2020 has brought you 1500 more subscribers since this video! I wonder if that is an indication of people looking for a new hobby or simply people who always loved fountain pens and finally found your channel. I’m certainly glad to have found you today. I’m slowly working my way through your videos...
I rarely subscribe to channels, a strange passive aggressive resistance to the TH-cam algorithms. But I subscribed as soon as I heard "a guy sitting in his basement playing with his pens... I didn't just say that" I thought to myself, yeah I'm gonna support this guy. You are hilarious and wierd, my good sir. Three months into 2020 and you are almost to a thousand subs. Welcome to the vagaries of the internet.
Well I'm glad you overcame your resistance to subscribe to my channel - welcome aboard! :) Thank you for your congrats and yes "vagaries of the internet" is an excellent phrase. I had no idea this community existed a year ago!
Fun video. If I had to make a Top 10 video I would include also include several PenBBS pens, like the 308, 456, and 355. I also love my WS51A and 699. My top pen would have to be the Sheaffer Legacy though. It has the beautiful inlaid nib like your Targa, but I love the size, heft, and feel of this pen in my hand. Happy New Year and I’m looking forward to a lot more fun pen videos coming out.
Hey, Trace. I too, am a fan of the Sheaffer Legacy and the PFM. I've only seen them in videos and images and on eBay. Grandmia pens does a lovely restore on a PFM. I'd love to get my hands on one some day. I have a huge list of pen video topics planned. I've just today started the restore on my friend's 1954 Parker 51 pen set (BP, FP and Pencil) and will probably do a time lapse (unless I destroy it... in which case... I didn't do it).
Professor Doug, Just stumbled on to this review and have to say Supertramp is the greatest band of all time IMHO. I feel that we have many things in common, humour, music, movie clips and of course pens. Who knew.
Nice bunch of pens. Amber works best in models you want to see ink, like 355, Galaxy is opaque. I like your colors, my Favs include Aurora, Symphony, Smog, Dark Paint, Hidden path, Cordeorite, I like almost all the colors/finishes. More in 2020 !!
Thanks, Chris! I'm still waiting on my 491 I ordered mid-December. It is in Cordierite and will be my first in this finish. I know you're a fan of greens - me, not so much. So, although I admire Aurora (on my 355), I'm interested to see Cordierite because it would be a cool finish on a 355. Symphony is another I might think about obtaining. A 456 in Symphony would be cool!
So, Mr. Rathbun....I ordered the Penbbs Galaxy....Didn't have any Penbbs. Coming close to the end of my acquisition phase (for a long while). Going out with a bang. Ordered a bunch of pens and ink in the last month. Thought I'd go with another of your recommendations. 😁
You had me in stitches, sir, before the video had even reached four minutes of air time. Your technical prowess adds to the several shades of humor therein: sarcasm, irony, slapstick, et al. But best of all, you are, like me, opinionated, even if our opinions don't always agree. Thank you, this piece was fun!
Hey, Joel! Thanks so much. I'm just trying to have fun, I'm glad others get my twisted humour. If we all had the same opinions, we'd be as boring as porridge! ;)
Lovely collection. It seems we resonate when it comes to PenBBS. Absolutely delicious value for the moneys. I do have 456 and 268 so far and think about getting 480 soon.
Thanks, Den. That may just be one of the big attractions for Penbbs for me. No only is there an incredible selection of gorgeous finishes and models, they are affordable! It is like they are popcorn - you just keep grabbing more and more!
Hey, Pete! Thanks so much! There will be a special one today (Birthday for a friend). But you don't want to miss Saturday morning as I do a bit of a Canadian rant! ;)
Me too! It took me a month to learn how to play "Even in the Quietest Moments" only to have TH-cam take it down and give me a strike! I doubt Roger is going to lose any money from me playing that song (badly) in my basement. I've already bought the album three times!
OMG! This is 2020! That was hysterical! This was such an enjoyable rundown of favorites for 2019! Great laughs! Great pens! I had to put a few more on my list. I must say, I really love your taste in Pens! And, of course, your wife’s taste in pens! I love the ones she picks for her use, and the one she picked out for you. Great taste! But man, my “pens to buy” list is getting dangerously long! 😁 But, “Not that is anything wrong with that.” Ha! I had to watch it again! So damn funny!! “Refresh, refresh!”
Doug, Thank you for bringing some sanity to the Fountain Pen thing. I have just gotten back into fountain Pens after some 30 years of neglecting how wonderful they are to write with. I have bought some very nice and expensive pens from Visconti, Pelikan, Conway Stewart, Sailor, etc,etc but I must say the pens that give me the greatest joy are the pens from Penbbs, Fountain Pen Revolution, Edison and Moonman and especially the Moonman M600S; I have 4. There is nothing like re-fitting a Moonman M600S with my favorite #6 rosetta 1.1stub nib; pure heaven for me! Love your reviews and choice of pens. Congrats on reaching 500 views, it looks like the next 500 will come a lot quicker. Also loving the Classical Music with the Oldies; looking forward to more of your reviews!
