A Zen Pen (Review)

[jttheclockman]

Hello

I usually do not do this but I thought I would follow through with something I mentioned when I first made this Zen pen. Back then I was a little reserved about this kit in that I felt the cap maybe too loose and be a problem. I also was not sure about the feel of this pen when using. Well after many months of using and testing I have come to like this kit alot. The cap proved to be no problem whatsoever and in fact it became a pleasure to use because of the magnetic cap. Being able to easily snap on the back side is a plus and really does not throw off the balance. It also keeps from loosing it. The body is great for displaying some bigger blanks that need to be stretched out some. The balance in using the kit is just fine. I will be incorporating these pens in my sales.

Now with that said I will still inform anyone who buys these from me that they do have a magnet in them. I have heard nothing on the harm of this magnet especially if you have a pacemaker. Maybe i will pose this question in another forum.

Here is the pen and in fact it was the last pen I made in my shop. Maybe this review will help someone. Happy Turning.

 

[magpens]

Very nice pen, John !!! . I like the Zen kit also. How did you get the black features ? . particularly the stripes ?

 

[H2O]

Very nice pen, John !!! . I like the Zen kit also. How did you get the black features ? . particularly the stripes ?

Two ideas come to mind.
One being a table saw with a thin kerf blade.
Two being a router table or router attachment for your lathe, using a small veining bit.

I suppose if one had it, a slitting saw may work.

 

[jttheclockman]

Very nice pen, John !!! . I like the Zen kit also. How did you get the black features ? . particularly the stripes ?

Thanks Mal. Dan's second guess is the way I did it. I have shown my setup for pens like this in the segmenting forum particularly under the topic "MY Jig.

 

[TurtleTom]

I have also wanted to try this idea with mother of pearl I harvest from local clams and ebony left over from my violin making days.

 

[ossaguy]

That's a beauty!

I like the Zens a lot.I hate having to mention the magnet warning,though.

I accidently put an electronic gift card in the same shirt pocket all day,and was nervouse when it came time to use the card,but no problems.So it made me question how much of a risk it really is?


Steve

 

[southernclay]

First, John, beautiful pen, I look forward to seeing more of yours when your health allows.

I too really like the Zen pen and have a little disclaimer about the magnet on a handout I typed up and have yet to use. The disclaimer covered credit cards and the like but didn't address health concerns bc I didn't think of them. My gut says surely not but nothing to base that on except for my gut which lies to me at times.

I have emailed CSUSA just now about both the credit card and possible health risks out of curiosity and sent them the link to the thread. Let you know what I hear.

 

[Charlie_W]

Simply gorgeous pen! The glue up is clean and tight and from the turning to the finish, all is top notch! Well done!

I too like the Zen very much and enjoy having the longer uninterrupted blank!

 

[Carl Fisher]

I like the Zen in concept and they sell great, however from a purely personal perspective I find them uncomfortable to write with as the step down to the metal section rests right on my fingers where I grip to write. I can alleviate this by holding higher up on the body, but I don't find that terribly comfortable either.

However I haven't had a customer come back to me with a complaint yet. Just inform them of the rare earth magnet and it's possible effects on mag strips like credit cards and such.

 

[southernclay]

Well a quick and very informative response from Craft Supplies.

Magnet spec info attached.

Response.

Warren,

I was reading that post on IAP as I got your email. I lookedup the magnetic strength needed to disrupt a pacemaker and got an average of 10gauss. By putting the magnets dimensions into this calculator: http://www.kjmagnetics.com/calculator.asp?calcType=ring

I was able to find that as long as the magnet of the pen ismore than 1 inch away from the pacemaker itself then it will not affect thepacemaker. The magnetic field at 1 inch away from this size of magnet is 5gauss. So within usable rage. At that is at the highest quality magnet for thissize. So as long as you are an inch away from the pacemaker itself you shouldbe ok according to my findings. As to the credit card strips the same sourcessay that any size magnet sitting close to it for a long time will wipe thestrip however Even the largest magnet needs time to make it work. So short termexposure shouldn't be a problem but I might not carry the 2 items in the samepocket. Please let me know if there is anything else I can help you with.

