# I Wish The Would Make an Upscale 7 MM Kit



## Jim in Oakville (Feb 13, 2011)

I am sure I am not the only one, but I WISH one of the kit makers would make an upscale quality 7mm pen.  It's the perfect size for so many people, but the quality of the 7 mm kits is aimed at $2-6 per kit, I would be willing to pay $15+ if some one would make a decent upgrade...any one else?


----------



## David Keller (Feb 13, 2011)

Although I haven't used them personally, I've seen some kits from Woodcraft that were quite nice...  Black titanium finish and a nice little center band.


----------



## nava1uni (Feb 13, 2011)

Berea has some nice higher end 7mm kits and several of the other smaller vendors have some nice 7mm.  Plus you can modify this pen and come up with some beautiful pens.


----------



## thewishman (Feb 13, 2011)

Jim, what would an upscale 7mm pen look like? I've been working with a shop to make parts from stainless steel. Any design ideas? The clip is always the killer part.


----------



## BRobbins629 (Feb 13, 2011)

Check out of our members sterling kits

http://www.silverpenparts.com/


----------



## LarryDNJR (Feb 13, 2011)

David Keller said:


> Although I haven't used them personally, I've seen some kits from Woodcraft that were quite nice...  Black titanium finish and a nice little center band.



+1 on the Woodcraft Black Titanium Slim


----------



## alphageek (Feb 13, 2011)

I second the question above.   What would you qualify as up scale?

I've had the same feeling about slims... The best answer I found so far (for me) is the streamline by berea.  I really like the look of the rounded top.   

Exotics has it (or if you have a different berea reseller check with them) : http://www.exoticblanks.com/index.p...ategory_id=30&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=60 

(note- there is other pens called a streamline... Rocker carries one, but it doesn't have the nice top)


----------



## Jim in Oakville (Feb 13, 2011)

thewishman said:


> Jim, what would an upscale 7mm pen look like? I've been working with a shop to make parts from stainless steel. Any design ideas? The clip is always the killer part.



Something with 22K on the band or clip, maybe etched design or even some bling that lasts... sterling silver or rhodium......


----------



## PenMan1 (Feb 13, 2011)

I am with you on the upscale. I get hundreds of women and some men who really like the way the fancy roller ball pens write, but want it in slimline size. The only small roller balls that I can find have cheap and cheesy brightwork.

I could make the custom, but not for the $50 - $75 they want to spend.

IMHO, this is the biggest "donut hole" in pen components.


----------



## alphageek (Feb 13, 2011)

Jim in Oakville said:


> thewishman said:
> 
> 
> > Jim, what would an upscale 7mm pen look like? I've been working with a shop to make parts from stainless steel. Any design ideas? The clip is always the killer part.
> ...



Then I think for now... Bruce above linked to the best answer available that I've seen.


----------



## Jim in Oakville (Feb 13, 2011)

PenMan1 said:


> I am with you on the upscale. I get hundreds of women and some men who really like the way the fancy roller ball pens write, but want it in slimline size. The only small roller balls that I can find have cheap and cheesy brightwork.
> 
> I could make the custom, but not for the $50 - $75 they want to spend.
> 
> IMHO, this is the biggest "donut hole" in pen components.



Andy, You and I are on the same page on this, I have the same issues, the roller balls are okay for some, not for others, most of my clients are women, most want something slim, all I have are a few options on Stream Lines, the only 7 mm that I like the look of (by the way, I wish they made a Stream Line pencils so I don't have to kit bash to make one from two kits.

If let's say they made a slim 7 mm with a 22k gold option accent Boom, I'd increase my options to my clients and increase my sales by 25% or more easily..


----------



## its_virgil (Feb 13, 2011)

I like the streamline flat top or the biscayne flat top (not a fan of the roundtop) both from Berea. I consider these to be the best of the 7mm kits, for me at least. I make the top with a larger diameter, remove the center band and make the bottom barrel longer than normal. The clip is the limiting factor for how large the diameter of the cap barrel can be. These two kits have the largest offset of the clip from the center of the ring hole to the offset bend at the top of the clip. These two are the one's I use to sell. 

For playing around, experimenting and then giving the pen to a friend I like to use the comfort grip and trimline slimline from PSI...because of the cost. The trimline is close to the Berea streamline.

