments throughout the show! Thanks guys!
Thanks so very much for the kind words, Ana! - Drew
The longer the better. I love that the pencast is published on Friday so I can watch it on my Saturday afternoon (NZ). Well done and love the deep dives
The smisbi wrench most definitely sorta possibly absolutely maybe fits the Pelikan to remove the piston assembly....... hypothetically, which should also not be done.....unless you want to, but still shouldn't. Too much takey-aparty is a surefire way to increase the risk of messing up a beloved pen. Keep the crazy inks for cartridge/converter pens which are simple to take apart.
The wood catalogue + your commentaries is such a highlight!
Before Drew said “arcade carpet” I thought he was going to say “Drew’s shirt pattern” 😂
I might have been responsible for selecting that design... :) - Drew
Rather than a specific pen, I would use a library rental system to try out different nib sizes before I buy. I find there to be so much variation between brands, and even between models within the same brand too
Oh yes, I’m all for this!
Even within units…
Pilot Falcon black with gold trim is what I’ve selected as my first gold nib pen for my upcoming 50th birthday.
I tried one and fell in love. Black and Gold (Old Gold) are Purdue’s colors (my alma mater).
Regarding the debate between gold and rhodium, other than black and gold, I’d pick rhodium most of the time but like the Sailor Pro Gear Slim Summer Rain, Sasa, and Seri with the gold trim.
Less expensive pens, I want silver/chrome/brushed and not gold “colored.” And no just no on gold plated steel nibs. Gold nibs are made for their metallurgical properties not aesthetics!
I’m fairly new (about 1 year) to fountain pens, so why the Pilot Falcon as my first gold nib pen? One word FLEX. Drew, I watched your videos. I love flex pens. I have several different starter pens, and I reach for my Ahab or Konrad when I can. My Ahab is for fun shading, shimmer inks, and my tortoise Konrad for brown or orange inks. Brian and I may have the debater personality (ENTP), but I’m with Drew and brown inks and pens, unless green or turquoise are on the table.
The Falcon is a GREAT choice for "modern flex"! - Drew
I’ve been anticipating the pencast since Wednesday! Thank you for keeping me company at work. I work in a one person office. (Like the Maytag Man) and the Pencast is a lifesaver. Please keep it going. Thank you!
I love the Goulet exclusive of the Lamy Vista BLACK! With silver converter and black ink, black special coating clip. I have to hold myself back from investing in another one. And, the "demonstrator" visibility of the in in the cartridge or converter is unique. Thank you for creating the Vista Black with Lamy.
Drew's face when Brian gets all the feels for the blue shade of the ringless Sailor 😂 And I ordered the Pilot Explorer as well as the Sailor Shikiori 5year. Love them both but that Explorer is new favorite! Thanks for all that you do ❤
I love it when the audio comes up the same time as the video. If I’m short on podcasts over the weekend I go to UA-cam instead of getting to listen like I usually do.
I wasn't able to do it with this one, because I didn't get the .mp3 file exported in time, but I think I'll be doing that going forward! Thank you! - Drew
Thanks for the pencast! I love Archer's idea of a Halloween tree, with halloween candy and spooky stuff like bats and small pumkins as the balls.
“Not everything has to be hyper-specific”…..words I never thought would leave Brian’s lips.
Fountain pens are one-third of my main hobby. I journal so I hone in on paper, traveler’s notebooks, and fountain pens. I 1000000% call them part of my main hobby!❤
The new Sinclair Arcade Carpet reminds me of thr Saved by the Bell show entro
Pencast and a goulet box 📦 at the same time 😊best day ever …
Hi guys, you need to know that Friday mornings i get up with a smile cause the pencast is coming!. I start off listening and doing something mindless but endup sitting and just watching and smiling or laughing! It’s my “time off”for the day, i even rewatch some sections cause i mist it the first time. Does that make you my hobby??
I make handmade books, boxes with pretty fabrics ; that takes up most of my time after fountain pens, and i study watercolor painting. My kids would probably think but not say that housework is what takes the least of my time! I’m retired after working hard all my life so my “hobbies “are what i enjoy most after the kids & grandkids.