Source: http://www.kjmagnetics.com/blog.asp?p=pacemaker-safety

I have attached the picture of the screen from where Ientered the information to get the info.

End Response...

He did add and I agree letting people know it is magnetic and letting them make a decision. Now my take is there is a level of personal responsibility for anyone with certain conditions. I do think the magnetic disclosure should be made and perhaps a comment on the credit cards is warranted but if you have a health condition, are allergic to nuts, have a food allergy etc I do think you have to be your own advocate in your everyday life. Not to turn it into a political discussion :biggrin:

Anyway cool pen and question John.

Has anyone had any issues with credit cards and the Zen?

 

[Charlie69]

Thanks for the review John. I like the way the looks of the Zen; especially the nose cone shape and the fact that the section/nose cone is not every long. Looking forward to hearing if people have had issues with the magnet interfering with the magnetic strip on bank cards.

 

[mecompco]

Magnets can be bad news--gave an iPad with a SmartCover (with magnets) to a student. He had to go have his brain implant reset. Seriously.

 

[Jim15]

Beautiful pen. Thanks for the review.

 

[Charlie_W]

Another plus for the Zen is that it is right or left handed. If you have a blank that is directional(writing for example), you can switch the nib with the end finial and reverse the blank orientation at will!
This works best if the subject of the blank is centered.

 

[Smitty37]

Great looking pen....I would inform buyers that the pen has a magnetic cap. I'm sure people with a medical condition will know if it's affected by magnetic fields and make there own decision. I would also think that anyone who has a credit card should know that it has a magnetic strip but I'd tell folks they might not want to keep it in the same pocket.

Legally - in the USA anybody can sue anybody else for anything so there is no guarantee you would be totally safe from lawsuits but I think if you disclose that it's magnetic, you'd be pretty safe. A damaged credit card is easily replaced...

 

[jttheclockman]

Well a quick and very informative response from Craft Supplies.

Magnet spec info attached.

Response.

Warren,

I was reading that post on IAP as I got your email. I lookedup the magnetic strength needed to disrupt a pacemaker and got an average of 10gauss. By putting the magnets dimensions into this calculator: http://www.kjmagnetics.com/calculator.asp?calcType=ring

I was able to find that as long as the magnet of the pen ismore than 1 inch away from the pacemaker itself then it will not affect thepacemaker. The magnetic field at 1 inch away from this size of magnet is 5gauss. So within usable rage. At that is at the highest quality magnet for thissize. So as long as you are an inch away from the pacemaker itself you shouldbe ok according to my findings. As to the credit card strips the same sourcessay that any size magnet sitting close to it for a long time will wipe thestrip however Even the largest magnet needs time to make it work. So short termexposure shouldn't be a problem but I might not carry the 2 items in the samepocket. Please let me know if there is anything else I can help you with.

Source: http://www.kjmagnetics.com/blog.asp?p=pacemaker-safety

I have attached the picture of the screen from where Ientered the information to get the info.

End Response...

He did add and I agree letting people know it is magnetic and letting them make a decision. Now my take is there is a level of personal responsibility for anyone with certain conditions. I do think the magnetic disclosure should be made and perhaps a comment on the credit cards is warranted but if you have a health condition, are allergic to nuts, have a food allergy etc I do think you have to be your own advocate in your everyday life. Not to turn it into a political discussion :biggrin:

Anyway cool pen and question John.

Has anyone had any issues with credit cards and the Zen?

Warren, that was cool of you to do. Thanks. It gives others some info.

I still will pass the warning on and I bet there is always someone out there that would push the envelope. The type society we live in. The cap became intriguing to me in that I was thinking of incorporating that style in some pen designs. I thought about a snap cap but a small magnet would be alot easier and wear tougher I think.

