Supplier differences

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Bope

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I am new to pen turning so I have only used some slimline and funline kits from PSI. Now that me and the kids are hooked I am looking at other pen kits. My question is what are the differences from one supplier to the next? Is there a difference between a $3 slimline from PSI versus a $6 streamline from Berea? Looking at several suppliers it looks like they all have similar pens they just give them different names and prices.
 
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I tried turning kits that suppliers only had on their website. After trying out a few I found the ones I liked best. For example, I get my deer hunter and steampunk kits from PSI. I like the look of the Sierra Nomad from Berea Hardwoods, which really is the same as PSI's Gatsby. However, PSI doesn't offer it. I think you need to look around at all the suppliers and look at the kits they offer and make note of the price for a single kit as well as bulk discount. All my pens either go to Pens for Troops or are gifts. I hope this helps.
 
I've ordered pen kits from several different suppliers and I'm amazed at how many of them have PSI markings on the plastic bags. Some even use the PSI catalog number but change a few characters to make it look like their own brand. My last order was with EB and everything was great, including the M&Ms.
 
There are only a few who are in the manufacturing end of the supply chain, some with suppliers from the Far East, some European, a few American. Many resellers (most of those we deal with) buy in quantity from these suppliers at wholesale prices. Exotic blanks, for example, the splits the difference keeping their margins where they need them while trying to lower the mark-up to us. This, a lot of people re-sell PSI stuff.

Some get enough hold to make modified versions of the originals. Some make different quality copy cats that look the same on the outside. They may actually have a different quality of plating, different quality of internals, or different thickness of parts. This goes both directions with some better, some worst and some mixed.

At the end of the day, if you have a favorite kit, buy from a couple of different suppliers and see how they compare vs cost difference.

The "web of things" can be deceiving. I have bought the Big Ben antique brass version of a cigar from Exotic Blanks and one from WoodTurningz. Neither kit is a bad kit, but there are huge differences. Both are antique brass. One is the color of yellowed brass similar to a shell casing. The other is antiques in the style of 1970-80's cheap furniture hardware with black antiquing over a brass color and under the epoxy coat. One has a lot of plastic in the transmission, the other is is nearly all metal. One has thinner thread walls than the other. One is more expensive that the other. At the end of it, I prefer the Exotic Blanks kit even though it was slightly more expensive, it was overall better made. However, 6 months later the thick baked on black accents of the WoodTurningz kit are more intact than the Exotic Blanks kit. The WT epoxy overcoat shows poorly on all surfaces where the EB kit, though scratched the same amount, looks better with the true brass color underneath.

Not sure there is a right answer, just what meets your needs.


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OF course, Ed's a wee bit biassed :) .... but he is right .... largest selection and best prices are at ExoticBlanks.com from Ed and Dawn !!

And one of the big pluses is that your pen kit purchase numbers are combined across all brands and styles for one overall discount ... I don't know any other pen-making supplies vendor who does that. . You owe it to yourself to shop there.

Bear in mind, that it does take some time to familiarize yourself with the diversity of offerings from all the vendors, and it will take some time for you to zero-in on what you really like and want to make. The variety, differences and similarities can be a little overwhelming at first, but stay at it and ask lots of questions from members here. You need to get clarity for your own particular needs and that will come in time after some trials and assessments ... everybody goes through that. . Don't be afraid to ask members here any questions that come to your mind. . Be sure to try some vendors and manufacturers other than who you have already bought from. . The absolute best variety of products is available at ExoticBlanks.

ed4copies said:
OF course, if you want to buy some PSI, some Berea, a little CSUSA and even an occasional Dayacom, you can get them all at ExoticBlanks, and combine them all for discount.

FWIW,
Ed
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While I'm also newer I've had the best experience with Berea Hardwoods. Anytime I've had an issue or wanted something a little bit different they've always been accommodating and extremely helpful. I will admit a big part of that might be my ability to go in and actually talk to them and buy the stuff in person as opposed to just online.
 
Billy,

Since this is your first post, let me offer you my greetings of Welcome to IAP !!

Living in Ohio, you have an advantage with Berea, being able to visit in person.
I don't believe they offer quantity discounts across styles, though, which EB does (and also across brands).
I have had only good experiences ordering online directly from Berea, which I sometimes do when they offer a special price on select designs or clearance items.
 
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Agreed, I'm very lucky as they are only a 30 minute drive. I'll have to give exoticblanks a try.

Thanks for the welcome! I'm hoping to post a couple pens soon and get some feedback. This site has been a godsend in learning and growing
 
Thanks for the help. Being new to pen making I was trying to figure out who is a manufacturer and who is just a seller. With so many similarities between pen kits form one seller to the next I was wondering how many of these are just coming out of the same factory and sellers are putting their own names on them. I like the idea of being able to mix and match pen kits to get discounts at ExoticBlanks especially since right now I am more likely by small quantities of several different pens than a lot of one pen.
 
