What is your favorite pen kit and why?

[thewishman]

My favorite is the cigar kit. It shows off the blank well and has a substantial heft, is inexpensive, available in many platings and has a pencil to match. When the pen is assembled, all of the surfaces, except the ones you want to show, are covered (unlike the euro of slim with the ends of the barrels at the center.)

This is my best seller. It has the capacity to be dressed up for a higher price point, but can also be basic with a lower price.

 

[wood-of-1kind]

Sierra. Quick to make and looks great.

 

[mrcook4570]

Depends - are you talking about favorite to make, favorite to use, or favorite to sell?

 

[altaciii]

Favorite to use (for work) is the Euro. I love the style. Also my best seller.
Favorite rollerball is jr statesman. Very elegant for a medium size pen.
Favorite big pen is the Majestic, have done only 2 but sold both for a hefty sum.
easiest to turn, Sierra, Quick and easy and has a wide assortment of platings to choose from.

 

[thewishman]

Depends - are you talking about favorite to make, favorite to use, or favorite to sell?

Yes! (By the way, I have had a package in my car to send you for the last few weeks.:redface

 

[mrcook4570]

Make - Sierra - can make many per hour

Use - double closed end El Grande FP - low weight, larger diameter, nice feel in my hand

Sell - unmodified - Emperor - more profit
modified - Gent with custom grip, clip, finial, cb, endcap, and heavily embellished - more profit

 

[JimB]

Sierra because it's easy to make since it is single barrel and comes in many platings to match the wood to. It's also comfortable to use. Of course, there are still many styles I haven't tried yet so my opinion may change in the future.

 

[davinci27]

I've got 2 the first is the Jr Gent the second is the slimline. Both these allow for alot of variation in how the pen is put together. The Jr is easy to do closed ends, custom finials, and accent rings. The slimline is just super versatile you can do one piece body, offset joins. euro style and so much more.

Ben

 

[OldWrangler]

The cartridge pen. Somebody does all the work on the cartridge part and I turn a short barrel of antler and assemble. The antler needs no finish as it polishes out like an acrylic.

It may be because we have so many deer hunters and deer in Texas or just the idea of a pen looking like a bullet but this pen outsells all my others. For 2008 I sold and gave away a total of 377 pens. Of this total 91 were cartridge pens including one order for 36.

They retail at $50 and wholesale at $30 and I can make about 3 an hour. With rifle clip, center ring, finial, antler and cartridge kit I have about $13 total cost. Certainly not a big money maker but this is hobby and not a career for me.

Of regular kits I like the RT Euro, the Click Button Sierra and the Baron.

 

[arjudy]

I like the cigar as well to use and make. I also like the Sierra style pens because of the ease of making them. I like most of the bigger pen styles because I have fairly large hands.

 

[Ligget]

My favourite is the Baron rollerball.

 

[davinci27]

I'm changing mine from the Jr Gent II to the Baron/Navigator. The Baron is a bit smaller, and all the parts come dissassembled so ther areeven easier to customize.

 

[RichB]

I like the Elegant Beauty from Dayacom. Easy to put together and all metal parts. It's just a beautiful pen when finished.

 

[TellicoTurning]

My favorites to make are the cigar and the European... I like the way both look and show off the blank.
My everyday pen is a european in olive.. not finished well... it was the first pen I ever made, on an 8mm mandrel, uses a parker style refill and has developed a wonderful patina of the last 7 or 8 years. Second favorite is a click pen from CSUSA in antler.. don't remember the style, but it the one that the whole cap clicks down.