Best Rollerball Kit

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Big

Big

Member
Joined
May 27, 2014
Messages
501
Location
Pensacola, FL
Hey everyone,
I hope you are all having a fantastic week and doing extremely well. Getting back into this amazing hobby or addiction has brought me a tremendous amount of joy. The drive belts had gone bad on my Band Saw and Lathe from sitting idle in my garage/shop for the past 7 years. I was able to replace them and get my tools working again and have done a few pens.

Last night, my wife and I spent a fortune ordering supplies, pen boxes, cases, blanks, kits, bushing, and everything to restock. I also sold my first pen since coming back to the hobby yesterday too and it turns out to be someone who had bought a pen from me before so he is a repeat customer.

I am not sure whether I am going to reopen my web store that I had online like before or not. I am thinking about maybe a Facebook page, Amazon store, etc. Or, putting up something on a domain that I have that is sitting idle. Have to explore costs involved and go from there.

Now, my biggest dilemma is deciding what Rollerball kit I like the best and where to get them? I would love some feedback about your choices and why and the supplier that you get them from. I have gone back to the favorites from 7 years ago but would love to hear about any that are new and great.

I found a great deal on my BOW (Bethlehem Olive Wood) blanks on Amazon. Does anyone have a better supplier that I should check for BOW?

So, I will definitely be spending a great deal more time here and relying on the collective expertise and experience of you guys, the best in the world. I am actually proud just to be a member.

Thanks,
Mike
 
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I am partial to the Zen rollerball. They're easy to turn and assemble, look really understated and elegant, the magnetic caps are fantastic, and they come with a Schmidt 888 F refill (which I will often replace with a 5888 M). A little on the pricey side compared to other rollerball kits, and with a surprisingly large change in price for different plating options (I buy from CSUSA). But they're really fantastic pens, and I suspect they'd sell great if you're selling. Once people hold them and feel them and play with the magnetic cap, I think they'd want it.

Word of caution - I'd personally avoid the Zen Jr. I've made a couple now hoping that it would be a good lower-cost alternative to the full size Zen. I find them awkwardly small. The section where you're supposed to grip is extremely thin and has a big step down in diameter. I find it too long to just hold the pen barrel (which is how I hold the full size Zen).
 
Welcome back, "Big".
As to your Q, you'll probably get a LOT of responses but a lot depends on where you are going price-wise, etc. But my absolute favorite rollerball is the Eagle/Raven/Desire from McKenzie Penworks (used to be Lazerlines before it was sold). It's an all-American made kit and the metal parts (not including tubes, of course) are polished stainless steel. I've done quite a few of these both in the rollerball AND the fountain pen versions. It has a comfy weight and perfect balance. The fountain pen is my daily user and I'd be grief stricken if I lost it.
If the names don't sound familiar, Woodcraft used to sell them under the "Hancock" name.
Hope this helps.
 
Rollerball is very questionable. It is a matter of taste and how much bling you want. To me any of the Dayacom kits are the best on the market. Also like the Majestic line from PSI and others.
 
BHuij said:
I am partial to the Zen rollerball. They're easy to turn and assemble, look really understated and elegant, the magnetic caps are fantastic, and they come with a Schmidt 888 F refill (which I will often replace with a 5888 M). A little on the pricey side compared to other rollerball kits, and with a surprisingly large change in price for different plating options (I buy from CSUSA). But they're really fantastic pens, and I suspect they'd sell great if you're selling. Once people hold them and feel them and play with the magnetic cap, I think they'd want it.

Word of caution - I'd personally avoid the Zen Jr. I've made a couple now hoping that it would be a good lower-cost alternative to the full size Zen. I find them awkwardly small. The section where you're supposed to grip is extremely thin and has a big step down in diameter. I find it too long to just hold the pen barrel (which is how I hold the full size Zen).
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I am not familiar with CSUSA and would love to check them out, do you know the url off hand?
 
Yeah - here's the kit I was referring to from Craft Supplies USA.

It appears Turner's Warehouse has a very similar, though not completely identical kit at a somewhat better price point (interestingly theirs is apparently also available as a fountain pen). Link

CSUSA is local to me so I can buy stuff there without paying/waiting for shipping. I dunno how the Turner's Warehouse kit compares to the ones at CSUSA, but I think the Artisan Zen kits from CSUSA are my favorite rollerball kits I've turned to date.
 
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