To all intents and purposes Brian, China and Taiwan ARE the only places that make kits. There are one or two notable exception, DNS kits from Germany for instance, but the only reason they are able to keep their prices marginally short of silly is because, rather like polo mints, half of the kit is missing - they are a completely different concept to what most turners recognise as a pen kit and you have to make half the components yourself.
I recently posted a thread introducing a brand new pen kit which I have designed myself, from first principles, which Beaufort Ink will start selling as soon as they are ready. I am at liberty to get it made where ever I choose and don't think for one moment that I would not prefer them to be British made. However, on investigating the cost of making them in GB, or in Germany for that matter, I know fine that in a world where turners buy a poorer kit from Supplier A because it's 50 pence cheaper than a better kit from Supplier B, my kits were they to be British made would sit on a shelf gathering dust because the cost of labour and raw materials in GB is way too high to be viable. Sad isn't it?!!
So until the world of pen turning comes to terms with the fact that sometimes its better to spend a bit more to end up with a better product, sometimes its better to buy from your own country even though to buy from Australia is no more expensive (absolutely no digs or jibes intended, Australia is just an example!!!) as I said at the start, to all intents and purposes, for 99.99% of pemturners, yes China and Taiwan are the only places where pen kits are made.
