Conid Delivery Time

[tubular]

Well my Conid Kingsize arrived today, but much to my dismay the extra gold EF nib unit I paid for was not included in the package. I was a little worried after it wasn't in the photo they sent me but figured I would wait to verify since it would arrive shortly. They indeed forgot about it. Am a little perturbed, especially because my email may not be read for a while. So the waiting continues...

 

Betweenthelines, earlier customers have said they respond quickly to those who have problems with their pens. Perhaps you should phone them?

[tubular]

I just inked it up and the Ti stub is skipping and hard starting to the point of being unable to complete a sentence. I've experienced this with other Bock Ti nibs but this is the worst I've had. Multiple papers, kon peki ink. It's a poorly ground nib. Even the writing sample photo Conid sent me has a skip in it! Clearly they did not really test it. Missing a nib unit and can't even write with the nib I have on a pen that cost a grand. Needless to say I'm peeved.

 

I am peeved for you. Have you washed it out? Mine needed it before it would fill; grease or grit might be the source of your pen's problem too. Still, this should not be happening.

Edited August 13, 2019 by tubular

[Betweenthelines]

 

I am peeved for you. Have you washed it out? Mine needed it before it would fill; grease or grit might be the source of your pen's problem too. Still, this should not be happening.

I just flushed it and it didn't improve. Flushing has never remedied nib woes for me, there would have to be a blob of grease in the nib to make it skip this much. No, this is a grind issue. I think the Ti nibs are more prone to skips because of how the material interacts with the ink, but as I said this not even writable.

[Wadude]

Im sorry to hear that, Between the Lines. I was considering a Conid myself. Definitely gonna put that on hold until they manage to get their act together.

[A Smug Dill]

I was considering a Conid myself. Definitely gonna put that on hold until they manage to get their act together.

At the end of the day, it's always been one of three logical options for most prospective clients/customers for items that are not mass-produced:

• select from what is already in stock, matching's one's requirements (as best one could) with what's already been made, without attempting to customise the delivered good to the every last detail that one cares about or pays attention to
• place a bespoke order and join the queue, which 'ideally' only grows longer as testament of the success of the producer because it is the single bottleneck and the one limited resource that prospective buyers could not replace or augment themselves if they wanted to
• be such a VIP that one could jump the queue and attended to as a patron and not just any client/customer

Personally, I'd value innovation (which Conid did achieve and patent, to some extent) and expert workmanship if the nibs weren't third-party sourced and oh-so-pedestrian, whereas larger ink capacity is nothing to me in practical terms. Show me there's a gee-whiz mechanism under the covers of the pen but write the same as (or better than) a Pilot #10/#15 nib and Sailor 21K gold nib, and it'd have my attention. Aurora has disappointed me enough times, Pelikan I could never really trust, and that discretionary spending has to go to someone. Edited August 13, 2019 by A Smug Dill

[mulrich]

FWIW, I have a couple titanium nib Conid's and they're both terrific writers. My gold nib Conid is probably my least favorite writer of the three but I think that's more because of the custom grind which was not done by Conid.

[Karmachanic]

Im sorry to hear that, Between the Lines. I was considering a Conid myself. Definitely gonna put that on hold until they manage to get their act together.

 

If Conid did not have their act together there would be no waiting. And speaking of waiting, I just ordered a second Minimalistica.

Edited August 13, 2019 by Karmachanic

[Wadude]

Exactly. I love the Bulkfiller filling system. I really like the utilitarian, solid design (something needs to be said for a demonstrator with a steel section). But the Bock nib, and for a grand, it’s just a bummer. Makes you appreciate again how much value they packed in a Pilot 823.

 

At the end of the day, it's always been one of three logical options for most prospective clients/customers for items that are not mass-produced:

• select from what is already in stock, matching's one's requirements (as best one could) with what's already been made, without attempting to customise the delivered good to the every last detail that one cares about or pays attention to
• place a bespoke order and join the queue, which 'ideally' only grows longer as testament of the success of the producer because it is the single bottleneck and the one limited resource that prospective buyers could not replace or augment themselves if they wanted to
• be such a VIP that one could jump the queue and attended to as a patron and not just any client/customer

Personally, I'd value innovation (which Conid did achieve and patent, to some extent) and expert workmanship if the nibs weren't third-party sourced and oh-so-pedestrian, whereas larger ink capacity is nothing to be in practical terms. Show me there's a gee-whiz mechanism under the covers of the pen but write the same as (or better than) a Pilot #10/#15 nib and Sailor 21K gold nib, and it'd have my attention. Aurora has disappointed me enough times, Pelikan I could never really trust, and that discretionary spending has to go to someone.

