"elegant American" pen--- is it reliable?

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redfishsc

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I am considering the "Elegant American" from Berea/AZ silhouette. The pic below is from Az silhouette's page.

Is this pen as problematic as their standard "American flat top" pen? I have not had good luck at all with the flat top pen-- several transmission failures.


Thanks,

Matt

PHOTO REMOVED AT THE REQUEST OF THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER
 
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gerryr

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Basically, this pen suffers from the same transmission problems as the Flattop American and European double twist pens. The upper barrel must be a very precise length and the finial stud is pressed into the transmission. There's an additional problem with the CB. The black band on the CB is actually a fairly deep VERY sharp sided groove that feels dangerous. I made a few of these and used clear nail polish to fill in the groove. It was too much trouble in the long run and I don't make them anymore.
 

johnnycnc

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The Elegant American is a nice size pen,
and when done right can be o.k.
I have had about a 1 out of 10 rate of
very annoying transmission problems.
And I mean really annoying!I feel like it's
something I'm doing wrong,but have never had
similar trouble with other kits,so..[?]
Once they're together alright they work fine.
The center band is a bit sharp edged,but
my wife uses a couple regularly and she
nor any customers have complained.
I have some extras; I would send you one or two
for cheap if you want to try them.[:)]
 

Rmartin

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Columbus, Ga, USA.
I had planned to make this pen my main mid-sized pen, but I switched to the streamline(basically a 7mm with wider centerband).

As the others said, the centerband is sharp, but it uses a better quality refill. It's difficult to twist sometimes, but it feels very good to write with. For each bad there is a good. It's a trade off with this pen.

To correct the tight twist, unscrew the cap a half turn or so, then press it again. This will slightly press the upper mechanism just slightly past the wood at the center band.

If they would redesign the center band, I would go back to making them.
 

redfishsc

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North Charleston , SC
Thanks for the warning.

For the life of me I do not understand why companies with relatively good reputations like Berea would continue to make trashy things like this line of pens.


Anyone at Berea like to chime in? Why would you continue selling pens like this with terrible reputations? Isn't there a reason people on these forums RARELY post pics of these type pens?
 
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