Just wanted to also say thanks for the kind words from all about the pen.

Happy Turning

 

[qquake]

Very nice pen, and a thorough review. Interesting thoughts about the magnet. I've made a couple of Vertex fountain pens and a Magnetic Graduate fountain, and LOVE the magnetic caps. I don't carry any of them in my pocket, though, and don't have a pacemaker, so didn't even think about possible problems. By the way, where do you get the acrylic strips you used in your layup?

 

[jttheclockman]

Very nice pen, and a thorough review. Interesting thoughts about the magnet. I've made a couple of Vertex fountain pens and a Magnetic Graduate fountain, and LOVE the magnetic caps. I don't carry any of them in my pocket, though, and don't have a pacemaker, so didn't even think about possible problems. By the way, where do you get the acrylic strips you used in your layup?

Hello Jim

Thanks for the kind words. As far as acrylic strips go , I get things like this from various sources. I use pick guard material, I use wood fillers and in this particular pen I used plastic strips which I cut from sheets. I get most black and white sheets from here

Model Scratch Building Plastic Supplies

 

[qquake]

Very nice pen, and a thorough review. Interesting thoughts about the magnet. I've made a couple of Vertex fountain pens and a Magnetic Graduate fountain, and LOVE the magnetic caps. I don't carry any of them in my pocket, though, and don't have a pacemaker, so didn't even think about possible problems. By the way, where do you get the acrylic strips you used in your layup?

Hello Jim

Thanks for the kind words. As far as acrylic strips go , I get things like this from various sources. I use pick guard material, I use wood fillers and in this particular pen I used plastic strips which I cut from sheets. I get most black and white sheets from here

Model Scratch Building Plastic Supplies

Thanks, I just found some .100" thick styrene on Ebay that might do the trick.

 

[jttheclockman]

Very nice pen, and a thorough review. Interesting thoughts about the magnet. I've made a couple of Vertex fountain pens and a Magnetic Graduate fountain, and LOVE the magnetic caps. I don't carry any of them in my pocket, though, and don't have a pacemaker, so didn't even think about possible problems. By the way, where do you get the acrylic strips you used in your layup?

Hello Jim

Thanks for the kind words. As far as acrylic strips go , I get things like this from various sources. I use pick guard material, I use wood fillers and in this particular pen I used plastic strips which I cut from sheets. I get most black and white sheets from here

Model Scratch Building Plastic Supplies

Thanks, I just found some .100" thick styrene on Ebay that might do the trick.

Absolutely it can work. Good luck. Med CA works well.

 

[ossaguy]

I like the Zen in concept and they sell great, however from a purely personal perspective I find them uncomfortable to write with as the step down to the metal section rests right on my fingers where I grip to write. I can alleviate this by holding higher up on the body, but I don't find that terribly comfortable either.




Same here.

For me too,I find that sharp step uncomfortable.For a comfy to write with Zen,I use the one that they make that is identical,except instead of the magnetic cap,it has the screw-on threads in the cap.So where your index finger sits,it's nice and smooth there.More of a traditional rollerball end,but with the nice long body to show off nice blanks,or for me I like it for stamp pens because there is no clip in the way.

But then it's hard to remember to not yank on the cap since it's not magnetic...


Steve

 

[Cmiles1985]

That's a nice pen you've got. I've been carrying a blue pearl cholla on black titanium Zen for a little over a year and a half. I really like the pen for looks and convenience. However, I have smaller hands, and that large own isn't comfortable to write with for extended periods (just my opinion).

As for the credit card issue, I've had major problems! That pen has signed WAY too many credit card receipts :biggrin:

 

[jttheclockman]

Thanks all for the kind words. As far as feel in the hand I have no problem with it. I guess I have big hands and do not hold the pen so close to the nib when writing. Will it be my everyday carry around pen, no that honor goes to my circuit board sierra that is still going strong. But just had to put this through its paces and to me it passed. Have a great day all. Thanks again.