Search filter-please give us suggestions!

[ed4copies]

Dawn has installed a new search filter to make it easier to "shop".

Now, we need to "build" the parameters. So, when you are looking for pen kits, please let us know what characteristics you would like to be able to search by. For example, "price", "rollerball or fountain", cross refill, parker refill, twist, "click"--that's a start--add YOUR suggestions below, please!!

 

[mbroberg]

Finial Twist vs. Body Twist

 

[Dehn0045]

I might be wrong, but it seems to me that you did away with the "sort by manufacturer" for a while. I just looked right now and its back (or maybe was never gone), anyway, I like that feature so hopefully you'll keep it.

 

[brownsfn2]

Filter by:

1. Pen kit Manufacturer
2. Blank size (What kit does it go to)
3. Only show "In Stock" items
4. Plating (Gold, Titanium, Rhodium, etc.)
5. Pen kit size (Jr series, Full size, Slimline, etc.)

Hope this helps.

 

[jttheclockman]

Ed, most people who shop at your site I would believe know what they are looking for as far as kit names and if they want a rollerball or not. Never really paid much attention to your search feature now as far as kits so this could be redundant.

Types rollerball, fountain, ball point gets you in the stadium

Then within each of those platings.


Now you have type and plating. To me those are the crucial points of choosing a kit. Then comes names and these are so confusing so to me call a kit whatever you like.

Tube sizes

If you give all specific dimensions then people will know about blanks size. Heck if you are a pen turner as soon as you see tube size you know what size blank is needed.

So to me it is a matter of breaking down the main categories and not much else is needed. For easier finding listing kits by names is still a good idea. Along with manufacturers.

 

[jennera]

Tube size (diameter and length).

Sometimes we have a piece of blank or wood and need to know kits it will fit. Especially if it is a short.

Also like to search on tube diameter if we have had a request for a skinny or fatter style of pen.

We definitely are learning what we prefer but still like to try new things!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

 

[Chief TomaToe]

FWIW, I find myself wishing there was a way to filter the pen kits by tube diameter. Since I am new to the hobby, I don't have all the drill bits for the numerous pen kits out there, and I buy the drill bits as I go since they are a bit pricey. So from my perspective, if I want to try something new but don't necessarily want to buy new drill bits, I have to look at each individual kit to see what bit size is needed.

Maybe I'm the only one out there who looks for kits this way, but I thought I would share. I love your website by the way, and adding this sort of feature would make it stand out even more.

 

[magpens]

I agree that "tube diameter" and "tube length" would be useful search parameters.

However, I realize that is information not usually emphasized on a retail site, sadly.
Could require edits to your existing pages as well as additions to new listings.

This info would set you yet another rung above other vendors, IMHO.

Just a suggestion from the point of view of a "techie" pen turner.

EDIT: Please include also the "manufacturer's/designer's name" ... eg. Berea, Dayacom, Exotics, etc. .... I know this is a tricky one but sure would help to distinguish between, for example, a Zen and a "Xen". I recently got quite a shock when one of my fave kits had been copied and remanufactured and wasn't what I had come to expect.

 

[ed4copies]

Regarding tubes, please recall that we handle over 1000 pen kits!!

I got the tube information and worked with Wayne to set up the IAP "ap". Now that that is available for Android as well as Apple, what is missing? The search would have to have every possible diameter for each tube AND length??

When I made pens, I made about 20 styles and sold thousands of about three types. IF I was looking to add a style, I read the instructions (at that time they did NOT have dimensions, but they DID say what drill bit would be needed) to see if it was the size I was looking for. Have things changed that much??

 

[magpens]

I get that, Ed. That is why I phrased my reply to your request as I did.

One of the things I like about the PSI website is that most (not all) pages for individual kits has information on tube length, diameter, and detailed info on bushing sizes. I don't use a lot of PSI kits, but I do refer to their website frequently for this information on tubes/bushings because it is so clear. The Wayne R tables are a wonderful resouce but are not as clear as the PSI info.

I do not know if the PSI info I am referring to is "searchable" but I would doubt it.

I realize the magnitude of the issue ... but you asked and I responded.

Regarding tubes, please recall that we handle over 1000 pen kits!!

I got the tube information and worked with Wayne to set up the IAP "ap". Now that that is available for Android as well as Apple, what is missing? The search would have to have every possible diameter for each tube AND length??

When I made pens, I made about 20 styles and sold thousands of about three types. IF I was looking to add a style, I read the instructions (at that time they did NOT have dimensions, but they DID say what drill bit would be needed) to see if it was the size I was looking for. Have things changed that much??

 

[Dehn0045]

Now that that is available for Android as well as Apple, what is missing?

Mal's cell phone!

In all seriousness, it would be nice if the bushing and tube charts were available in .xls (excel) file format. It would be relatively painless to sort the data for personal consumption...

 

[Chief TomaToe]

Now that that is available for Android as well as Apple, what is missing?

Mal's cell phone!

In all seriousness, it would be nice if the bushing and tube charts were available in .xls (excel) file format. It would be relatively painless to sort the data for personal consumption...

Ah, yes, I like that idea! As a stats junkie, I could have a lot of fun with a spreadsheet like that and get a lot of use out of it.