Wow. Thanks, Tom! That's really wonderful of you to say and thank you for the comments about your pens and your pen journey. Mine is similar, in that, I grew up writing with fountain pens (Sheaffer $1.50 student in the blister pack), but got away from it while in my career in theatre design. I spent 30 years with technical pens and drafting pencils. In the last year, fountain pens have taken over again and it is now a full-blown hobby (cheaper than collecting guitars). Also, thanks for the tip on FPR. I've looked again at their website and will probably be ordering one soon. Your comment made my day because I got just the opposite reaction on my videos over at the Fountain Pen Network ("your videos are boring"). LOL
Thank you, enjoyed that. We seem to have a similar enthusiasm for PenBBS, amazing quality for the price. May I suggest you investigate Ranga pens from India - good quality with really interesting shapes and finishes but the no 6 nibs sometimes need a bit of fettling. They're something a bit different that you may like. Regards - Eric
Rangas have been suggested before and I had a look. Some of the models are nice; I like the 9B and the Model 5. I'm not sure it is worth $75US to get a pen (model 5) that looks identical to a Fuliwen 017 (Blue Danube) when I can get the Fuliwen for $25Cdn ($19US) with free shipping and put any #6 I want into it. I might give it a try when the well fills up again. ;)
You just had to go and show that beautiful Pilot E95S. I spoke via email with the co-owner of Phidon Pens in Cambridge Ont. today to acquire that very same pen after seeing your review recently only to hear that it is a special order from Japan and not available until July. Maybe the virus will be petering out by then. We can only hope!
Hey Doug, and congrats! Great seeing you on here from the PenBBS group :) I have the 308 Amber and it's a gorgeous material. I knew I had seen your name before. What was the first purple pen on the stand you moved out of the way before you started?
Aha! You caught that! That is a custom-made calligraphy pen my kids got me for Christmas. It was made by a local artisan. It has three nib/feed/sections that came with it in 1.5, 1.9 and 2.5 stubs. You'll see it in an upcoming video review.
Hey, Shahriar. I thought I posted a reply to this but now I don’t see it. That purple pen was a Christmas gift from my kids. It is a custom made calligraphy pen with three nibs. Review soon!
@@InkquiringMinds Well, Doug.....I'm fiddy-five (sounds more fun said like that)....and you know I like your taste in music & pens, also you have a great sense of humor. So, all that eguals....Yep, you guessed it... Coolness!
I know, I know. :( It was soooo close. The 355 writes beautifully, but it doesn't post well and it feels chunkier in my hand than the 456. I'm fascinated by the filling mechanism even though it gets a bad rap because it takes a bit to master it. I enjoy using it... just be a geeky thing. I've not found any drying issues with either 456 or 355. I picked up the 355 (always inked) for the first time yesterday in a couple of weeks and bingo, right off the bat - wrote like a gusher!
2020 has brought you 1500 more subscribers since this video! I wonder if that is an indication of people looking for a new hobby or simply people who always loved fountain pens and finally found your channel. I’m certainly glad to have found you today.
I’m slowly working my way through your videos...
Thank you, clc3897! I'm as surprised as anyone! LOL
Me too
I rarely subscribe to channels, a strange passive aggressive resistance to the TH-cam algorithms. But I subscribed as soon as I heard "a guy sitting in his basement playing with his pens... I didn't just say that" I thought to myself, yeah I'm gonna support this guy. You are hilarious and wierd, my good sir. Three months into 2020 and you are almost to a thousand subs. Welcome to the vagaries of the internet.
Well I'm glad you overcame your resistance to subscribe to my channel - welcome aboard! :) Thank you for your congrats and yes "vagaries of the internet" is an excellent phrase. I had no idea this community existed a year ago!
Fun video. If I had to make a Top 10 video I would include also include several PenBBS pens, like the 308, 456, and 355. I also love my WS51A and 699. My top pen would have to be the Sheaffer Legacy though. It has the beautiful inlaid nib like your Targa, but I love the size, heft, and feel of this pen in my hand.
Happy New Year and I’m looking forward to a lot more fun pen videos coming out.
Hey, Trace. I too, am a fan of the Sheaffer Legacy and the PFM. I've only seen them in videos and images and on eBay. Grandmia pens does a lovely restore on a PFM. I'd love to get my hands on one some day. I have a huge list of pen video topics planned. I've just today started the restore on my friend's 1954 Parker 51 pen set (BP, FP and Pencil) and will probably do a time lapse (unless I destroy it... in which case... I didn't do it).
