Warning on the Rockler Pen Kits

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Sawdust46

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This is my first post, not sure I'm in the right forum but here goes. I bought some of the Rockler Manhattan black titanium/ platinum kits because they were on sale.
I did some castings and used manhattan and sierra tubes. The castings were clear with decals on the tubes. The castings were not very successful but one seemed okay and I began assembling the pen. It seemed to require more that normal pressure to get it seated but I thought I got it started crooked. When I removed it from my press I was surprised to see the tube had noticeably expanded where the cap was pressed in! I took a manhattan tube and a sierra cap and the cap slipped on and off with no pressure. I had tried to press a manhattan cap into a sierra tube.
To make a long story short the manhattan tube and cap are slightly larger than the sierra. They are NOT interchangeable.
I just tried to talk to Rockler but product support was gone for the day.
 
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that's why I leave my kits in the package until ready to make. All parts are from the same kit, same supplier. There is no chance of 'cross contamination'.
Perhaps in future you could mark the inside of the tubes with a dot. Red = Sierra, blue = Manhattan.
Sorry to here about your problem. Good luck.
 
I wanted to add to and further clarify this issue.
I asked when I bought the pen if they were the same as sierras and they said yes. Rockler product support responded to my question from last night and confirmed the pens are supposed to be the same as sierras.
Well, after I had assembled the pen and the cap was too large and spread the tube, I got to thinking, why did the nib portion fit? Well, if you use only Manhatten components, the nib portion will fall out of the tube because the tube is too large! So it is not just a case of not being the same size as the sierra, the kit will not fit together properly using only the manhattan parts.
But I just returned from my Rocker store and they gave me a refund for all my kits including the poorly fitting pen. So they have some major issues with their quality control/specs but they certainly handled the problem well with the customer, me! So they deserve the credit for customer service.
 
So, either the two kits really are interchangeable and the tolerances of some of their components was way out of whack, or the two kits are not interchangeable and they gave you bad advice by claiming they are.

Pick your poison.
 
I never trust hany information about pen kits from sales persons at any of the brick and mortar woodworking stores. Info from vendors here that just sell pen supplies is much more reliable. Rocker sells Berea kits mostly so the quality should be the same as straight from Berea...but not the info they give out.
Do a good turn daily!
Don
 
its_virgil said:
I never trust hany information about pen kits from sales persons at any of the brick and mortar woodworking stores. Info from vendors here that just sell pen supplies is much more reliable. Rocker sells Berea kits mostly so the quality should be the same as straight from Berea...but not the info they give out.
Do a good turn daily!
Don
Click to expand...

Or the cost difference between the 2
 
I think in a earlier thread that rockler changed suppliers and no longer sell Berea kits.
I think it says made in china on their instructions.
 
its_virgil said:
Yes, prices from Berea and our vendors here are always better than either Rockler or Woodcraft.
Do a good turn daily!
Don
Click to expand...

Pretty much everybody has better prices than Rockler or Woodcraft. I only go to those stores for incidentals that I need right away and can't find at the local borg.
 
I used to do demos for Rockler, and did so for several years, and worked there part time years ago and yes, they have switched suppliers. They are a good bunch of people and support our local IAP chapter generously. I send relevant IAP posts to the local store manager suggesting he pass them along to HQ. They are in business to make money, period; that's the way it is in the USA. The local management has little influence in what the bean counters decide is the best way to accomplish that. The new line of pen kits are main land China and the quality says so. I had hoped they would take the high road and carry a better quality product but that doesn't seem to be the direction they have chosen to pursue. As for pricing, the cost to maintain a physical presence, and all that goes with it, is high and climbing. If we want the convenience of running over and picking up what we need, and usually a lot of what we don't, we must pay a little more. After all, the customer pays for everything. Just my 2 pennies worth.
WB
 
Box Store.....

Other posts in this thread have described the problem stores like Rockler and Woodcraft have.

If they carry Berea they can't meet Berea Hardwoods price and make a profit- I had the same problem when I tried to carry PSI kits. So people here say yea they had the good kits but not the price and bought direct from Berea or an online vendor.

When they develop another source - they get faulted for poor quality because it's on mainland China. Whatever they do they're getting blasted.

Someone said all they care about is making money - businesses HAVE to make money, that's why they exist and that is the only way they can continue to exist. Of course they're in it for the money, that's why we all like to have a job or our own business - to make money.
 
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