Drew as an old lady living alone i own 7 different kinds of saws, if i wasn’t so far I’d send you one! But kudos for building that inside gym, it won’t get your son outside but he will still get exercise!
Take care and see you both next week!
Yes on the FWP Buttered Popcorn please! 🙏🏼 I’ve been seeing a lot of people on UA-cam talk about it and I’m waiting for Goulet to supply it so I can buy a sample. 😉
YES, another please get buttered popcorn here too!
About the orb-y thing at the end of Pilot pens: I actually love it. it's really useful for pushing pens out of pen cases painlessly, especially if you have more fitted pen cases.
9:10 I’m getting to watch a lot of older PenCast vids now as I fell in love with these “full length” casts and I must say that I recently made my first 🎊 🎉purchase from Goulet Pens because I’ve binged on your videos for the past 2 weeks and reached a level of confidence to buy & get deep into the ‘hobby’ 😅!
So I did buy 3 pens and a glass dip (Herbin) and lots of TomoêRiver paper exclusives …some inks and a bulb thing to clean with. Thank you! I appreciate and learn GREAT info and I laugh at how real you both are. Thank you for all the different segments of the Pencast as it is so inspiring and educational as well as entertaining! AND I LOVE THAT THERES NO RUDE (you-tube) COMMERCIALS INTERRUPTING THE VIDEOS!!!!! Thank you! Write ✍🏼 on!
PS…You have great hair Brian! And this was the first time I ever saw it without gel 😅 Hard to believe that in your earliest videos you were basically hairless! And Drew…your 5 o’clock shadowing looks awesome 🤩 (y’all are both cuties!)
Thank you Goulet Team for another great Pencast 🎉 Y’all kept me entertained all through the pandemic (when I first got started with fountain pens early 2020) and now you guys have just become my favorite thing to watch/listen to on UA-cam. Keep up the great work, write on 😅
Great pencast. The new Benu pens look remarkable. Having just bought an Euphoria, Vodka on Ice, I believe you need to mention what great nibs Benu has. Also the clip with its spring loaded, divot end is really a great design, providing lateral stability in a narrow form factor. Obviously Benu pens are not understated, but they are great performers in the cartridge converter typology. I’ve been a Goulet customer from the beginning and a fan of your Utube videos for all that time. Your two-person gabfests are a hoot that I look forward to every week. Keep going.
Oh Good morning guys. Coffee and Goulet pencast is a perfect way to start off the weekend. Once again thanks for making things just a little bit better. Have a great weekend and wonderful week next week. PS just an idea but perhaps a new segment of the Pencast could be ‘Woodworking with Drew’. I laughed so hard at Drew telling about cutting a piece of wood. Thanks Drew, it was good to laugh again. And enjoy see your pack of Corgi’s grow. Thanks guys
At this point, I'd love to know how much (if at all) you take into consideration the pre-intro footage for UA-cam when you're getting ready to roll. It's just such a fun addition to the already awesome content of the Pencast, and why I will stick to the UA-cam version!
I just bought a Vanishing Point and was a little worried about the clip like everyone else. I found the cut out to be perfectly located, also I tend to have sweaty and oily hands so it helps with securing my grip on the pen and helps it from sliding and spinning while writing for a long time. Love the show guys. Fun conversations to listen to.
Clips matter a lot to me. I use them to secure the pen in a pen case, but also to keep a pen on my cardigan or something while I am at work. My standard work pens are Lamy Al-stars or Safaris and I love those clips.
Woooo!! Buttered popcorn! I recommended that back when drew was asking for yellow ink recommendations!! Glad you finally tried it and see the glory! 💛
The LAMY 2000 and Visconti absolutely make sense to me as to why people would want to "rent" one. I think they are probably the most loved pens with the most controversial reputations. If you're learning about fountain pens then you'll absolutely hear about the L2K and the VHS, but then you'll go to some youtube video or community site or discord and hear about quality control and nib inconsistencies and all this stuff, so people never pull the trigger on those pens even though they would honestly love to own one. "Renting" one of these pens would allow them to be at ease and to realize a lot of the controversy is way blown out of proportion.