 

[magpens]

Mal's cell phone!

Hahaha ... I don't have one ... don't want one ... will never buy one, except a "Little Phone" (if I knew where) and that wouldn't do the task in question.

Seriously, as you put it, it is nice to have the tube/bushing data alongside of the pictorial and description of the kit. . I guess this could be off-topic, but it is so closely related to the suject of the OP that I hope you will forgive me.

Also seriously, I very much respect the work of Wayne R, I prefer the format of his 7-23-2010 table where every company is together.
Although that table is not up to date, I use it almost every day in preference to the present format of multiple tables; it covers most of my needs.

 

[stuckinohio]

Ed, the thing I always notice on your site as far as searching goes is this:

When I go to the search box and type in Anthony, I never get a link to the actual pen kit but rather blanks, tubes and whatever else you sell for the Anthony. The weird part is that some pen kits will come up when you type their names in and others will not. I can't figure out what pens will show up, so I just usually end up drilling down to it through the menu.

Maybe I am the only one who notices this but it seems like it would be nice to type the name in and the first link be to the pen kit.

Lewis

 

[magpens]

Good point, Lewis .... I have the same experience .... and I follow your strategy/approach on exoticblanks.com.

One other thing .... is the kit an Anthony ? ... or is it an Antony ?

I think that a good search methodology/software should compensate for misspellings on the part of the searcher or the website ... Google does that quite successfully but I know that Google is a much bigger enterprise and I am not expecting performance comparable to them. . I do not know what is involved in implementing such techniques, so please forgive me if I am asking for the Moon !

So that is another suggestion, Ed ... not that I am quibbling about spelling but that the search methodology should be made friendly for the spelling-challenged !

Another can of worms has been opened, I fear ......

 

[magpens]

Mal's cell phone!

Here is somebody else who thinks like I do (I assume ... judging from the title).

The title is:

I've decided to reclaim my life – by using an old Nokia phone

... and the link is .....

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeand...-3310-t9-phone-smartphone-iphone-reclaim-life

 

[randyrls]

Ed; Late to the party, but a way to locate a kit by the size and length of the blank(s) it uses would be nice. I sometimes find a tubed blanks or set banded together with no idea of what kit they are to.

Maybe a cross-reference rather than a search. The Sierra tubes will fit these kits.

 

[stuckinohio]

Good point, Lewis .... I have the same experience .... and I follow your strategy/approach on exoticblanks.com.

One other thing .... is the kit an Anthony ? ... or is it an Antony ?

I think that a good search methodology/software should compensate for misspellings on the part of the searcher or the website ... Google does that quite successfully but I know that Google is a much bigger enterprise and I am not expecting performance comparable to them. . I do not know what is involved in implementing such techniques, so please forgive me if I am asking for the Moon !

So that is another suggestion, Ed ... not that I am quibbling about spelling but that the search methodology should be made friendly for the spelling-challenged !

Another can of worms has been opened, I fear ......

Well, it seems others are having the same problems as me (at least one!) but as far as spelling, I have tried Antony as well. I get far less results on the search because EB uses Anthony as the spelling, none of which are the pen kit.

 

[ed4copies]

Thanks for that info!! Depressing, since we bought the search function as an add-on to get better performance--but a problem we did not know about!!

And yes, I used Antony, because it was Dayacom's spelling. Dawn chose the Americanized Anthony. I would expect the search to accept either, not NEITHER!!!

Thanks for the information!!

 

[Dehn0045]

Mal's cell phone!

Here is somebody else who thinks like I do (I assume ... judging from the title).

The title is:

I've decided to reclaim my life – by using an old Nokia phone

... and the link is .....

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeand...-3310-t9-phone-smartphone-iphone-reclaim-life

Incidentally, I forgot my cell phone in my office last night, it was kind of peaceful being disconnected. I was in college before getting my first cell phone, and was well out of college before my first smart phone. So like most others on IAP I have plenty of memories before cell phones and the internet, life wasn't so bad. Part of me is actually envious of the fact that you don't have a cell phone, but I couldn't resist teasing you a little bit.

Anyway, now that I have been reunited with my phone, I can say that I don't think the IAP App would do what you want (at this point anyway). I did discover that you can search "3/8 EXBL click" and it will display all of the click pen kits sold by ExoticBlanks that use 3/8 inch tubes, pretty nifty (note, I think that it would have to have "click" in the title). Also, it looks like there are some pictures of actual pens that are linked, as well as the kit instructions. It would be nice if the pictures could be "crowdsourced" like they are on the PSI website. One feature that that would be nice about having the charts in xls format is that you could sort by "type" or by tube length (ascending or descending, which would be good for finding kits that are the same diameter and close but not the exact same length) -- both of which I don't think can be done in the app.

I also did a little a little playing around with EB search and found that if you search the tube diameter with the keyword "kit" you will get all (I think) of the kits with that diameter. So, for example, searching "27/64 kit parker chrome" will give you all of those kits listed first. Unfortunately with the basic search it includes results with "any" of the keywords, so the items with fewer matching terms are listed eventually. Also unfortunate, is that in the advanced search if you search in the "with all of the words" it then thinks that 27/64 is two words "27" and "64", so you get no results.