Tried to post this in reviews but the forum wouldn't let me up-load from my PC only from URL.. 
The Gent kit review.
The long awaited Gent kit review is here, I hope it was worth waiting for.
There are many so called “JR Gent“ kits on sale today it is difficult to understand what you are getting for your hard earned cash.
This review aims to improve up-on that for you so you can make your next purchase with a little more confidence.
In this review there are 6 kits that are either advertised as JR Gent or are advertised as are equivalent to the Gent.
As you will know there are many different suppliers, all of which are not covered on here as I’m sure this review would never come to fruition as there are so many JR Gent kits out there. Having said that, there are distinct differences in tube sizes and designs.
Many of the kits from the Baron, Castella, Churchill, tycoon and now the new forthcoming pen kit the Sigma. There is possibly more than I have mentioned here, there are so many that have been developed and are very much the same as the original JR Gent is a popular kit.
Kits 1 to 4 have the same size tubes so I will review them separately, the tube sizes are based on the drill size required not the actual size of the tube. I don’t see much point of putting actual tube size as you will still need to know what size drill to use for the tubes.
Each review is based on my own opinion and I have each kit in hand to feel the quality, workmanship and assess value for money. I have also made the pens up recently as well to see how they feel when pressed together.
I have reviewed all the kits “in hand” and not from a photograph that has been sent to me. I need to feel the kit quality, see the workmanship and understand how easy the kit is to build.
The “other suppliers of this kit” is based on ones I’m aware are the same from information gained from ones I have used in the past and from other pen turners.
Kit 1
JR Gentleman’s standard gold plated none postable Roller ball
From CSUSA.
Price range $16.80 to $26.40.(Depending on plating)
6 items in total in the bag – 3 within plastic bags all packaged in an outer bag with Dayacom printed on it.
Items are as follows.
1 nib / cap insert, 2 End cap / retainer ring, 3 cap / clip, 4 top tube, 5 bottom tube, 6 Schmidt Refill.
All weighed in at 40g (Not including the refill)
Tube size -
Top tube ½” (12.5)
Bottom Tube 13/32” (10.5)
JR Gentleman’s parts as delivered.
Kit 1 is the original JR kit, this is the more expensive of the kits on review. The quality of this kit in feel, fit and simplistic build in my opinion is the one to beat.
The threads to the nib are a double start Acme (Square topped) design and make the fit smoother and easier to use. All the other threads on the kit are a standard sharp thread.
*****
Other suppliers of this kit are
Turners Retreat Elite collection
Kit 2
JR Gentleman’s II standard postable Chrome plated Roller ball
From CSUSA.
Price range $11.70 to $19.90. (Depending on plating)
6 items in total in the bag – 3 within plastic bags all packaged in an outer bag with Dayacom printed on it.
Items are as follows.
1 nib / cap insert, 2 End cap / retainer ring, 3 cap / clip, 4 top tube, 5 bottom tube, 6 Schmidt Refill.
All weighed in at 36g (Not including the refill)
Tube size -
Top tube ½” (12.5)
Bottom Tube 13/32” (10.5)
JR Gentleman’s II parts as delivered.
Kit 3
Castella (JR Gent II) Standard Postable Chrome plated Roller ball
From Timberbits
Price range $9.50 to $11.50. AUSD (Depending on plating)
9 items in total in the bag – 6 within plastic bags all packaged in an outer bag. (Millylime printed on the bag)
Items are as follows.
1 nib, 2, cap insert, 3 End cap, 4 retainer ring, 5 cap, 6 clip, 7 top tube, 8 bottom tube, 9 TOT refill.
All weighed in at 36g (Not including the refill)
Tube size -
Top tube ½” (12.5)
Bottom Tube 13/32” (10.5)
Castella (JR Gent II) parts as delivered.
Kit 2 & 3, both these kits are identical in every way, the sizes of all parts, fittings and tubes are like for like. There is nothing to separate them in any way. In my view both come from the same manufacturer.
In my view these kits are the poor brother to kit 1.
1. The black painted and coated accents may be more appealing to the eye but that is all they do and it looks a cheap coating.
2. The threads are a double start sharp style and in my opinion make the fitting “squeaky” when screwing them in and is a tighter fit. This is usually resolved by using polish in the thread.
3. The plating doesn’t look as good or feel as good as kit 1 or kit 4.
4. The black painted thread and coated sections look cheap.
***
Other suppliers of this kit are
Turners Workshop. Junior Gentleman’s range
Fun-e-Turns JR Gentleman’s range (Not the Gentleman/Chairman range)
Pen crafts.co.uk Large JR Gentleman range
Woodcraft USA – Navigator range
Kit 4
Taylor Mirfield Sigma gun metal Roller Ball
From Taylor Mirfield. (Dan)
Price Range – Not available at time of review.