I for one love the deep dives. I found Brian's explanation of the behind the scenes economics of running a pen business fascinating. Don't stop. Also loved Brian's hoodie. Appreciate the Nas reference.
I listened on audio a few times before I came back over here - not only, but a little bit because the videos release earlier than the audios. Also Drew’s legendary facial expressions are a very good reason for watching. But there’ve been times when I’d go on a weekend road trip and wanted the audio because I can’t download UA-cam videos to watch from the back seat, so… long story short, I prefer a same day release, but I also don’t consume the audio podcast a lot.
I like both rhodium and gold and I definitely go with whatever looks best on the specific pen. (Though, on me, I wear gold but my pens are more diverse!)
Got my Sinclair today, in fact!!
Yay! Thanks for the support! - Drew
@@Gouletpens Goulet is my go-to!! (I only shop elsewhere if it’s an item y’all simply don’t carry.)
All the best to you all!!!!
823 was my first pen lol. Got from you guys and everything!!!
Drew - After you responded to my query about your favorite Diplomat Elox, I happened to show an image of the Matrix pen to my wife. And being the wonderful person she is, she surprised me with it on my birthday this past week (EF nib). Looks beautiful in person (pen and wife!), and writes smoothly. And nothing matches the Diplomat cap snap. I am also now swimming in Black Cherry ink (my 2nd bottle).
No way!!! That is so so so cool!!!! - Drew
The visual aid of the plywood snapping was PERFECT 😂😂.
On clips. The Chaos sword clip is very cool, and it's even spring-loaded, but it's just too pointy to use easily as a clip. It catches and doesn't extend too far. One of my favorite clips is the Pelikan beak clip. Upturned at the end and perfectly emblematic of the brand.
This is the reason I ask to not be scheduled to work Fridays. 😁 Ready to settle in with some coffee and enjoy another episode!
It fits in a cargo shorts pocket AND the flap still closes! Sold. I knew there was a reason why I watch these things for two hours.
Some favourite quotes from today's pencast:
1. This could be a deep dive, but I don't know.
2. This ISN'T the deep dive?
3. And then you can fit that whole thing in your cargo shorts pocket.
4. Just this week, there was a record broken.
5. I like a hearty clip.
6. All toasty brown?
7. It's a lump, Brian!
8. The collet chuck is the chuck for you!
P.S. Thanks for an entertaining and informative episode, guys!
LOL you're very welcome, Angela! - Drew
I would want a library that carried all the nib options for a Pilot Custom 912 - I'd love to try writing with each for a week before (hopefully) buying my favorite.
Oh, how I loved hearing the power tool bedtime story. When my son was young and completely obsessed with Pokemon, whenever he would drone on about Pikachu (or whoever) at meal times, I would start listing the exceptions to the hearsay rule (party admission, business records, excited utterance, etc.) (I am a lawyer). He quickly got my point.
I have always associated pen clips for use in a shirt pocket. For some reason, I just love the looks of the clips that are found on the Aurora Optima and 88. They are graceful, sturdy, and functional in their elegant design and simplicity.
Totally agree. I never clip any of my pens in a short pocket. But clip design always interest me and catches my eye. I also like clipless designs on some pens.
In general, cap designs on pens is a big factor in the overall aesthetic appeal of any pen to me.
Could we put some padding on the desk so that every time Brian gestures and bumps into the mic stand/base it doesn't cut out his voice due to the mic adjusting to the loud noise? :x Or possibly try to train Brain to gesture farther away from the mic/stand/desk? The bump sound is loud and then we lose some of his speaking while the mic auto-adjusts. Like around 1:46:38 when he bumps it multiple times within 6 seconds.
I was *this* close to catching up, and then--BAM--new pencast uploaded. But at least Dress II has most of its skirt pinned together now.
Great job on another pencast! I appreciate all the time and effort you both put into making this possible. Relating to the question about dealer exclusives..Has Goulet ever had an exclusive that didn't meet expectations? I’m sure most of them were successful…am I right? Take care.
