Is a Slimline kit a sports car, or a Porsche?

[CaseyK]

I'm somewhat new to buying kits and have been pretty much with PSI. My question is are the Slimline kits (and by extension the myriad of other kit designs) a general type of design, a sports car with the differences from maker and model and such, or are they a specific design, like the Porsche 911?

I want to feel comfortable ordering the "same" kit from multiple vendors and know that I'm getting what I want, the 911. As opposed to ordering kits and getting potential variations in design/quality/finish because the kit is in fact a general sports car. I've been totally happy with PSI but I'm finding that sometimes they are out of a design/finish that I can find on other sites and want to make sure that when I order a Slimline from A that it's the same as what I would get from B and/or C and as well as what I've been getting from PSI.

So is a Slimline always a Slimline, or are these pen designs more of a suggestion?

 

[McKenzie Penworks]

Slimlines especially come from a variety of manufacturers... the cheaper ones (Amazon, etc) tend to be Chinese and have less durable plating and higher fail rates in the twist, etc. A good chunk of the kits out of Taiwan (typically better) have Chinese clones with inferior metal/plating. So yes, where you get them from can matter.

 

[mdburn_em]

When you look at the offerings from the vendors (not Amazon), you will often see 2 offerings for standard twist slimline. One will be cheaper than the other. That's because it is, well, cheap as @McKenzie Penworks stated. The plating will wear off quicker and the transmission will often be problematic. This specifically is referring to the fact that cheap transmissions will often retract when the user applies pressure by writing. As they write the refill disappears up into the barrel. When someone pays the money that we will charge, even slimline money, they shouldn't have that happen to them.

I started penmaking many years ago and I suppose I'm biased from those early years. PSI was the company with cheap kits and poor service. They have seriously expanded their offerings over the years but I still think of them that way. There are a number of psi kit resellers that offer better service and will often save you money on the kits.