Congrats Doug! Great edits in this video! I had fun refreshing the Etsy page for the PenBBS 500 drop.
Thanks, Jan. That model 500 launch was way too much fun! Probably more fun than the pen itself!
Professor Doug, Just stumbled on to this review and have to say Supertramp is the greatest band of all time IMHO. I feel that we have many things in common, humour, music, movie clips and of course pens. Who knew.
Shhh... don't say SooperClamp on TH-cam!! I can't even hum a ST tune without getting a copyright strike.
Nice bunch of pens. Amber works best in models you want to see ink, like 355, Galaxy is opaque. I like your colors, my Favs include Aurora, Symphony, Smog, Dark Paint, Hidden path, Cordeorite, I like almost all the colors/finishes. More in 2020 !!
Thanks, Chris! I'm still waiting on my 491 I ordered mid-December. It is in Cordierite and will be my first in this finish. I know you're a fan of greens - me, not so much. So, although I admire Aurora (on my 355), I'm interested to see Cordierite because it would be a cool finish on a 355. Symphony is another I might think about obtaining. A 456 in Symphony would be cool!
So, Mr. Rathbun....I ordered the Penbbs Galaxy....Didn't have any Penbbs. Coming close to the end of my acquisition phase (for a long while). Going out with a bang. Ordered a bunch of pens and ink in the last month. Thought I'd go with another of your recommendations. 😁
Remember, YMMV! No, seriously, you'll love that Galaxy!
Beautiful collection Doug
Thanks so much, Rajesh! Small but growing! LOL
You had me in stitches, sir, before the video had even reached four minutes of air time. Your technical prowess adds to the several shades of humor therein: sarcasm, irony, slapstick, et al. But best of all, you are, like me, opinionated, even if our opinions don't always agree. Thank you, this piece was fun!
Hey, Joel! Thanks so much. I'm just trying to have fun, I'm glad others get my twisted humour. If we all had the same opinions, we'd be as boring as porridge! ;)
Congratulations! A very nice selection.
Thanks, John. The operative word is CHEA... ummmm inexpensive! :)
I have the same sheaffer targa and I love it it's great but mine has more of a stub kinda nib
Nice! I don't use the Targa that much as it is so slim. But eventually I'll get a Sheaffer PFM or Legacy.
Hey Douglas , Congrats on 500 subscribers and wishing you many many more...👍
Thanks, Luc! Much appreciated!
Lovely collection. It seems we resonate when it comes to PenBBS. Absolutely delicious value for the moneys. I do have 456 and 268 so far and think about getting 480 soon.
Thanks, Den. That may just be one of the big attractions for Penbbs for me. No only is there an incredible selection of gorgeous finishes and models, they are affordable! It is like they are popcorn - you just keep grabbing more and more!
Love your videos, very entertaining and informative - Cant wait for the next one!
Hey, Pete! Thanks so much! There will be a special one today (Birthday for a friend). But you don't want to miss Saturday morning as I do a bit of a Canadian rant! ;)
Supertramp! That was along time ago... I loved them, had all their records.
Me too! It took me a month to learn how to play "Even in the Quietest Moments" only to have TH-cam take it down and give me a strike! I doubt Roger is going to lose any money from me playing that song (badly) in my basement. I've already bought the album three times!
@@InkquiringMinds :D
OMG! This is 2020! That was hysterical! This was such an enjoyable rundown of favorites for 2019! Great laughs! Great pens! I had to put a few more on my list. I must say, I really love your taste in
Pens! And, of course, your wife’s taste in pens! I love the ones she picks for her use, and the one she picked out for you. Great taste! But man, my “pens to buy” list is getting dangerously long! 😁 But, “Not that is anything wrong with that.” Ha! I had to watch it again! So damn funny!! “Refresh, refresh!”
Hey KA! LOL I'm so glad you like my stupid sense of humour! You know you're just encouraging me right?
Congratulations Doug. Great video. I've taken notes. I have the the Wingsung 601A in Teal, great pen 👍
Thanks, Andrew! Oh the Teal one! I have it in my Etsy cart... so close to pulling the trigger.
@@InkquiringMinds pull already 😂
Andrew T LOL! I have so much in my cart(s)!
@@InkquiringMinds I know exactly what you mean 😂
Doug, Thank you for bringing some sanity to the Fountain Pen thing. I have just gotten back into fountain Pens after some 30 years of neglecting how wonderful they are to write with. I have bought some very nice and expensive pens from Visconti, Pelikan, Conway Stewart, Sailor, etc,etc but I must say the pens that give me the greatest joy are the pens from Penbbs, Fountain Pen Revolution, Edison and Moonman and especially the Moonman M600S; I have 4. There is nothing like re-fitting a Moonman M600S with my favorite #6 rosetta 1.1stub nib; pure heaven for me! Love your reviews and choice of pens. Congrats on reaching 500 views, it looks like the next 500 will come a lot quicker. Also loving the Classical Music with the Oldies; looking forward to more of your reviews!
