Best Pen Kits?

[cool44]

I know of three pen kit suppliers... Penn State, Berea and Craft Supplies. If there is another player I don't know about I'd love to know. I've only used Berea and Penn State so far. My question is... Does one of these three (or some other) stand out as the "best" or "most reliable" (or whatever qualifier you'd like to use) in your eyes?

Also, what kits do you mostly use? dave

 

[Mike Powell]

Being somewhat new to turning pens, I use PSI alot simply because for a decent price you get starter kits. I do like the Classic FP from Wood Turningz though, its my favorite so far.

 

[deemka]

90% of my pen sales are the tycoon fountain pen from PSI . But i like the metro style kit from woodcraft

 

[ttpenman]

I would definitely take a look at exoticblanks & smittys pens, who are active on this forum. I have also had great service from Arizona Silhouettes and Beartooth Hardwoods. Just my 2 cents.

Jeff in northern Wisconsin

 

[eupher58]

Beartooth, Exotics and Turningz are all great suppliers. Use them whenever I need something. They're usually a few cents cheaper than the big guys, and better shipping. The occasional "freebie" sweetens the pot.

 

[Edgar]

I've ordered from all the places mentioned above & have been quite happy with everything I've bought so far. I drive right by a Woodcraft store on my way home every day, so I tend to shop there more than any place else. Even though their prices are often a bit higher, I really like being able to go into a store and browse.

I also like Boston Craftworks, ChefwareKits and Klockit for other types of kits that are sometimes difficult to find at the regular pen suppliers.

 

[commercialbuilder]

Timberbits from Australia has great shipping and a good selection of kits for the price. I have ordered several times and it amazes me how fast they arrive. Berra Hardwoods, Beartooth, CUSA, Exotic Blanks, The Classic Nib, Smitty's, and Penn State are the major suppliers that I know of.

 

[Swagopenturner]

Try Wood-N-Whimsises. They sell their own pen kits and PSI cheaper than PSI! Never had a problem with them.

 

[longbeard]

2 words...vendor catalog
top middle of any page on the IAP, blue block, lower right corner, just a thought
i know not ALL vendors are listed there, but a darn good start

 

[cool44]

Thanks guys. All the places that have been posted sell the kits from the 3 major guys I mentioned.

What I am asking is what kits do you think are the best? dave

 

[johncrane]

Google pen kits. will show most suppliers. kit prices will be the best judge.

 

[OZturner]

Thanks guys. All the places that have been posted sell the kits from the 3 major guys I mentioned.

What I am asking is what kits do you think are the best? dave

Dave, This is like asking 100 people, what is their favourite car, or Beer, you will probably get 180 answers for each question.

It really comes down to what do you like, and what would you like to Display Your work to Your potential customers.

It can also be a bit trendy, like the current popularity of the Bolt Action Pens, and The Breast Cancer Awareness.

Sorry but there is no answer - just a lot of opinions.
Brian

 

[Joe Burns]

I've used Bera, Craft Supplies, and Exotic Blanks for my pen supplies. I had great service from all, but tend to stick mainly with Exotics.

Joe

Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner

 

[kovalcik]

I have certain things I get from different suppliers. The ones I have ordered from recently (last 6 months) in no particular order:
PSI, Craft Supplies, Woodturningz, Smittys Penworks, Exotic Blanks, and Lazerlinez.

I have been very happy with all these vendors. This is not to say anything bad about anybody else, just that I tried these guys out and was happy with what I received.

 

[Tim'sTurnings]

PSI, CSUSA, Rockler, WoodnWhimsies, penkits.biz(penmaking supplies) are the usual vendors I use. I always use whichever of the previous listed suppliers has ALL of the things I want to order. I don't like ordering from multiple suppliers and pay separate shipping. Whichever one has most of the things I want, that is the one I use at the time.
Tim.

 

[cwolfs69]

i think he is interested in what type and styles of pens are best. i took the question to mean style not vendors.

 

[edicehouse]

The bigger ones have more selection, the IAP Venders have more customer service.