11 items in the bag – 8 within plastic bags all in a plain packaged outer bag. (no name or anything printed on the bag)
Items are as follows.
1 Nib, 2 Nib Coupler, 3 End Cap, 4 Top Cap, 5 Retaining ring, 6 Plastic cap insert, 7 cap insert,8 Clip
9 Top Tube ½” (12.5), 10 Bottom Tube 13/32 (10.5),11 Yeetsen type Refill
All weighed in at 43g (Not including the refill)
TM Sigma as packaged and delivered.
Sigma kit. This is a new kit just coming on to the market that Taylor Mirfield are developing with his suppliers, the first impressions are good with a one little niggle
This was a gun metal kit, it was all metal plated and no black painted accents on the kit.
Opening up the TM Sigma looks daunting to the first time pen turner as there are so many pen parts in the bag, when you actually get the kit together all the parts for the sigma are exactly the same as kit 1 is supplied (see photo below). For the occasional pen turner this would not be a problem but for someone who is building many in a day this would need to be considered, however depending on your dexterity it would only add 20 to 30 seconds to the build time.
Only little niggle is the clip fitting to the cap. The clip ring is 1.35mm bigger than the cap, this would result in not getting the clip perfectly aligned to the cap or would move after use with the customer.
The clip ring is also thinner than all the others in the review and I believe this is a weak point and would result in it breaking after a period of use.
The cap is also not as tight of an interference fit in the tube so this could cause another problem with clip moving if not rectified.
TM Sigma Built-up to same quantity of parts (6) as Gent. TM Sigma Pen clip problem
The nib thread is a double start sharp style thread, but it is shorter in length. However the one on test did not have the problems of “squeaky or tight threads” Maybe this is down to the shorter thread.
I’m sure Dan will take on all the comments and see what he can do to correct them and make it a kit worthy of putting the Taylor Mirfield label on prior to the official launch.
I haven’t put a star rating on kit 4 as I don’t know the price and with the other issues I didn’t feel it was right to give one. But with them resolved I believe it has a chance to be equal too if not better than kit 1.
Kits 1 to 4 review and feed-back
Well that’s the first 4 kits, you will notice the different amount of items in the bag. That is purely down to how they have been packaged. Each kit does not need more parts, it’s down to the manufacturer of the kits and the dealer on how they want them packaged and how much they want to pay for the kit.
I’m sure you will understand that for the manufacturer to package all the parts up in to as few as many takes so called “man hours” so it will increase the supplied cost to the dealer.
Kit 5
Apprentice Gentleman’s Postable
From CSUSA.
Price range $5.99. (In Chrome or Gold plating)
9 items in total in the bag – 6 within plastic bags all packaged in a narrow outer bag. (no name or anything printed on the bag)
Items are as follows.
1 nib, 2, cap insert, 3 End cap, 4 retainer ring, 5 cap, 6 clip, 7 top tube, 8 bottom tube, 9 Un-named refill.
All weighed in at 31g (Not including the refill)
Tube size -
Top tube 15/32” (11.5 tight 12 loose, in my view use the imperial drill, better fit)
Bottom Tube 25/64” (10)
Apprentice JR Gentleman’s parts as delivered.
Kit 6
J R pen kit (J R Gentleman’s kit) Postable
From Timberbits
Price range $6.0 AUSD. (In Chrome or Gold plating but postable kit only)
9 items in total in the bag – 6 within plastic bags all packaged in a narrow outer bag. (no name or anything printed on the bag)
Items are as follows.
1 nib, 2, cap insert, 3 End cap, 4 retainer ring, 5 cap, 6 clip, 7 top tube15/32 (11,5 tight fit 12 loose), 8 bottom tube 25/64 (10), 9 Un-named refill.
All weighed in at 31g (Not including the refill)
Tube size -
Top tube 15/32” (11.5 tight 12 loose, in my view use the imperial drill, better fit)
Bottom Tube 25/64” (10)
Timberbits JR pen kit parts as delivered.
Kits 5 & 6 review and feed-back.
As you will see these kits have a smaller tube size than the other JR gent kits on review, In my opinion this is a direct replica of the Baron kit.
5 & 6 are identical in every way and I believe they are from the same manufacturer.
The ones on review are a chrome kit with black painted accents, my comments as per kits 2 & 3 still stand for these kits as well.
The centre band has two rings much like all the other kits on review, however the ones in these kits have loose rings. Sometimes the rings may be loose in the bag and some penturners have missed where they go, this is another thing to remember when building them up. See pictures below.
