Cambridge Hybrid Pen from Berea

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Ric

Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2014
Messages
88
Location
Chilliwack British Columbia CANADA
I hope I have found the correct place to post this message, not wanting to offend anyone, but I thought this "forum" looks like it might be the proper place to ask these questions....
I got an e-mail today from BEREA telling me about how they brought back their Cambridge Roller-ball & Fountain pen in a "special Titanium Gold. The price they are selling them at is less than half of their retail price.
Retail $32.00 U.S. Selling price $14.00 R/Ball $15.00 Fountain
Since I have never bought this item from them & not sure of the pen itself, I am looking for help from my fellow members at IAP for advice.
Is this pen as good as Berea has mentioned? or is this too good to be true?
Do I purchase a "wack" of them, or are they not worth the price that Berea has suggested.
I have to think this out properly as I am from Canada & by the time I add exchange, duty, freight, brokerage, & administration fee on top of the price, it no longer becomes a question of just buying one to see how it works.... So I am asking for help from you guys. Has anyone ever purchased this item from Berea before? If so, what is your opinion of the product?
Please let me know what you think, so that if things work out properly I too can take advantage of some of the offers you guys see every day.
Thanks....Ric
"IF LIFE HANDS YOU LEMONS...MAKE MOJITOS"
 
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That's a pretty good deal, I'd say. I bought some Cambridges from a couple IAP users for more than that! I remember paying $22/kit for a few of the Cambridges.
 
I didn't get a chance to turn one yet since I didn't have the right drill bit. My set goes up to 1/2" and I needed 33/64 and 31/64 for it. Anyways, I'm hoping to get one done soon! As for the finishings, I'm not sure. I'm not sure what finishes the ones I have are, but I know that does sound like a good deal for that price.
 
Ric - the Cambridge is a large pen with a strong bling presence. Uses big drill bits and works best for me to have larger blanks.

The pens are well suited to such uses as wedding sets or presentation pens.
 
I love this pen.
I made one last year using a Honduran Rosewood Burl blank.
It won the fountain Pen contest at last years MPG.
It is my daily carry pen
 
William wood-write sells this pen from berea, but calls it the Canadiana.

From what I understand, that never left, it's the plating. They had a shippment that was plated wrong awhile ago, that resulted in a darker, smoky titanium gold. They sold them at a discount. I guess they were popular enough, that they brought them in on purpose this time.

They are very nice kits, I have made a few.
 
Hello Darin..I thought they looked vaguely familiar..I have seen the Canadiana at WWW. That is a pretty big pen..
thank you for your input, much appreciative...Ric
"IF LIFE HANDS YOU LEMONS...MAKE MOJITOS"
 
Thanks Mintman,Darrin,Magicbob,Ken & Avi. you guys sure are positive about this pen. I think I'm going to give it a bash, on your guys recommendations.
When I add in all the extra stuff a guy has to pay to get this shipped to Canada, it's still a good value, with the current exchange rate my cost will be somewhere in the $23.00 CDA for this pen with that special finish from Berea.
I'll let you guys know how things turn out. I would just order one from a supplier here in Canada if I wanted that pen, but then I would not get that special coating that is available at Berea.
Thanks again....Ric
"IF LIFE HANDS YOU LEMONS...MAKE MOJITOS"
 
Ric you will likely be pleased with the pen. I have a few here and use them mainly as gifts for wedding pens etc. Uses the same bushings as the churchill and el grande so if you have them you can save on the bushings.
 
I have to think this out properly as I am from Canada & by the time I add exchange, duty, freight, brokerage, & administration fee on top of the price, it no longer becomes a question of just buying one to see how it works.... So
Thanks....Ric

Hi Ric,

I live a few miles west of you as you would know.

There is no duty, brokerage, or administration fee if you ship USPS/CanadaPost. The big kicker is exchange, now at over 25%, which you pay up front when you order (and PayPal will add on about 3+% for doing the exchange. If your order is under $100 CAD then Canada Customs usually lets the package through without any charges. If it's over $100 you will likely get dinged for PST and GST, but sometimes not, if you are lucky.

As far as the pen kits themselves go, IMHO you can't go wrong with Berea.
Their quality is top-notch.

This kit has been around for many years so many people must like it, but others feel that the bling on this kit is excessive. It does attract attention, and you can sell it at a premium to the right person
 
I have been looking and can't find that ad anywhere. I didn't get the email either. Any way some of the rest of us can get in on ordering a few of those?
 
I am sure the vendors here can speak to this more-so But what to me hybrid is just a knock off of the original kit. berra came out with the Cambridge and then Timberbits made their version and called it a Hybrid Cambridge. The original Cambridge had a black plastic ring in the center and the hybrids did not. They were having problems with that black ring. Now if you look at different sites they call the black plain Cambridge and the dressed up ones Hybrids or ultras. The same thing goes for the cigar pens. They stated aout with black plastic center rings and now have all metal. They have ultra cigars that have a bit more bling or design in the accent pieces.

This question was asked by me a few years ago and here is the link.
http://www.penturners.org/forum/f14/hybrid-cambridge-kits-75570/



Here is a photo of 2 original Cambridge pens





My question today would be what is the difference between the Roman Harvest kit and the Cambridge Hybrid??? I can not see it. Roman Harvest


 
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Berea designed the Cambridge and Cambridge Hybrid. Timberbits copied that and added the all metal center band at the same time Berea was finalizing their all metal center band.
 
The Cambridge is a nice set of components and the deal they are offering right now makes it a no-brainer. I tried ordering some from my phone the other day and ended up having to place a second order to get what I wanted. Berea, to their credit, combined the orders and refunded the extra shipping charge.
:smile:
 
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