Sierra Gripe

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jkeithrussell

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Oct 20, 2008
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I've made and given away or sold a ton of Sierras. One was for a man who carries and uses it heavily every day. He brought it to me today and asked me to replace the ink for him. It's a standard chrome kit. It really looks awful. The plating is worn off on the clip, cap, and nib. The clip spins around (even though I CA'd the cap in place). The mechanism has gotten gummed up and barely works. Less than 6 months of service. I don't expect a kit to last forever, but 6 months?
 
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I haven't found too many platings that hold up to everyday use and that includes titanium and platinum. I work at a prison and used a pen everyday. I don't use a case so maybe I am just hard on them. The good news is that my finishes on the barrels outlast the platings.
 
Unfortunately that's the nature of plated metal. Consider it an opportunity to show your customer service and offer a replacement for free.
 
rjwolfe3 said:
The good news is that my finishes on the barrels outlast the platings.
Click to expand...

That was the case with this one. The barrel still looks really good. I work close to home, so I made a quick trip home and swapped out the hardware and refill. I used an Elegant Beauty this time. May not last forever, but at least it looks better now.
 
i have had this in my craw too for a long time..especially when we pay top dollar for BT, or TG or Rhodium..gosh it ought to last a heck of a lot longer..we sweat the production, sell, and gosh darn dang nab it they oughta last a couple years at least..some of you sell these things for 200.00..If i were the person who bought a 200.00 pen I'd expect it to remain gosh darn good lookin' til I croaked
 
Some people are just abusive to everything they use. To expect anything to hold up to constant abuse is folly.

As for a $200 pen to last a lifetime, do you expect your car, which likely cost more than $200, to last until you croak, especially if you abuse it on a daily basis?
 
I am going to have to agree with Mick here. When you pay $30 to 40 top end kits you should be able to get more than 6 months out of it no matter how it was used. You want people to use pens everyday. Gosh you take a bic click and try to destroy it and the plating on it. Good luck. Now it is nice to have people buy pens and place them on their desk or put them in their $1000 suits and they last a life time but sometimes I think about this hobby and wonder if it is all worth it. The manufactorers just care about how many kits they sell. The more bling they put on it the higher the price. OK I am off the soap box too.
 
Makes it hard to market "Pens that will last a lifetime" when you know they might look terrible after a year of use.

Wish there was an alternative, I suppose that's where those who make completely custom pens come in. Someday I hope to be one of them, until then, I guess I'll just have to put up with what we're offered.
 
When you consider that the thickness of the plating on kit pens is measured in "Microns" you can't expect it to last forever . Kit pens by nature are a trade off between Price and Durability . The manufacturers produce kits that people will buy (cheap) , to make higher end kits they add more "bling" to catch the eye , the problem is that the "bling" is plated .
If you really want kits that are more durable then what's available , make them yourself . Brass and Aluminum are very shiny and look really good when polished and they are durable and can be turned on a wood lathe , they do have an "upkeep" issue in that they do oxidize and have to be repolished once and awhile but they don't wear away . In the event that they become scratched , they can be refinished , try doing that with a plated kit .
If you want an even more durable kit , get a metal lathe and work with Stainless steel and Titanium .
Even better , take it to the highest level and learn how to cast Gold and Silver . Now you are talking about pens that will last virtually forever , but you better have really deep pockets .
 
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After reading all the posts I think maybe the answer is: if we are willing to pay more $ per kit, then we should get thicker plating and it should last longer..skip the bling & give me value..Maybe someday I will make it all myself (HA) , but I should be able TODAY to buy parts that will last beyond next week
 
We have to accept the fact that some people are better off with a Bic.

There is nothing we can do about those who abuse the pen or whose body chemistry will eat the paint off of their truck.
 
This plating problem, in a nutshell, is why I don't buy the real expensive kits. I keep my prices under $100, show buyers what my used everyday Navigator's plating looks like after two years of use and still sell all the pens I care to. My buyers' biggest concerns seem to be the fear of losing an expensive pen which is exactly where I offer my famous guarantee, "Don't worry, if you ever lose a pen I make, I'll be happy to sell you a new one."
 
I hope someday soon I won't have to deal with the kits at all, when I can join the ranks of our true pen makers who make kit-less pens. Russ has a very good point, we make luxury items and they are not suited for all applications.

PaulD said:
My buyers' biggest concerns seem to be the fear of losing an expensive pen which is exactly where I offer my famous guarantee, "Don't worry, if you ever lose a pen I make, I'll be happy to sell you a new one."
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I didn't come up with this, I saw it on the forums, but my answer to "I'm always losing pens, I'm afraid I'd lose it," is always "You probably have never had a pen worth keeping."

Usually works.
 
I agree with Russ. A lady we have known for years abuses everything she touches. I don't even want to give her a pen anymore. I saw her absent mindedly (is that a word?) thumping a really nice TN comfort pen made with stabilized dyed box elder, against the edge of her granite counter top. They have a top of the line Lexus and within two months the carpet on the passenger side has holes in it from her spiked heels.
 
rjwolfe3 said:
Nope, I expect the car to last until the warranty runs out
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That's why GM is croaking, their cars seemed fine-tuned to do just that ;).



As for the plating, I have figured out that if I personally use Rhodium/Platinum or Titanium Gold, I stand a chance of it pitting like nobody's business. But if I use a Black Titanium, black epoxy, or chrome, the plating will last a VERY long time (other than a few scratches).


Russ is right about how some people's body chemistry will eat through a lead suit.
 
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