The Gent kit review.
The long awaited Gent kit review is here, I hope it was worth waiting for.
There are many so called “JR Gent“ kits on sale today it is difficult to understand what you are getting for your hard earned cash.
This review aims to improve up-on that for you so you can make your next purchase with a little more confidence.
In this review there are 6 kits that are either advertised as JR Gent or are advertised as are equivalent to the Gent.
As you will know there are many different suppliers, all of which are not covered on here as I’m sure this review would never come to fruition as there are so many JR Gent kits out there. Having said that, there are distinct differences in tube sizes and designs.
Many of the kits from the Baron, Castella, Churchill, tycoon and now the new forthcoming pen kit the Sigma. There is possibly more than I have mentioned here, there are so many that have been developed and are very much the same as the original JR Gent is a popular kit.
Kits 1 to 4 have the same size tubes so I will review them separately, the tube sizes are based on the drill size required not the actual size of the tube. I don’t see much point of putting actual tube size as you will still need to know what size drill to use for the tubes.
Each review is based on my own opinion and I have each kit in hand to feel the quality, workmanship and assess value for money. I have also made the pens up recently as well to see how they feel when pressed together.
I have reviewed all the kits “in hand” and not from a photograph that has been sent to me. I need to feel the kit quality, see the workmanship and understand how easy the kit is to build.
The “other suppliers of this kit” is based on ones I’m aware are the same from information gained from ones I have used in the past and from other pen turners.
Kit 1
JR Gentleman’s standard gold plated none postable Roller ball
From CSUSA.
Price range $16.80 to $26.40.(Depending on plating)
6 items in total in the bag – 3 within plastic bags all packaged in an outer bag with Dayacom printed on it.
Items are as follows.
1 nib / cap insert, 2 End cap / retainer ring, 3 cap / clip, 4 top tube, 5 bottom tube, 6 Schmidt Refill.
All weighed in at 40g (Not including the refill)
Tube size -
Top tube ½” (12.5)
Bottom Tube 13/32” (10.5)
JR Gentleman’s parts as delivered.
Kit 1 is the original JR kit, this is the more expensive of the kits on review. The quality of this kit in feel, fit and simplistic build in my opinion is the one to beat.
The threads to the nib are a double start Acme (Square topped) design and make the fit smoother and easier to use. All the other threads on the kit are a standard sharp thread.
*****
Other suppliers of this kit are
Turners Retreat Elite collection
Kit 2
JR Gentleman’s II standard postable Chrome plated Roller ball
From CSUSA.
Price range $11.70 to $19.90. (Depending on plating)
6 items in total in the bag – 3 within plastic bags all packaged in an outer bag with Dayacom printed on it.
Items are as follows.
1 nib / cap insert, 2 End cap / retainer ring, 3 cap / clip, 4 top tube, 5 bottom tube, 6 Schmidt Refill.
All weighed in at 36g (Not including the refill)
Tube size -
Top tube ½” (12.5)
Bottom Tube 13/32” (10.5)
JR Gentleman’s II parts as delivered.
Kit 3
Castella (JR Gent II) Standard Postable Chrome plated Roller ball
From Timberbits
Price range $9.50 to $11.50. AUSD (Depending on plating)
9 items in total in the bag – 6 within plastic bags all packaged in an outer bag. (Millylime printed on the bag)
Items are as follows.
1 nib, 2, cap insert, 3 End cap, 4 retainer ring, 5 cap, 6 clip, 7 top tube, 8 bottom tube, 9 TOT refill.
All weighed in at 36g (Not including the refill)
Tube size -
Top tube ½” (12.5)
Bottom Tube 13/32” (10.5)
Castella (JR Gent II) parts as delivered.
Kit 2 & 3, both these kits are identical in every way, the sizes of all parts, fittings and tubes are like for like. There is nothing to separate them in any way. In my view both come from the same manufacturer.
In my view these kits are the poor brother to kit 1.
1. The black painted and coated accents may be more appealing to the eye but that is all they do and it looks a cheap coating.
2. The threads are a double start sharp style and in my opinion make the fitting “squeaky” when screwing them in and is a tighter fit. This is usually resolved by using polish in the thread.
3. The plating doesn’t look as good or feel as good as kit 1 or kit 4.
4. The black painted thread and coated sections look cheap.
***
Other suppliers of this kit are
Turners Workshop. Junior Gentleman’s range
Fun-e-Turns JR Gentleman’s range (Not the Gentleman/Chairman range)
Pen crafts.co.uk Large JR Gentleman range
Woodcraft USA – Navigator range
Kit 4
Taylor Mirfield Sigma gun metal Roller Ball
From Taylor Mirfield. (Dan)
Price Range – Not available at time of review.
