Recommendations for kits

[SpiritRider]

I could use some help!
Fountain pens are selling well in our area and I want to improve quality of what I have and offer different levels. Does anyone have recommendations for a good entry, mid and upper level kits? By entry level I was thinking of around $45-50 or less.

 

[Hippie3180]

Bullseye Turning Supply has a nice American made fountain/or rollerball called the Apollo. Nice make.

Apollo Pen Kit

The same great Apollo kit you know and love, now redesigned and improved for an even higher quality kit at the same great price. Improvements to the kit include: Triple start threads for an improved user experience. The cap insert has a machined air hole in it so that you will not get a trapped...

bullseyeturningsupply.com

 

[Monty]

I could use some help!
Fountain pens are selling well in our area and I want to improve quality of what I have and offer different levels. Does anyone have recommendations for a good entry, mid and upper level kits? By entry level I was thinking of around $45-50 or less.

Are you talking about $45-$50 as your cost on the components or selling price?

 

[Darios]

Along with Bullseye I'd add in Beaufort and Dayacom. They both are a notch (or 12) above the typical kit I've seen.

Beaufort Ink

Designed in the UK, and are engineered and manufactured to the highest standards and tolerances to take their place among the best available worldwide

www.turnerswarehouse.com

Dayacom Pen Kits

Pen making and wood turning supplies including, bottle stoppers, duck call, ring making, pen making and bowl making and turning supplies tools.

www.turnerswarehouse.com

 

[walshjp17]

In addition to the Apollo FP from Bullseye, Kate also offers the Artemis, a slightly larger pen. McKenzie Penworks sells the Desire FP.

The Bullseye and McKenzie products are stainless steel and made in the USA by McKenzie Penworks.

 

[EricRN]

I use the Beaufort ink kits almost exclusively. I also like the McKenzie stainless kits and have been wanting to try the apollo. Only reason I haven't is that I've got a bazillion kits and trying to turn through what I have before buying more

 

[derekdd]

I've had good luck with PSI's Presimo for a lower end offering. The cap is screw on rather than the magnetic we see with some. As cool as the magnetic caps are, they seem to dry out quicker.

I use the Majestic Jr. as my higher end offering.

Lots of good choices out there. Good luck!

 

[SpiritRider]

I am thinking selling price. Thanks everyone I'll look into these

 

[ZanderPommo]

I am thinking selling price. Thanks everyone I'll look into these

That's (at least in my experience) a VERY low selling price for a fountain pen. If you're able to keep material costs at or under $15 you're pricing your labor at $10-$15 an hour, and $15-$17 in my state is minimum wage. If you want to keep costs low however, the eco zen fountain pen kits from ExoticBlanks are under $9. In my experience so far they're great quality kits for the price and people love magnetic caps. If you can keep blanks down to ~$4 plus ~$2 for "misc" material costs, you can be making $30-$35 per pen. I would recommend you raise your prices, frankly. Especially considering with some fountain pen kit and blank combinations you can be at $70-$120 in material costs alone. Make a couple pens with ~$30 kits and ~$10 blanks, and test the waters in your area to see if you can sell a couple in the $100-$130 range, and that way you can value your labor at $25-$35 an hour, and adjust your other prices accordingly. If you're making quality pens with a good fit & CA finish, your labor is at LEAST worth $20-$25 an hour. Personally I base my labor, the way I value my time, by at or over my hourly pay in my day job. Perhaps my living in WA state is the reason I believe that, I've never lived in a low cost state (IL—>WA), but that's just my $.02.