High Quality Pen Refills?

[Brian Kent]

I made some trial pens this summer to see how they did over time. Mechanisms work and the plating has not worn or chipped, but none of them write. These are standard refills for slimline kits from pennstate.

Does anyone know where to get higher quality refills?

[Joe Kaufman]

Staples carries the Cross branded refills and the Staples brand. The packaging has the same form factor and most likely comes from the same factory in China. The price of the Cross brand is twice the staples brand. I can't tell any difference in quality or life. I think they both last longer than PSI.

[Fred Belknap]

Brian I have pretty much quit making pens because of the poor quality of the kits. The pocket clips won't hold, the click or twist mechanism don't work right so I hate to charge people for junk like that. Some sites give you a choice to get a premium refill cartridge.

[Dan Masshardt]

Brian - you're making 'cross' style pens. Many pen turners including myself stop making pens in this style in favor of kits with Parker style refills.

That said, one of the best for the cross style refills seems to be the Monteverde that exoticblanks sells.

There are plenty of good quality kits out there. I can suggest some if you'd like.

[Scott Brandstetter]

Dan
Speaking for myself, I would appreciate any info on the Parker style pens and where you get your supplies. I stopped making the cross pens for the reasons stated above but really like the idea of giving a good quality pen as a gift. Thanks in advance for any information.

[Dan Masshardt]

Dan Speaking for myself, I would appreciate any info on the Parker style pens and where you get your supplies. I stopped making the cross pens for the reasons stated above but really like the idea of giving a good quality pen as a gift. Thanks in advance for any information.

There are many good
Suppliers.

My favorite is probably exoticblanks but woodturningz, Berea hardwoods, beartooth woods, Arizona silloutte ( Barry gross' site) and lazerlinez and craftsupplies all have some good choices.

Kits I've found to be very solid (no hesitation in recommending). All take Parker style refill. I like many rollerballs / fountains as well, but I'll respond to the ballpoint question. Manufacturer mentioned after kit name.

Aero - csusa
Elegant Sierra - Berea
Cigar (Berea in particular or csusa artisan line)
Liberty - made in USA solid stainless - lazerlinez
Bolt action - pennstate
Rinehart ballpoint - Berea
Triton ballpoint - Berea.
Long clicker - csusa

If you are looking for something inexpensive but pretty reliable check out the executive from pennstate.


FYI - almost all of the pen kits woodcraft sells are from Berea hardwoods but given different names. The exceptions are the bolt actions and the stainless kits supplied by lazerlinez.

[Shawn Pachlhofer]

you forgot about www.classicnib.com

[John Terefenko]

Brian I have pretty much quit making pens because of the poor quality of the kits. The pocket clips won't hold, the click or twist mechanism don't work right so I hate to charge people for junk like that. Some sites give you a choice to get a premium refill cartridge.

Come on now Fred. You have to be kidding!!!!! That is just another reason to buy quality kits. There are so many good quality kits. If you are strickly making cheap slimline pens then sure you will get the outcome you mention. Just look down at the post that Dan made and you find some quality kits listed and some good sellers. To make a blanket statement like that tells me you did not enjoy pen making anyway. Good luck in whatever hobby you replaced pen making with.

[Dan Masshardt]

you forgot about www.classicnib.com

I didn't really forget, so much as that they have little to offer by way of ballpoint pens. Namely only the aero and their version of the Sierra. Very limited.

But a great site with great items and customer service otherwise.

[Brian Kent]

Great info. I appreciate it. I will also see if these sources include the gel pen refills.

[Jim Underwood]

I saw the Monteverde refills on Exotic Blanks website yesterday, but didn't know anything about them, so I just ordered the Private Reserve. Are the MonteVerde refills better than the Private Reserve refills?

[Dan Masshardt]

Great info. I appreciate it. I will also see if these sources include the gel pen refills.

Go for the Schmidt ez flow 9000 upgrade. It's better than gel even. Almost like a rollerball.

[Scott Brandstetter]

Dan
Thanks so much for the info. I'm going to print this out and save as a resource. If your feeling up to it, I would gladly take your thoughts on Roller/Fountain pens as well. You may become the resident expert.

[Fred Belknap]

Come on now Fred. You have to be kidding!!!!! That is just another reason to buy quality kits.

John you are right, I do enjoy making bowls much more than pens but I have made and sold several. I have purchased from Exotic Blanks (nice people), CUSA, Penn State and maybe some others. I don't turn Slim Line except in the click style and the click works pretty well on them but the pocket clip on the one I carry is so loose as to be useless. I had another brand of click pen (forgot the name) and a person looking at it pushed the click and it didn't return. I took it apart to see what was the problem and the click mechanism was screw on a 1/8" plastic screw. I gave the rest of them away and didn't get any more. I got to admit the bolt action pens work good and have a good click mechanism and they have been my best selling pens. I sell the bolt action pens for $45 and I think it is the only pen I sell that may be worth the money. I made a few of the mini bolt action pens and I think the cartridge is really crap. John I stick by what I wrote.

[James Combs]

To kind of add to what Don said, many of the pen makers over on the IAP(International Association of Penturners) site automatically replace the standard refill in their pens especially ones they sell even though they maybe using some of the higher quality pen component sets.

Be sure that you realize that many of the larger suppliers such as PSI and Craft Supplies USA have more then one quality line of pens. For example PSI has their "Funline" sets which are all 7mm(cross style hdwr) pens, they are OK as practice and give aways but if you want a higher quality component set go with something outside their Funline. CSUSA also has two quality levels, they refer to them as "Apprentice" and "Artisan". Practice with Apprentice sets but make for sale the Artisan line. This is not to say that the refill cannot be improved in the better lines of either supplier, like I said a lot of the more experienced pen makers automatically replace the refills and a lot of them use the refills that Don mentions.

BTW one difference between PSI and CSUSA's two lines is that CSUSA's Apprentice line includes more then just 7mm hardware, it also includes like cigar(parker style hdwr) so you can practice on big pens without major costs as well as 7mm.

[Dan Masshardt]

Dan Thanks so much for the info. I'm going to print this out and save as a resource. If your feeling up to it, I would gladly take your thoughts on Roller/Fountain pens as well. You may become the resident expert.

There are many good ones. I try to make moderately priced kits but there are many more expensive ones that are certainly good too.

Personal favorites / good quality experiences.

Zen - magnetic cap
Magnetic vertex
Jr gent 2 (the artisan series)
Atrax
Virage rollerball
Rhinehart
Sedona
Desire and eagle stainless from lazerlinez.

Higher priced - jr statesman, jr majestic, triton...


If I had to choose only two to make it would be the jr gent 2 and the zen magnetic cap which is only a roller no fountain.

[James Combs]

My apologies to "Dan" Masshardt, I refereed to him as "Don" in my previous post. Sorry Dan, it was a typo.:o