Best Price?

Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
Krudwig

Krudwig

Member
Joined
Dec 11, 2013
Messages
165
Location
DEQueen, AR
Who has the best price on JR gent II and are these the same kit as Smitty's Cabrolleros ? I know Smittys cabrolleros are a nice kit and the price he had during the bash made the chrome kit around 6.15 or so. Any input would be appreciated.
 
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
Have you gone to the websites and looked at prices?? Woodturnerscatalog.com, PSI, Beartooth, several others.
 
Yeah. Smitty's is he gent 1 which for csusa is an apprentice kit. Smitty offers it in better platings though.

He gent 2 is more expensive. Check out exotic blanks for a good price.
 
ok, well I thought smitty's Cabrollero was a comparied to Jr Gent II but i have not triend a jR Gent only Smitty's. What would be the differance between the JR Gent II & I is it overall size, tube sizes, or both? I looked at Timberbits and theirs is a JR Gent I for $5.00 in gold which looks like Smitty's for the most part. I looked at Exotics and they have the Jr Gent II ranging from $11.95 - $21.95 so why the big differance in price ? Is it demand/supply, popularity, better kit or what? I'm sure there is a reason for the cost differance in kits even when very similar I just want to know.
 
You should compare both yourself.

As I hold both in my hand there is no doubt to me that the 2 is a higher quality kit. However , others disagree.

One difference is that the 1 shows the black enamel threads while the 2 has the visible threads plated to match the rest.

Also the cap finial and centerband accents are often different.

I think the country or origin my effect the price difference as well.
 
Dan,
I'm sure that to the experienced turners the differance will be obveoius, but to a novice like me or a simple admirer it may not be so easily determined.

Ed,
I am not trying to say anything about the products you sale, just wondering what makes the differance between the two. So far I've not sold a single pen and really have no plans to do so, just enjoying turning. I am aware that if you are selling pens at a premium then a premium kit would be called for , but one may be able to sell more inexpensive pens if the cost of the kit allowed one to save on his cost.

I am just trying to understand what's the difference between the I & II and if it's worth the extra cost to me just for a pen I'm going to make and keep or give away. There are so many kits and a vast differance in prices as well, it's hard for me as a novice to understand the differences I just don't have enough hands on experience.
 
Try both and see what you like.

Both kits are well liked by various folks here.

I've made both and you could throw the baron into the mix as a very similar kit that falls in between price wise.

What I personally like about the jr 2 is that I can put in on half a dozen different kits after it's done depending on how I like it. The atrax is one if these and is very high quality and a good $ value.
 
I am not taking offense, simply pointing out that WHERE the pen is going DOES make a difference.

FOR ME, when I sold pens (for 15 years, successfully), I wanted to see the buyers next year returning to the same show to cheerfully hand me another $100 or so. The Junior series (Jr Gent II, Jr. Statesman II and Jr. Emperor) were all writing instruments I was proud to sell. Yes, I also sold $40 cigar pens and $20 comfort pens. But, when they cared enough to purchase a rollerball or fountain pen, I believe they deserve a high quality product.

AT THAT TIME, the Junior series had smooth threads and a nice rollerball refill--all things I could be happy selling.

IF I had been buying pens to give to my friends, it is unlikely I would have put as much money into them, since I believe people generally think a product is worth what they paid. If they got it for free, it is not nearly as "dear" as one they paid $100 for.

Again, the status of the "recipient" can change this perception. If you are making a pen for a corporate executive, he/she is likely to appreciate good smooth operation and durable, attractive platings. So, decide what will matter to the recipient and purchase your "kits" accordingly.
 
I am one of the guys here that uses the Jr. Gent II as my goto component set. I have made many of the jr. gent I kits also. I liked them when I was learning but no longer make them. I make the Jr. Gent II is my staple hardware. They have not failed me. If you are new I would suggest that you learn on the Jr. Gent I then as your comfort level and skill level come up then decide what grade of components you are going to use. At this time the Jr. Gent II in my line is the entry level but a very high quality entry level.

What Ed is saying is that if you are making a high end pen use high end components and he is absolutely right about that. The Jr. Gent II component sets can fetch a range from $99 to the sky depending on the work that is done on the tubes to make the pen special. I also don't want to hardware to take away from the work that I do so the Jr. Gent II is really good at that.
 
I assume this suggestion is because of the price difference and not the difficulty levels in making these two pens. I've made many many gent I and gent II pens and see no real difference in difficulty levels. Actually, I have made most of the pen kits available and, except for a few with minor quirks, have noticed no real differences in the skill levels for any of them. For some straight barrels are difficult and for others barrels with different diameters on the ends of a barrel offer challenges. But, my point is that the level of difficulty between pen kit is bill. I's sure several will disagree. We see lots of comments about make rollerballs first the move on to fountain pens. The only difference is the front section that screws into the barrel. The pens with smaller barrels or thin amounts of material left on the tubes seem to be the most challenging. Not trying to start an argument but others perspectives on this would be interesting.
Do a good turn daily!
Don

mikespenturningz said:
If you are new I would suggest that you learn on the Jr. Gent I then as your comfort level and skill level come up then decide what grade of components you are going to use.
Click to expand...
 