[Betweenthelines]

So I did receive an email back from Conid, they informed me they are out of stock of the gold nib units and neglected to include that info in the email or invoice. They will replace the To nib when Johan gets back from vacation (in 2 weeks). So the gold nib was another issue of communication, the Ti stub.. well I still can't write with it.

[mongrelnomad]

I feel I must jump in and give a little support to Conid. I have been a customer since the very first Bulkfiller in 2012, and have a small army of Conids that get an unrepresentatively large workload. I still believe, after seven years, that they are the best engineered, best manufactured, and most abusable pens ever made. Having met Werner, Johan and Francis on numerous occasions, I must also reiterate what outstanding gentlemen they are, and note how they have gone above and beyond for me, and many others over the years.

 

That said, a bit of context is probably necessary for those grumbling about the current state of affairs. Conid was born from passion by Werner as a weekend project using the tools of his (very large) machining company. After Francis invented the Bulkfiller, the sheer success of the project took them all by surprise, and though the quality of their pens suggests that they are a massive company, the whole shebang was pretty much run by a handful of people on their days off. I know that they were struggling to grow, and would not compromise their exacting quality, and that as a result there were backlogs to fulfil orders. Werner's main business was also doing too well - rich man's problems, to be sure, but it is unfair to expect a small business (producing such astonishing products) to function with the greased gears of the big boys many multiples of their size.

 

Understand that they are a small outfit. Have patience. Contact them directly if you can, and rest assured that their integrity will make everything right.

[Betweenthelines]

I feel I must jump in and give a little support to Conid. I have been a customer since the very first Bulkfiller in 2012, and have a small army of Conids that get an unrepresentatively large workload. I still believe, after seven years, that they are the best engineered, best manufactured, and most abusable pens ever made. Having met Werner, Johan and Francis on numerous occasions, I must also reiterate what outstanding gentlemen they are, and note how they have gone above and beyond for me, and many others over the years.

 

That said, a bit of context is probably necessary for those grumbling about the current state of affairs. Conid was born from passion by Werner as a weekend project using the tools of his (very large) machining company. After Francis invented the Bulkfiller, the sheer success of the project took them all by surprise, and though the quality of their pens suggests that they are a massive company, the whole shebang was pretty much run by a handful of people on their days off. I know that they were struggling to grow, and would not compromise their exacting quality, and that as a result there were backlogs to fulfil orders. Werner's main business was also doing too well - rich man's problems, to be sure, but it is unfair to expect a small business (producing such astonishing products) to function with the greased gears of the big boys many multiples of their size.

 

Understand that they are a small outfit. Have patience. Contact them directly if you can, and rest assured that their integrity will make everything right.

 

Speaking for myself, I do understand all this and am not 'hating on' Conid. I appreciate what they are as a boutique, quality-driven company creating very unique pens built for writers, and actually didn't mind so much the extra wait time (I'm used to waiting a long time for urushi or custom pens and used to wait times exceeding estimations). The pen body itself is awesome and everything it's chalked up to be. I do expect once I have some working nibs for it this will most likely be my most-used writer. The reason I purchased this Kingsize is because I suspected it would be my be-all-to-end-all EDC knock-around pen. Now holding it, I suspect that will be true.

 

However, the main legitimate criticisms I have for Conid is 1) the poor communication, as in addition to unanswered emails, my 'missing nib' issue could have been easily remedied by one sentence added to their shipping notification or a note in the box (which they acknowledge they forgot). Hire a part time employee to answer emails and ensure steady accurate communication, it's really not that hard or costly. 2) a stub nib that doesn't write. I'm sorry but the writing sample card that says how the nib was 'tuned to their high standards' and what not is laughable, this nib was obviously not thoroughly tested or else the skipping/hard starts would have been obviously identified and remedied. It does seem to be a well-ground nib other than what I assume was over-polishing, and I do have some understanding as I have experienced this issue with other Ti nibs, including a CSI ground by Mark Bacas that I had to send back to him, but the bottom line is this nib should not have passed through their QC, especially given that their QC is what they tout as being their specialty.

 

I get that they are swamped, and if they have to keep increasing wait times, so be it. People will deal with it, they do with Nakaya and custom pens. However there's no reason to not hire someone to response to emails, and no reason to rush through nib grinding/testing. IMO they should just go at the pace they always have, and up the wait times to 6 months if needed to maintain the quality they are known for.

[mvosyka]

Gratification delayed, perfection delivered today. You may recall I placed my order April 1st. The semi-flex rhodinated 14k stub is a work of art.

I am thrilled Conid does not compromise on quality in the face of external pressures (such as mine).

I suggest to calm the eager pen loving hearts by implementing a realistic delivery time, and getting a handle on the emails.

I am fighting the temptation to order another Conid. Hold me down, someone.

 

Happy inking,

Martin

[mauckcg]

So I did receive an email back from Conid, they informed me they are out of stock of the gold nib units and neglected to include that info in the email or invoice. They will replace the To nib when Johan gets back from vacation (in 2 weeks). So the gold nib was another issue of communication, the Ti stub.. well I still can't write with it.

I ordered 4 nibs last year around the summer time. When i got the shipping email with the picture, 4 #6 nibs were shown, not 2 #6 and 2 #8. This was right before vacation, i emailed them, and when the order shipped the next day it had been corrected. You are hating on Conid, they admitted their mistake in your case, they are fixing it, and as previously stated they know they have some issues and are working to resolve it. Which at the end of the day is a lot better than most specialty companies i deal with.

[mauckcg]

Gratification delayed, perfection delivered today. You may recall I placed my order April 1st. The semi-flex rhodinated 14k stub is a work of art.

I am thrilled Conid does not compromise on quality in the face of external pressures (such as mine).

I suggest to calm the eager pen loving hearts by implementing a realistic delivery time, and getting a handle on the emails.

I am fighting the temptation to order another Conid. Hold me down, someone.

 

Happy inking,

Martin

Good luck fighting them temptation, my Conids have grown to 6 now.

[Betweenthelines]

I ordered 4 nibs last year around the summer time. When i got the shipping email with the picture, 4 #6 nibs were shown, not 2 #6 and 2 #8. This was right before vacation, i emailed them, and when the order shipped the next day it had been corrected. You are hating on Conid, they admitted their mistake in your case, they are fixing it, and as previously stated they know they have some issues and are working to resolve it. Which at the end of the day is a lot better than most specialty companies i deal with.

 

If you consider simply reporting my experience and expecting a company I've given a grand of my money to communicate and not completely botch a nib grind 'hating on them', you should probably get thicker skin and raise your own standards. After the money and the wait I can't even write with the pen. You'd be pretty frustrated as well.

[mauckcg]

 

If you consider simply reporting my experience and expecting a company I've given a grand of my money to communicate and not completely botch a nib grind 'hating on them', you should probably get thicker skin and raise your own standards. After the money and the wait I can't even write with the pen. You'd be pretty frustrated as well.

Bolded for emphasis. Go for a walk and calm down. Your overly emotional about this for some reason. They responded quickly and are going to make it right. I fail to see what could be done better in this particular instance.

[Betweenthelines]

Bolded for emphasis. Go for a walk and calm down. Your overly emotional about this for some reason. They responded quickly and are going to make it right. I fail to see what could be done better in this particular instance.

 

Bolded for emphasis. Ground the nib properly, for one. Tested the nib as they claimed to, for two. I'm perfectly calm, just calling it like I see it. If you choose to accept subpar service and QC for $1000 pens that's your prerogative. I'm entitled to my opinions and you yours. If my words are ruffling your feathers because of your loyalty to Conid, that's not my problem. Personally I hold myself to a high standard when it comes to my job and my level of professionalism and the quality of the services I provide, and I will continue to hold others to the same standard. Anyhow, I'm done wasting energy arguing about something so petty, I will keep reporting back on my experience so as to better inform future buyers.

[A Smug Dill]

_...‹snip›... I will keep reporting back on my experience so as to better inform future buyers.

I sincerely thank you for that.

[JulianR]

That's odd. I ordered two weeks after you, and one of my nibs is a gold extra fine. This suggests they did bump me up, and (because that is the nature of bumping up) at the expense of someone else. I may have been given your nib. If so, I am very sorry.

Don’t sweat it, Conid have gone quiet. I’m not expecting the Titanium comp nib now... damn. The wait continues.

[james3paris]

Isn't most of Europe on their August vacation?