Fountain Pen Dealbreakers, and Pens for Bad Handwriting | Pencast 139

[@ForTheLoveOfPens]

Please keep Janea on, such a breath of fresh air!

[@differentkindofGEKE]

I love when Janea is on! Your other guest hosts too!

[@VOX.THE.AVIATRIX]

Yes!!! Janea episodes are my favorite!

[@MaSeLu]

You know, I think you're right. She's such a natural and brings an air of warmth and vibrancy. Ps. Brian is awesome.

[@jamescappio7434]

Absolutely, she’s fantastic!

[@testinguk_Admin]

She’s great

[@patriciaclark7135]

Janea, during the intro you had me laughing already. Your laugh is infectious!

[@skeskali]

Janèa! ✨🎉 "Nails so sharp I can cut a baby" is how I'll describe the shape I want the next time I get my nails done. 🤣

[@nukadog1969]

"Is it shimmery?"

[@Gouletpens]

That was hilarious! I shouldn't have asked. - Drew

[@jaceny3077]

Love, love, love Janea! It’s great to have her join the cast. Can she be a a regular guest even if Brian is there? She can do pen spotlights! Anything!!! I love this podcast. 😊

[@jolienkrispijn]

That was a lot of fun! Janea is such a joyful person ❤️ and so are you, Drew! Thanks both of you!

[@Hey_its_CeeTee]

Janea says she won’t wear a pink shirt because it does not look professional. I immediately look to the right of the screen to Drew’s shirt. LMAO. Love Janea.

[@needtojournal]

I love seeing Janea. She is such a bubbly personality.

[@dawndemanda]

Janea, don't let anyone diss you about "Mannequin"! It is one of my favorites from the 80s. The music is great and Hollywood is a gem!

[@jessicayeo97]

HA! Watching how quickly ya'll smashed through the questions made me realise just how deep Brian's deep dives really are (never change, Brian)

[@heathergleiser]

As someone who cannot write cursive and has mediocre handwriting in print but loves fountain pens, I feel seen! Thank you.

[@FountainPenNews]

I'm so glad you liked my pangram, thanks for reading it!

[@MrsAlchemist]

It was funny!

[@alejandrodiaz4503]

Love Janea on the show!! also Yama Budo slaps as a color, got that in my Lamy Al-Star right now

[@Gouletpens]

Agreed! On both! - Drew

[@K_rye]

Drew - I love how often you say that you want to encourage your child to be his own person. It's hard to not assume what you like will appeal to your kids.

[@Gouletpens]

I've caught myself a few times trying a little too hard, but I'd like to think that these days I'm pretty good about letting him discover things on his own! - Drew

[@fletcherchambers7175]

Janéa in the thumbnail = watch right now instead of later. :)

[@ejourneys]

Thanks for the pangram shoutout! Great hosting, Janea! I love lorem ipsum, which I used decades ago, during my desktop publishing days. To add to what a couple of others have posted here: "The passage is attributed to an unknown typesetter in the 15th century who is thought [by Richard McClintock, a Latin scholar from Hampden-Sydney College] to have scrambled parts of Cicero's De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum for use in a type specimen book," according to the Lorem Ipsum Generator. In particular, the garbled words of lorem ipsum bear an unmistakable resemblance to sections 1.10.32-33 of Cicero's work, with the most notable passage excerpted below: "Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem." A 1914 English translation by Harris Rackham reads: "Nor is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure." Also, as God is my witness, I didn't know wild turkeys could fly (ref. WKRP in Cincinnati).

[@PenFriends]

Maybe a triplet of Janea, Drew and Brian ? The community demands it!

[@Star-go2nj]

Janea is so fun! Enjoying this episode! My FP dealbreakers: 1. Too large or too heavy pen. I got baby hands, so a light and smaller pen is my go to. The pilot petit are the smallest I’ll go (Benu minima and Keweco are comfy small pens) The TWSBI eco is great larger pen. I recently got a Narwhal original and its a bit heavier than I’d like so I’d consider that the limit) 2. Very pronounced triangular grip sections. Jinhao Shark is absolutely painful to hold because the grip is actually too thin thanks to the triangle shape.

