Desperatly Seeking Rollerball.

[RedBeard]

OK maybe not so much desperate but I am looking for good quality rollerball kits. The ones that I've used in the past were from the various vendors and they all had the same problem. The weak link seemed to be extremely thin plastic on the threaded insert for the cap coupler. I've had issues with each and everyone thus far.

The one exception to this are the Ceres Jr. kits I got from Rockler and are made by Dayacom. The plastic inserts on these are a lot thicker and the threads are smooth. The overall problem with the Ceres however is the red, white and blue bands on the ends that have so far limited it to patriotic themes.. I'm OK with those but it sticks out like a sore thumb on anything else.

Who are some other manufacturers that produce a quality rollerball kit?

 

[Monty]

There are a lot of Dayacom rollerball kits sold by numerous IAP vendors that are good kits. For starters check out Exoticblanks, The Classic Nib, and Smitty's Pen Works for starters.

 

[TurtleTom]

I just put together 2 Caballeros (Schmidt) from Smitty and they seem to be thick enough. I measured the next at 0.035". I had no problems with thickness, or lack thereof.
What is the measurement of the thin ones so we'll know to stay away?

 

[TonyL]

I have tried many, if not all, of the one's mentioned above, and most have done well for me given their price points. I have found the Jr. Antony, George, Aarons feel like their components are better. They also cost double to triple the ones identified above. For me, I have found the "original" Jr Gent (2?): 12.5 mm, and 10.5 mm barrels, to be the most consistent. I can say the same for the original Baron (15/32nds and 25/64ths). I have not been as been as fortunate with many of the other kits. Nor have I had an overall positive experience with the Chinese kits. Do I still by them? Yes. I have learned to make them work. I want to emphasize (which I did with bold, italics, and underlining) that I am only relating my experience which of course is a function of my skills.

For what it is worth.

 

[KenV]

The Roller balls from Lazerlinez have held up quite well and the stainless looks good to me.

 

[Leatherman1998]

I would recommend either the eagle or desire from Lazerlinez or the Jr. Aaron from Exotic Blanks, Classic Nib, or Signature Pen Supply.

 

[RedBeard]

Thanks for all the suggestions fellas. Looks like I've got some research to do. Does anyone have any experience with the Majestic Jr. from PSI?

 

[OKLAHOMAN]

It's just anther version of all the other jrs with one big exception, the bottom barrel uses only one bushing that all the other jrs use

 

[MikeinSC]

I'm a fan of the Baron myself. And the Orion if a different nib design is desired.

 

[RedBeard]

The Orion is one of the ones I tried in the past. The threaded insert separated the first time I tried threading on the cap. That along with the fact that it just felt chintzy to me is why I won't bother with another Orion.

 

[TonyL]

I trief one orion and was disappointed. I am going to give one onother try.

 

[Dan Masshardt]

All the dayacom rollerballs are good for me.

The Berea capped rollerballs are threaded hBe been good to me too.

Also, take a look at some of the magnetic capped rollerballs.

 

[Smitty37]

Without knowing how much you want to spend per kit, given the wide range of price available in roller ball kits, you might want to give us a little more information. Great Palace Vine toward the top end at over $100 per kit to Apprentice Jr Gent 1 for about $6.00 at the other end. With dozens of options in between.

 

[TonyL]

I also had success with the Zen and Graduate.

 

[nativewooder]

Try Timberbits.com?

 

[Sandsini]

The Jr Gent II, Jr Statesman and Majestic Jr are my go-to kits in large part because of the high quality experience of threading the cap on and off. For some reason the Majestic Jr seems to be a bit better than the others. This may be attributed to the weight of the components, but if you want a high quality feel on a rollerball, this is where I would start.

 

[RedBeard]

Thanks fellas. I've decided to try the Jr. Morgan from Exotic Blanks and the Majestic Jr. from PSI. They both arrived today and the first thing I did was inspect the threaded section and I am extremely pleased, especially with the Majestic Jr.

 

[TurtleTom]

I bought a few nice kits at reduced prices from an IAP member, and now slimlines aren't so much fun anymore. So now it's fatlines with wood bands till further notice.

 

[TurtleTom]

I got quite a shock when I wondered why Redbeard had to start a thread to find out about these pens. Wasn't their sufficient reviews at the sellers?
It seems out of all the pens mentioned in this thread from Crafts, Exotic Blanks, Smitty's, Craft Supplies, Wood Turnings and Penn State, with the exception of Penn State's vast reviews, my review of the Caballero from Smitty's was the only review I could find, and I did it out of embarrassment on the spot. There were many suppliers I didn't check so I'm surely wrong.

 

[TurtleTom]

Is it a no-no mentioning all those competing companies in one post?

 

[Smitty37]

Is it a no-no mentioning all those competing companies in one post?

Nope. There are some restrictions in the rules regarding how you mention them all in the same post in some of the forums, but nothing says you can't mention them all in the same post.