 

[kovalcik]

As far as pen styles, I have a bunch, but my staples are slimlines (usually modified), trimlines, and Euros for my low end, Cigars, Princess, and LeRoi's for my middle, and Zens, and Jr. Gent IIs for my upper end. I have others, but these are the ones I always have on hand. I just got a few long clicks and slimline pros to try out. I also have my first Liberty and Desire pens from Lazerlinez finished and I like them a lot. I also want to do a couple of the highest end kits (Majestics, Emperor) to have a couple of show pieces, but have not bitten the bullet yet.

 

[PenMan1]

When you "shake all of the dust out of the sheets", component pen makers deal with basically only 4 or 5 companies.

The two Taiwanese distributors are Berea and Dayacom. I call them distributors because according to the information available to me, both of these companies actually bag kits made by many other smaller manufacturers.

The largest Chinese Dustributor is Rhsling pens. Again, it is my understanding that this company packages the components made by other specialty Chinese manufacturers.

Two American companies also make component pens. These two companies are Lazerlinez and Marksman pens. I have seen the sets only in stainless steel. The FEW OF THESE that I have made were excellent quality.

One other distributor, Timberbits, distributes their own line of pens. Some appear to be of Chinese manufacture and others from Tiwain.

My suggestion is to buy the VERY BEST plating or solid material that you like and works well for you.

While there are HUNDREDS of pen parts distributors, most carry one or more lines if the manufacturers listed above.

For what it's worth, I like Schmidt transmissions in twist pens and Rhodium or Chrome hardware......EVERYTHING ELSE I make depends on customer preferences, available products and finally affordability.

When you find the perfect combination, PLEASE PM ME, as I have been chasing this elusive creature for years.

Respectfully submitted.

 

[cool44]

Thanks guys. All the places that have been posted sell the kits from the 3 major guys I mentioned.

What I am asking is what kits do you think are the best? dave

Dave, This is like asking 100 people, what is their favourite car, or Beer, you will probably get 180 answers for each question.

It really comes down to what do you like, and what would you like to Display Your work to Your potential customers.

It can also be a bit trendy, like the current popularity of the Bolt Action Pens, and The Breast Cancer Awareness.

Sorry but there is no answer - just a lot of opinions.
Brian

Thanks. I am looking for opinions. dave

 

[cool44]

When you "shake all of the dust out of the sheets", component pen makers deal with basically only 4 or 5 companies.

The two Taiwanese distributors are Berea and Dayacom. I call them distributors because according to the information available to me, both of these companies actually bag kits made by many other smaller manufacturers.

The largest Chinese Dustributor is Rhsling pens. Again, it is my understanding that this company packages the components made by other specialty Chinese manufacturers.

Two American companies also make component pens. These two companies are Lazerlinez and Marksman pens. I have seen the sets only in stainless steel. The FEW OF THESE that I have made were excellent quality.

One other distributor, Timberbits, distributes their own line of pens. Some appear to be of Chinese manufacture and others from Tiwain.

My suggestion is to buy the VERY BEST plating or solid material that you like and works well for you.

While there are HUNDREDS of pen parts distributors, most carry one or more lines if the manufacturers listed above.

For what it's worth, I like Schmidt transmissions in twist pens and Rhodium or Chrome hardware......EVERYTHING ELSE I make depends on customer preferences, available products and finally affordability.

When you find the perfect combination, PLEASE PM ME, as I have been chasing this elusive creature for years.

Respectfully submitted.

Thank you very much. I knew of Dayacom and Berea and I figured that Penn State has some exclusivity with the bolt action pens. dave

 

[StephenM]

I like the Magnetic Graduate (rollerball and fountain) from PSI and the Retro (rollerball and fountain) from LauLau

 

[Lenny]

My favorites are the ones that sell!
For me that includes, in no particular order, the Zen, Elegant Beauty/majestic Squire (and other Sierra styles), the Long Click, the Roadster/Trimline/etc, Jr. Gent I, Bolt Action, and the Triton.