[@CatherineC.2123]

I found that using a stub nib really improved the look of my handwriting.

[@differentkindofGEKE]

0:32 Losing recipes. I love this phrase. I’m going to start using it!

[@shamariv]

Janéa I too am a big fan of pink! Pink Ink, pink pen, pink notebook all shades! Luckily I’m a nurse and everything I write at work are reminders/lists that end up in the confidential shredder at the end of my shift. (records are electronic) I have no idea how I would proceed if that were not the case. Everyday a basic blue ink??? I could never!

[@archivist17]

I love Brian and Drew, but Janea is a natural superstar!

[@patriciaclark7135]

Drew: "It makes me look bonus Pink" 🤣🤣🤣

[@kattz753]

Losing recipes is a real thing. After my grandmother died I asked where her tecipes were. Sadly, they died with her. She hadn't written anything down.

[@MarshaLove0723]

Janéa, I too love Mannequin, and can watch it over and over. Hollywood! 😂

[@tbayless8324]

I love camping. Drew you need to take Archer again when he is a little older. You made memories with him. My favorite movies in the 80's are endless, Can't Buy Me Love reminds me of my High School Days. Jocks and nerds. My favorite all time movie will always be Somewhere in Time with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour.

[@TheWanderingFire]

23:48: I am a soothsayer! A prognosticator! 😂

[@Gouletpens]

Thanks for picking up on that! - Drew

[@TheWanderingFire]

@@Gouletpens This amused me more than is proper, so I bookmarked it for later. 😂

[@maryannehommel103]

It's great your team is so deep that you have so many subs when Brian is gone! I'd love to see Brian K and Adrienne back again. Love the diversity of your staffs experience and knowledge!

[@lisah8162]

One things to keep in mind about “which pen” for bad handwriting: I have arthritis in my hands and as the disease has progressed I find that I need to use a finer nib. I have lost any dexterity that it took for a broad nib. It all mashes together into an ink mess with no definition.

[@whimsycheer362]

I’m only 35, but after that convo and I felt so seen about the get off my lawn stage of life.. then she says in 2016 when I was a kid and I ooooop 👵🏼👵🏼👵🏼 hubs rented out a movie theater for me once to watch goonies on the big screen. I appreciate hearing the love for it 😂

[@Gouletpens]

I would love to see Goonies on the big screen!! - Drew

[@s.n.11]

It was fantastic. You guys can repeat it again and I'll be watching it! I love to have new point of view of fountain pens. Janéa is awesome! Turkey Hammoc to everyone!

[@s.scully]

I think a fine nib can help with folks who have slightly scrawly handwriting. Medium and broad nibs automatically make the letters look bulky and run together unless you're writing huge, so I'd say start with an EF or F nib for a first pen.

[@ExiledExia]

Great pencast! Had so much fun watching!

[@tyjinks]

Love the energy that Janea brings to the pencast! Also, you have 2 of my top 5 purple edition inks. I've already geared myself up to get Fireside Snug and Weeping Willow. I'm tempted by nightfall, but I really want a standard version without the shimmer to accompany it.

[@TJulieta]

WILD KRATTS! Still love that show even though my son is now 19, lol. If I ever see it on, I want to leave it and/or watch it because it's so informative! Great "Turkey Hammock" fun fact!

[@Alan-f8l]

Another enjoyable pencast, thank you. Regarding “deal breakers”, for me it is ornate gold pens like the Buckingham Palace pen, the mock baroque is not my bling! Cheers Al

[@beckyisj]

Can we talk about how Janea's nails are Goulet blue!!! I'm also losing my mind that Umbrella is 15yo...

[@elwood9408]

Janea is awesome!!! Wild Kratts is great, and I have indeed seen a flying wild turkey... it flew over the highway that we were driving on.

[@KrakenCasting]

Janea is so fun, she reminds me of my niece. Also, great choice in a workhorse pen, I love my TWSBY Eco. What kind of paper do you guys like to write on?

