What to look for in handcrafted pen selection.

If you do a search in google for "handmade pens" or "handcrafted pens" many pen shops are found but how do you know if the online pen shop is a good pen buy? The pens on display can be hard to make a decision on whether their handmade wood pens are high quality. A good custom pen can be a great-personalized pen gift. Make sure the pen in the picture is the actual pen for sale. Great handcrafted pens...whether a fountain pen, rollerball pen or ballpoint pen are handmade in a process called wood turning. Ink pens are not all created the same. Better high quality wood fountain pens take skill and talent to make the right way. Not only is an art and science to making a fine handmade pen but also to shopping for the right pen shop to buy.

The pens start as a block of wood...a "blank." Careful selection must go into selecting the right wood to use in creating the perfect handmade pens. Great custom pens start with a great wood selection. There are so many little details that can't be skipped in making a high quality handmade wood pen. I an talking about a pen that is built to last for generations. Handmade pens are becoming a "lost art" but there thankfully are many great pen shops that can skillfully produce an extremely high quality ink pen. Many of the finer pens tend to be (many exception to this) fountain pens. More specifically handcrafted wood fountain pens. Barrels have to be placed in perfectly sized holes in the blanks. Often better pen makes will have better machinery to help in the art of pen making. A perfect custom pen is perfect throughout the entire creation process.

Finishing fine handcrafted pens is an art in itself. Look carefully at the images online. Zoom in on the handmade pen. Does everything fit correctly? Is the wood pen polished, waxed and buffed. Handcrafted wood pens can be beautiful if done right and done with time. An ink fountain pen skillfully done is a work of art. Rollerball pens and ballpoint pens can have the same quality also.

Here are a few guidelines that may help you decide whether the online pen shop is offering a high qaulity handmade wood pen or producing something less than most would expect.

1. Look at the number of pens for sale. Some sites offer 10 pens or less, Some have 50, some over 100. I tend to think pen sites with more pens are a sign that pen shop is successful.

2. Look at the customer "testimonials." How many are there? What do they say? Are they thrilled? Are they just OK with the product and service?

3. Look at the diversity of materials used in making handmade pens. Besides wood pens, do they make M3 composite pens? Do they have handcrafted tru-stone pens? Do they other materials beside wood pens? Many great pen makers use a variety of materials.

4. Do the images of the pens allow you to zoom in closely to see finer detail? If not, why not?

5. Ask the shop owner for referrals. Check with their customers.

6. Are the vast majority of their handmade pens under $20? Often pens like this are very low quality for several reasons

a) The pen parts are cheap.

b) The pen maker rushed in making it possibly skipping many steps but make the pen in record time. Rush equals low quality.

Great quality handmade wood pens take time and effort to make. Nothing is left to chance. The result is awesome ...a perfect pen that will last a lifetime and can be pasted down for generations.

Mike Trobee is an experienced pen maker that owns and operates several pen websites featuring high end custom handcrafted writing instruments. Pens by Trobee features handmade pens.

 

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