DEFECTIVE PLATING issues are now the norm!
I've been finding more and more problems with plating in the last few months. Could this be due to the escalating cost of metals? Are the manufacturers applying less and less? I have been having the same lousy experience with a number of vendors, but will highlight just two, what I consider to be the WORST offenders (or least interested in addressing THEIR problem). I say THEIR problem because I shouldn't have to be the one performing QUALITY CONTROL for them - they have that responsibility, but aren't doing it.
PENN STATE: I can no longer order any of the Executive 24kt Gold kits from Penn State - EVERY LAST ONE in the last two orders was poorly plated - pitted, scratched appearance, marks like acid etching on the surface, and in one case plating on a nib that was so bad that you could see the underlying metal. These are not trivial problems - these are defective products that you cannot make pens with and hope to sell later! Penn State is very good about returning your money, but not the cost of return shipping and, of course, the time lost inspecting their kits is lost time/productivity.
I feel that this issue is worth addressing in this forum as Company's like Penn State aren't doing much about the problem. The paperwork for the last order that I returned indicated that they put the defective kits that I returned right back into the pile to go out to the next unlucky person that happens to order these kits! That's negligence. I'm not surprised though, last summer I received replacement parts that Penn State later admitted were taken out of their reject pile and accidentally sent to me.
I have also had problems with their Sculptured kits - plating that was so poor that they shouldn't be sold at any price.
Recently, Penn State invited me to review both of their Executive pen kits, which I gladly did. They posted the review I wrote on the Rhodium Executive kit since it was glowing (they are nearly 100% flawless every time and are great looking kits), but chose not to post the review I provided on the 24 kt gold kits. Both reviews were HONESTLY written, and accurate. Penn State has the right to post whatever they like, but I think it says a lot about their integrity to post only positive reviews and once again ignore THEIR PROBLEM. Nice!
WOODCRAFT: I have recently purchased a number of gunmetal and chrome plated Wall Street II (Sierra) kits from Woodcraft and tonight received an order of 10 Satin w/Chrome Wall Street II kits (Elegant Sierra's) and one each of a Ti and Plat and Ti and Gold kit (also both the equivalent of an Elegant Sierra). EVERY ONE of the gunmetal plated kits, EVERY ONE of the Satin w/Chrome kits, AND the 1 Ti and Plat kit had defective plating!
The plating was so poorly applied that if you rotated the nibs in your hand you see striping down the length of the nib. In other areas, you could see chemical stain marks. Woodcraft has kindly replaced these kits in the past, but tonight I decided to have them just refund my money. By the way, the Titanium and Platinum kit is more than $15.00 - absolutely NOT worth it. However, I was told that WOODCRAFT is not aware of any other problems?? I find that hard to believe.
I think that the sellers of these kits are perhaps/minimally checking to see that all the parts are present in the kits (as it is very rare that I find a kit that is missing a part), but aren't bothering to check the quality of the plating and certainly are not checking the returned items with any care or we wouldn't be seeing these problems on a recurring basis.
I'd really like to know where I can purchase similar kits to these and NOT have to worry about how many are going to be bad. I'd rather spend my time in front of the lathe!