[@annestrasko7581]

First of all, I'm loving the Mannequin reference! I was just at the Accademia Gallerie in Florence, and no joke, my husband and I were quoting Kim Cattrell's line about Michaelangelo and David. Also, I have a firsthand wild turkey experience. A few years ago, I was sitting at my desk near a window at my office and all of a sudden there was a massive BANG against the window. I ran over, looked out, and there was a very confused wild turkey walking away from the building. I had no clue they flew until that happened!!

[@JefferyHall-ct2tr]

Hi Friends! Another FRESH, interesting, pencast! Thanks for the entertainment!!

[@fiddletwist]

Also, Janéa, the BEST Dickens novel is Bleak House!! That's a hill I'd almost die on!

[@hillogical]

I am stealing the "losing recipes" line.

[@starfire52ful]

😂😂😂

[@NoDecaf7]

Girl your nails are Goulet Blue, I'm obsessed. 💙💙💙💙💙

[@vjmtz]

Janéa is stunning and fun. Love seeing her back 😍

[@wendywander7]

The biggest fountain pen deal breaker for me is a sloping or metal grip section. I had hand pain with the TWSBI Diamond 580 but do fine with the ALR because it's not slippery. I also had pain with the Lamy 2000 due to the slope and my smaller hands. I'm hesitant about pens that are either very narrow in diameter or wide in diameter, though I may be able to take a few quick notes with either. The TWSBI Go is my favorite TWSBI: those great nibs at such an affordable price, and the easiest pen to fill and clean, with partial fills if I want to change inks more often. They're also sturdier than my other TWSBI models. I'm a big fan of the Go! I live on the north Oregon coast, and one of my friends just went to the Goonies house and jail this weekend! It's such a classic. Thank you, Drew and Janea, for such an enjoyable Pencast!

[@putocuchinta]

What is this Mannequin slander, Drew? It’s a perfectly fine movie 😂

[@SilverSeaOT7]

Agree with Janéa on Princess Bride! You two are great together.

[@karibean13]

Drew, I can’t believe you didn’t pick the special Brown Safari with its little clip accessories! I definitely prefer the matte Safaris to the glossy ones, and really only like the ones with colored/coated clips instead of the plain silver ones.

[@Gouletpens]

Oh I wasn't including ones that were launched outside the US! But yeah, obviously that'd be my top pick! - Drew

[@willieb918]

Love me some Janea. Such a good vibe from her.

[@TJulieta]

Minus all of the fun facts about the pens, Drew is me when I'm showing off the pens I have inked up, LOL! I'm always telling people to "play with this one" and then noticing things that are not quite right as I'm trying to show them off. (enthusiasm included)

[@StephaneDesnault]

Discoteque is actually the french for night club

[@BrichaJulbry]

We use it in Thailand, too, back in the day. ❤

[@judyjacobs5827]

Not exactly. Discotheque is French for "record-playing location". Disc is the record (though none of you youngsters remember records), and teque is akin to boutique and antique and optique, and then there's cinemateque, and barbeque. To quote the musical genius, Peter Schickele, A jackass named John, in his prime Every mountain and mesa could climb Yes, he climbed like a monkey Though he was a donkey (They're spelled the same: why don't they rhyme?)

[@BrichaJulbry]

@judyjacobs5827 With all due respect, discothèque was the actual word for a nightclub in France and in Thailand. I lived and worked there. In Italy, they called it discoteca. 😀

[@judyjacobs5827]

@@BrichaJulbry I looked it up in several online dictionaries and found this: Word Origin 1950s: from French discothèque, originally ‘record library’, on the pattern of bibliothèque ‘library’. Thanks for your "due respect", though I find it disingenuous, but you seem to be incorrect.

[@BrichaJulbry]

@judyjacobs5827 We're not talking about the meaning of the word. We lived it. This is a cultural use of the word. Until you live it, which you obviously didn't, you wouldn't know it. (And... that's OK not to know everything. It just shows that you are not as old as some of us. 😇 ) Try putting this word in Google translate. It will say "nightclub" from French to English. Hope this help! 😀

[@MexieMex]

Janea is great, such a natural at this.

