Full Review The Zen magnetic Rollerball from exoticblanks.com

[Randy Simmons]

This review is regarding the Zen rollerball kit from exotic blanks.com. This is not a PSI/woodturningz kit, And I believe it is available at woodturners catalogue

The Zen costs about 13-15 dollars. That is the exotic blanks price for one, not including quantity discounts, and a 10.5mm drill bit and bushing set, about a ten dollar one time expense.

The zen rollerball has a single tube design; you don't need to turn a cap, just the body. It has a magnetic cap that posts easily and securely. The tube size is 10.5mm by about 3-3.5 inches. It has a rounded writing tip which I find to be very comfortable, and when the pen is capped, it forms a seamless cylindrical shape that looks very sleek

Assembling this kit was a piece of cake. There are hardly any parts at all. Just press the female threads into each end of the tube (they are equal diameter too, so it doesn't matter which side you make the front or the back) screw in the writing nib and back magnet piece, which is somewhat small and, again, sleek. On a more technical note, I do wish that it used a 10mm (or similarly universal) tube size so I could use pre-cast blanks such as carbon fiber, but I guess you can't have everything.

You can see pictures here

I like this pen a lot. It writes well, using the same schneider refill that PSI rollerball pens use. The magnetic cap is strong and secure but not too much of a chore to remove. It also has a much sleeker and more refined appearance than the graduate kit.

While it is a little on the spendy end for some beginning turners, you can easily get a hundred dollar pen out of this kit with the right materials. I certainly like it more than the graduate kit from PSI, and I may make this item a stock model of mine (I will certainly order a few more, regardless).

This pen was definitely more than I expected out of it. If you are looking for a magnetic pen, this one is the way to go. Hope this helps! If you have any questions just ask

Cheers!

 

[ed4copies]

I have been a fan of the zen since it was introduced. So, I have personally used it.

A word of caution that you should pass along to your customers: It is a good magnet!!

If you put it in your shirt pocket and then put the "claim check" for your car in the same pocket you MAY have the claim check demagnetized, making it impossible to extract your car from the parking lot!!!!!!!!! (Go ahead, ASK ME how I KNOW that!!)

 

[Mack C.]

While it is a little on the spendy end for some beginning turners, you can easily get a hundred dollar pen out of this kit with the right materials.

Hello Randy; I am quite familiar with the Zen pen. Kindly tell me what materials I should be turning to be able to sell this pen @ $100.00?

Currently I am having no difficulty selling this pen for $55.00, with acrylic blanks, but if I'm missing something I'm all for it!

 

[alphageek]

Mac, There is a zen on the front page right now that should be priced well over $100 IMO!

 

[SteveG]

"Kindly tell me what materials I should be turning to be able to sell this pen @ $100.00?"

Mark, I can help a little here. A few key ingredients (there are others) you are looking for here are as follows: VENUE. I set up and sell weekly at a resort here in Hawaii. With just about any nice blank, nicely turned and finished, added to a bit of salesmanship, plus other pens on the table priced much higher, I have a $155.00 Zen. Most of these ingredients are needed to make this work, but it does.
Steve

 

[ed4copies]

The biggest factor in making any item WORTH the price you are asking is your own conviction that it IS worth that price.

I sold LOTS of pens before Steve Roberts came to IAP and preached about a higher value than I had been getting. When I TRIED raising prices, I found that some of those pens sold.

I am always amazed at those who say, "My market won't support those prices!"
This MAY be a true statement.

On the other hand, you won't KNOW, until you change your prices, which you will never do, if you firmly believe your market won't support higher prices. Vicious circle, isn't it??

I took a handful of materials (madreperlatos--made in Italy) and made pens from that material (which is also used by high end European manufacturers who sell pens in the mid to high 3 digit range). I priced those pens around $200 (still well below the "big name" pens with a similar look). Some sold--I realized my market had buyers who previously "passed me by" as they looked for "better" (more expensive) goods. Now, they stopped and talked with me. Amazing what my market had hidden or I had failed to see.

