Reviews

I've been contracted to make several hundred Cross "style" pens for a company out of "their" wood. Very basic pen kit, but it's what they decided that they wanted. I've been buying from Berea since 1996, when I made my first pen.

My Bread & Butter Kit

I purchased these kits for the Youth Program at the Greenville Woodworkers Guild. We give students two kits for free and then charge the actual cost for additional kits. Our young turners really enjoy making pens as gifts for parents, siblings and friends. Several have gone on to making pens and selling them at flea markets in the area.

This is a quality pen. I utilized the same colored blank and it turned out beautifully. Customer service was prompt in sending out the kit.

Bushings work well for the intended purpose

This pen component set is one of my go to’s. It’s relatively inexpensive. I like the clean look this pen has with simple lines. The cap does not post, but I don’t get many objections about that. Most importantly, the parts fit together well, without being too difficult to press together. Some manufacturers parts don’t fit so nicely, and are prone to cracking while pressing or shortly after. Not a problem for the Atrax. The gunmetal plating looks good with any wood. I sell these for $65.

Great little pen kit, a solid kit made with quality parts, this is my go to kit for the every day carry pens, I do recommend this kit you will happy with the end results

Love it. Turned well.

I have purchased many Sedona kits over the years. The Sterling kits have kept their beauty, nice size for women’s hand size and excellent writing tips. These are hard to find, and thanks to Berra for all options on this one.

The bushings are satisfactory and easy to misplace. For me, it’s always the Berea hardwood service that makes the difference.

Beautiful and durable. Finish goes well with anything. Sleek and elegant.

Big hit! People love to try the lever action. Goes really well with the stars and stripes kit, camouflage acrylic or a nice wood. Buy several, they'll sell.

Blank turned easy and polished out to rich and vibrant orange. Was for a friend of my son and forgot to photo before he grab it up.

My first time to order these pens. It is nice they come in the (5) pen package. When I ordered the pens the bushings were out of stock. It would have been nice if the bushings were part of the package like other pen suppliers. I will find a work around.

This pen is top quality, with understated elegant design. The nib is also top notch. The simple design really makes your work stand out.

I have tried several brands of Slimline pens and find I like the Berea Hardwoods the best. They are high quality and I feel confident in selling them.

This is a solid pen kit with a very attractive profile when completed. Definitely will make more.

This stuff is great for making opal rings! I have never been happier with the coating of ca glue, this stuff is amazing

Everyone seems to make a thin/7mm kit, but this one is definitely a cut above the rest. The build quality is great, and I REALLY like the click mechanism. There may be pen makers out there who like soft click pens that don't have a positive (and pronounced) CLICK when you actuate the mechanism, but I (and all the folks I've made pens for) are not among them. Click pens should CLICK. Full stop. Berea uses the all-metal Schmidt click mechanism, and I've decided that for any [click] pens I make going going forward, the first thing I'll look for in the details is whether or not it has a Schmidt metal mechanism. Are they more expensive? A little. Are they worth the difference? Absolutely. If you are making volume pens, and trying to hit a price-point, you might choose something else. But for anyone like me, trying to make the best possible pens, I do not think there is a better alternative. I REALLY wish I could upload pics of the pens I made. They were for a couple who wanted semi-matching pens, 7mm Click Pens. One in Gun Metal, the other in Black Chrome. Same blank (from Chris Wayne on Etsy, which are stunning), but one traditional with the pen matching the blank orientation (wood at both ends, acrylic in the middle), and other pen inverted. Both came out great, and the loved them. Thank you Berea folks for looking to provide high quality products, and not trying to hit the lowest possible price per kit. - DMac

I made this for my wife, and after a little hand-holding from the Berea crew, it turned out perfect. I've now ordered a bunch of these kits to make for other folks! After having made a variety of Berea pens, what I've learned is that the Berea folks go to great lengths to well document their instructions. Which, had I followed them, wouldn't have needed the aforementioned "hand-holding" from their great support staff. I had not encountered a kit that used a part of the brass tube as a "tenon", so I kind of skimmed over that part of the instructions (thinking it was like the other pens I'd made) and was stumped when I to the assembly part and read, this step, "8. Press the brass insert into the other end of the brass tube until it is flush.", and I didn't have any brass tube showing! Long story short, I've learned to now read everyone's instructions more thoroughly (slightly different instructions is not a Berea-specific thing...) Also, a very happy ending to this story. Not only did Berea guide me through my mistake, step-by-step (without any, "Ahem, did you even read the instructions?" tone in their voice), but I just noticed that they have also updated their instructions doc to clearly call out that there are two ways to approach this kit, and what to do for each option. - DMac A Happy Berea Customer!