hewunch
Member
Ok, many have been asking has anyone made a Vail by Beartooth Woods. I have and below is my review. In the interests of being completely above board you should know that Ernie at Beartooth purchased the delrin bushings and sleeves for the Vail kit from me so he is a customer of mine and I am a customer of him. This disclaimer shouldn't be an issue as I will be honest and fair in my assessment, but just in case, I wanted to be open about that. Now with that out of the way, lets look at the kit shall we?
First picture here is what comes in the bag. The kit is the chrome rollerball. Now of note, if you are used to a Jr. Gent or Jr. Majestic you will see that many things are bagged in the Vail that are either grouped together in one of the other kits or are in the open (ie, the tubes are in a bag. The point is not in the bag with the coupler, etc). The refill has no markings on it to speak of.
This next picture is of the coupler's parts. Basically all the parts that make the two barrels lock together. You will notice that the plastic piece that goes in the coupler is loose. This is the way it comes (on the Jr. Gent & Jr. Majestic, they are installed). The plastic piece is a press fit so this is not a big deal in fact I think it is a benefit and I will explain why later.
The next picture is of the coupler. You will note that it has 2 rings, and for this chrome kit they are black (Jr. Gent has 1 that is gold) and on the Black Ti they are gold (jr. Gent is silver).
Next picture is the point or "nib". Here is a major difference over the Jr. Retro that I like, the tip of the piece does NOT unscrew. It also has a different shape which I like more visually.
Now on to the finial Picture 1, which is the other area of note in comparison. The little accent piece on the (Jr. Gent) sits down in a little recess in the finial the Vail does not have that recess Picture 2 the result is a small lip exposed. Also the hole and post for that accent piece is bigger on the Vail Picture 3 (.158 on the jr and .178 on the Vail). That said the diameter of the piece is smaller on the Vail than on the jr. (.358 on the Vail and .425 on the jr.) And the diameter difference between the top and bottom of the piece is slightly greater on the Vail giving it a little different line on the completed cap (.05" on the jr and .1 on the Vail). *** Note, picture 3 shows the accent piece knocked out and resting on top of the hole it goes in, I did this on purpose so I could measure the post. Normally it looks like the first picture.***
Conclusions:
The stylings of this pen are very similar to CSUSA's Jr. Gent. The differences might be considered improvements in some cases. It uses the same tubes and the cap is only slightly thicker ~.02 of an inch. So if you have made the Jr, you should feel comfortable making the Vail.
Pros:
*Thicker cap means more material to me means this kit is a better choice for things that have been cast, like snake skins, carbon fiber etc.
*No recess for the accent piece on the finial means you can make a piece as big or small as you like.
*The plastic piece not attached to the coupler means I do not have to take it out to modify the rings. In the example shown below, I removed the double ring and the retaining ring to test how well this kit modifies.
*The kit modifies well. I used the same knockout block for it as I did my Jr and I was able to get the rings off the centerband and the accent piece to the finial with no issues. With it being non-postable it is a great candidate for a closed ended pen.
*Price- Same price for fountain or Rollerball and both are less than similar products.
*The roller tip fits the fountain coupler and vice versa just like other similar kits.
*The tip of the roller point does not unscrew. Personally, NEVER saw the point of this feature on the similar pens, and it was just one more thing to have to make sure was tight. This IMO is a great feature.
*The fountain nib does not have any type of manufacturer information stamped on it just the typical Iridium Point Germany (no Dayacom). It is also easily replaced with an aftermarket nib if so desired.
*Plating seems to be as durable as similar pens. No scratches or anything when I modified the Centerband.
Cons:
*Currently this only comes in a non-postable model. It is my hope that when Ernie sells enough of these that he will add a postable model. I can imagine the outlay for getting these kits is substantial.
*Lots of baggies. This can be a pro if you use them or a con. And really it is more of a preference thing. I guess the extra protection is a good thing :wink:
Final Thoughts:
*The kit has triple start threads like similar models.
*Assembly is straight forward and the instructions are good and they have a great tip that I had not thought of, "consider using one of the plastic bags to form a barrier between the clip and the body while you press it together".
