Which pen kits?

[wm460]

There are also the Baron and Sedona and JR Gents.

 

[fingwe]

Thanks very much Keith & Billy. I'm still practising at the moment, so will probably stick with some of the TM pen kits for that. But I'm certainly interested in having a look at some of the higher end kits on the market for future reference.

These are the only turned pens I've made so far (which were done in a bit of a rush in the 2 days before Christmas!)
View attachment 32328

 

[fingwe]

Thanks Mark, I'll take a look at those. :-)

 

[Penpal]

Peter, that is very nice. I like it with that centre band. What is the advantage of making a slimline with a streamline centre band over a normal streamline pen?

None only I have a large number of Slimlines in my cupboard.

If you want to save real money then buy the one piece pens and get two for every blank.

Peter.

 

[fingwe]

Peter, that makes sense!

I have loads of hand cast blanks, acrylic blanks and wood, so not too concerned about the cost of blanks at the moment, but I understand what you mean.

 

[Walter]

I know this isn't really a way to run a business, but I don't really price my time as such.

I agree, it isn't the best way to run a business, but knowing all the costs of production will not really help you to establish a selling price anyway.

You do need to know all your costs but that will only establish the minimum you can charge without making a loss.

Making a Tempest for example takes no longer than making a slimline so the only real difference in production cost is the price of the kit. However the difference in selling price that you could achieve is much greater than the £4.50 (approximately) difference in kit cost. I can sell a Tempest for at least twice what I could charge for a slimline.

I thoroughly recommend giving some thought to your costs of production to establish a baseline, but much more important in setting prices is knowing what the market you are selling in will stand. Good old fashioned supply and demand.

 

[fingwe]

Hi Walter,

I agree entirely with what you say. I said that I don't price my time as such - but only in terms of comparing the time it takes to make one pen to another. One pen might take me an hour to make, whereas another might take me 4 hours. I can't charge 4 times the price for one pen over another, so I try and price them sensibly, according to what the market will stand, making sure that I am still compensated for my time.

Most of my customers are happy to pay around £60-120 for a calligraphy pen, so I wanted to be able to also offer them matching fountain pens/rollerballs, etc of comparable quality and costs. I hand cast a lot of the resins I use for my pens, so I can offer them something unique and bespoke.

 

[TaylorsMirfield.co.uk]

Thanks for the recommendations gents. Any thing I can do to help feel free to ask.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Penpal]

The recent thread showing a set of fountain pens fitted with various Caligraphy nibs a great example of up marketing.

Peter.

 

[silver]

Nice to hear someone after quality, there is often a compromise between price and quality and at some point there is always going to be a clash.

I agree with the two UK suppliers mentioned, there are two very different suppliers that are attacking the pen turning market from different ends.

There are other kit suppliers as well in the UK and also international ones. Is you search the forum it has been discussed many times.

There was a thread started for UK suppliers and also international ones, each had a list of ones we had used and gave feedback on the service, kit quality and pricing.

There are also the Baron and Sedona and JR Gents.

One problem with the above suggestion, the JR Gents, often called Gent, Gent II, apprentice Gent. It's a kit that has been copied the most and comes in many different qualities. So be careful what you buy and where from.

Some of the copied Gent kits you can't even change the nib due to the feeder being glued or interference fitted.

The Gent is a minefield one to buy.

 

[Phil Dart]

Hi Melanie - welcome to the Forum, and thank you everyone for the votes of confidence.

Beaufort Ink is my company and I'm a professional penturner myself. I'm not ashamed to say that the growing range of pen kits we produce is driven by quality not price, and we won't compromise on the quality just to shave a few pence off the price. We are unique in the pen kit market in that we are the only people who commission every part of them ourselves - the nibs are our own as are the ink converters, the mechanisms are all made for us in Germany. Nothing is "off the shelf" and as well as the engineering of course, that's what sets our kits apart from everyone else. If I can help in any way, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

 

[Walter]

One problem with the above suggestion, the JR Gents, often called Gent, Gent II, apprentice Gent. It's a kit that has been copied the most and comes in many different qualities. So be careful what you buy and where from.

I agree absolutely with you Eamonn but would add that it is not a problem that is restricted to the Jr Gents. The market is awash with poor quality copies which, in any other industry, would be identified as what they are, fakes, and would be sought out and destroyed by HMRC and local authority trading standards departments and the importers prosecuted. Sadly, because they don't injure anyone or catch fire without warning (or threaten the financial interests of any large corporations) they are not a priority for the authorities so it is up to us to do as you say and be careful what we buy and from whom. Caveat emptor.

Oh, and be careful who you take advice from. there are plenty of people out there who are prepared to give advice without having the first clue what they are talking about. (I do not include any of the previous contributors to this thread in that category) :wink:

 

[Penpal]

With respect is the most used term by the legal profession. But it is with genuine respect to recommend those suppliers you deal with who honour their sales with service and true honesty. I never imagined I would belong to a forum guided by a Supplier who walks the thin line with courage as Phil does. How fortunate are we when manufacturers queries arise for a down to earth factual observation and solution follows.

Also though I am well served in Australia with my local dealer who pioneered his way through this industry, paving the way for so many here and overseas.

My dealings with UK suppliers have been brief but courteous. I believe the industry and us are well served to go into the 2017 era with confidence.Happy New Year to all.

Kind regards Peter.

 

[wm460]

Unfortunaly with the disgraceful state of the aussie peso, it make buying overseas a very expensive exercise.
Otherwise I would buy some of Phil's or Dan's kits.

 

[stiofanpadraigcrafts]

welcome to the forum by the way. You may not be aware, but there are some forum discounts available from the above suppliers.

Now i feel like an idiot. I didn't know there were discounts because we were on here. Spent a few thousand the past year on the usual sites. Ah well, lesson learned.

 

[fingwe]

Thanks everyone for all of your fantastic help and advice! I think I've identified what I need to be going on with, so I'll be putting in a couple of orders in the next couple of weeks.

 

[Bill Mooney]

Hi Melanie & welcome aboard.
I make mainly slimlines or streamlines as I mostly sell these & so they dictate the way I go.
Someone said slimlines don't have to be slim so I add a little bulk to mine but also try to give an elegant shape.
A good alternative to a slimline is a TM Delta which is a very nice pen which takes a Parker style refill & allows me to keep my signature shape.
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View attachment 32384
View attachment 32385

 

[Penpal]

I have no hesitation in making Slimlines, still enjoy them people love them. Peter.

 

[Tosha43]

welcome to the forum by the way. You may not be aware, but there are some forum discounts available from the above suppliers.

How do you get discount please.

 

[Phil Dart]

Here you go Tony - have a look at this thread.

http://www.penturners.co.uk/beaufort-ink/16720-permanent-forum-discount-beaufort-pen-kits.html