Deciding how to vote

[Cwalker935]

I participated in multiple contests and have voted in all thus far. While I have tried to adhere to the voting guidelines, I have struggled with how to cast my vote. I really struggled with my under 14 vote. I also struggled with my vote in the contests that I had entered. Do I vote for myself so that I get at least one vote? Do I vote for the pen that had the best first impression? Do I study the pens in great detail for fit and finish? In contests where the competitors are named should I be influenced by my reaction to their posts on various subjects or if they have commented favorably on my work or posts? Etc.

Since subjectivity plays into everyones vote in most cases, how do you vote?

 

[allisnut]

I voted for the pen I liked best. My tastes and the trends here aren't always well aligned, so my votes may or may not fall in line with the winners.

 

[Edgar]

I'm with Adam - I vote for the pens that I like best and would want for myself. I try to take degree of difficulty & creativity into account, but sometimes the most technically perfect pen just doesn't appeal to my tastes, so it might not get my vote.

Which is one reason I always vote for my own pen whenever I enter a contest. I spend a lot of time on my entries and they reflect the best of my skill level & ability at the time. While that is rarely up to the level of competition, I know what went into it and if it wasn't a keeper for me, I wouldn't have entered it - regardless of whether or not it appeals to anyone else.

 

[plantman]

I tend to look at how the pen itself was made. Is it something I haven't seen before? Is it a standout color in woods or casting? Is it a complex design? Does it have a nice finish? If there are several pens that I like, and need to choose between, I will look closely at the fit and overall design. If I were to think that a pen I have entered would be in the top three, I may vote for my entry. I do have trouble voteing for an entry that has purchased a custom blank made by someone else and entering it in a contest against those that actualy made there own pens. I also think there should be a seperation between beginner, intermediate, and advanced turners. A contest between a novice and an advanced turner who sells pens on a website or at pen shows is not a fair playing field to me. Those are my thoughts on contests and voteing. Jim S

Edward: that is the most truthful statement I have seen in a long time !! Thanks for being so direct and honest. There are several pens entered in contests that have no explanation as to how they were made or out of what they are made of. Although they may be fantastic looking pens, I will not vote for them not knowing how they were made, if the owner made it themselfs, or bought the parts and put it together. Jim S

 

[Cwalker935]

I do typically vote for the pen that I like best and I did vote for my pen in one of the contests because it appealed to me the most. Oddly enough, I did not vote for myself in the contest where I entered the pen that I worked hardest on and am most proud. Other pens in that particular category simply seemed to have more creativity than my pen.

I did not vote for the pen that appealed to me the most in the under 14 category. I was influenced more by factors other than appearance in that particular contest (Please note, I do not know or have any connection to the entrants in that contest). In fact, I voted for a pen that had very little appeal for me. Additionally, I did not vote for a particular pen in another contest that I really liked from a design and initial appearance perspective because it had been noticably overturned.

 

[mredburn]

This was the reason that judges were originally used to narrow down the field of pens to 5 choices. They were charged with judging the pens within the guidelines of the contest.

 

[Edgar]

This was the reason that judges were originally used to narrow down the field of pens to 5 choices. They were charged with judging the pens within the guidelines of the contest.

Yeah, but if I managed to make the top 5, I'd still vote for my own pen.

 

[Cwalker935]

This was the reason that judges were originally used to narrow down the field of pens to 5 choices. They were charged with judging the pens within the guidelines of the contest.

Incidently, the primary factor that I based my vote on in the under 14 contest was consistent with the voting guidelines.

 

[toddlajoie]

I have often voted for someone else in a contest I entered, mainly for the same reason that I select who to vote for in contests I don't enter, and if the members are identified I try very hard not to even look at that, as I don't want any personal preferences to sway my opinions. For beginner contests I like to see basic pens done well, not necessarily perfect, and not advanced techniques. For the advanced or themed contests (casting, embedding, etc) I make the assumption that the technique will be above average, and I look for things that I wouldn't have thought (a key factor that often makes me vote against my self) or that have a surprisingly interesting turnout.

I also try very hard to not let photo quality sway my judgement. I've often voted for pens that had poor quality photos compared to others in the contest, but as long as you can judge the concept and appearance and such, don't let the best photo win...

 

[Janster]

.....What about "use-ability"? The nicest looking submission may not really be functional as a carry pen. A clip-less pen is not real handy to carry around, unless you always have a briefcase or purse. Too, comfort and size matters to me. Functionality! Photos seem to have a persuading factor also. BUT, I do not feel that should carry much weight as not everyone has top notch equipment. Basically it is what one does to a common component pen that make it stand out, not "oh, that's a ~~~~~~ pen", I make those all the time. The blanks are also heavily weighted and they should be IF the submitter did in fact make the blank. These are all my opinion and I look at the entries along these lines prior to building. Be well........Jan

 

[John Pratt]

I voted for a pen in every category, however, I know my decision was a little biased in one of the contests because I own that pen (someone elses entry) and I know everything that went into building it in design, labor, and $$ over the course of about 10 Months to make sure it was perfect. Knowing that, it was still a pretty tough choice because there were some fantastic entries in that category and every other category for that matter.

 

[Smitty37]

I voted for whichever made the best 1st impression on me. Keep in mind that if we all had the same tastes, we couldn't have contests.

 

[plano_harry]

Since many of us attempt to sell pens, I vote like a customer. Which one would I want. A pen may be perfectly made with a challenging design, but if it doesn't appeal to me, I don't vote for it. In the youth contests, I tend to favor skill/difficulty over appeal.

 

[Cmiles1985]

I vote based in what appeals to me most barring major flaws. My order of evaluation is:
1) most appealing to my tastes
2) uniqueness
3) fit and finish

If a name is present, I do my best to not look. A major DQ for me is a lack of description relating to materials and process. In this round of contests, the ballpoint was about the easiest for voting as it was a fairly level playing field. The slimline and kitless proved to be most difficult for voting since there was such an array of unique pens that appealed greatly to me. It's unfortunate in the under 14 contest, but a couple of nice pens reached my immediate "no" list since there was no description of the child, his/her abilities, and the processes involved (what all did the kiddo perform in the making of the pen?)