11 items in the bag – 8 within plastic bags all in a plain packaged outer bag. (no name or anything printed on the bag)
Items are as follows.
1 Nib, 2 Nib Coupler, 3 End Cap, 4 Top Cap, 5 Retaining ring, 6 Plastic cap insert, 7 cap insert,8 Clip
9 Top Tube ½” (12.5), 10 Bottom Tube 13/32 (10.5),11 Yeetsen type Refill
All weighed in at 43g (Not including the refill)
TM Sigma as packaged and delivered.
Sigma kit. This is a new kit just coming on to the market that Taylor Mirfield are developing with his suppliers, the first impressions are good with a one little niggle
This was a gun metal kit, it was all metal plated and no black painted accents on the kit.
Opening up the TM Sigma looks daunting to the first time pen turner as there are so many pen parts in the bag, when you actually get the kit together all the parts for the sigma are exactly the same as kit 1 is supplied (see photo below). For the occasional pen turner this would not be a problem but for someone who is building many in a day this would need to be considered, however depending on your dexterity it would only add 20 to 30 seconds to the build time.
Only little niggle is the clip fitting to the cap. The clip ring is 1.35mm bigger than the cap, this would result in not getting the clip perfectly aligned to the cap or would move after use with the customer.
The clip ring is also thinner than all the others in the review and I believe this is a weak point and would result in it breaking after a period of use.
The cap is also not as tight of an interference fit in the tube so this could cause another problem with clip moving if not rectified.
TM Sigma Built-up to same quantity of parts (6) as Gent. TM Sigma Pen clip problem
The nib thread is a double start sharp style thread, but it is shorter in length. However the one on test did not have the problems of “squeaky or tight threads” Maybe this is down to the shorter thread.
I’m sure Dan will take on all the comments and see what he can do to correct them and make it a kit worthy of putting the Taylor Mirfield label on prior to the official launch.
I haven’t put a star rating on kit 4 as I don’t know the price and with the other issues I didn’t feel it was right to give one. But with them resolved I believe it has a chance to be equal too if not better than kit 1.
Kits 1 to 4 review and feed-back
Well that’s the first 4 kits, you will notice the different amount of items in the bag. That is purely down to how they have been packaged. Each kit does not need more parts, it’s down to the manufacturer of the kits and the dealer on how they want them packaged and how much they want to pay for the kit.
I’m sure you will understand that for the manufacturer to package all the parts up in to as few as many takes so called “man hours” so it will increase the supplied cost to the dealer.
Kit 5
Apprentice Gentleman’s Postable
From CSUSA.
Price range $5.99. (In Chrome or Gold plating)
9 items in total in the bag – 6 within plastic bags all packaged in a narrow outer bag. (no name or anything printed on the bag)
Items are as follows.
1 nib, 2, cap insert, 3 End cap, 4 retainer ring, 5 cap, 6 clip, 7 top tube, 8 bottom tube, 9 Un-named refill.
All weighed in at 31g (Not including the refill)
Tube size -
Top tube 15/32” (11.5 tight 12 loose, in my view use the imperial drill, better fit)
Bottom Tube 25/64” (10)
Apprentice JR Gentleman’s parts as delivered.
Kit 6
J R pen kit (J R Gentleman’s kit) Postable
From Timberbits
Price range $6.0 AUSD. (In Chrome or Gold plating but postable kit only)
9 items in total in the bag – 6 within plastic bags all packaged in a narrow outer bag. (no name or anything printed on the bag)
Items are as follows.
1 nib, 2, cap insert, 3 End cap, 4 retainer ring, 5 cap, 6 clip, 7 top tube15/32 (11,5 tight fit 12 loose), 8 bottom tube 25/64 (10), 9 Un-named refill.
All weighed in at 31g (Not including the refill)
Tube size -
Top tube 15/32” (11.5 tight 12 loose, in my view use the imperial drill, better fit)
Bottom Tube 25/64” (10)
Timberbits JR pen kit parts as delivered.
Kits 5 & 6 review and feed-back.
As you will see these kits have a smaller tube size than the other JR gent kits on review, In my opinion this is a direct replica of the Baron kit.
5 & 6 are identical in every way and I believe they are from the same manufacturer.
The ones on review are a chrome kit with black painted accents, my comments as per kits 2 & 3 still stand for these kits as well.
The centre band has two rings much like all the other kits on review, however the ones in these kits have loose rings. Sometimes the rings may be loose in the bag and some penturners have missed where they go, this is another thing to remember when building them up. See pictures below.
:wink: