Vendors

[Wildman]

We have so many pen kit vendors my list may not include all vendors especially fountain pen kit suppliers. The two biggest suppliers Berea Hardwoods and Penn State Industry have the most resellers. Some of those resellers offer less expensive kits than supplied by Berea or Penn State. Craft Supplies with no resellers offer quality kits in addition to less expensive apprentice kits. With so many vendors how can you survey which one is the best? Many folks here buy from more than one vendor.

PENT KIT SUPPLIERS LISTED IN LINKS SECTION
http://laulauwood.com/Default.asp
http://www.beartoothwoods.com/catalog/
http://www.penblanks.ca/home.php
http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/
http://www.exoticblanks.com/
http://www.mlkwoodworking.com/
http://www.packardwoodworks.com/
http://www.smittyspenworks.com/servlet/StoreFront
http://thevillageworkshop.net/default.aspx
http://ukpenkits.com/
http://www.woodsafari.com/home.php
http://www.woodnwhimsies.com/
http://www.woodpenpro.com/index.html
http://www.woodturningz.com/Pen_Kits.aspx

PEN KIT SUPPLIERS NOT LISTED HERE
http://www.arizonasilhouette.com/Pen_Kit_Finishing_Supplies_&_Tools.htm
http://www.augumspenworks.com/
http://www.hutproducts.com/
http://penmakingsupplies.com/ not sure these folks good people to deal with.
http://www.woodzone.com/
http://www.woodcraft.com
http://www.rockler.com

 

[rjwolfe3]

http://penmakingsupplies.com/ not sure these folks good people to deal with.

I would definitely remove this one. They have ripped off so many members that just mentioning their name can cause a riot. I think the ones listed in the links are the ones that support this site but I could be wrong since I did not make the list. I know that at least one of the ones you listed in the second list absolutely will not support this site and wants nothing to do with us.

 

[JoeHodge1978]

http://www.beartoothwoods.com/catalog/

One of my favorite vendors.They have world class customer service!!!!!!

 

[lorbay]

http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?cat=1,250&p=43243
This is my local vendor for pen kits.

Lin.

 

[arioux]

I think that each one of us have their favorite, for a reason or an other. I shop around, dealing with some vendor for specific items. Looking for special, trying to stay Canadian when i can. For some model i prefer Berea kits, so William Woodright or Beartooth Wood are my favorites, for PSI kit, Woodturningz or Woodnwimshies, for CSUSA, well i try to get into group buy here, for acrylics blank and specific kits, WoodPenPro and so on. So many good vendors around that it is hard to choose just one.

 

[bitshird]

A lot of times it depends on what kits, or what else I need to order, I use Exoticblanks, for my better special pen blanks and they usually have some of the better kits I use, like Jr Gents and Statesmen, also a nice bunch of other things, For inexpensive slim lines and Cigars as well as key fobs Woodnwhimsies.
Aaron at LauLau Woods has some excellent kits in finishes that no one else carries. Now that Craft Supplies has dropped all of their high end kit's Not much there I can't get from the three above, If I need any Berea kits I go to Beartooth woods, and all of these give Outstanding service and great prices.

 

[Smitty37]

Find someone you like

Well I could add about 2 dozen more to your list, by just adding some of the eBay sellers you don't have. To say who is "best" from so many when a lot of them are really top drawer folks to deal with is at best an exercise in futiltiy. Find a vendor who provides what you want at a price you're willing to pay, stands behind their products and provides excellent service. You've got quite a few choices to pick from.

 

[penfancy]

http://www.thegoldennib.com/

I ordered ink from Tony at The Golden Nib Thursday, had it at my door Sat. He has blanks , kits, ink, and seems to specialize in fountain and calligraphy.

 

[rjwolfe3]

You best bet is to try as many as you can except for S*e*b*r (don't wanna start a riot). Then decide which one for you is best. Every person on here probably has a favorite that they will defend with their dying breath. And not everyone has the same experience as others. The vendor might have been having a bad day when that person talked them. It is all in your personal experience.

 

[jttheclockman]

One thing about all vendors and some do it and some do not, and that is to LABEL each kit you purchase from them. Now I am not sure if this comes from the main supplier or the dealers themselves. But it is so annoying when you have kits laying around and for some reason you took them out of that one big bag that had the label on, and you are not sure what kit it is or what plating it is. With so many of these kits looking alike it maybe tough to tell. The let alone the varied number of bushings needed and being a kit looks alike but the tube is just slightly different and thus means the bushings are different.

This is a pet peeve with ALLLLLLLL vendors. Like I said there are some that label each individual kit and those are the ones I like to keep buying from unless I am in need of a particular kit.

 

[jttheclockman]

You best bet is to try as many as you can except for S*e*b*r (don't wanna start a riot). Then decide which one for you is best. Every person on here probably has a favorite that they will defend with their dying breath. And not everyone has the same experience as others. The vendor might have been having a bad day when that person talked them. It is all in your personal experience.

Have you ordered from STEEBAR lately???

 

[rjwolfe3]

Have you ordered from STEEBAR lately???

I don't need to keep putting my hand in a fire to know it hurts. "Burn me once shame on you, burn me twice shame on me". I will stick with vendors that do not screw their customers.

 

[jttheclockman]

I don't need to keep putting my hand in a fire to know it hurts. "Burn me once shame on you, burn me twice shame on me". I will stick with vendors that do not screw their customers.

That is fine. But do you belive people can change??? It has been reported that there has been a great effort to turn things around because they have taken out a contract for advertising in a well known turners magazine and have been warned of the consequence and from what I am reading there has been a change. Is it enough for others to try again.??? Well that is up to you. But to constantly bad mouth a company for past practices to me is not fair. Maybe there is some change and this maybe a source others maybe missing out. I do not know of the kits they carry or their pricing. I am only making a statement. Take it for what it is worth. 2¢

 

[rjwolfe3]

That is fine. But do you belive people can change??? It has been reported that there has been a great effort to turn things around because they have taken out a contract for advertising in a well known turners magazine and have been warned of the consequence and from what I am reading there has been a change. Is it enough for others to try again.??? Well that is up to you. But to constantly bad mouth a company for past practices to me is not fair. Maybe there is some change and this maybe a source others maybe missing out. I do not know of the kits they carry or their pricing. I am only making a statement. Take it for what it is worth. 2¢

Truthfully I will let others try if they want. I have been around here for awhile now and I have only heard of one positive out of the hundred or so negatives and that was only in the last month. I don't have a ton of money to just give it to a company that may or may not be getting better. I personally don't think I have "constantly bad mouth a company". I just tell the facts. You will find it very hard to find one person on here that will say something very positive about Steebar. When and if that changes then and only then will I even remotely consider ordering from them. They are just too many other good vendors out there for me to spend my hard earned money with.

 

[ed4copies]

One clarification:

In the last birthday bash, IAP received several gift certificates for use as prizes from WoodCraft.

I'd like to think this matters when you are deciding who to support with your "supplies business". However I seldom see anyone refer to it in judging the sources.

Seems a shame.

Prize distribution chairperson--Ed

 

[bitshird]

One clarification:

In the last birthday bash, IAP received several gift certificates for use as prizes from WoodCraft.

I'd like to think this matters when you are deciding who to support with your "supplies business". However I seldom see anyone refer to it in judging the sources.

Seems a shame.

Prize distribution chairperson--Ed

Ed The Nashville/Franklin store was kind enough to let us have our first N.Alabama W.Tennessee Chapter meeting there,

 

[B727phixer]

Don't say the st__bar word around Neil! Shhhh!

 

[ed4copies]

Actually, I just got back from the Wisconsin IAP meeting!!
Held at the Wood Craft store in Milwaukee--where we pay NO rent for a really nice room with a full size lathe we are allowed to use.

THANKFULLY, several IAP members took advantage of the discount WoodCraft gives us and, I was told, we did a fair amount of purchasing.

So, support your local WoodCraft for the "immediate needs"!!

 

[TellicoTurning]

I do a lot of shopping at the local Woodcraft... it's a fun place to go and if I watch I can get some good pricing for some things... the store is under new ownership, and I haven't met him yet, but the former owner and his wife were really good people to work with.

I do order most of my kits on-line... I have a fair idea of which vendor sells what kit, and start shopping with a spread sheet that I list each kit I'm interested in and then compare the pricing from the various vendors.

 

[papaturner]

The Southeast Chapter has had all our meetings at the Woodcraft store.
They are awesome and very generous to let us use the training room.

 

[jttheclockman]

Ed brings up a good point and even though I do not have a woodcraft store near me I do do mail order from time to time.

Also on his point too, there was as I remember it, alot of clamering about the size of prizes from the big time players or should I say lack of. Now I won't go into that but I do have thoughts there as well but the point I am making here is regaurdless the size prize offer from woodcraft at the time, it is these little behind the scene scenerios that also play into how a vendor is perceived. There are times things do not get mentioned or not mentioned enough. Just a couple more ¢ for the kitty:biggrin: