What do you think of these kits?

[aggromere]

Not sure where to post this, but figured since it has pictures of pens I would do it in show off your pens.

I bet I've made well over 100 cigar kit pens in the last couple months and am sick sick sick sick sick of them. I have been looking for pen kits to put into my line of pens that are easier to make. Not that the cigar pen is hard, it's just two barrels so I keep searching for a single barrel pen with some heft to it. (my market is 99 percent men so the areo and such don't work). This past few days I made some, Zen's, Electra's and a couple of the new vertex magnetic pen.

I am up to over 100 unique hits a week on my web site and now have sold 11 pens. I have redone my site (again, sigh) to try and make it more shopper friendly and am going to start posting up product this week end.

I figure i can make a cigar pen kit in probably 45 minutes. the Electra kit has some issues in that you have to assemble the cap, which is five pieces, but I still think it is faster than the cigar. The Zen and the Vertex are a breeze to make and assemble.

give me some feedback if you will on what you think of the pens, the kit hardware and how well they go with my cigar theme. Also, recognizing it is not quite complete, take a look at my new web site layout and tell me what you think as well. www.cigarreplicapens.com.

I must confess I 'borrowed' bella-penna's naming style and am going to name each pen model after some cigar term. I have an ad running in a cigar magazine in mid November and want to get a lot of pens on the site before it runs.

As always thanks for helping me. I know I am a bother, but if I can ever be of any assistance to anyone please just ask.

The first pic is just a side by side of two of each of the three kits. What do you think of the bulge in the first Zen? Is it too much (did it to show off the band and go for a more masculine feel) or do you like it.

The second pic is six electra's. What do you think of them. Do they look nice? Would you buy one or do you think they look like hooey.

The third pci is just a close up of two of the PSI vertex. These two are brushed chrome. I have a couple of chrome kits to make and I think they will look better. Up close the brushed looks cheap, but what do you think?

The last pic is an array of these new pen styles next to one of my plain cigar pen kit pens. the cigar kit still looks sharp, particularly the chrome upgrade kit on this one. Do you think the others could compete or would be as well received?

I know that is a lot to ask of everyone that is nice enough to read another of my lengthy posts, but jump on a plane or get in a car and come over and I will feed you and provide you with beer, lol.

Thanks.

 

[alphageek]

I think they look great! The only thing I'd say is that personally the zen style looks best bushing to bushing.

I don't like them to bow out. But maybe thats just my view. Thats currently the ONLY kit that I always do b2b.

 

[Bobalu]

Your pens ar all nice looking, but the Zen gets my vote. The one I like least is the Vertex.

 

[OKLAHOMAN]

Really like the Zen best but only B to B. As to borrowing my concept of naming pens, you did say the checks in the mail .......right?:wink::biggrin:

Every time you talk about cigar stores in Tampa (my home towm) you bring a smile to my face...

 

[renowb]

They are all awesome pens. I will be on the next flight. I would like steak.

 

[OKLAHOMAN]

BTW Peter the site seems to be coming together nicely.

 

[Rmartin]

I agree with the other, I like the Zen B2B the best, but I can see how others may prefer the bulge.

I took a look at your site. It's a wealth of information. It's also a weath of code. I have high speed internet, but one of your small pictures was taking way too long to load, so I took a look at your coding. WOW! That's some of the most bloated coding I've ever seen. Who wrote it? I ran it through a validator and came up with 125 errors. Which means there are probably plenty more that will show up as errors are fixed. Computers are pretty smart and they will render a page with errors, but it causes it to load slower.

 

[robutacion]

Wow, what a web site...!!! and that music just hits the spot, I kept going backwards and forwards just to keep listening to it...!:biggrin:

Great work on both web site and pen, my own thought are of you are trying to get other kits so that you can spend less time with your original style pens, I think that is a mistake and can possibly be a costly mistake.

For what I understand, your name and pen style is the imitation cigars, the whole site is based on it, and that's what got you to this point. Don't spoil that by trying to make mass production pens with inferior connection to your selling and production scheme "the smoking cigars"...!

Quantity will not take you to where you want to be, quality, originality, uniqueness and been faithful to your original idea, will...!
Price your original design pens "accordingly", make them something that people want to have, not for their price but, for their quality and uniqueness!

Please, take no offence to my thoughts, as you request other opinions but, I really get a bad gut feeling when pen makers start to "time" their pen production time and start taking all sorts of short cuts to produce a pen in half of the time...! Is this what pen making is all about...??? I think not...!:frown:

You have a very good thing going, don't spoil it...!:wink:

Cheers
George

 

[WoodWorkinthe530]

The pens all look great! The cigar pen has a good feel and look but I prefer a capped pen myself. I've only made about 40 pens so far, six have been Zens and I love them. I'm going to try the Electra next. Your cigar pens don't have to be cigar pens do they? Yours are some of the pens here on IAP that I find most inspiring and intimidating as a new pen turner.

I am just starting the process of thinking about planning to put together my website so take this as you will... Your site has a great look and "feel" but I usually expect the buttons on the left to take me somewhere right away. Could you set it up so hovering on the button drops down the description and clicking brings the visitor to the pens described? I once saw a study (here?) tracking the eye movements of website visitors. The patterns were in an "F" formation, scanning down and spending the most time on the left side then across the page.

Just my 2 cents...

Chris

 

[aggromere]

Be careful in assembling the cap to the Electra and make sure you put the nylon threaded insert in the right way. Also, the finial, faceted ring, plain ring and clip have to be press fitted and it takes a little messing with your press because it has to be off center a good bit because of the clip.

 

[workinforwood]

The pens look great to me Pete.