You can get a small hummingbird cleaner brush and it works great for small openings or components.
I was hoping for your opinion on what, theoretically, would be my perfect daily pen:
Pilot 823 - Mini.
How possible or likely would that be? I mean, TWSBi makes a Vac Mini!
In general, I wish Pilot had more small, gold-nibbed pens. RIP Pilot Stella.
I have to keep my Karas Kustoms Ink in a pen sleeve. Not to protect it, but to protect everything else in my pocket... its a beast, but I love it
Really REALLY enjoyed Drew describing his DIY without a saw and Brian's reaction🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂
Haha yeah I think that caused him some pain! - Drew
There's a lyric that goes "Driving down a corduroy road" in a kind of famous song by Canada's most famous band, the Tragically Hip. Thanks for teaching me what that's all about, Brian!
One way to loosen the TWSBI clip is to slide the clip over 8-10 index cards and leave it over night. It doesn't bend the clip too out of shape, but it does make it much easier to slide into a case or shirt pocket.
That photo of Mr. & Mrs. Drew is beautiful also! Good on ya
Thank you! - Drew
What a great picture of you two 🙂
I was so excited when you said that as of the time the podcast was coming out the new exclusive Benu pens would be available! But alas, no they were not. Site still says" coming in October". I am dying to get my hands on the Iced Caramel Latte one. Which is so unlike me if you know me, because I can't stand coffee, and my least favorite colors are brown and orange and gold. To me, that pen is proof that four wrongs do make a right.
Totally loving the "wait until after the credits" bit that rolled at the end! Too funny
The new Sinclair cases are beautiful. I would love to see the NockCo Seed (A5 notebook) size resurrected.
First off, thank you both for what you do. Like many of my peers to be sure, your company/pencast helped reinvigorate the hobby after a long hiatus. I returned back to it during covid and it’s here to stay. Helped me through retail therapy, helps me through ritualistic fun me time, and it helped me reclaim my creative power. Went to the LA pen show this year, plan on going to the SF one next year and maybe the DC one the year after that. Hopefully I bump into one or both of you one of these times. Cheers.
Secondly, it would be really cool to participate in some sort of giveaway that Goulet would put on. Like a mystery box raffle type deal. Even if it’s some small trinkets or something. Just a fun random thought. You guys already do amazing work at making people happy, I figure if any place would have that giving spirit to connect people it might be you guys.
Seee you next week friends!
Thank you so much for taking the time to say that! - and thank your for joining us! - Drew
@@Gouletpens No problem Drew, happy to give back out of what has been given to me.
On trim colors, it was very interesting to hear you dig into the Falcon sales numbers. I personally enjoy both, but I find gold really adds some warmth with certain colors. Green goes great with a gold clip.I am also a big fan of two-tone nibs, which generally only come with gold trims. But those are a vanishing breed.
The bedtime story segment was hilarious. LMAO
I just noticed the print on Drew's shirt. 👍
Haha! Yes! I love that one! - Drew
I noticed Brian's sweatshirt immediately and was surprised! I'm glad the weather is more comfortable for you all at the moment.
One of my favorite clips is the Benu Euphoria. It's a spring sword-shaped clip that opens by pressing near the top. There's a knob on the underside that fits into a groove cut into the resin cap so that the clip rests evenly against the pen. I would never have noticed it, but Kerry of Pens & Tea pointed it out, and now I can't stop fidgeting with it. Good design!
I prefer rhodium trim over gold trim, and I will generally choose rhodium over gold with pens if there's an option.
I love the pen check-out question! I need to get on Instagram more often. My first thought is I'd love to try a Visconti Homo Sapiens in person. I'd also love to try a Pilot Custom 823.
I love the bonus bits at the beginning and end of the video! So fun!! I have to add that this is THE only long video I watch regularly; for anything else, I usually stick to around 5 to maximum 15 minutes. Thanks again for another great Pencast!
A baller i am then hahah.