[@emmaythegray]

Great episode - fun times with Janea! My biggest dealbreaker -- sorry, Pilot, you gotta do something about those converters. 😵‍💫

[@Javi_C]

Great to have Janea on the Podcast!

[@davidottman9501]

Many years ago I bought a Lamy fountain pen with an Oblique Medium nib. I don't remember the model name. It's round and too slim to be comfortable in use. I also didn't like the weird angle required by the oblique. Skipping ahead to last year, I got an Al Star and didn't really care for the triangular grip because it put the nib at an odd angle to the paper. However, swapping the OM nib into the Al Star solved both problems, with the odd angles canceling each other. Now that's one of my favorite pens!

[@GingahSnapsArt]

Janéa is such a ray of sunshine!

[@redredrubyred9]

Great episode!

[@Gouletpens]

Thanks for joining us! - Drew

[@BlackChonkyRollerbabe]

That's so funny I just got to the rock show bit and Drew attempts to Growl and death metal is my favourite 🤣 top impression Drew 🤘🏾👌🏾

[@sandyhall-zg7ck]

Thank you both. Lots of energy there! Like kid consideration and Mom concert stories. DEAL BREAKER: (1) pens with triangular grips. After 4 yr of pen hobby, I tried to write with a Lamy Safari. It hurt my hand to force fingers into the indentations. There's not enough space to hold it above then indentations. I even tried an ABC Lamy with smaller indentations, but the wooden barrel was too big for my average adult hands. (2) pens which become smaller toward the nib, so that my hand slides off. DEAL MAKERS: anything Pilot. They have OVER THE TOP CUSTOMER SERVICE. It's hard to believe in 2024, to witness a company whose bottom line is kind relationships and quality products. In comparison Sailor glued together a grip that split; after I received the pen, the grip split in another place. In the end they sent a new pen like the one I purchased.

[@BrichaJulbry]

6:30 The moment I started getting distracted by the appearance of the neon green pen... I had a hard time concentrating on the conversation afterward, thinking... "Do I have it in my secret stash somewhere???"

[@lauramoore7078]

Loved this one!

[@TheSubut]

Well we need to see Janea more on this channel :) great energy !

[@marthamahlburg1866]

I am a TWSBI girl. I own a Go. It is a bit chunkier than I like. I have a broad nib on it. I use it to try out new inks.

[@bethg7026]

I totally understand what you mean about a draggy nib - my Ritma's stub nib is draggy and sings a horrid high pitched whistle, like when you are trying to color with a cheap marker that's gone dry. Some day, I'll buy a smoothing kit and fix it.

[@ZiaLinkZen]

Yay Janéa, especially agree about heavier, thicker pens. IN FACT, I bought last week's highlight the 25 yr Anniversary Monteverde "heavy metal /super nova" Innova rainbow coated BRASS barrel. I was fearful it would be too heavy, but unposted it's PERFECT, gorgeous and the Omniflex nib is my new favorite nib! Lightning for sure. 💯 Also, just saw you two talking Procyon. Weirdly my cheap Preppy writes better than my "Modern Maki-e" Procyon and I don't care for those threads on the grip. But, LOVE MY newest pen and will write a review this weekend. Thanks for lively episode!

[@amyfeigt6715]

@Janea... no hate for Mannequin! I saw it in the theater with my cousin back in the day!...lol. & regarding flying turkeys, my dad is a retired Paramedic/firefighter & once worked a call where a gentleman was test-driving a motorcylce that he was considering buying...evidently this severely irritated a wild turkey inside the treeline....the turkey came flying out of the woods at a high rate of speed & crashed into the man on the motrcycle causing him to crash. I never found out if he had to pay for the wrecked bike...lol

[@robertcalkjr.8325]

According to my research, the pangram was used to test the keys on the older typewriters.

[@AsterLee-v3c]

We still use it! Pangrams are a quick and fun way to do an otherwise boring and monotonous task. I use it every time I see a typewriter in a vintage store. You need to check every single key individually before purchase because most of these typewriters are over thirty years old and it’s easy to discover breaks and cracks after you’ve bought it and taken it home.

