The Pen Addict Podcast, Episode 614: Wes Anderson's Green Baby

Give me all of the Montblanc X Wes Anderson content.

Is a feature film too much to ask? Because a three minute short isn’t nearly enough. Myke and I break it down, and eventually get to his new pen design as well. We also get listener feedback on Godzilla and rulers, and I discuss my time with the LAMY AL-Star.

Show Notes & Download Links

This episode of The Pen Addict is sponsored by:

Pen Chalet: Check out this week's special offer, and to get your code for 10% off.

Ooni Pizza Ovens: Bring restaurant quality pizza to your home. Discount automatically applied at checkout.

Posted on May 9, 2024 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Podcast.

We're All Brad Here...

The Chicago Pen Show is always one of my favorite weekends of the year. It's always a ton of fun, and since it's the only pen show I get to go to, it's an obvious highlight on my calendar. Of course, it's always more fun when Brad goes. This year he opted not to attend. This is unacceptable. So we did what we could to fix it.

Welcome to the Chicago Pen Show, Brad Edition, aka, this is what you get when you leave me and Kimberly unsupervised.

The plan hatched as plans often do, in the Insta DMs.

*Sarah-Brad, left, and Kimberly-Brad. Co-conspirators extraordinaire.*

But the plan wouldn't have been possible without the participation of so many wonderful people at the show. Everywhere you looked? Brad. Everyone? Brad. Folks got to pick their favorite Bradface to wear, and it was fun to see which ones were most popular. The shouty big-hair Brad was by far the star.

Of course, a few people wanted nothing to do with being Brad. Pierre was appalled at the very notion. On the other hand, one notable young guest was Brad several times, and insisted on holding three of the Brads at once. And by the later hours of Pen Show After Dark, the Brads had taken on a life of their own, guzzling whiskey and scarfing cake. It was like he was right there with us. We almost forgot to miss him.

Big thanks to everyone who humored us in making sure Brad was well represented at the show! Of course, it would have been better to have him there in person.

Next year, Brad will probably come to the Chicago Pen Show. Right? I mean... if not, what will we do next?

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Posted on May 9, 2024 by Sarah Read and filed under Pen Shows.

Lamy AL-Star Aquatic Fountain Pen Review

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

We're well into 2024 now, and Lamy have already dropped some special edition colors for the year. For the AL-Star, one of those colors is Aquatic, and it's gorgeous.

The Lamy AL-Star Aquatic fountain pen is a special edition of the aluminum line that features a couple of subtle differences (aside from the metal color) that stand out from the standard lineup. The first thing I noticed was the bright blue finial on top of the cap. This is normally black, but Lamy went with a cobalt blue to complement the blue cap and body. Additionally, the grip section of this pen is a translucent dark blue that also looks great next to the metal body.

Everything else about this pen is what you'd expect for an AL-Star. The clip and nib are both black, which I think is a good choice to pair with the bright blue body and dark section. Like other AL-Stars, the nib is interchangeable if you decide you want a change later on. Swapping out the nib is an easy process of pulling one nib out and pushing a new one on the feed assembly.

The Aquatic edition is a turquoise color that I find really appealing. The blue is really light, the green is very toned down, and there's a colder, darker gray/silver hue that also comes through to really set it apart from other teal/turquoise editions. When looking at the marketing photos online, it's easy to think that this isn't much different from the Pacific edition from a few years ago, but it's easy to see just how different they are when side by side. Where Pacific is bright, cheery, and brilliant, Aquatic is a bit more subdued and calm.

The pen came with the standard blue Lamy cartridge, and that's what I chose to ink the pen with. Something about the dark blue grip section made the standard blue ink a good choice in my mind. It started writing just a few minutes after inserting the cartridge, and the fine nib is smooth, crisp, and responsive — exactly what I'd expect from a Lamy steel nib.

If you're new to Lamy, then pay attention to the contoured grip section as it favors a more standard tripod grip position (thumb, index, and middle fingers). If you grip the pen differently, then you should consider whether or not an opinionated grip section like this will work well for you. Since Lamy pens are generally accessible and easy to find, you either already know if you like their grip design, or you haven't had a chance to try one out yet. If you're in the latter camp, this gorgeous special edition is a great one to take for a spin.

At $38, the Aquatic AL-Star is a great pen for the money (and same is true for all AL-Stars) — regardless of where you fall in the AL-Star vs Safari rivalry! The special editions are the same price as the normal AL-Star line, which I think is even more reason to go for the special colors over the standard options. The AL-Star is a great writer and ready for years of service with a little care and maintenance. The Aquatic edition is now one of my favorite colors of the AL-Star that I've seen over the past few years. If the color grabs your eye, better nab one before they're gone!

(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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