*Yes it is similar to a jr. In some ways VERY similar. But different enough and it is a well made kit. I look forward to making more.
Picture of completed pen with modified Centerband (if you want to see a completed stock pen go to Ernie's site www.beartoothwoods.com).
First picture here is what comes in the bag. The kit is the chrome rollerball. Now of note, if you are used to a Jr. Gent or Jr. Majestic you will see that many things are bagged in the Vail that are either grouped together in one of the other kits or are in the open (ie, the tubes are in a bag. The point is not in the bag with the coupler, etc). The refill has no markings on it to speak of.
This next picture is of the coupler's parts. Basically all the parts that make the two barrels lock together. You will notice that the plastic piece that goes in the coupler is loose. This is the way it comes (on the Jr. Gent & Jr. Majestic, they are installed). The plastic piece is a press fit so this is not a big deal in fact I think it is a benefit and I will explain why later.
The next picture is of the coupler. You will note that it has 2 rings, and for this chrome kit they are black (Jr. Gent has 1 that is gold) and on the Black Ti they are gold (jr. Gent is silver).
Next picture is the point or "nib". Here is a major difference over the Jr. Retro that I like, the tip of the piece does NOT unscrew. It also has a different shape which I like more visually.
Now on to the finial Picture 1, which is the other area of note in comparison. The little accent piece on the (Jr. Gent) sits down in a little recess in the finial the Vail does not have that recess Picture 2 the result is a small lip exposed. Also the hole and post for that accent piece is bigger on the Vail Picture 3 (.158 on the jr and .178 on the Vail). That said the diameter of the piece is smaller on the Vail than on the jr. (.358 on the Vail and .425 on the jr.) And the diameter difference between the top and bottom of the piece is slightly greater on the Vail giving it a little different line on the completed cap (.05" on the jr and .1 on the Vail). *** Note, picture 3 shows the accent piece knocked out and resting on top of the hole it goes in, I did this on purpose so I could measure the post. Normally it looks like the first picture.***
Conclusions:
The stylings of this pen are very similar to CSUSA's Jr. Gent. The differences might be considered improvements in some cases. It uses the same tubes and the cap is only slightly thicker ~.02 of an inch. So if you have made the Jr, you should feel comfortable making the Vail.
Pros:
*Thicker cap means more material to me means this kit is a better choice for things that have been cast, like snake skins, carbon fiber etc.
*No recess for the accent piece on the finial means you can make a piece as big or small as you like.
*The plastic piece not attached to the coupler means I do not have to take it out to modify the rings. In the example shown below, I removed the double ring and the retaining ring to test how well this kit modifies.
*The kit modifies well. I used the same knockout block for it as I did my Jr and I was able to get the rings off the centerband and the accent piece to the finial with no issues. With it being non-postable it is a great candidate for a closed ended pen.
*Price- Same price for fountain or Rollerball and both are less than similar products.
*The roller tip fits the fountain coupler and vice versa just like other similar kits.
*The tip of the roller point does not unscrew. Personally, NEVER saw the point of this feature on the similar pens, and it was just one more thing to have to make sure was tight. This IMO is a great feature.
*The fountain nib does not have any type of manufacturer information stamped on it just the typical Iridium Point Germany (no Dayacom). It is also easily replaced with an aftermarket nib if so desired.
*Plating seems to be as durable as similar pens. No scratches or anything when I modified the Centerband.
Cons:
*Currently this only comes in a non-postable model. It is my hope that when Ernie sells enough of these that he will add a postable model. I can imagine the outlay for getting these kits is substantial.
*Lots of baggies. This can be a pro if you use them or a con. And really it is more of a preference thing. I guess the extra protection is a good thing :wink:
Final Thoughts:
*The kit has triple start threads like similar models.
*Assembly is straight forward and the instructions are good and they have a great tip that I had not thought of, "consider using one of the plastic bags to form a barrier between the clip and the body while you press it together".
*Yes it is similar to a jr. In some ways VERY similar. But different enough and it is a well made kit. I look forward to making more.
Picture of completed pen with modified Centerband (if you want to see a completed stock pen go to Ernie's site www.beartoothwoods.com).
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