My first pen was the custom 823 because i instantly fell in love with it, people call me crazy (non pen people of course) for buying such an expensive pen, but they don't get it.
My second pen is the Lamy 2000 which is my fav workhorse it just writes ... no words, the smoothness. Woooshh
I don't have a favorite because i love them both a lot.
And i thank you, because it's because of your videos that i chose those 2 and i have 0 regrets buying them.
Enjoyable pencast, thank you
Nice show and a lot of interesting and funny things have been mentioned. I'm always looking forward to the Pencast; sometimes it's a bit like two friends in an engaged conversation and me, sitting at a table next to them, following their exchange of thoughts and personal stories. ( Of course we all are in a not to busy pub/bar situation.... and I've just got my Friday-End of the week-Relax-drink...)
I'm sure, Brians kids will always remember the exiting bedtime-stories about those special tools and machines.... Things like that are special and will become memories whitch will be brought up at bithdays or other festivities, when they are adults.
And Drew: I think, you should set up that "put-mony away-app" for a nice set of tools. Just don't tell Brian about it, otherwise you're in for some deepdives, whitch would take longer than putting the right amount of money aside....
BTW: What about a small part/section in the pencast mentioning "the brown pen of the week". It could be any pen, you would like to talk about, it only has to be brown...
Really like watching the pencast.
Brian: watch out with your hand. The mic 🎙️ really picks up your hand touching the table/stand.
The pen I waited to try first before buying was the Vanishing Point. Wasn't sure about the clip, and wasn't sure whether to go with the regular size or the Decimo as I have small hands. The clip was fine and surprisingly I went with the regular size.
I'm so glad my spouse bought both a VP and a Homo Sapiens! I now know the VP won't work for me (clip) and that the HS will, but I may want to get a resin one so it doesn't dry my skin out as much. (Or let him use the HS for a few years then adopt it.)
FWP Buttered Popcorn is my favorite yellow ink!
I think the big danger with the Custom 823 is someone over-torquing when re-assembling the pen. Very easy to do with thinner plastic threads. Especially if you were using a wrench. I imagine Pilot machines used for assembly are calibrated for the necessary torque and no more. Anyone (like me) who is more familiar wrenching down metal bolts and nuts or screws may not adjust correctly to the lighter touch needed for thin and more delicate plastic threads and pen body. I could easily see myself wrecking a pen that way too.
Edited to add: Cap bands on resin/plastic pens are probably more than just decorative. They help reinforce the cap right where the threads are when capping.
For clips and how to keep a pen safe... If it's not a top pocket, the Lamy Safari clip goes inside the sleeve cuff of your hoodie and stays there really well. Aesthetically the Safari clip is a bit weird, but functionally it's 12/10. For this reason the Safari is much more likely to be my EDC.
Right now, pens seem to be my biggest hobby, but I rotate hobbies, so at a certain point, I'll shift to one of my others for a while. Like many, I got into fountain pens because of the pandemic. Gotta say, Brian and Drew, your pencasts and Goulet Pen web site (my favorite pen retailer website, but, isn't it everyone's?) helped get me through.
Great to say "hi!" to Drew at the S.F. Pen show! (And laugh to myself at all the young, star-struck fans hanging on his every word. So adorable!). Thanks for all the fun and information you provide, guys! I'll keep coming back for more, for shore. Ha.
We'll be here for you, Alesia! - Drew
@@Gouletpens Aww! Thank you!
Drew's observing No-Shave-October. It looks good on him.
The Rickshaw Model R also added the pocket on the outside of the pouch.
The question of "Are fountain pens your number one hobby?" Is interesting. In this case I agree with Drew. I don't think of playing video games as a hobby generally speaking. If you were to get into retro video games or a specific genre I might start counting it as hobby. So with that in mind Fountain Pens are my number one hobby with Crochet being number 2.
Thanks for the sneaky “currently inked” Drew! 👍🖋🦃🦃
Honestly you two are just the best. I'm in bits with Brian reading from his Woodworking Catalogue and Drews saw problems. Do keep us informed about the Pumpkin 🎃 patch. Look forward to this every week. All the best from Scotland.
