Rollerball recommendation

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Feb 25, 2010
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webberville, mi
Looking for a recommendation for a quality rollerball, something that would sell in the range of $100 or more. Not looking for gimmicks or sparkles.
I have always been a big fan of the Raven from Lazerlines/McKenzie but Constant is out of the game and McKenzie is having trouble finding someone to make parts.
That said, anything else out there that inspires?
 
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Leveche from Beaufort in the UK. US distributor is Turner's Warehouse. Mistral is a bit larger, and nice. I've not made a Cyclone, but it looks similar. Quality hardware, with not much bling. Beufort is good quality and priced fairly. (that's about all i buy that doesn't come from Exotic Blanks)
earl
 
Are you looking for something that is a similar look to the pens you listed? I pretty much exclusively shop at Exotic Blanks and there is a lot out there to look at for options. I make a fair number of Diamond Knurl rollerballs and this year did some of the C Series also. I need/want to do more customization on the C Series and just haven't done it yet.

I would add this, don't underestimate your work.

If you feel it's $100 pen then charge that. I'd also add to go big. Ed Brown said something during one of his sessions at the MPG that has stuck with me. (paraphrasing) "If you want to sell a $150 pen then you should have a couple that you're selling for $200." It made me reevaluate how I did things and I've sold a couple of the "$200 pens" too.

Boy I hope I got that right but that's what I've had in my head. Ed can correct me if I'm wrong.

I would also say that a quality ink cartridge in the pen makes a world of difference too.

If you feel the work, components and look of the pen are worth a price then sell it for that price. You'll see a million formulas for how to price things, what someone says your or their market does, and all kinds of things. It comes down to what you think it's worth. If it's a less expensive pen or a super expensive pen it's much more about how you make it look. Unless your customer is shopping Exotic Blanks on their own they'll never know how much you paid for something. Just say it's a rollerball pen with an amboyna burl body and upgraded ink cartridge. They don't know if the components cost you $15 or $75.

I do have a day job so I'm not trying to make a living selling pens but I also don't want to sit on a ton of them either. Changing how I priced things did not hurt my sales in sheer unit volume of sales and certainly not in revenue.
 
I like the magnetic Executive from PSI. I think it strikes a nice balance between looking high-end and looking overdone or ridiculous. I also find it to be comfortable for actual writing, and I love the magnetic caps.

My two favorite rollerball kits are actually the CSUSA Artisan Zen, and the PSI Rollester, but both fall very much in the category of understated designs with modern clean lines rather than screaming "luxury."

Never did much care for the Jr Gents and Tritons of the world, personally.
 
I always liked the Jr Statesman, just enough bling but overly done) but that's discontinued now. Now I like to customize my rollerballs so I like the Band It and C Series at Exoticblanks because it's easy to swap or make custom finials and center bands to match the pen body blank. I think it gives the pen something different and unique to make it stand out from everyone else's.
 
I like the Majestic and if I want high glass I always look at Dayacom kits. I am not a fan of pens that have long odd looking nose end. Too much metal for me. A pen should show the blank as much as possibvle. All those stainless pen kits are too boring and you show stainless which is boring. My opinion and sticking with it.
 
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