[@ina_lina]

My first TWSBI was an Eco in Glow Green. Then I got a Swipe (because of Drew), in Pear. Then I got a Diamond 580 RBT. I was thinking 3 is too many and was considering getting rid of the Eco, but seeing it sparkle in Janéa's hand (with glowing fingernails!)... maybe I'll hang on to it! I'm not sure about dealbreakers, but I definitely have preferences. I prefer flat to cigar shape. Silver more than gold trim. Heavier over lighter. Metal over plastic. Postable over not. That said, I have many, many plastic pens, and my current favorite for sketching (Opus 88 demo with Pilot parallel 3.8 nib) is not postable. Probably the only real dealbreaker is if I can't afford it. 😂 Thanks for a lovely pencast. I still want to hear how the Nicki Minaj concert was, so you'll have to have Janéa back!

[@quicksilver_jenna]

I hate pens that don't post. Also, I have two Monteverde Regattas that post, but the caps are held on magnetically, and so they rattle and don't feel secure when they're posted. Drives me crazy - they will leave my collection soonish.

[@krys6461]

I put Wearingeul's Flame in SIS 173 and had to explain to my friend who Janea is and why at least she would probably appreciate the combination.

[@georgegarcia566]

Which Sailor dip pen did you all talk about being your current fave?

[@Gouletpens]

The Hocoro: www.gouletpens.com/collections/sailor-compass-hocoro-dip-pens

[@allysonlahnala9538]

Fun fact Jenea, Tale of Two cities is written in Modern English. The wording is just more prevalent to the Victorian time, so we don't understand all the wording. You wouldn't even be able to understand Old English, believe me, I studied this semester in college.

[@SeaweedKisses]

Love my TWSBI Glow Green, too! Did not expect to love it so much, but I do! Currently inked with Vert Empire💚 And trust me, I have “horrible” handwriting, and that did not stop me from using and collecting fps😂✍️

[@sbornot2b]

I want a plunger version of “standard” international converter.

[@N1inSK]

One of my Anthropology profs couldn't read my midterm exam (I wasn't using fountain pens at the time). We sat down in his office to go through my exam together, and there were places I couldn't read my own writing. I still have AWFUL writing, but I use fountain pens anyway to half-print, half-write my deathless prose. If anything, what's improving my handwriting is learning Morse Code; I'm at the point of writing down each character as it's transmitted, and it's faster to write rather than print.

[@JulianDeleon-ku6jm]

I’m a beginner and I want to get my first fountain pen 🖋️ I’ve narrowed it down to two options either the Lamy safari or the sailor tuzu which one would you recommend I’m on a budget of 30-40

[@killers31337]

My handwriting was instantly improved with a stub nib, particularly, TWSBI Diamond 580 with 1.1 mm stub worked the best. With a stub nib you naturally go slower, steadier, etc. It also looks fancier. Sub nibs are often sold as cheapo "calligraphy kits", but unlike a proper TWSBI pen those might dry out quickly.

[@LucyLu_meztli]

Janéa is so awesome and I just realized we are such opposites 😅🤭 I love skinny/thin lightweight pens. E95S has my heart, a Preppy, Lamy Logo (mainly because my hand is small, like I can use the E95S unposted perfectly fine). EF and F nibs are my jam, and I don’t do glitter cause I don’t like to clean pens as often as needed with a heavy glitter 😅 What we do have in common, is the love for awesome looking nails and Janéa’s are spot on! Wait, I also loooove pink! 🩷💖💝

[@fiddletwist]

I love the pangram about discotheques, I have to go write that down! Deal breaker for me is heavy, or really skinny - it's really my personal taste, but it also has to do with arthritis at the base of my right thumb. I can't really write for very long with my favorite ballpoint, a Parker Jotter, anymore. I bought a Nahvalur Horizon and I had to sell it, it was way too heavy for me - OW.

[@giselesmith7795]

I love your guests, especially Janea. I took it upon myself to memorize Grandma's pound cake recipe and a few others (wrote it down in a book too) so they won't become "lost". Janea, I cut my long nails after I cut my face twice in my sleep with them! Drew, Shannon is saving you $$$ by not getting into fountain pens so take that as maybe a plus? Janea, I would love to see a photo of your mom's musical group as that is my kind of music. Good chat guys!

[@jayebird1070]

Lorum Ipsum is garbled incoherent Latin, so unlike Pi, which goes on forever with a mathematical calculation, Lorum Ipsum is made up by people so we can stop or continue it however we like. I feel like fountain pens only make peoples' hand writing better no matter where you are starting, and certainly won't make it worse! Not having to use all that force make it easier to control and manage the fine motor control of writing. Also just look at the handwriting of some of the biggest fountain pen reviewers out there - theirs is far from "perfect". Question about pen preferences... have you ever had a pen you really like for a period and then one day it just wasn't for you anymore? If so, what happened? Also Janéa is awesome and loved seeing her back on the Pencast!

[@edwardstaats4935]

Love you two, she is great

[@JohnD77notJade]

Missed the first few Pencasts because I started my pen journey in May 2021. Is it overkill to have a 743 and an 823? Since it's obviously not, should I get them in every available color?

[@s.n.11]

For next week's Q&A: How easy is it to clean Benu Talisman pens? Is the nib/feed easy to disassemble? Is it safe to use it with shimmer inks?

[@AlongfortheThrill]

My deal breaker are pens that are too slim or too small, or anything smaller than a wet medium nib. My favorite pen is 2 mm shy of 6 inches capped, and half an inch thick. Any pens that are pink or purple is also a hard no.

[@s.n.11]

I'm only few minutes in and I already need to say: that TWSBI ECO Glow green's super cool!!😊

[@cynthiak2216]

Thank you anther wonderful Goulet Pencast! 💙🩵💙🩵💙

[@spiritusmundi5398]

I love using fountain pens. Have been using them for years and years. My dream job would be to work for a pen company 😊

[@marcbloom7462]

Since I'm from the School House Rock era, I use the Preamble to the US Constitution. We The People...

[@Gouletpens]

I used to know that, but I forgot. - Drew

[@edwardstaats4935]

Tale of Two cities is amazing

[@tinacampbell2610]

I'd love to have you all stock Diamine Cashmere Rose and Jacaranda from the new Purple Edition. I enjoyed the video, Janea was great as a Co-Host.

[@kellylaliberte548]

Cashmere Rose was the one I was hoping for too.

[@MaryKellyMulligan]

Per wikipedia, ' "lorum ipsum" is typically a corrupted version of "De finibis et malorum", a 1st century BC text, with words altered, added, and removed to make it nonsensically and improper Latin.' so maybe you don't want to be able to quote nonsensical text 🤔🤷🏻‍♀️

[@danielklopp7007]

A lady after my own heart... I love my TWSBI Eco on Glow-Green !!!

[@iterationomega]

Happy Weekend!

[@BielkaEstrella]

What about tomoe river labels/stickers to label bottles??!!

[@crystalca9082]

Drew, I’m almost positive I’ve given you this tip before, but a blunt-tipped syringe cleans out a CON70 in seconds. Just match the tip of the syringe to the end of the rod in the converter and squirt. It should flush everything out in one or two flushes.

[@Gouletpens]

I do use the syringe, but after a few pumps I still often see colored mist. If it's Pilot, I'm using the cartridge that's as easy as it gets when it comes to cleaning. - Drew

[@ilikepens]

Drew, you are crazy…masquerade is beautiful. I have it in my twsbi eco indigo bronze and it is such a lovely match to the bronze trim. I’m certain that this changes your mind. It would also look good with rose gold trim.

[@Gouletpens]

Maybe I do love it! - Drew

[@vermis8344]

I bought a Swipe. TBH I think I should have gotten a Go because it looks _less_ like a kid's pen. 😅 Or maybe I should man up and plump for an Eco. Dealbreakers? Metal sections. Can't grip 'em at all.

[@KnittingThroughTheTrauma]

Lmao in reference to the youth, I just started roller skating again at age 34. It means I go to the skate park. Luckily the kids (lol lord I just called them kids) there are nice.