Wow. Thanks, Tom! That's really wonderful of you to say and thank you for the comments about your pens and your pen journey. Mine is similar, in that, I grew up writing with fountain pens (Sheaffer $1.50 student in the blister pack), but got away from it while in my career in theatre design. I spent 30 years with technical pens and drafting pencils. In the last year, fountain pens have taken over again and it is now a full-blown hobby (cheaper than collecting guitars). Also, thanks for the tip on FPR. I've looked again at their website and will probably be ordering one soon. Your comment made my day because I got just the opposite reaction on my videos over at the Fountain Pen Network ("your videos are boring"). LOL
Thank you, enjoyed that. We seem to have a similar enthusiasm for PenBBS, amazing quality for the price. May I suggest you investigate Ranga pens from India - good quality with really interesting shapes and finishes but the no 6 nibs sometimes need a bit of fettling. They're something a bit different that you may like. Regards - Eric
Rangas have been suggested before and I had a look. Some of the models are nice; I like the 9B and the Model 5. I'm not sure it is worth $75US to get a pen (model 5) that looks identical to a Fuliwen 017 (Blue Danube) when I can get the Fuliwen for $25Cdn ($19US) with free shipping and put any #6 I want into it. I might give it a try when the well fills up again. ;)
Congrats on reaching 500.
Thanks, Daniel! Good to see you! :)
That was the most entertaining run down of pens I've ever seen! 😂 And congratulations on the 500 subs 🎉
Thanks, Kathy! I'm having lots of fun.
You just had to go and show that beautiful Pilot E95S. I spoke via email with the co-owner of Phidon Pens in Cambridge Ont. today to acquire that very same pen after seeing your review recently only to hear that it is a special order from Japan and not available until July. Maybe the virus will be petering out by then. We can only hope!
I had to get mine through Amazon.ca. It came in only a couple of days and was very reasonable.
I love my E95S. That Amber is a Cat is gorgeous. I only have 1 PenBBS pen so far but it probably won't be the last.
My Pilot e95s is still one of my favourites. I'm going to do a side by side comparison of my 14k e95s with a steel nib Elite soon.
Great video, and congrats on the milestone!
Thanks so much! Love your channel too!
I thought there wasn't gonna be music in the intro and was all bummed... then... suddenly... there it was! Yea!
LOL! I can only afford about 10 seconds of music or my videos get snatched!
Hey Doug, and congrats! Great seeing you on here from the PenBBS group :) I have the 308 Amber and it's a gorgeous material. I knew I had seen your name before. What was the first purple pen on the stand you moved out of the way before you started?
Aha! You caught that! That is a custom-made calligraphy pen my kids got me for Christmas. It was made by a local artisan. It has three nib/feed/sections that came with it in 1.5, 1.9 and 2.5 stubs. You'll see it in an upcoming video review.
Hey, Shahriar. I thought I posted a reply to this but now I don’t see it. That purple pen was a Christmas gift from my kids. It is a custom made calligraphy pen with three nibs. Review soon!
@@InkquiringMinds That's an awesome gift! Looking forward to seeing it :)
Doug, You're a really cool dude. Love your channel. Stacy from South Florida.
Thanks, Stacy! There was a day when I was cool. LOL -25C here right now. We could use some of that South Florida sun! 🥶
@@InkquiringMinds Well, Doug.....I'm fiddy-five (sounds more fun said like that)....and you know I like your taste in music & pens, also you have a great sense of humor. So, all that eguals....Yep, you guessed it... Coolness!
Stay warm, Buddy!
Whatttt ? Where is the beloved 355 ? Also, do you have drying out problems on the feed for 456 and 355 like chrisrap?
I know, I know. :( It was soooo close. The 355 writes beautifully, but it doesn't post well and it feels chunkier in my hand than the 456. I'm fascinated by the filling mechanism even though it gets a bad rap because it takes a bit to master it. I enjoy using it... just be a geeky thing. I've not found any drying issues with either 456 or 355. I picked up the 355 (always inked) for the first time yesterday in a couple of weeks and bingo, right off the bat - wrote like a gusher!
Woot woot!
Yay Alecia! :) ~bows~
Subscribed
Thanks so much Maahantuoja !!
The best penbbs pen? If u had to choose one?
Penbbs 456!
@@InkquiringMinds have you tried the 535?
@@amoryblaine1102 Inked mine yesterday.
@@InkquiringMinds how does it compare to the 456?
@@amoryblaine1102 It is a completely different animal than the 456. It is more like a 355 in that the mechanism is the same.