PSI Stratus pen kit - Opinions please

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magpens

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I am thinking of purchasing a fair number of the PSI Stratus pen kits (chrome).
Before I do, I'd like to hear what others think of this kit.

If you look at the website listing for the chrome version, there are quite a few reviews most of which are complimentary.
https://www.pennstateind.com/store/PKKPENCH.html ..... one review by Bruce refers to a breakage problem.

I would appreciate any comments from others who have used this kit and/or who have opinions about it. . PM if u want comments to be private.
One thing I am not attracted to is the rather wimpy construction of the clip.
Would greatly appreciate all advice and comments. ... Thanks !
 
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I've made probably 3 of these Mal without any problems. Nice kit, looks nice but I haven't had a chance to sell any yet, most have been gifts. The clip is not much different than, say, a Trim Line but it seemed to hold up just fine from what I encountered. Reviews I don't pay a lot of attention to unless they're all bad. There were a heck more 5 stars than 4 or 2. Give it a shot, my experience with PSI is that they'll always make it right.
 

Dehn0045

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I used one as my personal pen for a while, held up good but I'm pretty careful. I don't think it is very drop resistant due to the plastic piece on the clicker. You can epoxy a toothpick or wire in the end of the plastic plunger to help stiffen it. I gave one to my sister in-law a while back, she said it quit working, but I haven't had time to repair it. Last thing is disassembly is a bear, the plastic clicker breaks pretty easy, I have two that I need to disassemble and refinish but I am waiting on an effective method.
 

1shootist

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I've made probably 10 - 15 for various friends. None have ever came back and haven't heard of any issues with them. The clicker is very smooth, soft. You will not feel or hear it but that was what several really likes about it.
One thing I ran into with a few of the first ones was the brass tube being just a hair short, for a time this was even one of the problems talked about in the psi comments. It resulted in the ink not fully retracting. I literally made 2 last week and they were perfect.
This pen was what made me begin measuring the tubes beforehand.
I like the kit ,it allows a nice blank to be shown off, its super easy and straight forward to put together...just measure the tubes first.
Russ
 

qquake

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I've made a few as gifts, and also kept a couple. Haven't heard of nor had any problems.
 

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TonyL

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I have also made several, albeit, a long time ago but no problems reported. Makes me want to make some!
 
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My only issue is the plastic clicker. I cut off a short brad nail and glue it into the plastic piece for the clicker to stiffen it. Folks like to idly click or push sideways on the clicker. I agree, disassembly is hard and usually destroys the clicker anyway.
 

KLJ

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I have made 10 to 15 and have two that I use as my personal pens. The clicker as Russ said is very smooth and quiet. The finish has held up well ( both mine are gun metal). To me it is a very well balanced pen and the size, weight and nib make it my favorite to use. The only issue I have had is with the finished piece that screws onto the plastic clicker mechanism. I tightened one to much and broke the clicker internally. Heard it crack and knew I wish I hadn't done that. No fault of the pen it was all my mistake.
Marks statement about customers passing it by I agree with as well but I don't know why.
 

magpens

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@mmayo, @KLJ

Interesting and disappointing that you both report that customers pass by the Stratus.

Could the same be said about the Vertex click ? . Or the Spartan ?

Thanks for your comments and any additional you (and possibly others) may be able to make.
 

1shootist

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@mmayo, @KLJ

Interesting and disappointing that you both report that customers pass by the Stratus.

Could the same be said about the Vertex click ? . Or the Spartan ?

Thanks for your comments and any additional you (and possibly others) may be able to make.
Mal, speaking of the Vertex , Exotic Blanks has the chrome version on sale at the moment for $6.45. I do like the Stratus but given the choice of it or Vertex I would pick the Vertex, it looks better I think.
I bought 10 of the Exotic Blanks Vertex, of course mainly for a bag of M&M's (no peanuts)šŸ˜
 

magpens

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@1shootist

Re: the M&M's .... LOL , Russ .... I'll tell Dawn to give you mine also .... I don't care for candy !!! ;)

Now, re: the Vertex Click .... I'm not real keen on the hex components .... I actually prefer the design (except for the clip) of the Stratus.
Several people refer to the fragile clicker on both .... but I think that is easily remedied by gluing a thin nail into the hole in the click plunger.
 

davarm

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Feb 22, 2021
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Nice looking pens, but I just dropped mine and the clicker is now stuck in the extended position. I've tried a few things, but it now looks like I have to find a way to remove the click assembly and replace. It always felt a little flimsy anyway. I personally would not consider selling these. Seem to break too easy.
 

jrista

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Colorado
I am thinking of purchasing a fair number of the PSI Stratus pen kits (chrome).
Before I do, I'd like to hear what others think of this kit.

If you look at the website listing for the chrome version, there are quite a few reviews most of which are complimentary.
https://www.pennstateind.com/store/PKKPENCH.html ..... one review by Bruce refers to a breakage problem.

I would appreciate any comments from others who have used this kit and/or who have opinions about it. . PM if u want comments to be private.
One thing I am not attracted to is the rather wimpy construction of the clip.
Would greatly appreciate all advice and comments. ... Thanks !
I made about ten of these recently. IMO, its a really solid pen. It seems to be built well. All of the pens I've made with this kit have a nice heft...not light weight, but not really heavy. They might be ever so slightly top-heavy, but I'm not an extensive writer yet, so I haven't used all that much of a variety of pens yet. It is definitely not nearly as top-heavy as a rollerball or fountain pen with the cap on.

The clip is nice, IMO. I'm not a fan of clips that require some real work to get on...and there are some pens I've made that seem to require a lot of force to get on. Maybe with a pocket protector, that wouldn't be as much of an issue...but I don't use one. This clip seems flimsy, but it holds well IMO. I guess if you are worried that an errant yank will bend the clip out...that might be the case.

I really like the pen for its retro style. That was the main reason I bought them, and I've been making retro-styled pens with this kit. The style definitely has more of that classic retro look...and part of that is the design of the clip. I honestly don't know if it is any less strong than say a Sierra type kit, though...those don't really seem to be any different (thinner metal, bent at the top, etc.)

EDIT:

In the case that I have my stratus pens, I also have a number of baron rollerballs and a few others. All of the other pens, seem to have clips that feel about as tense as the stratus pens. There is one ultra cigar pen in there as well...hands down, by miles and miles, the cigar has the strongest and most sturdy kit. The differences between the others are pretty much meaningless in comparison to the cigar. So, if you are ok with say a Barron rollerball clip, I think you'll be ok with the Stratus clip. If you expect pens to have clips as sturdy as the Cigar, then...the stratus probably won't measure up.
 

mmayo

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@mmayo, @KLJ

Interesting and disappointing that you both report that customers pass by the Stratus.

Could the same be said about the Vertex click ? . Or the Spartan ?

Thanks for your comments and any additional you (and possibly others) may be able to make.
Almost all pens I make sell better. I thought it would be a hit, but nooooo.

Take aparts are very problematic..
 
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