# Pen kit suppliers



## hpm67 (Jan 14, 2014)

I'm looking at buying pen kits for as cheap as I can get them without hopefully sacrificing too much quality. I typically buy them from 1 of 3 places. Right now I buy them from Woodcraft, Woodturningz or Penn State Industries. 

Where does everyone buy their pen kits? 

Thanks,
Mike


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## longbeard (Jan 14, 2014)

Exoticblanks.com. Hard to beat the service. Quality is great. Resalers of some penn state items.

Beartoothwoods.com. Same quality as others, service is great also.



Harry


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## ssajn (Jan 14, 2014)

Try Exotic Blanks
They have good prices, fast shipping and excellent customer service. If you have a problem call them. Ed will help with your questions.
Check their web site for their videos.


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## Justin H (Jan 14, 2014)

Exoctic blanks and Woodturningz are both good.  Penn State has some styles you can't find anywhere else.

Woodcraft is very expensive (here anyway) and you can find identical styles much cheaper on line.  Just be careful of shipping.  Penn State in particular, I try to keep my orders from them few.  But when I do order, I order a bunch.


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## The Penguin (Jan 14, 2014)

woodcraft (mostly) is a re-seller for Berea kits

you can buy them direct from www.bereahardwoods.com for much less than the WC price (that's been my experience)


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## southernclay (Jan 14, 2014)

Below haven't been mentioned that I like

Untitled 1   Laserlinez

Good place, easy to deal with and made in America 

www.woodturnerscatalog.com  CSUSA

Great Customer service, lots of selection

Other than the others mentioned Smitty on here has some great items and runs some good specials as well   

Smitty's Pen Works


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## Mike Powell (Jan 14, 2014)

I use a few different suppliers, slowly but surely I am learning the sticking to the venders here on the site is my best option.  

I have ordered from Smitty's, Exotic Blanks, SSB (for blanks) the customer service from these guys is through the roof.  Ive asked them to hold shipping for a week, mark blanks, they have thrown bushings I have order in with other stuff that was free of shipping.  As of late I have tried to do all of my orders from these guys.


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## its_virgil (Jan 14, 2014)

In no particular order. Have fun with your research. I'm sure there are more. I did not list Woodcraft, PSI, HUT, or Steebar.

Arizona Silhouette - Suppliers of Eye Candy, Offering Exceptional Pen kits and turning project kits for the Wood Turner
Exotic Blanks
Smitty's Pen Works
Welcome to The Classic Nib
Pen Making, Bowl Turning, Wood Lathes, Wood Blanks, and Turning Tools for Woodturners | Craft Supplies USA
http://www.woodturningz.com
Bear Tooth Woods
Wood-N-Whimsies | Page 1 of 1
Pen Kits, Pen Blanks, Pen Mandrels, Pen Bushings, Wood Pens
Lau Lau Woodworks
http://www.timberbits.com
Pen Kit Making Supplies Berea HardWoods  (Berea Hardwoods)
Pen Making-Supplies. (COM) Pen Kits,Pen Blanks & Pen Turning Supplies
Pen Making Supplies, Kits for pen makers, Fountain Pen Parts and more

Do a good turn daily!
Don


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## longbeard (Jan 14, 2014)

Sorry Don, but i have nothing good to say about this one. If you have good dealings with them, good for you. When i first started making pens, i made an order thru them. I should of done some research first. Not only did it take 5 weeks to get 4 pen kits, but 4 days after my order with them, my bank was calling me to verify a $300 dollar charge in Jersey for flowers! I've also read were others were not satified either with the time of delivery and service. 
Stay clear of Steerbar is my opinion!
The rest of the list pretty much mirrors mine though. 

Pen Making-Supplies. (COM) Pen Kits,Pen Blanks & Pen Turning Supplies

 Sorry for the rant, i get a little heated when i see that web site.

Harry (i'm ok now) M


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## JTisher (Jan 14, 2014)

Berea hardwood. The only problem I have with them is leaving their shop (5 miles from home). Very helpful, and friendly people.
   Joe


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## ed4copies (Jan 14, 2014)

longbeard said:


> Sorry Don, but i have nothing good to say about this one. If you have good dealings with them, good for you. When i first started making pens, i made an order thru them. I should of done some research first. Not only did it take 5 weeks to get 4 pen kits, but 4 days after my order with them, my bank was calling me to verify a $300 dollar charge in Jersey for flowers! I've also read were others were not satified either with the time of delivery and service.
> Stay clear of Steerbar is my opinion!
> The rest of the list pretty much mirrors mine though.
> 
> ...




Last time I looked (probably a year ago), Steebar had over a dozen URL's registered to sell pen stuff.  I have never seen a good word about them.  But they are "everywhere"!!


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## Pjohnson (Jan 14, 2014)

Timberbits.com - David is top notch - Service, quality, and price.
My experience with Smitty was fabulous.

My next orders will include Exoticblanks and the ClassicNib.

My personal preference it to support the small business owner. I found chasing pennies across the big boy is not worth the hassle.


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## its_virgil (Jan 14, 2014)

Never bought from that website. I knew steebar had a lot of web addresses but did not know that one. I will not purchase from Steebar. I only listed the pen making supply sites I could think of off hand. Sorry Harry…
Do a good turn daily!
Don



longbeard said:


> Sorry Don, but i have nothing good to say about this one. If you have good dealings with them, good for you. When i first started making pens, i made an order thru them. I should of done some research first. Not only did it take 5 weeks to get 4 pen kits, but 4 days after my order with them, my bank was calling me to verify a $300 dollar charge in Jersey for flowers! I've also read were others were not satified either with the time of delivery and service.
> Stay clear of Steerbar is my opinion!
> The rest of the list pretty much mirrors mine though.
> 
> ...


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## longbeard (Jan 14, 2014)

its_virgil said:


> Never bought from that website. I knew steebar had a lot of web addresses but did not know that one. I will not purchase from Steebar. I only listed the pen making supply sites I could think of off hand. Sorry Harry…
> Do a good turn daily!
> Don
> 
> ...


 

Nothing to be sorry about Don.
We are all here to help everyone.


Harry


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## SteveG (Jan 14, 2014)

CSUSA kindly allows IAP members to do group purchases (gp). This results in their max discount of 25% plus the gp discount of about 13%[I think] for a total of 38%+/-  This is a good way to get good low prices across the spectrum of kit types. The gp only happens when a willing member offers to coordinate one. So you would need to save the money to .make a big purchase. Participation is limited, so you have to jump on quickly to play


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## kovalcik (Jan 15, 2014)

I have been lucky as I have not had a bad experience with any of the vendors I have dealt with.  I have certain items I get from particular vendors.  

The ones I use most in no particular order:
Kits and blanks:
Exotic Blanks  (Glue also)
Smitty's  (The pre-production sales are great.)
CSUSA  (Watch for the group purchases)
Penn State  
Woodturningz

Tools and Supplies:
Woodcraft
eddiecastelin.com
D-Way Tools

I have also heard a lot of good things about Berea and The Classic Nib, but have not had a chance to order from them.  Only so many $$ to go around.


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## Swagopenturner (Jan 15, 2014)

About the best place I have been buying pen kits from is right here from other IAP members through the Marketplace.  I like to help others out when they need cash or just to reduce their inventory.  Sometimes we can even work out a trade, saving more $.  And I have NO COMPLAINTS OR PROBLEMS with anyone I've done business with!


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## Rick_G (Jan 15, 2014)

I've had good reliable service from any of the vendors here, but I will toss in another plug for timberbits.com.   His free shipping on orders over $80 Au. is a plus as well.   The free shipping is not fast though he quotes 9 - 20 working days, my last order was 5 weeks over the Christmas season.  Since most orders from the U.S. take 2 - 4 weeks to Canada I can't complain about that, just plan for it.


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## Marc189 (Jan 15, 2014)

*Pen kits*

I try to shop around but I usually end up at Wood Craft or Wood Turningz.


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## glycerine (Jan 15, 2014)

Craft Supplies USA is my favorite "non-IAP member owned" place to get things...