I too agree with Ed about using higher end kits for a quality pen that will be sold for a premium . I sold cabinets that we used quality material because the customer was paying for high end work. My original question was what makes a Jr gent kit II so different from the I. Is it just better plating,more substantial pieces ? Guess ill just have to get my hands on one to see as Dan suggested. The straight barrel doesn't seem to be a problem for me and as Virgil stated the thinner the wood gets the more prone to something happening to expose the tube. It was just a money issue to me wondering why the Two cost almost double what the one cost. The prices to me on all the kits is hard to understand just because I don't have enough experience yet with kits. I've only turned 4 different types of kits all of which I bought motivated by overall cost and appeal.
 
I'm not sure why people seem to always duck the obvious when this question comes up. The Jr Gent 2 is a little bit bigger than the Jr Gent 1. the bushings are top .567 on the Jr Gent 2 and .536 on the Jr Gent 1. The lower bushings are .512 &.480 on the Jr Gent 2 and .479 & .460 on the Jr Gent I. This will make the metal parts of the Jr Gent 2 a little heavier and that mignt create an illusion of them being of higher quality. It will also be very likely to touch on the reason for the higher price. The black enamel on the threads vs the same plating as the unthreaded parts looks to me like a personal preference. I see no reason they could not be plated the same way on both kits. Frankly I don't see much difference other then the Jr Gent 2 being a little larger. The Baron is much like a Jr Gent 1 and is sometimes offered in higher end finishes. I can not really speak for CSUSA but I think the only reason they offer only lower cost finishes on the Apprentice Juniou Gentleman is to avoid competition with the Jr Gent 2 in their Artisian Line. I do understand why the same Vender might be loath to offer both kits in high end finishes because in the high end finishes there would not be much of a difference in price.
Krudwig said:
I too agree with Ed about using higher end kits for a quality pen that will be sold for a premium . I sold cabinets that we used quality material because the customer was paying for high end work. My original question was what makes a Jr gent kit II so different from the I. Is it just better plating,more substantial pieces ? Guess ill just have to get my hands on one to see as Dan suggested. The straight barrel doesn't seem to be a problem for me and as Virgil stated the thinner the wood gets the more prone to something happening to expose the tube. It was just a money issue to me wondering why the Two cost almost double what the one cost. The prices to me on all the kits is hard to understand just because I don't have enough experience yet with kits. I've only turned 4 different types of kits all of which I bought motivated by overall cost and appeal.
Click to expand...
 
Everything is different - drills, tubes, bushings, components, plating. I make both. The 2 is a better kit IMO. All the details are in the library if you want to check them out.

I don't usually disagree with Ed, but I think I would go Slimline for the homeless guy though...
 
plano_harry said:
Everything is different - drills, tubes, bushings, components, plating. I make both. The 2 is a better kit IMO. All the details are in the library if you want to check them out.

I don't usually disagree with Ed, but I think I would go Slimline for the homeless guy though...
Click to expand...
I wonder Harry, if you also consider the Jr. Gent 2 to be a better kit than the Baron which sells for about the same price as the Jr Gent 2.
 
Smitty, I have never tried the Baron, so I am not able to compare. On the surface, it still has the black threads so the 2 would win that round with me. They may be just as durable, but you don't see that kind of thing on the big name pens that people would compare us with. The pen finial is often the deal breaker for me. Does it look like a kit? For my best pens I prefer to either go closed end, or non-post. If it is custom - whatever the buyer wants.
 
plano_harry said:
Smitty, I have never tried the Baron, so I am not able to compare. On the surface, it still has the black threads so the 2 would win that round with me. They may be just as durable, but you don't see that kind of thing on the big name pens that people would compare us with. The pen finial is often the deal breaker for me. Does it look like a kit? For my best pens I prefer to either go closed end, or non-post. If it is custom - whatever the buyer wants.
Click to expand...
The reason I asked is that the Baron is virtually identical to Caballero if done in the same finish. I'm just wondering about the comparison between Jr. Gent 1 and 2 all the time and the Baron never gets mentioned....also nobody ever seems to make comparisons between the Jr. Gent 1 and the Jr. Gent 2 "interchangeables". It only seems to come up between the 1 and 2. I tend to think it is a 'name' thing rather than a 'pen' thing. They are entirely different kits the 2 is just a bigger pen.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom