Originally posted by OKLAHOMAN
Ruth, the products in the thread you gave a link to are not from CSUSA, your Mejestic is Penn State
<<<<Roy, this post may sound like a bickering contest, but it's not intended to be-- just a good discussion>>>>>>
The reseller isn't the source, but they ARE the ones who I am buying from. I'd wager that the Jr. Majestic that I have is made by the same company (maybe Dayacom?) that makes the Jr. Gent-- the nib ends compare identical when placed side by side. The nib holders will fit back and forth as if they were clones. I have a Jr. Majestic that I use frequently but does not show the nib damage as his pic does, but I do have a Jr. Gent that has the same damage. Dayacom does not list the Jr. Majestic on their site but that doesn't really mean anything.
redfishsc's comment about craft supply usa is out of line in my mind.
My comments are only an opinion and based on a rather dismal track record I've had with CSA pens over the past year and a half. Instruction manuals giving the wrong drill sizes, rhodium and ti-gold pitting like crazy, Americana FP/RB snap mechanisms breaking, a defective nib on an Imperial, center bands that are loose and free-wheel on Emperors and Gents, just to name the more irritating ones.
I don't have the time to make a pen, then send it back for a refund. I know that CSA does not "make" their kits, they are a reseller from some overseas operation, but they also don't have to sell things that they know good and well are faulty- and don't assume they are not aware of this--- I have sent them close to a dozen pens mostly for plating issues. I called them about the defective nib (the post where the ink cartridge plugs into was deformed) and they promptly replaced it. I have suggested to them the errors in a couple of their instruction sheets, and I think they have corrected a couple of them, but since I now routinely ignore their drill recommendations I can't say they've fixed them all. I've even had them admit on the phone to me that the Americana RB/FP has an "outdated" cap mechanism yet have no plans to alter it.
As George said I also have sold many Jr. Gents and Jr. Statemen and have not had a single one returned because of scratches or pitting.
Same here. But the problem isn't people returning pens, it's that I don't want my customers getting a pen that pits or gets some other sort of design-induced damage, making me look like someone who makes cheapo pens that look good for a season.
I'm sure there are cases of pitting and most likely all from a bad batch. In manufacturing this will happen at times but because a Toyota has a recall because of a potential fire in the starter dose not make all Toyotas crap as Redfishsc seems to think of CSUSA.
If, like CSA, I had to return close to 25% of the kits I bought from them in the fountain/rollerball class, Toyota
would be crap (I love Toyota for this very reason, they make a great product).
I will not write off an entire company unless I have a very good reason to, and for the moment the only pen that CSA makes that I really like (and can't get elsewhere) is the Zen. It seems to be a very good product and I buy it from them.
Meanwhile Berea continues to make a few lousy products but I have nearly never had a problem with their Baron, Sedona, and such. Churchills/ElGrandes are a different story and I refuse to buy those.