I have to say that this was written in true curmudgeonly fashion: without any regard to others' preferences or circumstances. People talk about how entitled the young generation is, but man do they have a great role model here. I try very hard not to be offended. I think being offended is a choice that reflects more on me than on you. I usually don't have to work that hard on it on this amazing forum, but I'm close with this one. So in defense of beginners, those with limited resources, those with different preferences, those who do very well (thank you very much) bucking the trends, those who make pens for themselves and nobody else, and a number of kit manufacturers, I to have post some rebuttals.
After your first 25 practice pens, no one should turn a slim line, or other low dollar kit. They are of poor quality and give all pen turners a bad name.
There are very decent-quality slimline kits with much better and more durable platings. But beyond that, much of the quality (disregarding long-term durability) of a slimline is more dependent on the skill of the turner than the quality of the kit. Yes, you will see a lot of poor-to-middling quality slimline pens because those kits are the most accessible to those with the least experience, and those folks aren't going to make the best pens. And yes there are plenty of slimline kits that won't have great fitment no matter how skilled a turner you are. But there
are great slimline kits, and you can turn an amazing slimline pen. It may not be the most original in design, but it can still be high quality. And to finish off on this point, if you want to sell your pens, you better turn what your customer wants, and there are plenty of people who
want a very thin pen. Case in point, one customer commissioned a pen from me. He saw a cigar pen I'd done, and asked if I could make one of those for him. He loved the look and quality, but ended up no liking the feel of the thicker pen--he'd been buying and using Zebra F-301 click pens for literally decades. He commissioned a second pen in a slimline, which he also paid full price for, loved, and continues to use.
What is with all of the bulbous looking beginners pens? They look like they have type of malignant growth. Have you ever seen a professional pen maker make this garbage. Beginners put photographs of them online and everyone raves about them. We should tell them that they look hideous so they stop making them. Pen barrels should be flat or maybe have a slight contour.
From a beginner's perspective, it can be really hard when you realize that you spent $15 on a nice blank, and you're literally going to turn 95% of that blank into sawdust and shavings. It's a very common view for a beginner to want to maximize the amount of the blank that they're using, and it's a legitimate skill to learn to be OK with the "waste." New bowl turners often have similar issues wanting to get the most out of their blanks, so they make what some people call "dog bowls." So the thing that's "with" all of the bulbous looking beginners' pens is that they are
beginners' pens. They need to learn (often on their own) what looks good and what doesn't, so give them a break. They don't need you telling them what to do--they'll figure it out on their own. In the meantime, if they happen to sell a few bulbous pens and their customers are happy, more power to them.
There are many other reasons to make a "bulbous" pen. Almost all of them have to do with what your customer wants. Some people want something they can hold onto better--for personal preference or to compensate for a lack of grip, shaky hand, arthritis, etc. Some people like the look of a more bulbous pen. And while I do agree that if that's your preference, a kit that better suits that type of design is the ideal approach, it's not the approach available to every turner. Are you saying those who can't afford more expensive kits should just not turn? I also don't personally think it's the best look for a pen, and certainly not for a slimline. But if you've got the market for it, then I'm not going to bust your chops. And if you're only making pens for your own enjoyment, do what you want, and anyone who disagrees with you can go kick rocks.
Kitless and Bespoke pens. I spent a ton of money to be able to make these. I also spent countless hours perfecting the skills to make a really nice kitless pen. That said, they aren't as practical or nice looking as most of the better kits available. Now I make them just for bragging rights.
So you make something you're not happy with so that you can brag about it? You do you, man. But I think it's pretty shady to crap on a bunch of amazing craftspeople/artists who do fantastic work because
you don't like the look of them. Some of these folks are able to sell their pens for
thousands of dollars, so maybe your idea of what looks nice could use an update.
There's a particular penmaker on Instagram who makes pens that, to me, look like feminine products and...ahem...personal massagers. But he does very well from what I can tell, and his customers either don't make that same connection or don't care. Not my cup of tea, but no one is making me buy his pens. Plenty of other folks, however, spend their own hard-earned money on his kitless pens rather than someone else's kit pens, so, to corrupt an old saying, you can put that in your pen and write with it.
Kits. Why spent you time to make a pen out of a junk kit. You end up with a junk pen. You don't have to spend $40 or $50 on a kit, but if it's under $10, chances are it not worth making.
Blanks. Why make a pen with a Blah blank. I have dozens of blanks sitting in a reject box because, after they arrived, they didn't measure up to the sales ad. The same can be said for wood blanks. If a wood blank doesn't pop with figure and color, it too goes in a reject box. You can't start with inferior components and end up with a top shelf pen. Time is everything!!
Some people make do with what they can afford, and if you can only afford a few $2 slimlines made with domestic woods, then you do your best with that. The issue here though is that you're mixing your commercial and artistic viewpoints. Additionally though, you're really prescribing to everyone (makers and customers alike) what looks good. Certainly you're views (people generally like figure, color, chatoyancy, anything they consider exotic, etc.) aren't terribly off-base. But environmentally and socially conscientious customers are looking for other things too. They don't want something made from an endangered wood species, or a kit that was (potentially) made with child labor, or raw materials that have traversed the entire globe, or dyes or finishes that harm the environment. And there are other niches of customers that want a more natural-looking finish, or that like a specific wood, or that want something (I'm thinking whiskey barrel and stadium seat blanks) more for its history than it's looks. It all comes down to what your customer wants. If you want to maximize your potential sales or your artistic accolades, then yes: dark, highly figured woods, glass-like finish, super-premium kits (or better yet, one-off kitless designs).
Indeed, you can't start with a straight grained-piece of pine and have a final product that looks like an exotic burl. But again, don't crap on those who either prefer something different or don't have the luxury of being so picky about their kits and blanks.
That's a little more than 2 cents, but I felt it was important to provide a little different perspective here.