 

[alphageek]

Randy,

Just one question on your review.. You say it writes well with the schneider rollerball. Is this because you swapped it or do you have something confused? Every zen I've gotten has had a schmidt 888 with it.

 

[Randy Simmons]

While it is a little on the spendy end for some beginning turners, you can easily get a hundred dollar pen out of this kit with the right materials.

Hello Randy; I am quite familiar with the Zen pen. Kindly tell me what materials I should be turning to be able to sell this pen @ $100.00?

Currently I am having no difficulty selling this pen for $55.00, with acrylic blanks, but if I'm missing something I'm all for it!

Mack,

The way I see it, there are four BIG factors that go into the quality of the pen, and therefore affect the price

1. Materials. This is probably the most obvious one, and requires the least work. A pretty pen fetches a bigger profit. Higher quality materials include burl woods (the more figured the better) exotics such as horn, antler, feather blanks and rein-cast things like carbon fiber and braided steel, and materials that have a story. The jack daniels pen blanks, ancient kauri, or bog oak. People like things with a history
2. The finish. Whether you use CA, laquer, or whatever it is that you use, its gotta be hella shiny and smooth. If you don't use micro mesh, get some, because it makes all the difference. If it doesn't feel and look like it has been set in glass, most consumers aren't going to be particularly interested.
3. The feel. This shows your skill as a craftsman. When a customer picks up your pen at a trade show make sure they can't put it down. This ties into your finishing ability as well, but most of all, it relates to how well the hardware fits with the tube. If you have a gap, or are even the slightest bit off with your measurements, the customer will feel that, and that one tenth of a millimeter can seriously knock down the value of the pen. The second part of a good-feeling pen is the profile. People have been writing with pens for years by the time they reach yours, and have a specific way of holding it in their hand. If you give your pen a funky profile that isn't comfortable for them to hold, they won't want it. Save your detail and figuring work for bowl making. When it comes to pens, I tend to keep it simple and straight.
4. The writing. This you really have no control over, yet it still reflects on the products you sell. If that pen doesn't write well, it won't be worth it to the customer to buy a pretty pen that isn't fun to write with. Make sure you regularly tune your fountain nibs and buy high quality rollerball refills (schimdt and schneider are your best bets)

Hope this helps,
Randy

 

[Katya]

Before I sold a Zen, I asked the forum about the gold finish.. the consensus was that it's not a durable finish and will wear off quickly. I sold the customer the chrome instead. The black Ti might have been even more durable, had it looked good with the blank. I simply won't sell the gold.. don't trust the finish enough to include it in my lineup. But the shape of the Zen is certainly intriguing.

Also, be sure to try writing with it before deciding if it's the pen for you.. the minimalist nib looks great but can be awkward to hold. FWIW.

 

[Randy Simmons]

Randy,

Just one question on your review.. You say it writes well with the schneider rollerball. Is this because you swapped it or do you have something confused? Every zen I've gotten has had a schmidt 888 with it.

The schneider is what comes with mine, again I ordered from exotic blanks, not sure where yours come from. Plus, I stock schneider refills as a convenience for my customers. They are pretty much the same, as far as I can tell, the schmidt just has a finer point on it.

Randy

 

[Randy Simmons]

Before I sold a Zen, I asked the forum about the gold finish.. the consensus was that it's not a durable finish and will wear off quickly. I sold the customer the chrome instead. The black Ti might have been even more durable, had it looked good with the blank. I simply won't sell the gold.. don't trust the finish enough to include it in my lineup. But the shape of the Zen is certainly intriguing.

Also, be sure to try writing with it before deciding if it's the pen for you.. the minimalist nib looks great but can be awkward to hold. FWIW.

I too am not a huge fan of most gold plating. scratches are slightly too obvious and they do tend to wear. The one exception I make sometimes is for slim lines, they have an epoxy coating that is very scratch resistant (not sure why PSI doesn't do this to more of their higher-end kits ?:/)

I do write with and use the first pen I make in a kit line before I order more to make sure it works smoothly. The nib looks a lot smaller in the picture than it is in real life, it is more comfortable to hold than it might look

Randy