Book Review: The Revenge of Analog by David Sax

by Andrew

Admittedly, I’m a bit late to this book, which was published all the way back in 2016 (it seems so long ago now). But after slowly chipping away at it for a year or so, I’m ready to talk about what I like and what I don’t like about The Revenge of Analog: Real Things and Why They Matter by David Sax.

As a whole, The Revenge of Analog is written to be a bulwark against the digital tidal wave or, at least, against the argument that the digital revolution is here to wipe out the world of analog stuff. If you think that computers and apps will totally consume the physical world, then David Sax is here to tell you to think again. The analog world is fighting back.

Reading through the book, you’ll quickly notice a simple formula. Each chapter takes an analog product, process, or concept that people claim to be dead, dying, or rapidly changing (like brick-and-mortar retail, board games, in-person learning, etc.), then explains why that analog thing is actually doing really well.

This repeating formula is probably why it took me so long to finish this book. It’s easy to put it down after completing a chapter and come back to it a month later. That’s kind of nice, but it also makes it feel like a collection of magazine articles, rather than a book that builds to a larger point. And, in the end, I think Sax fails to make the case that ‘Analog’ has had any sort of revenge against ‘Digital.’

Don’t get me wrong, I love analog stuff. This blog is proof of that. And I think it’s mostly very interesting to read about how companies like Moleskin, which is profiled in this book extensively, are managing to create a thriving business in this analog space. But although the current business of vinyl records and Polaroid cameras are cool, all this analog stuff is still very niche. Apple, on the other hand, has become the most valuable company in the world by doing things like putting a digital camera in every pocket, creating a streaming music service, and selling iPads.

To put it another way, Sax generally glosses over the huge decline of the industries he covers here. And it’s probably a mistake to think as though it’s “digital vs analog” – if society were forced to choose, analog would probably lose at this point. To me, it’s much more interesting how these analog industries can integrate with the digital industries; like book stores hosting virtual book clubs or vinyl records being paired with digital downloads. But that’s just not what this book is about.

In the end, I didn’t dislike The Revenge of Analog. There are some interesting business profiles, anecdotes, and conversations within these pages. I just don’t think it offers much besides that.

Review: Sharpie S-Gel, Gel Ink, 0.5mm

by Andrew

The popularity of The Sharpie Pen brought with it a lot of hot competition. Pens like the BIC Intensity and the Foray Stylemark began to encroach on Sharpie’s shelf space, so it was inevitable that Sharpie was going to fight back. And here it is, the S-Gel, a pen destined to take a slice from the lucrative gel pen market-share (they’re looking at you, G-2).

The S-Gel is currently available in three tip sizes: bold (1.0mm), medium (0.7mm), and fine (0.5mm). Medium seems to be the default size you’ll find in most places, but I decided to order a box of the fine tipped version online. They ended up costing a little over $1 per pen, but it ended up being a good choice, as the ink in this size never seemed too thick or runny.

Overall, Sharpie did a good job with these pens. The black ink is dark, and it fills a space very well with little-to-no bleeding or smearing. It’s smooth, and it feels good to hold. The grip section is firm and rubbery, and, though the entire body of the pen is made of plastic, the whole thing, including the clip, is quite sturdy. The black and silver color scheme looks good, or, at least, better than most of its “premium plastic” competitors, in my opinion.

But the S-Gel is similar enough in function to many other gel pens you’ll find in the market that I can’t exactly recommend it over other favorites like the Pentel Energel or Zebra Sarasa Clip. So unless you find the S-Gel on sale or you just happen to really like that Sharpie logo across the barrel, you won’t be missing out by letting these pass you by. That said, I always appreciate when stationery companies decide to try new things, so I hope we continue to see more from Sharpie.

Review: Lamy Pico, Ballpoint, Medium Point

by Andrew

If you dig through this blog, you will probably notice that my experience with Lamy pens have been good and bad and good and bad. But, no matter what happens, I keep coming back because Lamy has a knack for producing some of the most interesting and unique pen designs around. The Lamy Pico typifies this, and, luckily, it manages to be one of Lamy’s better efforts.

The Pico is an expandable pocket pen. All closed up, it measures a mere 3.75” in length, but press down the end to eject the tip and the barrel expands to a full 5”. On paper that might not seem like much, but it feels a bit magical as it transforms from something that can fit in your fist to a normal, nicely balanced pen.

The Pico’s body is constructed of metal but is coated in a smooth enamel-ish material that, in typical Lamy fashion, is available to buy in a bunch of color coatings. My lovely wife bought me the white version as a Christmas gift last year, and it has a very minimalist and clean look. Admittedly, in its closed-up form, it somewhat resembles a tampon applicator.

One small (but important) detail is the small, gray nub on the side of the barrel. One reason it’s there is to display Lamy’s logo, but it’s primary function is to act as a roll-stopper. One of my pet peeves is a perfectly round pen that will simply roll off your desk when you set it down. Most pens have clips to prevent this, bit since the Pico is clip-less, Lamy has smartly included this little protrusion that does a decent job of roll-prevention.

I really only have one point of criticism: the refill. The pico uses a proprietary Lamy M22 ballpoint refill, and though I don’t like the concept of proprietary refills, I understand that they may have needed something special for this pen’s size. My real problem is that the refill just isn’t all that good.

It’s not a bad refill either. It’s moderately smooth and should last for quite a while, but it skipped out enough to be annoying. I suppose I just think that for a pen that usually retails for $30-$40, it should have something much better.

Still, I think this is a great pocket pen. The retracting mechanism is fun to use, and it has a high build quality. I definitely recommend it.

Review: Inc. Optimus, Porous Point, Fine

by Andrew

As a longtime fan of porous point pens, I’m happy to see more and more of them in stores. I found this pen, the Optimus by Inc., in a two-pack at a dollar store, sitting beside another porous point pen, the Promarx UltraFine. And, though I’ve had issues with Inc. pens in the past, I’ve got to say that the company has done a pretty good job here.

For an average price of 50 cents per pen, the Optimus is fairly inexpensive compared to name brand porous points. It comes with a hard plastic body and no “grip” section to really speak of, but I was pleasantly surprised to see a nice metal clip. Since most porous point pens come with cheapo clips, this is a touch that I really like. The pen itself is durable enough, and the tip has continued to produce a crisp line after two weeks of continuous use.

When it comes right down to it, this is a great pen for the money. Without any specified tip size (it just says “fine point”) it won’t replace any of the fancier fine liners, and anyone familiar with a pen like the BIC Intensity won’t see anything special or new here. But if you’re looking to cut costs from your porous point pen budget, the Optimus is a good way to go without sacrificing quality.

Review: Promarx UltraFine, Porous Point, 0.5mm

by Andrew

Despite the name, it’s not an advertisement of Marxism.

Promarx is a pen brand owned by the California-based Kittrich Corporation, which produces a lot of household and office products that are sold in big box stores all over the country. The local Dollar Tree is where I found these UltraFine porous point pens, which came in a 3-pack for – you guessed it – one dollar.

As expected, the Promarx doesn’t exactly provide a premium experience. It has a fully plastic body with a cheap clip, which easily bends out of shape. The black and gray design is plain and boring, but it gets the job done. The ink is dark and fills in areas well. The line it puts down isn’t as crisp as more premium porous points, but it’s definitely adequate for daily use.

For roughly 34 cents per pen, the Promarx UltraFine is a pretty good deal. More mainstream brands that make porous points, like Sharpie or BIC, often sell them for 3 times the price. This makes Promarx UltraFine a good budget buy.