But, these comments do not help Jim with his wishes. I too would like to see a really nice upscale, whatever that is, 7mm kit. I think it would be a hit.

Do a good turn daily!
Don


----------



## PenMan1 (Feb 13, 2011)

Jim:
In my market, a 25 percent bump in sales is not only realistic, but maybe even understated.

I live in a neighborhood of over achievers. Each year, a bigger percentage of these people are women. They want beautiful lines, elegent hardware, Roller ball and THIN. That critter doesn't exsist. It is VERY difficult to pull a determined woman back to a Parker after writing with a rollerball.

My wife and I are learning to pour, cast and turn our own metals, because of the lack of hardware offerings.


----------



## Richard Gibson (Feb 13, 2011)

You might want to check out PSI Patrizo  www.pennstateind.com/store/PKPATPENGM.html


----------



## soligen (Feb 13, 2011)

Look at the euros at woodcraft/berea.  The clip is much nicer than a slim. They come in blk titanium and rhodium.  My facorite 7mm kit is the woodcraft black titanium euro - it has a rhodium band in the CB whereas others have a black band


----------



## Jed in NC (Feb 14, 2011)

I second Richard on the PSI Patrizo.


----------



## dow (Feb 14, 2011)

Richard Gibson said:


> You might want to check out PSI Patrizo  www.pennstateind.com/store/PKPATPENGM.html



That's a nice looking pen.  I wish that they had it in better platings.  Gold Ti and black Ti, Rhodium.  If they did that, then I'd start making 7mm pens for sale again.


----------



## Jim in Oakville (Feb 14, 2011)

dow said:


> Richard Gibson said:
> 
> 
> > You might want to check out PSI Patrizo  www.pennstateind.com/store/PKPATPENGM.html
> ...




Yes I agree, better plating and a positive centre band, the negative shape holds me back, maybe the Stream Line band would look better


----------



## dow (Feb 14, 2011)

Jim in Oakville said:


> ...the negative shape holds me back...


Interesting.  The center band and the raised rings on the nib and finial end are what actually caught my eye.  I can think of several women off the top of my head who would buy a pen like this.  Now if they'll only come through with the better platings, I can sell them to those women.


----------



## MorganGrafixx (Feb 15, 2011)

Woodcraft makes the hard gold plating for the slimlines, they also make them in a "Deco" series. Pearl white, black Titanium, bright black (gloss black), a flat gold kinda look, and some others I can't recal right now. I have a Woodcraft about 2 minutes from me and I pop in there at lunch every so often and look around, and the upgraded Slim is one of the things I've been considering also.


----------



## Smitty37 (Feb 15, 2011)

*Others as well*



David Keller said:


> Although I haven't used them personally, I've seen some kits from Woodcraft that were quite nice... Black titanium finish and a nice little center band.


 
There are others who offer Black TN and also Gold TN as well.  But that is just another finish (a little more expensive) and in my opinion doesn't really make any major change to the basic kit.


----------



## Smitty37 (Feb 15, 2011)

*does anyone*

I'm not sure anyone actually puts a rollerball into a 7mm kit?  I like the looks of the comfort style and there's a lot you can do with the blank to jazz comforts and for that matter slims up.  Cross went a long way with the slim designed pens made with stainless bodies....


----------



## nava1uni (Feb 16, 2011)

Cross, which I think the slim lines imitate doesn't even make a rollerball in that model.  They do make a rollerball and it is a very beautifully balanced writing instrument.  However, it is not a slim line.  If you use quality ink in a slimline like Cross uses then it can be a very nice writing instrument.  It seems that if someone wants a rollerball then they have to chose a larger diameter pen due to the fact that rollerball refills will not fit into a slim body.  Look at all of the high end pen manufacturers and no one makes a thin rollball pen.  So it seems that slim lines offer a design that can be manipulated and that silver parts are available so it can be made into a high end pen, just not a rollerball.


----------



## blade.white (Feb 16, 2011)

*Designer series*

PSI just came out with the designer series rollerballs in more plating options. Gun metal/gold and chrome plating. It is the thinnest rollerball that I know of, currently however they are out of stock.


----------

