Closed end pens

[Bugmerc]

I am wondering about closed end pens. To me they seem so much more professional than kits that you just press the shiny part into the ends of the pen.:wink: They take a lot more labor and finishing takes some extra finesse.
So my question is those that make them. Can you get the extra money needed out of them? Does the customer realize that because of the extra work they need to cost more and happily pay the premium?
I am into fountain pens and many of the higher end pens made from different plastics, ebonite and other hard rubbers are made closed end and can fetch a very high price. Some are wood also, but most are made from plastic of some kind.

Thanks!

Chris

 

[Exabian]

Chris,

I dont know the answer to this per say but I do know that you will get several answers on this one. If I was to guess I would say the more work you put into something the more its going to cost. Your time is money and most people understand that.

Good question and I look forward to the responses.

Exabian

 

[SteveG]

I can give my perspective: my sales are at a table I man at a resort on Kauai. The vast majority of sales I get are impulse sales...the customer had absolutely no idea he or she would be buying a pen that day. They just strolled by my display on the way to breakfast. To this group, the differentiation of 'closed end or not', makes little difference. I would price a closed end a little higher, but probably not enough to actually cover the added work. Some of this group are return customers, but still not pen connoisseurs. Then there is a small group that are pen-knowledgeable, and to these, all (or most) details and features are of importance. This is a very small group at my venue.
Steve

 

[Ruby pen turning]

After you have made a few closed end pens, it is not really a whole lot more work. In my selling experience, I cannot get more for them though I think they do look nicer. Also it seams people want to post there caps which cannot be done on a closed end pen.

 

[wood-of-1kind]

Sell a lot fewer 'closed end' style than non, but those that are sold most certainly command a greater price in my market. Sell these mostly to FP collectors and yes they see greater value and are more willing to both purchase and collect them. JMO

 

[Old Lar]

I make both component and closed end fountain and roller ball pens. I started getting a few dollars more when I first started making the closed end pens, but have found, as Ruby pen turning has said, that the closed end pens do not take any more time now than others.
I do agree that closed end pens look like a higher end pen, but my fp market is mostly fountain pen collectors and they like both. Some materials do not lend themselves to a closed end pen as well.

 

[BSea]

My experience is that most people that want a cool pen will opt for the shiny blingy pens. My wife always wonders why I make closed ended pens. She likes the way a kit pen looks. But I've never sold one to a real pen collector that might see any added value that a closed end pen might have. I will say, that I get much more attention from custom finials than a closed ended pen.

 

[Bugmerc]

Interesting comments everyone! Thanks for your input. Very diverse answers, which is always good to get. Looking forward to any others that decide to chime in!

Chris