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## shortz1lla (Jan 15, 2014)

Rick_G said:


> I've had good reliable service from any of the vendors here, but I will toss in another plug for timberbits.com.   His free shipping on orders over $80 Au. is a plus as well.   The free shipping is not fast though he quotes 9 - 20 working days, my last order was 5 weeks over the Christmas season.  Since most orders from the U.S. take 2 - 4 weeks to Canada I can't complain about that, just plan for it.



I think the shipping can be variable, but that's not the fault of the vendor. I have only purchased from Timberbits once, but the shipping was estimated at ten days and I received the package in 4 including a weekend. At his prices, it's worth it to spend $80 AU to get the free shipping. 
As far as vendors here stateside, I would have to say my favorites are Beartoothwoods and Exoticblanks. Others are great, but these two are off the charts in the customer service area which is one of the most important things, in my opinion.


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## brownsfn2 (Jan 15, 2014)

I will take a different approach.  I do have a favorite vendor that I order from 95% of the time.  I love them and they provide the best service I have ever gotten anywhere.

I want to address something you said though.  You wanted the cheapest pen kits possible without sacrificing quality.  The best way to do that is to order direct from the manufacturer of the pen kits we all use. The only problem is that the MOQ is usually too high for the average turner to afford.  So I would look at buying in bulk from a vendor that has large order discounts.  There are a few and one that others have already mentioned that give a discount for large order across different pen manufacturers.

When you look at it though even if you had a $5 discount on each pen kit you sold it will not translate to much savings over the year unless you are seriously under pricing your pens or just giving them away.  I have found that the extra $5 I might put into a pen price does not make a difference in whether or not someone will buy.  Usually the prices are high enough that $5 does not make a difference.  

I guess what I am saying is that you should probably focus more on the quality and if you find a vendor that has quality product and good service but also happens to have low prices then you are in luck.  You can always find lower prices but you can't always find the first two things.  I guess that was long winded.  Sorry...


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## Smitty37 (Jan 15, 2014)

*Quality*

You should also be aware that higher price does not directly translate to higher quality.  This is a competitive market and the gap between different manufacturers that was obvious 4 or 5 years ago is almost non existant today.  On the most popular styles (which are not usually high end anywhere) you won't see a lot of difference in quality from one vendor to the next - I have looked at quite a few and they all look pretty good.


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## RyanNJ (Jan 15, 2014)

Really cant beat smitty pen works, exotics, bear tooth woods, and the place in hawaii i am drawing a blank right now but i have never had an issue with any of these


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## deemka (Jan 15, 2014)

Is there a seller in the us that has timberbits inventory?


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## Smitty37 (Jan 15, 2014)

deemka said:


> Is there a seller in the us that has timberbits inventory?


Several....


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## Rodnall (Jan 15, 2014)

Another word of warning about steebar. I ordered plans from them and paid. Never recieved the plans and never could get in touch with anyone or get my money back!


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## GDGeorge (Jan 15, 2014)

Wood-N-Whimsies is another vendor that's decent to work with.  I've had good service all around and found them to have reasonable prices.  I've purchased from Smitty as well and have nothing but good things to say. I use Penn State once in a while but find them pricey.


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## kyaggie (Jan 17, 2014)

RyanNJ said:


> and the place in hawaii i am drawing a blank right now



Lau Lau (Lau Lau Penkits &mdash; Home)... they do a great job with great kits at great prices as well as fast and reasonable shipping.

Mike


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## Dan Masshardt (Jan 17, 2014)

kyaggie said:


> Lau Lau (Lau Lau Penkits &mdash; Home)... they do a great job with great kits at great prices as well as fast and reasonable shipping.  Mike



Or he could be thinking about woodenpenpro.  Both are in HI


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## hagemierj (Jan 28, 2014)

HPM, I go almost exclusively with woodturnerscatalog.com.  I like the flat shipping rate... a critical cost factor here in the Pacific!  Good luck!


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## buttonsHT (Jan 28, 2014)

I'm new to this (still haven't turned a pen yet, will do one tomorrow). I ordered some stuff from William Wood-Write and am very happy with the customer service they've shown me so far.

Are there any other Canadian suppliers anyone could suggest??


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## camb (Jan 29, 2014)

I think William Wood Write is about all there is in our neck of the woods They are good to deal with


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