I buy my pen kits from a local Rockler store, but I am putting together an order with PSI soon. As far as I can tell, many (most?) of the Rockler kits come from PSI and Rizheng.

This website, International Association of Pen Turners, has helpful resources with cross references for different pen kits. They include drill size, tube length(s), tube diameters, bushing measurements, and more. I like the $0.99 app the best, and it is available for iOS (iPhone) and Android:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/iap-bushings-tubes-reference/id1062399336
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.penturners.iap&hl=en

The PDF charts on the website are photos of the tables. Because they are photo images, you cannot search for any text. That lack of search capability is a serious drawback. Also, the tables are arranged in pairs of pages. You have to look at two pages to see all the information for a given kit. One page has half the information about a given kit, and then the next page has the rest of the information about that kit. Repeating: The app is much easier and better.
 
I agree with the previous replies but to go one step further let me say this. Not all pen kits are equal. Some suppliers get kits directly from the manufacturer at a discount and if they buy enough they can tweak a few things. I know of one that sells a Sierra or Gatsby style kit and a Cigar style. The tube size and bushings are all the same but the plating is not the same quality. I've seen rollerball kits that had the same name as PSI kits but you could tell the gold was not as good and the tubes and bushings were different so I knew they were different or cheaper kits. When I first started I bought the kits that were new or cool then I had all these oddball pens that I ended up giving away. Don't get me wrong I don't intend to try to sell every pen I make but it's nice to sell one every once in a while. I've found the kits that I like and are popular and also have suppliers that I go to for different kits. In short find out the kits you like then find the cheapest place to purchase them. Don't just buy a bunch of cheap kits. The last thing I'd like to mention is a friend told me it take the same amount of work to turn any pen, as long as they have the same number of tubes. So why go through all the labor and put it on a cheap, quality, kit.
 
To Kenny's point, I bought "the same" cigar kit from 2 different resellers. All were and antique brass finish.

One was nicely yellowed brass, one was what I would call antique brass 1970's mobile home finish antique brass. A gold color overpainted with a black dry-brushed look.

The nicer finish had a better transmission that was smoother and all or mostly metal. The other had a mostly plastic transmission that wasn't bad.

The thickness of the metal in the adapter where the transmission threads onto the adapter was also slightly thicker in the "better" pen vs the cheaper pen.

In the end, you could make a nice pen from each and they would work equally well. I do not care for the faux finish, would be concerned about longevity of the plastic transmission and have damaged thin threaded adapters early on.

I did the comparison because one kit will run about $10 and the other about $6. The $6 Pen is 40% cheaper for a reason. In the end, this comes out to less than 10% difference on what I would sell the pen for. Not enough value to the end user for the potential of a shorter transmission life on its own.

The $6 kit was not necessarily bad. The $10 Pen is better, though. There is an element I do not care for on the $10 Pen, the black enamel accent does not wear as well as I would like.

Just specific differences between 2 of the same pen.


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I buy a lot kits from Exotic Blanks in fact most of what I make. I do buy from CSUSA, WoodTurningz, Bear Tooth Woods and other vendors. Spend time on sites other than PSI and see why I spread my purchases. Each vendor has their niche.
 
Anyone have experiences of buying pen kits directly from China? I suspect most pen kits sold elsewhere in the world are manufactured there?
 
Brage said:
Anyone have experiences of buying pen kits directly from China? I suspect most pen kits sold elsewhere in the world are manufactured there?
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You can buy directly from Dayacom (Taiwan) but you have to buy 300 at a time.
 
Actually "most" are probably made in Taiwan. Dayacom, GE (no relation to GeneralElectric, manufactures for Berea) and most of the bags we get from PSI all say Taiwan.
Rizheng is in China and they make a lot of knock-offs, using the same name (probably the source of the cigar pens referred to above)

I have always believed if you are proud of your work, you want YOUR name on it, so Exotics has our own brand on some of the kits and we try to be very clear when the kit comes from PSI, Berea, Dayacom (or CSUSA) vs when it is our brand. All ExoticBlanks pen kits are backed by Dawn and me both mechanically and for plating durability. They are equal or superior to the "big boys'" offerings at similar price levels.

We offer "budget" for those who just want to make pens to give to friends and are can't afford to pay a lot for "give-aways". These pens are usually not the highest quality, with plating choices that tend to hide flaws rather than the platinum, rhodium and other platings that accentuate any minor scratches, but also "scream quality" to some people.

I hope this is clear, if not, feel free to ask for more detail.
Ed
 
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