Thanks for joining us! - Drew
Halloween tree? Archer’s got the right idea! Christopher Radko ornaments at places like Macy’s are available in the same style as the Christmas ornaments-which I have and love-but in Halloween colors. Silver with black/orange/purple stripes and they look really cool. If I had space I’d probably have a Halloween tree myself.
Talking about forceful flushing, why not use a waterpick? It’s a fine forceful stream that you can scale back or intensify. But do it over the sink in an old shirt. 😜
Love this idea!
@@Jamie-tv6hy Thanks! My waterpick has Ben used for many projects. 😉 Even cleaning grout.
Two of my favorite pens for edc use are the TWSBI 580 ALR and the LAMY 2000 one with a stub ( the twsbi) and a fine (the lamy)
I agree with Drew. As a software engineer, playing a game and developing a game are completely different. Brian's argument is saying anyone who uses the internet is a website developer.
Thanks for understanding, Daniel! I feel like I wasn't explaining myself well enough there! - Drew
Funny that of all the ways of taking the 823 apart I ended up settling on the one that is considered to be the worst of them. I had heard that it was a delicate pen so I tried to only use pump action until it came out clear, but eventually I got a few Pilot Custom 743's which are very similar in shape and you have t unscrew the section to get to the converter. Long story short I thought that I was unscrewing one of my 743's but it was the 823. It still had residue ink inside and I made a mess, but I already had it separate so I squirted inside with my cleaning syringe and it was a lot easier and faster than what I normally do so I have continued to do that for the last year or so without issue. Maybe it will eventually crack, but I am saving too much time that way and I don't think that I would care too much about a crack as long as it is not leaking.
I have read people talk about their 823's online and it has made me think that it is an older one, so it may be due to that that it has not cracked. In particular the thread for the pump seems to crumble with use, so I just leave it unscrewed all the time. I have only heard people bring that up for older 823's and the same people also mentioned that theirs were not cracked. My theory is that at some point Pilot changed the 823 which fixed the pump-thread issue, but made the barrel more delicate. But that is only going off of a few comments online. I should really research it better at one point.
The list for the survey all makes sense. Most of them are either expensive and well-known or are polarizing. Vicsonti Homo Sapiens, pilot 823, expensive and well-known. Montblanc, Lamy 2000 and Pilot Vanishing point are polarizing. People like them or they hate them. These are all ones I would like to try before buying them.
Brian, you’re killing my ears with the table thumps. Lol
Treehouses are the best!! I don’t know how my neighborhood kids and I survived our treehouse phase. We knew nothing of construction but we sure built a lot of treehouses! We had a whole neighborhood of them in the woods behind my house. We rigged pulley systems to pull up snacks and games from the ground. The more experience we gained, the higher we built.
We messed up when we left a borrowed extension ladder in the woods and one of the dads came to retrieve it. Seems the height of that final treehouse scared him. He and the other fathers tore down all the treehouses more than 10 feet off the ground. We were so sad.
i think for the retailer exclusives it gives the manufacturer the opportunity to test new techniques and materials, or use ones they have little of, being able to see if a small batch idea works, especially ones that could be expanded and altered to go to a wider market
Great word order opening! Loved it. Semper Fi
I've used fountain pens since high school (I'm 43 now) but got more seriously into them when I started an altered book project before the pandama and it kinda got out of hand. I've kept a plant journal since 2018, and dusted off my watermans in 2019, and JUST needed some purple ink. BOOM 25 watermans, 4 MBs and at least 20 others....
Drew is ALWAYS ready!!!
My 823 spontaneously unscrewed at the piston section in my Rickshaw case and spread ink all over it (luckily it washed out of the bag pretty well). I took the opportunity to clean it before applying some silicone grease and re-assembling, and wanted to flag that the feed also has a little insert in its core that seems to act as a valve, which comes out easily from backflow if you use a bulb syringe to push water through the feed from the back. Something worth flagging for 823 owners who are willing to take a risk. Luckily, it is not too hard to re-seat it if you are careful.