Greetings from
Nebraska and welcome to the IAP Community. I prefer the rollerball styles too as far as personal use pens go, but I prefer gel type ink, so I usually trade the rollerball refill out for a Blue, Bold, Pilot G2 Gel ink refill. I have found it to be just as cost effective to buy entire Pilot G2 pens from retail just to get the refill out of them than buying only the refills online.
Although it sounds like you are looking more towards going kit-less, you might want to consider starting out by making a few kits. If so, there are a few lower cost rollerball style kits that like to use. They include:
The
PSI Rollester Rollerball which cost in the $6 to $8 range depending on plating options. The Rollester kit uses a common 3/8 drill bit. The only issue I have had with the Rollester is that the caps snap on and sometimes look a little crooked (to me anyway).
The
Eco Zen overcomes the "snap-on" cap alignment issue by using a ring magnet that holds the cap on. It is the economy version of the more expensive Zen kit with a cost of about $9 compared to the
Dayacom Zen Rollerball kits that are in the $19 range. The Dayacom kits are generally better quality; however, not twice the quality in my opinion. That and I can get the Eco's with more plating options. The Zen pens have a little larger diameter than the Rollester and require a 10.5mm drill bit.
And finally, there is the
PSI Magnetic Graduate which takes the Zen up a notch. Unlike the Rollester and Zen that have a pre-made cap, the Magnetic Graduate uses two tubes, one for the body and one for the cap. The cost is $15 to $16 depending on the plating option. Like the Zen, the Magnetic Graduate uses a 10.5mm drill bit for the body, but it needs a 12.5mm drill bit for the magnetic cap.
William Wood-Write also has a small rollerball kit that I like called the
Snap Cap Rollerball. They are similar in design to the Rollester with a "snap-on" cap, but they are slimmer, using an 8mm drill bit. They cost $7 to $8 CAD (currently about $5 US). In addition to the more common plating options they are also available in purple and red.
So, I guess my recommendation would be to start with the Eco Zen or the Snap Cap depending on whether you prefer a smaller, slimmer pen style. If you are more confident and want to start with something a little more upscale with two tubes, I would give the Magnetic Graduate a go. And of course, there is always the kit-less option, but as it sounds like you are finding out, locating and buying individual pen components rather than a kit can be more difficult.
Regardless of how you choose to get started, you have come to the right place to get input. The members on IAP have an amazing and diverse skill set and are always willing to help out however we can.
Regards,
Dave
. i'm going to spend the extra buck for the gold. any opinion on what wood or wood stain combo might look best with gold? looking forward to being part of this group. cheers
