Kit Quality Expectations

[RidgeRunner]

I am new to pen turning and see a few conversations about plating durability (such as avoiding basic gold) but nothing about transmission reliability differences between brands or manufacturers. If I spend an hour or so creating a pen, I don't want the quality of the internal components to be less than reliable. I also don't want the end product to cost me an extra buck in name brand goodwill without some reasonable quality increase. Is there a discussion on pen kits that focuses on factors like transmission reliability and whether the clip holds without snagging shirt pockets? I do realize that a fair portion of bad experiences can be attributed to misalignment or over compression during assembly. But even with misalignment issues some kits must be less prone to problems than others.

Any links or recommendations?

 

[jttheclockman]

Welcome to the site Jim. There is lots of discussions about different kits that are available. You can bet that the higher the price of the kit the better the quality of the kit is. But also if you look in our library there are list of vendors that are well known and used by members here. With that said the kits they sell are both quality and also vendor stands behind defective parts. You will get lemons in just about any product ever made so no one can tell you with 100% certainty that you will not have failures. If you get the Penn State catalog they have a platings rating as well as description of what each are. You may want to sign up for their free catalog. If you go to web sites I believe most also have charts and explanation of kits. Again in the library there is a list of vendors. I can name a few but it certainly not fair to advertise for any one vendor no matter how much they are used by members. If others want to start listing them then that is their prerogative, but I refuse to do so. I will say this the best of the best is without certain kits made for Dayacom Industries. Many vendors carry those type kits but they are expensive. You will also notice that many kits are similar but fall under a different name but look alike. The Sierra line is prime example of this. Each vendor may carry duplicates of many kits sold by other vendors and some may have their own names attached to those same kits. It is not that easy. The best to do is settle in on a few kits and ask about them. Good luck in the world of pen turning.

 

[leehljp]

JohnT, above ↑ said it all.

On rare occasions, there comes a production with an anomaly that gets discovered and it is discussed rather quickly on this forum and FB or other. Most all vendors, and especially the ones on this forum are quick to substitute or make good the purchase refund or whatever in such cases, even though they are not the manufacturers.

 

[MedWoodWorx]

The simpler the better; any twist or click mechanism is prone to failure. Bolt action mechanisms maybe more durable, other than that try a two piece pen i.e.cap and main body. As always what you pay is what you get. Cheers

 

[Penchant 4]

The simpler the better; any twist or click mechanism is prone to failure. Bolt action mechanisms maybe more durable, other than that try a two piece pen i.e.cap and main body. As always what you pay is what you get. Cheers

I disagree RE: "...any...click mechanism is prone to failure,..." I have found in every one of scores of cases, that the Schmidt click mechanisms (SKM-88 and SKM-192) are extremely reliable, smooth and easy to install. I refrain from buying any click style component set unless it has a Schmidt mechanism.

 

[MedWoodWorx]

I disagree RE: "...any...click mechanism is prone to failure,..." I have found in every one of scores of cases, that the Schmidt click mechanisms (SKM-88 and SKM-192) are extremely reliable, smooth and easy to install. I refrain from buying any click style component set unless it has a Schmidt mechanism.

I agree, i also have a few shmidt click pens are they work fine. What i meant is that any pen that has a mechanism has a weak point in contrast to two part pens where only the threading can go wrong. Cheers

 

[Penchant 4]

I agree, i also have a few shmidt click pens are they work fine. What i meant is that any pen that has a mechanism has a weak point in contrast to two part pens where only the threading can go wrong. Cheers

Ah, yes. You are absolutely correct about any complex mechanism being more susceptible to malfunction/failure than is a simple mechanism. In complete agreement with you on that.