Pen Kit Quality

[DonA]

This question may show my ignorance, and if so I'd appreciate your patience.

Last year (2014) I turned my first pen. I probably made 25 or more pens over the year. I've turned pen kits from PSI, Craft Supply, and Woodcraft. My observation is the kits appear to be Chinese products of mediocre quality. I'm not knocking Chinese products. They serve a market but I'm looking for better.

Reading here I see others have had problems with PSI kits. I too have had bad transmissions, faulty clip parts on a Celtic pen, and incorrect directions. When I've called the company they are great about replacing parts. My Woodcraft experience is essentially the same. I have not bought much from Craft Supply and what I have bought has been okay.

These pen kits seem cheaply made, with poorly plated products and high defect rates (about 10% in my experience). I'm not opposed to paying more for better quality pen kits but so far all I've found are low end $2.50 to $15 kits and very expensive cast silver and precious metal kits for more than $100. I can't find anything in the middle.

My question is, am I missing some suppliers of better than average pen parts? Is anyone selling mix and match components so you can make original designs? How about someone with a small laser who will custom engrave parts to spec? Given the CNC nature of the small laser engravers it seems like someone could take your design (in the correct format) and produce it fairly cost effectively out of brass, stainless, or other materials.

Just curious if my attempts to Google pen kits has missed what I'm looking for if it doesn't exist.

Thanks,

Don

 

[mark james]

Not totally the same question, but some similarities. And did get a variety of responses.

http://www.penturners.org/forum/f14/highest-quality-current-kit-124057/

 

[bedangerous]

Don,

I have similar experience with pen making as you having started 1 year ago this February. I have had problems with kits made from "higher end" sources as well. I do like some kits from PSI and Woodcraft but find kits "better" from Bear Tooth Woods. I have stopped making any 24K pen kits and mostly stick with Ti gold, Chrome, and Ti gunmetal depending on the wood I am pairing with it. I have found the customer service from all the pen kit dealers to be excellent. My advice is find a few kits you like, make a pen and either use it yourself daily or let a family member use it and see how it holds up. That is my testing ground.
Mitch

 

[ed4copies]

Don,

I have similar experience with pen making as you having started 1 year ago this February. I have had problems with kits made from "higher end" sources as well. I do like some kits from PSI and Woodcraft but find kits "better" from Bear Tooth Woods. I have stopped making any 24K pen kits and mostly stick with Ti gold, Chrome, and Ti gunmetal depending on the wood I am pairing with it. I have found the customer service from all the pen kit dealers to be excellent. My advice is find a few kits you like, make a pen and either use it yourself daily or let a family member use it and see how it holds up. That is my testing ground.
Mitch

Ernie at BearToothWoods sells only Berea made kits. Berea has used the same Taiwanese factory for the last two decades. So, yes they are likely to be more reliable than the companies that are striving to increase their profit by finding cheaper manufacturers.

ExoticBlanks also sells Berea kits, as well as PSI and CSUSA. EVERY manufacturer has SOME failures, but the percentage is well UNDER 1%, on average. So, how can you get 10%-----EASY!! If a manufacturer is making 10000 kits and has a problem in manufacture, all those "defective" parts will be made while the equipment is out of adjustment. So, they will all be close together. Not at all unreasonable for them to go to one end user--in a group of 10 or so, which leaves 9990 who get "good" product.

In the past six years I have learned a lot about percentages, since we have sold many thousands of pen kits. Yes, there are "failures", but the number of them in the MAJOR product lines we handle, are small.

As an aside, I have also had pen kits made, on my own. Some of those kits had greater than a 30% failure rate. We did not even TRY to sell them, but the experience has made me more aware of what the major sources give you, that you could not do on your own. There IS some value to that.

Hope this helps,
Ed

 

[turncrazy43]

You might take a look at Lazerlinez kits. All stainless steel, all made right here in the USA and I have found them to be of very good quality. The vendors here on this site sell very good quality products and give outstanding customer service. If on the off chance there has been a defective part these folks will replace the parts as quickly as possible. You can go other places but our vendors here are as good as it gets.
___________________________________________________________
Everyday I'm vertical is a great day

 

[Ted iin Michigan]

+1 with turncrazy43. Several different kits sold there (also at Woodcraft under different names). It's a personal preference but I REALLY like the Eagle & Desire roller ball kits (not too much difference between them). Being much better materials and made in the US, they are a bit pricier but when you get them on sale, they become an affordable item.